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Air filter blaster gives new life to dirty air filters in seconds
A new device that cleans the element of an engine's canister air filter in seconds helps cut fuel and maintenance costs while improving engine performance and increasing engine life.
The easy-to-use Air Filter Blaster cleans the filter much more effectively than conventional methods, allowing the filter to be re-used several times and extending its life by as much as 20 times longer than traditional cleaning practices, says inventor Dennis Grieve. The veteran heavy equipment operator and mechanic is president of Salmon River Innovations, LLC, Salmon, Idaho. "It's 100 percent made in the USA," he says.
A dirty air filter reduces engine efficiency, increasing fuel consumption, while a faulty filter can harm the engine, increasing maintenance costs. Farmers and other equipment operators commonly clean an engine air filter either by tapping it on a hard, flat surface or by shooting air into it using the nozzle of an air hose to loosen trapped particles. Both practices can damage the filter and reduce its effectiveness.
"Many people direct too much air at any one spot on the filter, tearing the filter without realizing it," Greive says. "That lets in dirty air, which can ruin an engine."
When an engine is operating, air is drawn through the filter from the outside and into the engine. The Air Filter Blaster works by reversing that process. It consists of a plastic cone-shaped chamber and shaft, which fit inside the filter.
"This system requires no expensive add-ons or external devices other than a source of compressed air," Grieve says. "The unit is a centrifugal forced air induction chamber. Pressurized air blowing through ports on the shaft causes the chamber to spin and vibrate; this dislodges particles from the inside of the air filter outwards without damaging the filter. Also, because the device is sealed, these particles can't get back inside the filter."
In tests where air filters were coated with 10 ounces of talcum powder, the Air Filter Blaster removed 70 percent of these particles in less than 60 seconds, he says. "An air filter loses much of its effectiveness after about 65 percent of it becomes contaminated with dirt. We treated these filters and cleaned them 60 times and at the end they were still in excellent condition."
Grieve also compared fuel usage of construction machinery equipped with air filters cleaned daily using the Air Filter Blaster with machinery in which the filters were cleaned using conventional methods. The three-month trials involved six different types of equipment: an articulated dump truck, a large dozer, two large wheel loaders and two mid-size track excavators. In a nine-hour shift, equipment operating with filters clean by the Air Filter Blaster fuel consumed an average of 8 gallons to almost 20 gallons per day less, depending on the type of machine, than the comparison equipment.
"Based on a fuel cost of $3 per gallon, that represents a savings of about $24 to $60 a day," Grieve says. "At that rate, the Air Filter Blaster pays for itself very quickly."
The device will fit just about any canister-type air filter with an inside diameter of up to 8 inches. (Models to fit larger filters are expected soon.) It is available in three different versions. The price of the standard unit — the induction chamber and shaft - is $199. A portable unit, designed to be taken directly into the field, costs $249; and a stationary unit, designed for use in the shop, costs $499.
Permission for use is granted, however, credit must be made to the International Agri-Center and Farm Press when reprinting this item.
Air Filter Blaster |
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| COMPANY: | Salmon River Innovations, LLC |
| CONTACT: | Tony McDonald |
| ADDRESS: | 366 Sandy Creek Rd, Salmon, ID 93467 |
| WEBSITE: | www.airfilterblaster.com |
| E-MAIL: | tonym@salmonriverinnovations.com |
| PHONE: | 515-451-2101 |
| BOOTH SPACE: | 3401 |
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