CT SYS Clean up after drywall work.

[johnmpf]

I got to use my new old stock CT SYS corded vac yesterday. We were installing ceiling speakers. I had to cut a bunch of drywall and the CT SYS worked great at getting most of the dust. I cleaned the vac unit itself with a damp cloth.
How do people clear out the hose? I vacuumed it out with another system, but I keep getting drywall dust out of the hose. That stuff is nasty! Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[mcfal12]

I haven’t done this but if I wanted to clean the hose:

1. fill a large storage bin with water and some Dawn soap.
2. Then I would disconnect the hose and submerge it in the bin.
3. After letting it soak for a bit- agitate the outside of the bin (think ultrasonic jewelry cleaners) using a reciprocating saw or multi tool without the blades.
4. Remove from the bin and wash out the inside with a garden hose
5. Wipe the outside with a rag
6. Hang the hose up to dry

I’m interested in hearing others thoughts on how to clean the hose.

 

[luvmytoolz]

Hold on, you're meant to clean the hose?

I must admit in 40+ years I've never cleaned any of my hoses no matter what the work was, just relied on anything stuck inside working itself loose over time as the hose is used/flexed.

Inside power tools with plaster is a different case though. Definitely very important to clean that out.

 

[peter halle]

The only time I've cleaned a hose - and it wasn't one of my Festool hoses nor one of my Festool extractors - was when I have to clean up some sort of dog mess. Then taking it outside and using a hose was the procedure.

Take you hose outside. Flush it with a hose and spray nozzle from both ends. Elevate both ends and fill with water and let it sit for a while. Rinse and let dry.

Peter

 

[Hawkeye0001]

You do know that the CTL Sys has a blower function, right? You can simply connect the hose to the air outlet (hidden behind the grille on the backside of the unit). Turn it on, shake the hose a bit while blowing et voilà, most of it will be gone in seconds.
Also an excellent feature if you ever need to remove fumes, e.g. while applying PUR-glue with the Conturo: connect the sucky side hose to the machine and connect another hose to the blowport and out the window.

Edit: since I'm just busy with it anyway:

 

[mcfal12]

You do know that the CTL Sys has a blower function, right? You can simply connect the hose to the air outlet (hidden behind the grille on the backside of the unit). Turn it on, shake the hose a bit while blowing et voilà, most of it will be gone in seconds.
Also an excellent feature if you ever need to remove fumes, e.g. while applying PUR-glue with the Conturo: connect the sucky side hose to the machine and connect another hose to the blowport and out the window.

Edit: since I'm just busy with it anyway:

View attachment 376129

That’s fair- I presumed, given the dust was vacuumed up, the idea was not to send it back out into the environment but this solution surely is viable if that’s not a concern.

 

[six-point socket II]

Gypsum based drywall plaster and the dust from the sheets is not really a concern when you want to clear the hose (outdoors obviously, not towards neighbors …) by blowing it out.

This stuff sticks inside the grooves of the hose pretty good and will fall out when it’s most inconvenient, especially if there was at any point in time any moisture involved. So I understand why the OP wants to clean it.

I’ve “built” myself a rag on a cord to draw through the hose, originally to speed up the drying process after wet use - but it does a good job for cleaning as well.

For the drywall dust, I’d connect it as pictured, lay the hose down, give it a few whacks. Turn hose around, repeat. That should suffice.

Avoid wet cleaning if possible.

Kind regards,
Oliver

 

[mino]

Gypsum based drywall plaster and the dust from the sheets is not really a concern when you want to clear the hose (outdoors obviously, not towards neighbors …) by blowing it out.

This stuff sticks inside the grooves of the hose pretty good and will fall out when it’s most inconvenient, especially if there was at any point in time any moisture involved. So I understand why the OP wants to clean it.

...

Just for those unaware: Festool braided AS hoses sold as of 2025 do not have internal grooves.

The outer rib has a wire of sorts in it and is completely filled so the internal surface is smooth.

I am not sure of the cheaper CT15/25 black hoses, or the Planex one, but above holds for all the braided "Black-Green" ones.