Can u wash the paper filter on a wet dry vac - Ridgid 9 Gallon Wet/Dry Shop Vac 96882 Canister Vacuum

Did you have a paper/cardboard filter attached to the top part of the unit? Sounds like you didn't have a filter or the silicate material got past it and into the motor and windings. Bad news if this is the case. Try taking the top part off, turn it on to see if it runs without the bottom tank section. Double check to see if your vac has a fuze. If it won't go on you'll need to dismantle the upper unit and clean it all out. Hand turn the motor and see if it easily turns or is sluggish. My wife used my wet/dry vac without the filter and wrecked it with sheetrock dust into the motor. I dismantled the top, cleaned it twice and it's still no good. By the way, generally you have to take the paper filter out if you are vacuuming wet up. If you leave the paper filter on and vacuum wet up, the paper filter will get wet, shred and get pulled into the upper motor unit. A wet/dry vac isn't really made to pump water (by the gallons) out of places, so don't expect that. Okay yes you can often hook up an outlet hose to the drain port at the back of the tank and vacuum quantities of water, but it's not really made to do this.

to use for 'wet' use --- just remove the foam and paper filter from the inside of the unit. it is now ready for wet use.
make sure you let the unit dry out before you reinstall the filters and use it for dry use.

c...

To change from dry to wet, remove the paper filter and install ball float if not already attatched

Your wet/dry vac came with 2 filters.
Paper for dust and dirt and Foam for wet/dry use.
If you left the paper filter on and tried to vacuum a wet surface, you most likely shredded your paper filter and clogged the outlet vent above your water shut-off float.
You should always use a filter to prevent clogging of the cyclonic impeller blades next to the motor. When extracting water or moisture you will need to use the Foam filter to prevent water from collecting in your fan blade area which then creeps to the motor eventually causing it to seize up.

Where did you buy this unit from? Go back there and ask if they have filters for yours. Otherwise look in the Yellow Pages for vacume cleaner repair shops. Sometimes they have all kinds of filters for all kinds of vacumes. You can try places like Wal Mart. What you want to look for are filters that will work with your unit. The foam filter you refer to is called a pre-filter. It traps the bigger particles so they won't damage your paper filter or clog it up especially if it's wet stuff you're picking up. You can remove that foam filter and gently wash it out in the sink with a mild dishwashing liquid and warm water. And even sometimes if you have time you can wash a paper filter out by hosing it out from the inside, with just a gently rinsing on the outside. Don't use any solvents on it just soap and water. And don't use high pressure either, as it will destroy the paper. I have cleaned my paper filters several times before I finally had to replace them. You can also look at places like Lowe's. They carry shop vacs and a whole assortment of attachments as well.

It will extract the water from the interior, just be sure to remove the paper filter from it before you do.

all you have to do is open it up and take the paper filter off and then it's a wet vac. If it has a foam over filter you leave that on

yes, the foam filter is what you should use, also make sure you remove any bag, or paper filter, the water would make it fall apart.

If it's a paper filter, take it off. If it's a cloth filter that can be washed and dried, leave it on. Your machine will have a float to close off the suction when the tub needs emptying. Anyway, air from the tub only goes through the turbine, not through the motor itself, so you need not worry. It's good practice to run the vac dry for a few minutes after using it wet, just to make sure the turbine's dry.

Just be sure to remove the paper filter bag that fits over the foam filter before vacuuming liquids. It's easy to get it wet and they don't work very well when that happens.