Hose Guide

Getting the hose right is most of getting dust extraction right. The wrong diameter, a worn end, or a run that is too long will cost you more suction at the tool than anything else on the machine.

This page covers which hose suits your extractor, which diameter suits the work, how to extend a run and how far you can take it, how to run two tools at once, and what changes when you switch from tool extraction to cleaning or wet pick up.

How do I keep the hose out of the way while I am working?

Lift it off the work. A boom arm mounts to the extractor and carries the hose and cable up and over the bench, so extraction reaches the tool from above instead of dragging across the material. That removes the snagging that pulls a tool off line mid cut, and it stops the hose marking finished surfaces as it drags.

It also keeps the machine out of the way. With the hose suspended the extractor can sit clear of the walkway rather than being pulled along behind you, and the cable runs with the hose instead of across the floor. On a fixed bench it is the single change that makes the most difference to how extraction feels to work with.

The Boom arm CT Extractor mounts to CT machines and takes the standard hose, so nothing else in your setup needs to change.

Should I use a 27mm or a 36mm dust extraction hose?

Match the hose diameter to the volume of waste the tool makes, not to the size of its port. The 27mm hose handles sanders, routers and saws comfortably. Move up to a 36mm hose for plaster sanders, sliding compound saws and grinders, or where the application and dust volume is high enough that a 27mm bore restricts the airflow and extraction at the tool suffers. The same reasoning applies to the larger machines generally.

A wider hose does not lock you out of smaller tools. The Reducer for 36mm Hose Tool End to fit 27mm Tool (768135) fits the tool end of a 36mm hose and steps it down to a 27mm port, so one 36mm hose will run a saw and then a sander without changing hose.

Which hose do I need to replace my Festool dust extractor one?

Find your machine below. Almost every Festool mobile dust extractor takes the same 27mm hose, and that is the correct replacement across most of the range.

The PLANEX hose is not interchangeable with the standard 36mm hose, because it carries the switchable air bypass the sanding head needs on soft filler.

Why are some Festool hoses tapered?

Some Festool extraction hoses are tapered, so they are wider at the extractor and narrower at the tool. The wider end keeps airflow up along the run, the narrower end keeps weight and bulk down at the tool, and on the autoclean machines the taper also helps the extractor build the pressure its automatic filter cleaning cycle needs. That is why the CTM 36 AC takes a tapered 32mm hose rather than a straight 36mm one.

Not every hose is tapered. The 27mm hose supplied with most machines is, along with its 90 degree version and the 32mm RFID hose. The 36mm hoses and the 50mm hoses are a single diameter along their whole length.

The product name always gives you one figure, and that figure is the hose diameter. When you order a replacement hose end or a reducer, match the diameter in the hose name rather than the diameter of the tool port.

Can I replace just the end of my hose?

Yes. Both ends of a Festool hose are sold separately, so a split cuff or a worn bayonet does not mean buying a whole new hose.

Work out which end has gone first. The extractor end is the swivelling cuff that clips into the machine and lets the hose turn without winding up. The tool end carries the bayonet fitting that locks onto the tool. They are different parts and they are ordered separately.

Then match the diameter in your hose's name rather than the diameter of the tool port. Some fittings seat the hose inside a port and others sit over the outside of it, so the figure on the tool is not a reliable guide to what the hose needs.

Extractor ends are available for the 27mm, 32mm, 36mm and 50mm hoses, and tool ends for the 22mm, 27mm, 32mm and 36mm hoses. The full range is under Replacement Hose Ends.

How do I extend my dust extraction hose to reach further?

If you have a 27mm hose, add a 36mm hose to the run. The tool end of the 36mm hose pushes inside the extractor end of the 27mm hose you already have, so no separate joiner or coupling is needed. Three lengths are available, and you choose by how much extra reach the job needs:

The extension goes on the extractor side, not the tool side, so your existing hose stays where it is with its own tool end still fitted.

If you have a 32mm or 36mm hose and want to add another 36mm hose to the run. A tool end from one of the hoses needs to be removed and replaced with the applicable dust extraction end. Then the connector sleeve 493047 can be fitted to both to complete the join.

Does a longer hose reduce suction?

To a degree, yes. Airflow drops the further it has to travel, so a long run pulls less at the tool than a short one. How much that matters depends on how much waste the tool produces.

Sanders and other smaller tools will usually run happily on around 10 metres of hose, because the volume of dust is low enough that the loss over distance does not change the result you get. Machines that produce a lot of waste, and need the suction to move it, work better on shorter lengths. If extraction is not keeping up at the far end of a long run, the length of the run is the first thing to shorten.

Using the wider 36mm hose for the long section also helps, because a wider bore restricts the airflow less over the same distance. That is the reasoning behind extending on the extractor side rather than the tool side.

How do I run two tools from one dust extractor?

Split the extractor outlet with a Y piece and you can run a hose to each of two tools from the one machine. Two versions of Y piece are available. One stays open to both hoses at all times, so extraction is shared between them, which suits two people working at once. The other switches between the outlets by hand, so full suction goes to whichever tool is in use, which suits a bench where two tools are set up but only one runs at a time.

The Y piece can go straight onto the extractor inlet, or further out along the run if you would rather split the hose closer to the work. To do that, put an extension hose in first and fit the Y piece at the far end, so the single wider run covers the distance and the two shorter hoses only take the last stretch.

Can I use Bluetooth to turn the extractor on and off when I use a Y piece with two tools?

Yes, but not from the tool. With a single cordless tool the paired battery starts the extractor and the tool's own trigger does the switching. That does not carry over once the hose is split, so each tool needs its own remote, and the user controls when the extractor turns on and off.

The Bluetooth remote is a button that clips onto the hose and switches the extractor by hand rather than the tool doing it, so whoever is working can start and stop extraction themselves without walking back to the machine. One is needed per tool and they are all the same part. A maximum of five Bluetooth modules can be paired to an extractor, whereas only one Bluetooth battery can be paired.

What hose should I use for cleaning and vacuuming?

Go up in diameter. Cleaning picks up bigger debris than tool extraction does, and a wider bore lets it through instead of bridging and blocking. The 36mm hose handles most site and workshop clean-up, and 50mm is better again where the debris is coarse.

The cleaning sets are the simplest way to get there, because each one pairs a hose with the nozzles suited to a particular job rather than leaving you to work out which nozzle fits what. The Floor and Tradesman sets are 36mm, the Basic and Standard sets cover 27mm and 36mm, and the set for industrial use is 50mm.

The full range sits under Cleaning Sets and Nozzles. If you already run a 50mm hose and want to put 36mm accessories on it, the Reducer for 50mm Hose Tool End to fit 36mm Cleaning Accessories bridges the two.

Which hose should I use for wet pick up?

Any hose in the range will handle wet pick up. The hose is not the limiting factor here, the filter is.

Take the filter bag out before you start. On a standard machine, change to the wet filter as well. The wet filter is made to keep working when it is saturated, where a standard filter will clog once it takes on water.

H class machines work differently. The machine checks that an H class filter is fitted, so swapping in a wet filter is not an option on those units. An H class extractor will still pick up water, but it does so with the H class filter in place, and that filter then has to be left to dry out completely before the machine goes back to dry work.

If you are not sure which filter your machine takes, the L, M and H dust class guide sets out what each class requires.