Dust Collector Filters: Clean or Replace?

If you have recently purchased a quality used dust collector, a brand-new dust collector, or inherited a dust collector at a new facility, it’s imperative to investigate the filter media to determine if it's best suited for your application, and to evaluate your maintenance cost.

Cleaning the Filters

In dust collectors with pulse-jet cleaning, the system sends compressed air through the unit to remove the dust from the media of your filters. Most collectors will have this cleaning feature on a timer board, engaging after a sequenced time or during daily shutdown.

Once your filters become depth loaded with dust and particles, you will need to take the next step – the question becomes should you clean your dust collector filters or replace them?

The majority of dust collector filters are constructed of cellulose/polyester, or a Nanofiber media. Once the cartridge is depth loaded, consumers have often pulled the filters and taken a blow gun to the media to try and clean/maximize the life of the filter. More than often, a tear in the media is created and upon re-install you start to see dust making its way into the clean air plenum and back into your shop floor. Long story short- it is better to replace the consumable filter rather than try to extend the life of the filter and avoid any possibility of the dust making its way into the clean air plenum and creating a dirty shop area.

Depth loaded filters will not work properly even if your pressure gauge appears lower. The differential pressure lowers because the incoming particulate is transferring through the holes and tears in your filters, not because they are clean and in proper working condition.   

Replacing the Filters

Replacing your filters will save you time rather than removing the dirty filters, attempting to clean them, and then re-inserting them into your collector. This act will take twice as much time than simply replacing the filters.

To ensure your dust collector functions properly and at peak performance, the filters need to be able to breath.  AirMax Premium Filters are manufactured to the highest quality specifications for any industrial dust collection system. With numerous filter sizes in stock at our facility, we ship most orders the same day!

You can also read our blog: Benefits of a Complete Dust Collector Filter Change Out

Contact us today for a quote on replacement filters for your dust collector.