Ctl26e extractor lack of suction??

[M williams]

Hi to all on fog! I'm new here from the uk.Hoping someone can help me out with this? Extractor seems to be lacking suction, it's only 2 weeks old only used on 2 jobs.(cutting sheet goods ply/laminates etc no timber)it Has brand new filter and bag.got it to use mostly with ts55r and it seems to collect only the fine dust, which bunches up in a pile where the hose enters the unit ( have to take out bag and shake it loose then reinstall) I'm currently using stock 27mm hose which came supplied with. Most reviews refer to this extractor as Powerfull but this does not seem the case with this one, especially on jobsite cleanup where it seems rather feeble, and certainly not as powerfull as a domestic vac. Bad unit maybee??  Or am I expecting too much from it? I would not like to use the setup as is in a customers house ( which is really why I got it)as it's just creating to much mess! Is this normal? Contacted festool uk and was told to get 36mm hose and absa fence/cover for ts55 saw, would this help? Would be interested in other users views/advice. Also I would like to use with portable table saw (with 2" hose) would this be wise with this extractor or again am I expecting too much from it?is it more suited to sanders etc ? I have always set it on full power as it just has minimal suction on lower setting.Thanks in advance.

 

[rljatl]

How would you describe the suction when you put your palm over the end of the hose compared to other vacs you've used?

 

[M williams]

Hey there, with hand over the end of hose with unit on full power, it seems lesser than cheaper shop type vacs I have used also weaker than my domestic vac. Told this to festool and was informed that that's not really important,as it's more to do with flow rate?? Erm?? I was a bit confused by that tbh. The extractor is working but I thought it would be a lot more effective than it actually is, like I said in first post its to dusty to use in clients home. What are your thoughts on larger diameter hose?

 

[Madrigal Home Improvment]

Sounds like the hose could be plugged up  ???

 

[semenza]

Welcome to the forum!

      Something is definitely going on. It should have no trouble collecting both coarse and fine dust from the TS55 with the D27 hose.

    Suction is turned up?  Check the hose for blockage? You said the bag is new, have you tried with a different empty bag?

      You said the dust bunches up where the hose enters the unit. The unit being the vac end?  I usually find a little dust in the port if I take the hose out of the vac , but just a little bit that is stuck to the interior port wall at the connection point. Certainly none piled in the vac tube.  If you remove the hose from the vac and switch it on any loose dust in that area should get sucked right in. If not then either the bag is really full, something is blocking the tube inside the vac, the bag opening is blocked, or something more serious with the vac.

Seth   

 

[Rick Christopherson]

.......got it to use mostly with ts55r and it seems to collect only the fine dust, which bunches up in a pile where the hose enters the unit ( have to take out bag and shake it loose then reinstall)

I knew this would probably be the key to your problem, but it wasn't immediately obvious why at first.

Normally, the airflow inside the vacuum canister will pull the dust evenly throughout the bag's surface. The only way for it to not normally do this is if you run the vac without a main filter. Then the dust will clump in a small 3-inch circle just below the motor inlet.

However, if the inlet of the bag is blocked, then there won't be very much pressure differential from inside the canister to the inside of the bag. They will both have a strong negative pressure, but not much flow. This will cause the dust to clump near the inlet because the bag never fully inflates inside the canister.

So you should remove the bag and inspect the dust gate on the bag to make sure it didn't accidentally get closed. The dust gate is for when you are throwing away the bag and want to trap the dirt inside. If it got closed (as shown in the image below) before using it, it is somewhat difficult to reopen the gate. Also, the dust gate membrane could have pulled loose from the cardbord handle.

[attachimg=1]

Of course, you should still check the fairly obvious, and make sure your bag is properly installed.

[attachimg=2]