CT sys acting like its clogged

[Rip613]

my ct sys is acting like its clogged, I can hear the bypass flap or whatever it is activating shortly after I start it up. It still sucks, but I can hear that it's in bypass mode. Obviously I've changed the bag, the filter, cleaned the hose and elbow. Any ideas? It's making me crazy and I don't want to send it in if I don't have to.
Cheers

 

[grobkuschelig]

Did you check the hose for blockage?
Is suction on the normal level?

Maxbe try it without all the filters installed, just pumping air through, to see if it may be related to the filters..

 

[SMJoinery]

Fit the hose in the other “blow” port to check and clear the hose for blockages. If it’s heavily blocked I use my folding rule to determine where the blockage is and help free it.

 

[Birdhunter]

I clear my vac hoses by disconnecting them from the vac and dropping a 3/8” by 24” steel rod down the hose. The rod is heavy enough to dislodge any stuck material.

 

[James Carriere]

I had the same issue after using imy CT SYS for some drywall dust.  The bag was nowhere near full but the fine powder created that bypass mode response you are describing and it drove me crazy.  A new bag fixed the problem however a brief clean up of drywall dust yesterday created the same effect.  It wasn’t much, maybe a cup in total.  I’m going to open it up today to see if I can identify what is getting caked over with the dust.  I don’t do much with drywall but it would “suck” if the CT SYS can’t be effectively used to clean it up.  Mine is a 2018 model. 

 

[six-point socket II]

Hi,

Since the CTL-SYS is my most used dust extractor I can only second what [member=63880]James Carriere[/member] wrote.

The fine dust from Drywall/Masonry/Concrete will block the bags pores and result in the bypass valve opening. Beside that, suction is still strong enough for the drilling dust nozzle to work ... So it's a non issue for me - as this only happens with fine "mineral" dust.

When I'm on a really fresh bag and have used it for "mineral" dust - I simply open the bag compartment after use and whack the bag a couple of times with my hand, this unclogs the pores and it works normal until the next time it gets used on "mineral" dust.

Keep in mind the CT !L! -SYS is not rated/designed for this type of "mineral" dust.

If you're running into this problem using it while sanding/cutting wood i.e. - you should further investigate - I never had this happen on this type of dust and shavings. Also if this happens with an all new (empty) bag and clean filter - then something is not right.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[Rip613]

Thanks for the help James and Oliver, drywall dust was in fact the culprit, I had changed the bag, but of course the problem quickly returned, so I didn't think it was the issue, but the fact you've experienced the same problem is reassuring. I've changed the bag and have been using it on the TSC all morning without any trouble(no I'm not using the TSC to cut drywall, lol)

 

[Naildrivingman]

I have had the same problem (I believe) when sanding for extended periods of time.  Originally I bought the CT Sys for the one off projects (track saw cuts, routing, domino, etc) that are truly "one off" and didn't warrant the transport of my CT26.  The CT Sys worked fine for these tasks as well as light cleanup.  I am satisfied with it for these uses.

I did use it for a great deal of bare wood sanding and I believe the bag suffered because of that.  I seem to recall carefully removing the bag and lightly shaking it, then reinstalling and it worked again for a time, but ultimately it started making the baffle closing noise.

Personally, I don't think there is a fault of the product, but rather me expecting dynamite from a small package.  I simply don't think it is capable of that.

 

[grobkuschelig]

As the others have stated, my experience is similar.
If you are only on wood dust/saw dust/shavings, I have not gotten bypass behavior, unless the bag is completely packed.

Completely different with mineral dust.

Glad this seems to be our issue and solvable.

 

[nclemmons]

Is this issue consistent whether using the long-life or paper bags?

I use long-life mostly, but just curious.

 

[Rip613]

The long life bag is only for 'large' particles I believe. I'm sure it's not for drywall dust, mdf and the like.

 

[Dick Mahany]

This must be a fairly common complaint because Festool actually addresses it with a bulletin. (sorry couldn't get the link to post properly)
It seems odd that I found it in the EKAT. Under CT-Sys Manuals.

[attachimg=1]

 

[Rip613]

Interesting/disappointing that when I called festool with the problem no mention of the bulletin or fine dust issue was mentioned. Only suggestion was to remove the elbow in hose and inspect

 

[GoingMyWay]

Is this mainly a problem affecting the CT SYS because of its small size?

 

[Dick Mahany]

Is this mainly a problem affecting the CT SYS because of its small size?

I suspect it is.  The relative tiny size of the bag by design just has far fewer pores as compared to the larger bags used in the larger dust extractors.  Since the motor in the CT Sys is still quite powerful for its size, the reduction in suction shows up more.

I have noted it slightly in mine when collecting fine dust.  I use the long-life bag and empty it often, far before it is full.

 

[RKA]

Nope, same issue with my Mini when sanding out drywall patches.  I do think the surface area available in the bag make a huge difference, but I wouldn't expect to get much father with my 26 before that bag clogs up as well.  Shaking/tapping the bag helps a bit, but it clogs again pretty quickly.  If you're only doing this occassionally, it's not a big deal, but if you're doing this everyday, that's why they made the 36AC. 

 

[GoingMyWay]

At some point I was planning on sanding some small drywall repairs with my ETS EC 150 and my CT26.  I knew the CT 36AC was specifically designed for drywall sanding.  I guess another option is a dust cyclone to filter out the fine dust before it gets to the bag.

 

[RKA]

I haven't tried it, but yes, some have reported that the cyclone does help.  For me, moving the cyclone and DE around is a pain in the butt.  My view of it is...the reduction in suction (at least on my mini) is on the order of 20-30%, but I haven't gone beyond 50% (obviously rough estimates).  I do periodically tap the bag to loosen the dust from the pores.  It's not a problem for sanding since very little suction is required anyway.  It only becomes a problem when I need to use the extractor for other woodwork in between.  I can either get the drywall work done in one shot and toss the bag (mostly what I do), or I can use a separate bag for the woodwork, eventually tossing the bag containing the drywall dust when that job is done. 

 

[Gregor]

... and I was laughed at for kicking the SYS-ROLL my CTL-SYS is sitting on ...

 

[GoingMyWay]

The CT SYS just came up on the recon site.  I was a little interested in it particularly for sanding the drywall dust inside so I wouldn't have to drag the big CT26 inside, but I think I'll pass on it now.