I have a one time remodeling project that will involve hanging ten sheets of drywall. Given the quote I have received, I can justify in my mind buying a Planex Easy. I know that the CT 36AC is the recommended vacuum, but I own a CT 26. I also know that drywall dust will reduce the usable capacity of the CT 26 filter bags by 75% and will clog the HEPA filter. The cost of a new filter and extra bags is still less that the cost of a new vacuum that is only available in a size I do not want. My question: Will drywall dust permanently damage my CT 26, or will it just increase my consumables cost? Thank you for your help.
Planex with CT 26
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AlexThePalex
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Drywall dust will not damage your vac in any way. It will also not clog your HEPA filter if you use it with a bag. But it will clog your bag very quickly. So just buy a few extra bags and you're fine. Adding a cyclone in between will help a lot, it will take the brink of all dust you create and make your bag last a lot longer. I bought a cyclone for €30 and build my own reservoir for it from scrap ply.
And ten sheets of drywall isn't really much either. So the amount of dust you wil create is small.
And ten sheets of drywall isn't really much either. So the amount of dust you wil create is small.
Alex said:
Once again Alex, thank you for your input. That is exactly the kind of information I was looking for. An extra pack or two of bags is preferable to a specialty dust extractor that I will rarely need in the future. The Planex will save me so much time over the DTS 400 that I currently use for drywall patches, that the cost is worth it to me. I will strongly consider a cyclone to reduce the dust passing through the CT.
Run what ya got. Change the bag if suction drops off.
A "Dust Deputy" would help. Don't use a HD bucket or other weak buckets. Use the white buckets that cost more, or buy mud in the bucket. Those buckets are good quality.
https://www.amazon.com/Cyclone-Coll...ywords=dust+deputy&qid=1593109943&sr=8-7&th=1
A "Dust Deputy" would help. Don't use a HD bucket or other weak buckets. Use the white buckets that cost more, or buy mud in the bucket. Those buckets are good quality.
https://www.amazon.com/Cyclone-Coll...ywords=dust+deputy&qid=1593109943&sr=8-7&th=1
Another thought - for just ten sheets, I don't know if I could justify a Planex unless you are selling it after. I have resheetrocked about half of my house running an ETS EC 150/3, and even the ceiling work isn't terrible on a ladder. In the end, it also means that the ETS EC 150/3 is just more useful for me in a woodworking setting than a Planex, plus saves a fair amount of cash even over the easy.
Can't speak to the CT 26 vs 36 AC as I have the AC, but I agree that should be a minimal amount, particularly if you are using a smaller ETS EC 150/3 that requires minimal suction to begin with.
Can't speak to the CT 26 vs 36 AC as I have the AC, but I agree that should be a minimal amount, particularly if you are using a smaller ETS EC 150/3 that requires minimal suction to begin with.
AlexThePalex
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Ten sheets is not much ... I have done jobs like this using only my ETS 125 and DTS 400 together. And it wasn't a lot of work with these sanders. The whole idea is not to apply too much mud in the first place. Three thin coats is better than one thick coat.
I would never try to talk anybody out of buying a nice sander they want, but I agree with nvalinski above, if you buy a Planex for this job, after you're done it's going to lay on the shelf unused. But get a nice ETS EC, and you'll find lots of use for it later on in all kinds of projects.
I would never try to talk anybody out of buying a nice sander they want, but I agree with nvalinski above, if you buy a Planex for this job, after you're done it's going to lay on the shelf unused. But get a nice ETS EC, and you'll find lots of use for it later on in all kinds of projects.
Alex said:
I have an ETS 150, and it’s a great sander. I limit my drywall sanding to a DTS 400, so that in the worst case, I only destroy one sander. I’m thinking that a dedicated tool for a one time remodeling job may make sense, but I hear you on buying more versatile tools. Thank you for the advice.
AlexThePalex
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abgoto said:
No need to worry about destroying your sander with drywall, that's not gonna happen. All vital parts are well sealed off.
I've been using my RO150, DTS400 and ETS125 for years now with drywall and plaster, and it simply does not affect them in any way. Especially my RO150 has been douched with plaster since it sands so aggressively and the vac can't keep up.
