"Festool dust extractors are NOT vacuums and should not be used as such"

[thisvacuumsucks]

had an interesting conversation with Scott @ Festool. when i told him i used the Festool CT 15 to suck up water after cleaning my garage out he told me that is absolutely NOT what the product is designed to do. it has a secondary capability of picking up "damp debris" or very small amounts of water but if you're filling the container and having to empty it, then you should be using something else entirely.

this was sort of news to me as it seems quite a few people use their vac for things other than pure dust extraction.

what are your thoughts on this comment?

thanks.

 

[Chainring]

That's odd, especially given Festool sells the foam breaker insert and the tubs have contacts specifically for shutting down when a certain water level is reached.

Should you be using a Festool vac as a wet vac all the time? Eh, probably not the best decision on the financial side. Use it for the occasional emergency? Sure.

 

[ChuckM]

Dust extractors and vacuums are two different terms referring to the same thing, in my book. They may have different features and specifications.

I don't have any need for wet extraction, but if I do, I won't hesitate in using my CT15 to do it, following, of course, the proper procedures. Festool Training has done a "How to Use a CT Dust Extractor as a Wet Vac" video.

 

[afish]

Yea I dont get it either.  A vacuum motor is a vacuum motor after all.  A dust extractor adds some options such as tool activation, perhaps better filtration but at the hart of it its still just a vacuum motor.  As long as there is the proper safety features to keep the motor from sucking up water into it. I dont see the difference. 

 

[Spandex]

Exactly. A vacuum is the thing you use to clean your house and a dust extractor has a power connector for auto start. Saying you can’t use a Festool dust extractor as a vacuum is an odd way to word it if they actually mean you shouldn’t use it as a wet vac.

Regardless of their strange choice of words, in the very first paragraph about the CT15 on the Festool website, it says “With a 15 l container volume, the CLEANTEC CT 15 extracts dust, dirt and water.”

Further down the page, under a section titled “main applications”, it lists “absorbing water”. The manual echos this.

 

[bertv]

Well, if it would would be marketed as a vacuum (hoover for you Brits), it would be compared to likewise and considered very expensive. That being said, I use my Miele to vacuum and my Festools and Mirka to extract dust, so I have probably fallen victim to the marketing yadayada. : )

 

[woodferret]

Probably a sustained suction power issue with the motor+impeller and likelyhood of the computer controller cutting out in the scenario of bilge-pump type of work - usually due to heat.  The HEPA rating (i.e. no bypass) and the fact the motor is air cooled means that if all you're pulling in is mostly water, as alluded to by Scotts remark, that's going to hit the limit fast.

There is actually a class of pump/extractors for heavy restoration work called flood pumpers. 

 

[JeromeM]

had an interesting conversation with Scott @ Festool. when i told him i used the Festool CT 15 to suck up water after cleaning my garage out he told me that is absolutely NOT what the product is designed to do. it has a secondary capability of picking up "damp debris" or very small amounts of water but if you're filling the container and having to empty it, then you should be using something else entirely.

this was sort of news to me as it seems quite a few people use their vac for things other than pure dust extraction.

what are your thoughts on this comment?

thanks.

If you change the HEPA filter to the wet pickup filter and take the dust bag out, it’s certainly usable.
BUT and as you can see it’s a big but, for 1/5th the price you can get a wet&dry vacuum that has double the volume. So usable? Yes. Sensible to use it? Absolutely not.

Using a vacuum for water will kill it quite quickly as the moisture isn’t good for motors not specifically designed for water collection. Buying another $67 wet and dry vac or $360 for a Festool CT15? Is any math needed?

Will very occasionally using it to collect water when there is no alternative be extremely bad? Probably not.

Can you use a ½ million dollar computer controlled trammel saw to cut firewood? Sure. But a $22 axe is a better tool for the job.

 

[Cheese]

Maybe Scott @ Festool needs some additional in-house vac training.  [big grin]

Sedge did a Festool Friday Live video a few months back that highlighted the proper way to prepare a Festool vac for wet service. We all know that Festool is a pretty conservative company and if using their vacs for wet duty was a no-no, then the video would have never been produced.

I've used all 3 of my Festool vacs to mop up wet floors from time to time. The CT 22 is 14 years old...

 

[ChuckM]

Maybe Scott @ Festool needs some additional in-house vac training.  [big grin]

Snip.

