Upgrade CT 15 E with auto clean

[RedThunder]

Hello everyone,

so.. first of all I'm a newbie trying to finish work around the house by myself and to do that I read on forums, watch videos, etc. and right now I'm debating on which Festool to purchase but before I get to the main question I'd like to write a bit about the story behind it.

I purchased a ceiling grinder from Einhell because it was quite cheap back then and since I was gonna use it once only I didn't want to spend too much on it. I also purchased a vacuum cleaner from Kärcher but honestly it sucked so bad (literally) that all I could see was white because probably only 10-20% of the dust got sucked in.

Well I don't know exactly which of the two machines was the bigger issue because the celing grinder only has 2 holes to suck the dust in while grinding and according to the data the vacuum cleaner has a higher airflow than Festool models but once I plugged both machines together I could barely feel anything at the tip of the grinder and therefore I believe that the vacuum cleaner was the main issue.

So after going through quite a few choices I've finally decided on getting myself a Festool and yes it's expensive for private use, since I'm not gonna be using it way too much but I'm thinking of crafting stuff myself in future as well and after experiencing that white storm of dust all over the place I definitely don't wanna get something cheaper again.

In the end I've decided to purchase the CT 15 E because I don't really need the other stuff the Mini or Midi offer. The only function that I would desire though is the possibility to manually clean the filter which the CT 15 E doesn't have.

Now I know that I can replace the top part (hose garage?) of hte CT 15 E with the one for Mini/Midi but that still leaves a hole at the spot where the lever for the manual clean function is located at.

Therefore I was wondering whether I could also get that lever for manual cleaning of the filter which should be part nr. 203734 I believe and install it to use this function? because seriously that's the only function between CT 15 E and CTL Mini/Midi which I really desire.

I was also thinking of combining the CT 15 E with CT VA 20 which should keep the filter quite clean anyway but still having the option to clean the filter can't hurt I guess.

Does anyonw know whether it's possible or maybe an alternative to it in case it's not doable or wouldn't be worth the cost to do so?

Thanks everyone in advance.

Red

 

[mino]

Do not equate AC - AutoClean - with SelfClean - the manual lever on the CT Mini/Mid vacs.

This for a long talk, but tired, so willbe short and to the point.

CT 15 is NOT designed to be used with manual, not autoclean.
CT Mini/Midi are NOT (really) designed for manual clean, even though they do include the lever for marketing reasons.

Do NOT used you CT15 without a bag. It is absolutely possible, but then you are missing 80% of value you paid for.
If you want to extend the life of the bag, go with CT-VA 20. If you just short of money and in the US, do seriously look at the Oneida offerings.

Last, if you have lots of mineral dust, especially plaster/drywall dust consider renting a drywall sander + vac combo for those few jobs. You will be much happier and cheaper as well.

If you still believe you need AC, then CT 36 AC is your cheapest Festool bet. Avoid CT 26 AC as the smalle bin does not work that well with AutoClean as it lacks the vertical space for optimal dust separation.

Howgh.