Help on VAC for Planex

[JG]

Hey FOGGERS.  I just purchased a used planex (original design not the new Easy).  I am a small remodeling contractor, mainly kitchens and baths, rarely an addition.  While I do drywall, I will not be sanding an entire house.  A room at most.  I purchased the planex mainly to keep dust down and I am having more clients ask me to remove their popcorn ceilings.  I currently have a MIDI and CT Sys.

I know the 36AC is designed for the planex.  From what I can determine, the AC feature only works when the disposable bags are used.  These are open top bags and the filter is open to the dust/popcorn.  The AC feature causes the dust/popcorn to fall to the bottom of the vac and in the bag.  The CT 36AC is not HEPA certified, but it appears a HEPA filter can be used.

I prefer to use the disposable fleece bags with the planex.  I am not sure how the fleece bags work with the drywall dust or the popcorn.  Given the amount of drywall/popcorn I would encounter, is fleece a good option?  I would prefer to have a HEPA vac for other reasons, including keeping the duct and popcorn completely contained.

Is the MIDI with the fleece bags a good option?  I believe I would have to purchase the planex hose so it locks to the Planex.  I am not sure how much dust/popcorn the planex would create for a standard sized room.  Trying to estimate how many bags I would go through for a room. How frequently would the fleece bags require me to buy new filters?  Also not sure how the dust/popcorn would reduce the overall life of the machine.

Finally does the suction control on the handle of the planex only work on the 36AC or will it work on the other festool vacs with adjustable suction?

I appreciate any input as I am trying to determine whether I need to purchase the 36AC, some other vac, or whether my MIDI and SYS will work for my situation.

Thanks.

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

Unfortunately, fleece bags generally aren't very compatible with extracting cementitious dust and/or drywall compound, particularly with vacs that use air flow reversal as the method for cleaning the filters.

You can use fleece filters, but plan on only filling them a fraction of their capacity before the pores clog.

My preferred vac these days are the various licensed versions of the Starmix iPulse vacs. They have 150+ cfm (for OSHA Table 1 considerations), are HEPA certified (necessary for performing certain applications), and have specially coated filters for sanding drywall. If you're in North America, you can get this vac from Metabo, Mafell (through Timberwolf Tools), or Starmix (through Rokamat).

 

[jarbroen]

I don't know how well it works for drywall dust but the new MIDI has a manual filter clean option.  It's a little dumper paddle that you pump.
Might work ok for smaller jobs.

 

[Marven]

I have the Planex with the 36AC.  Right in the instructions is says do not use the bag with the drywall sanding.  I'm not sure about using another vacuum with this system.

If I were doing popcorn ceilings, I would get a vortex separator.  It would get most of the heavy stuff and save on bags in general.  There are several models available including Festool.