James Carriere
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Also focus on your taping technique. A properly applied mud finish needs minimal sanding. If you are relatively new to drywall then watch some taping you tube videos and do some practice joints on scrap material. 10 sheets is a small job as far as your tools are concerned. A quality applied mud job sanded without a cyclone and a CT26, I estimate 3 bags max due to clogging. Add the cyclone and it’s one bag. As for the planex, one benefit that’s not been mentioned in this thread is the 225mm sanding pad will help smooth irregularities in the wall better than the smaller format sanders if your goal is a smooth wall finish. If you are adding texture, flatness is not as critically important. Provided your taping and smoothing coats went well you could probably skip the planex. There is a small learning curve with the planex which might cancel the time savings on a 10 sheet job vs the smaller sanders you own. . If your job includes a ceiling, by all means get the planex!
I’m decent at taping, but I don’t do it often enough to get really good. About a third of this drywall job with be ceiling, which is one aspect that made the Planex so tempting. Good to know I am on the right track. Thank you for your input.James Carriere said:
Holzhacker
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If drywall dust damaged CT's I would have had to buy dozens of CT's by now. Don't listen to whoever is pushing that nonsense. Pull the filters out after doing a lot of drywall sanding, clean them, start again.
My ets 125 has seen more drywall than wood and still keeps on going years and years later. Unless you are really throwing a lot of durabond onto those seams, 10 sheets isn't anything to worry about.
My ets 125 has seen more drywall than wood and still keeps on going years and years later. Unless you are really throwing a lot of durabond onto those seams, 10 sheets isn't anything to worry about.
mino
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Adding on to the "skip Planex" crowd.
If you use a half-full bag for this, you will not even waste too many bags ..
And, remember, all that Autoclean does is to give the filter a proper shake-up. You can do this also manually with a Self-Clean by removing the turbine top and slightly tapping the bag around a bit. Can do this a couple times as it will clog completely eventually, but can prolong the (relatively short) bag life for use this 2-3 times. That may be enough for what you need to do even on a single bag.
Also, if you do not have a (light) random orbital, I would recommend one for this. DTS is really a finishing-touch tool and with drywall you want a bit more material removal. This is the time I would invest in ETS EC 125/3 + a 150 hard pad for the drywall work.
If you use a half-full bag for this, you will not even waste too many bags ..
And, remember, all that Autoclean does is to give the filter a proper shake-up. You can do this also manually with a Self-Clean by removing the turbine top and slightly tapping the bag around a bit. Can do this a couple times as it will clog completely eventually, but can prolong the (relatively short) bag life for use this 2-3 times. That may be enough for what you need to do even on a single bag.
Also, if you do not have a (light) random orbital, I would recommend one for this. DTS is really a finishing-touch tool and with drywall you want a bit more material removal. This is the time I would invest in ETS EC 125/3 + a 150 hard pad for the drywall work.
No 26AC in the USA?
Funny, last week I found out a Bosch GAS 35 M AFC + GTR 55-225 runs about the same price tag as a basic Planex... [eek]
[member=61254]mino[/member] ; huh? The AC lets burst of air through in reverse, not just shake the filter...!?
Funny, last week I found out a Bosch GAS 35 M AFC + GTR 55-225 runs about the same price tag as a basic Planex... [eek]
[member=61254]mino[/member] ; huh? The AC lets burst of air through in reverse, not just shake the filter...!?
mino
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Correct. The "shake the filter" is from the reverse air flow shockwave. Is a more violent action but on the same principle as the manual clean option on the Mini/Midi etc.Coen said:
In the AC mode, there is only a short reverse burst every couple seconds, so the air flow does not really reverse on the hose end. But if you disconnected the hose, you would not like it without a closed blast gate on ..
The air volume in the vac and hose mostly absorb the shock so at the tool end the air is just "stopped/slowed" and then restarted. Does work kinda like a pressure wave, not a "real" reverse flow there. From what I gather, all AC vacs work like this. Just some (Starmix ?) have dual AC chambers with two filters to provide a more continuous air flow while cleaning the filters.
My idiocy was to use the AC "manual" mode to "shake" the filter a bit - like I do on a classic manual-clean-only non-SelfClean vacs once in a while. And that even with the blast gate on and closed ...
[tongue]
Now, messing my first bag this way, I know to NOT DO THIS. The AC cleaning, especially the "manual" mode, is WAY more violent than your casual manual clean on the cheaper vacs. And with the SelfClean bags it is pointless as well.
mino said:
Have you tried? I wouldn't expect it to blow out stuff through the inlet. But without the hose, the pressure in the tank won't be as low as with hose, so the air burst won't be as effective either.
You remember the CT 22? It has a handle to 'scratch' the filter. Absolutely useless lol. You also have to completely remove all cable from the cable wrap to use it.
