CT 36E AC and Planex, drywall dust blowing from CT36 exhaust vents

[kw3b]

I had a lovely experience of using my Planex LHS 2-m and CT36 dust extractor for the first time, and was completely shocked at how poorly the dust extraction of the CT36 was. I looked up and was stunned at the white cloud of drywall dust throughout my house.

I watched what was happening, and every time the Autoclean feature kicks in, a puff of dust shoots from the side exhaust vents. I'll attach a photo. What is happening here? I would expect almost no dust shooting from the sides like this, which is why I invested so much into this combination. You can see the thin layer stuck to the machine from a single puff.

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[dsweetser]

Are you using an Auto-Clean? Standard CT36 is not designed for the Planex.

 

[kw3b]

Yes, it's a CT 36E AC.

I notice the puff when the autoclean feature "knocks" the filter. A bang followed by a puff of drywall dust from the exhaust vent. I'm using the autoclean bag and everything according to instructions. The only thing I can think it's either a defective unit or something is set up wrong, but I double checked the setup and read the manual again.

There's lots of drywall dust it has to deal with as I'm sanding a number of skim coated ceilings, but it seems like the dust is making its way past the filter itself.

 

[Ebuwan]

Ive sanded tons with my 36AC, with the orignal planex and the new one, no issues like this.

Hrm...

Is there something wrong/loose with the filter? It's the High Performance filter in there, right? It is different from the regular HEPA filter. I see your extractor has the HEPA sticker (i have an original 36AC that came with the high performance filter, so no HEPA sticker).

The High performance filter is cheaper, and make for the boom-pow (i think?) of the AC function.

 

[kw3b]

Quick update: the retailer I purchased it from gave me a brand new replacement that runs perfectly. Absolutely no dust is being discharged. I used the Planex on a skim coated ceiling, and it was so clean that I didn't even need to wear a mask. Exactly what I was looking for when I invested in this combo.

I came across other threads that hinted that a missing gasket can cause this issue, but the defect could have been anything (like a tear in the original filter or some such thing). All I can confirm with certainty is that a replacement unit completely fixed the problem I experienced with the first one.