1. Can you see dust coming o ut of the collector fan?
If dust is com ing out thr ough the fa n it points to a problem with the filters or valve s. The filter bags may be entra ined with du st which causes the diff erential pre ssure to increase until dust is pulled throu gh the filter bags or the bags may d evelop wea r spots or te ars allowing dust to bypass the filters a nd get into the clear air stream.
2. Do you s ee dust buildup o n the outside of the colle ctor?
A dust collec tor that is r unning efficiently shoul d remain cle an and dust free on the outside of the unit
3. Are your pickup points getting proper suction into the dust collector ?
If you notice dust collec ting around the factory it usually in dicates ther e is not eno ughs uction to p ull the dust t hrough the pickup poi nts. Loss of suction occ urs when the filters are entrained with dust causing the differential pressure within the uni t to increase and estricting airflow through the system.
4. Check your differ ential pre ssure gauge to se e if the d ifferential pressure is higher than no rmal.
This is a clear indicator that the system needs m aintenance as the bags and valves aren’t performing at optimal le vels.
5. Are your pulse valves firin g nonsto p or more freque ntly than normal?
With an OnDemand cleaning syste m pulse valves fire when bags need to be clean ed tor emove dust build up in the system. Typically t his can be e very 2030 m inutes dep ending on your work environm ent. If the pulse valves are firing mu ch more fre quently than this, t his means the bags are dirty, the d ust build up is too high in the system and differ ential pressure is too high.
6. Are your High or L ow Diffe rential pressure a larms go ing off in your control panel box?
Bags that ar e too plugge d with dust that can’t r emove the d ust build up will cause the high differential pressure alarm to go off. Conversely, bags that have holes i n them or severe wear and te ar can cause the differe ntial pressur e alarm to g o off because the press ure within the s stem is too low. In each case the problem is wear and tear on the bags in the s ystem
Each of these signs indi ate that your system needs maint enance. In t he majority of cases, t he system requires new fil ers and a bag changeo ut. Someti mes the pro blems stem from diaph ragm v alves that a re broken a nd need replaced. If y ou notice an y one of these signs in your work
From: American filtration