Air filter cleaning

Arborist Forum

Help Support Arborist Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Tim'sTree

ArboristSite Lurker
Joined
Jul 21, 2008
Messages
24
Reaction score
1
Location
St. Thomas, ON
I've been advised against blowing out the filters with compressed air. How many do this? It seems a real pain to me to have to soak/wash them and wait for them to dry.
 
I've been advised against blowing out the filters with compressed air. How many do this? It seems a real pain to me to have to soak/wash them and wait for them to dry.

Get an extra for each saw...at that end of the day/week, remove dirty, install clean...wash the dirty one and then let it sit on the work bench till the following change interval.....
 
I blow the filters out and the complete saw every time i use them. Then they ready to go next time. Never had a problem yet.
 
I use compressed air 99% of the time. The only time I ever had a problem was on some vintage saws the flocking was loose and it came off.
 
Mild detergent, a soft bristle tooth brush if it's really bad. After water rinse, an alcohol rinse will speed drying. But, DON"T put an alcohol soaked filter on the saw.

It is nice to have two filters, especially in the woods when cleaning is a PITA
 
I use compressed air too, and give them a wash every now and then. I spend more time cleaning the intake tract out on mine, but I run Stihl's, lol.
 
I've been advised against blowing out the filters with compressed air. How many do this? It seems a real pain to me to have to soak/wash them and wait for them to dry.

Like advised earlier, get an extra filter and rotate them. One on the saw, one drying. It may be a pain, but so is sharpening a dull chain. It's all just maintenance. Don't cut corners in maintenance or it will get you in the end.

Andy
 
Mesh filter, in the field, near my toolbox: spray starting fluid back from the intake side. Dries fast. At home, a little shake in soapy water. Now and then, just a knock against the bar. I don't tend to use compressed air or a brush on 'em. The build seems too delicate to withstand much of that.
 
Husky 272

I own a Husky 272, with the HD air filter.
Do you actually wash the flocked Air Filters?
I need to get another one, will the 372 filter work?

Thanks

:cheers:
 
I use a shop vac. Air is already low pressure there, and you're pulling the dirt from the same side of the filter if got there from. If it gets looking grubby, I do a quick bath in purple cleaner with a good water rinse after. I have never removed flocking with this method.
 
I run saws all week. on non oiled filters i wack them against somthing hard untill nothing comes off them about twice a day. For foam oil filters i might lighty brush off the outside junk every day, but I runn them all week. On othe weekend I get some hot soapy water and clean them out, they dry ion a matter of minutes and are ready to take oil.

Compressed air is a no no.
 
If I have it available I do use compressed air on air filters but instead of aiming it direct at the surface (which can just bury dust particles deeper into the filter media) I aim the flow at right angles or across the surface. This creates a bernoulli effect (low pressure at right angles to air flow) which gently pulls the dust off the filter.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top