CT26 Suction Problems

[supertemp]

Hi I am wondering if anyone has some tips on what to check in this instance.

I have owned a CT26 vacuum for approx 3 years now, and have had an issue for the last couple of months. The suction drops off to the point that it will barely pick up woodchips or dust unless you bury the nose in the pile.

I have returned it twice now to the local New Zealand agent, and both times they've sent it back saying there's nothing wrong with it. The second time they suggested my hose might be at fault, so I banged on it and went through it bending it to try and dislodge anything in there but apart from a bit of dust there was nothing.

I took my hose in to the dealer and we tried it on his CT26 and mine, and in both cases it seems fine. In fact when testing vacuums side by side there was no noticeable difference in the very technical suck hose onto hand test.

Now when I first purchased the CT26 I was very very happy with it, I thought it was the ducks nuts. The suction power was so good I had to turn it down most times otherwise it pulled the sanders onto the surfaces too much. It's nothing like that now.

Initially when I got the vacuum back from the shop it seems okayish until I sucked up the first pile of wood curls left from a builder who had been drilling holes into a stair runner. Instantly it sounds as if it has swallowed a golf ball and suction dies off. The motor then starts to sound very slightly like it is oscillating, and you have to push the vacuum nose right up to any debris to even have a chance of it disappearing up the spout, and it will definitely not suck onto your hand. This is from woodchips, not plaster or any fine dust.

I emptied the bag and banged it out, banged the filter out (looks ok) and banged the hose out again, still the same thing.

I really am a bit lost for ideas. I feel stupid taking it back and them telling me there's nothing wrong with it. Has anyone had any similar experiences? I am taking a bigger hose over today (from a planex) to the site to test them side by side but apart from that I have no idea what to do. I absolutely love the CT26 when it's working and I still think of all the festools I have, this is my most useful, but it's a lame duck at the moment.

 

[jonathan-m]

Sounds weird.
Have you tried with a completely new bag and filter? Maybe the bag and filter have been in use so long the pores in the bag have clogged up?
Or maybe there really is a mechanical problem.

 

[tbellemare]

I emptied the bag and banged it out, banged the filter out (looks ok) and banged the hose out again, still the same thing.

Is it normal to empty the bag or dispose of it?

How many times has it been emptied? Also, what was it sucking up?

The bags are 5 micron filters. They are your primary filter. The filters are secondary and normally get very little, if any, debris.

Tom

EDIT:
Jonathan beat me to the thought...

 

[mouppe]

You can determine whether the fault is with the hose by pulling it out and testing the vac suction by itself.

Once I had a clogged tube between the nozzle entrance to the vac and the bag itself. Worth having a quick look!

 

[Rick Christopherson]

Just FYI, but putting your hand over the end of the hose will not tell you if the hose is blocked or not. The suction will be the same either way. You need to put your hand near the end of the hose so you can feel the volume/speed of air flowing, not the suction.

 

[tbellemare]

If I have any suspicion that I have a clogged hose, I put a broom handle-type thing in it and swing it over my head until it comes out. If it doesn't come out readily, it's clogged.

Oh, I do this outside...

Tom

 

[Rick Christopherson]

If I have any suspicion that I have a clogged hose, I put a broom handle-type thing in it and swing it over my head until it comes out. If it doesn't come out readily, it's clogged.

Oh, I do this outside...

Tom

I thought my 36mm x 7m hose was clogged.........my neighbors would like you to replace their broken widow.  [big grin]

 

[tbellemare]

I, fairly recently, cleared my 36mm x 5m hose that way in the street. It's an unusually wide street.

Luckily, my neighbors all know me...

Tom

 

[Grasshopper]

My CT22 sucks…

…Couldn't resist  [big grin]

 

[supertemp]

Thanks for the replies guys.

We took the 36mm hose over and switched it after it started to die, and the unit itself was ok. We did the broom trick with the normal hose and got some old plaster out which seemed to remedy the situation.

I got one of the long life reusable bags so bag is ok.

Big clean up next weekend before carpet is laid so it will get a real work out then. Cheers!  [wink]

 

[noelnyman]

The broomstick idea sounds cool, and I'd like to see a video of someone doing that...perhaps with a neighbor's window involved. I have cranky neighbors and narrow streets, so I use a fish tape. Push it all the way through the hose and you'll dislodge the worst of the blocking material. Tie a cloth to the end and pull that back through to get the rest. If the tape stops before reaching the end of the hose, you know how far in to coax something more sturdy to free it.  A plumber's snake might work instead if (a) you have one long enough, and (b) you have the patience and gentle touch not to chew up the inside of your hose while snaking.

 

[sancho57]

Hmm, I notice a big difference in the suction I get from the CT 22 to the CT 26. CT 26 is in a boom arm. Im going to try the broom stick routine and see if that will solve the problem.

I did use my CT26 for primarliy cleaning the shop floors....

 

[Carl Prentiss]

Rather than removing the hose from the boom arm, I used a piece of rope the length of the 36mm hose, maybe a little longer, tied a small rag to it and tied the other end to my wrist. Sucked up the small rag, untied from my wrist and tied a larger rag to it. Disconnected the 36mm from the 50mm hose and pulled the large rag through. might not work if you have a hard clog though.

 

[sancho57]

Mines can put a golf ball through a garden hose now :>D.

Helps if I empty the bag huh?