Workshop title: Wet vac training [tongue]

 

[Stan Tillinghast]

Festool for a wet-vac? Good heavens, no! I have a Fein Turbo for that.

 

[Spandex]

Using a vacuum for water will kill it quite quickly as the moisture isnt good for motors not specifically designed for water collection. Buying another $67 wet and dry vac or $360 for a Festool CT15? Is any math needed?

The Festool IS specifically designed for water collection.

The OP has a CT15 and just wants to know if it can be used for water, which according to Festools own website and the instruction manual, it can. So if we do the maths, spending an extra $67 to do a job the OPs dust extractor is already capable of doing is a waste of money.

Not that a $67 wet and dry vac would even do a better job of it. And surely, if you’re spending $360 on a dust extractor, it makes financial sense to get as much use out of it as possible to justify the expense, rather than babying it and only using a fraction of its abilities?

 

[JeromeM]

Using a vacuum for water will kill it quite quickly as the moisture isn’t good for motors not specifically designed for water collection.

The Festool IS specifically designed for water collection.

No it isn’t. It is the “ Mobile dust extractor CLEANTEC ” It is capable of also being used for water collection if you buy the accessory Wet filter

From the Festool website

With the 15-litre container volume, it extracts dust, dirt and even water.

It’s a dust extractor that is capable of also picking up water.

 

[Spandex]

Sorry, I think I’m misunderstanding you here. The stuff you copied from Festool seems to confirm that the CT15 is specifically designed to collect water, but you’re also saying it isn’t?

Just fyi, when I write ‘specifically’ I don’t mean ‘solely’. I understand that Festool have also specifically designed it to extract other materials.

 

[dollar bill]

That's odd, especially given Festool sells the foam breaker insert and the tubs have contacts specifically for shutting down when a certain water level is reached.

Should you be using a Festool vac as a wet vac all the time? Eh, probably not the best decision on the financial side. Use it for the occasional emergency? Sure.

+1. I used my 26E (with foam insert) to such up water when my water heater sprung a leak. I remember having to empty the tub several times. No problem.

 

[squall_line]

So if we do the maths, spending an extra $67 to do a job the OPs dust extractor is already capable of doing is a waste of money.

To be fair, it's only an extra $44, since the "foam break" filter to convert the CT15 into a wet vac is $23, and without that filter you'd risk ending up with a $350 tripping hazard (I originally put "door stop", but the CT15 doesn't have a brake. Then I put "systainer cart", but the CT15 doesn't come with a garage to stack systainers...)

Also, the OP's track record at calling Festool service doesn't give me any warm fuzzies.  This isn't the first time they've given out contradictory information recently...

 

[Holzhacker]

I've used my CT's as wet vacs but its not really a good option. The CT doesn't empty well, its a mess, for me its not a good option. I have the foam insert and would use it if needed but would avoid it. My Fein turbo II works much better as a wet vac. Better design, large capacity for water and emptying.
If I didn't have a Fein I would rather go to HD and buy one of those loud, crappy, annoying Ridgid shop vacs for water. Used those for years. Hate those things but for nasty work they are a smarter option than an expensive CT.

 

[Coen]

Well, if your main use is sucking up water there are way way way cheaper vacs that do at least as good. The tank size / form is a thing too yeah.

 

[ChuckM]

Any one can decide if they want to use their CTs to extract water, or how often (regularly, emergency only, etc.) they might use it for water extraction. Every one is right because each owner may use different criteria (money, usage, etc.) to come to their decisions. However, there's only one right answer if our focus is on this statement on which the OP sought comments:

"...that is absolutely NOT what the product is designed to do. it has a secondary capability of picking up "damp debris" or very small amounts of water but if you're filling the container and having to empty it, then you should be using something else entirely."

The CTs are DESIGNED to handle water extraction based on all official literature and marketing information, with the use of the proper filter. Filling up the container up to the automatic water shut-off level and emptying it is not a reason for concerns from a technical point of view (personal comfort level is a different story). If this isn't the case, the blue filters for water extraction should be discontinued, and all references to water extraction in the manual / on the website should be removed.

 

[AlexThePalex]

It’s a dust extractor that is capable of also picking up water.

Because it was specifically designed to do so. It is not an afterthought, not a happy coincidence, but the plan from the get go. By design.