Using an industrial dust collector is critical in maintaining the health of your workers in your workshop. Also, it is good to use the dust filter to increase the lifespan of any machinery that you have in your industry. This will avoid fine particles in the air (from wood, metal or any other material) to accumulate on the inside of your equipment. To ensure that your dust collector keeps working as usual, you should give maintenance to it.
If you have noticed that your filter is not working as it should, then keep reading this article. We will give you some useful advice on how to properly care for your particles filter. That way, you can ensure its lifespan. As well, you can be sure that it will keep providing its best performance for the safety of your employees.
- Compressed Air Pressure
This is one of the main components of your dust collector. The correct compressed air pressure is vital for the performance of your filter. Therefore, you should keep an eye on this element. If the pressure is too low, the filter cartridges won’t clean correctly, and they will saturate sooner.
On the other hand, if you have high compressed air pressure, the cartridges will consume sooner, and you’ll have to replace them often.
- Try to check these points periodically to ensure the lifespan of your filter:
- Compressed air pressure should be under the limits that the manufacturer recommends.
- The compressed air should be free of water and oil
- The quantity of compressed air available should be enough for all the tasks that are taking place in your workshop
- Hopper Is Not for Storing Dust
The objective of the hopper of your dust collector is not to store debris. You should ensure that the hopper gets discharged before accumulations produce there. If not, then your industrial dust collector will notwork properly. Check this item whenever you are giving maintenance to your filter.
Check and empty the container often to avoid the hopper's dust from touching the filters. That will save you trouble and spending money on fixing issues derived from this.
- Don’t Touch Your Filters
If you’re not going to replace your filters, then don’t touch them. Even if they look dirty, you shouldn’t be doing that. And just to be clear, having dirty filters is a good sign. That means they are working properly. You can’t know if your filters are saturated with dust just by seeing them.
The correct sign to know if your wood dust filters are saturated and need replacement is through a pressure drop. You’ll be able to notice the pressure drop across the differential pressure gauge on the manifold or controller. When this happens, the filter cartridges will be saturated, and the compressed air pulse system can no longer perform a complete cleaning of the filter.
- Change All the Cartridges
Whenever you notice that it’s time to replace your filter cartridges, you should change all of them. Mixing new cartridges with old ones will wear out the new ones sooner. So, if you are planning on change some first and then others, then think about it twice. You’ll be spending more money later if you don’t replace them all at once.
Your new filter cartridges have less resistance than the old ones. Therefore, the airflow will go through the “easiest” way and will flow through the new cartridges. In the long term, the air pulses won’t be able to clean the cartridges anymore. And that will result in a sooner replacement of them.
- Check Your Diaphragm Valve
You should be doing an annual check-up of these valves at least. The best moment to do this check-up is when you’re installing your new filter cartridges. You should check the diaphragm valves too to ensure that the filters will be well-cleaned since day one.
Replacing a diaphragm valve that’s not working properly is cheaper than replacing the filters cartridges. So, it will be better to check them periodically to avoid inadequate air pulses.
Conclusion
Maintenance is the key to keep your equipment working on the track. Hence, you should give special attention to it. It will keep your fume filter or dust collector working the way it should for a longer period.
Working with professionals will ensure that your equipment is treated the way it should. Also, professionals on dust collectors can notice if something is out of place before your equipment fail. Consider hiring professional services as an investment for your company.
