Differential Pressure in a Dust Collector
Differential pressure is a critical tool to make sure your dust collector is operating properly. In this video, we'll answer these top questions about differential pressure and how to use differential pressure to keep your dust collector at peak performance.

Top Questions about Differential Pressure



  • What is differential pressure?

  • How does differential pressure work?

  • How can I use it to better maintain my dust collector?

  • What do sudden changes in differential pressure mean?

  • My differential pressure reading is high. What can I do to fix it?

  • My differential pressure reading is low. What can I do to fix it?

  • What differential pressure should my dust collector be at?



Video Transcript:

Hi this is Bob from US Air Filtration.

Differential pressure is a great tool that you can use to make sure your dust collector is operating properly.

Today we're going to talk about what differential pressure is how it works. And how you can use it to better maintain your dust collector.

Differential pressure commonly called DP, measures the difference in pressure between the clean and dirty sides of the collector.

As dust builds up on the filters it creates more resistance for the air trying to pass through. This creates unequal pressure on each side of the filter. The dirtier the filters become the more unequal the pressure gets. Resulting in the higher DP reading.

To illustrate this concept let me compare it to something we're all familiar with; drinking from a straw. If I drink this soda through a regular soda straw I can get a fair amount of liquid with not much effort. However if I try to drink soda through a small little coffee straw it takes a lot more effort and I get a lot less volume through the straw.

The same thing is happening in your dust collector. As the filters get dirty, the holes that allow air to pass through get smaller and smaller causing the differential pressure to rise.

Once your dust collector's cleaning cycle has taken effect then the dust is released. It opens up those pores and allows air to flow through. And your differential pressure will drop.

Differential pressure is measured by a gauge with the fancy name called a manometer. This gauge is usually part of the dust collectors control panel. Air tubes from the clean and dirty sides of the collector are brought into the control panel and connected to the port's on the gauge. The gauge can either be analog or digital. In either case the gauges typically report the DP in a measurement called inches of water or sometimes called water column.

Since every dust collection system is different DP readings are relative and should be compared to the collectors baseline levels.

A collector with brand new filters usually sees a DP reading of one to two inches. As filters age and become more entrained with dust the differential pressure levels over time. Near the end of the filters life the DP will be around six inches and stay there even after the cleaning cycle has run.

Running a collector consistently above six is not recommended since it will likely cause a noticeable drop in plant suction and lead to faster dust entrainment and shorter filter life.

Sudden changes in DP can indicate problems in the collector when the differential pressure becomes suddenly low. It means there is no resistance to the filter because of the presence of holes or poor seals. DP that suddenly becomes high means the filters are plugged, which could be due to problems in the cleaning cycle. Usually a
bad diaphragm or solenoid valve is the culprit.

For more information on differential pressure or to have one of our representatives help you understand what differential pressure is telling you on your collector, give us a call today.

 

Related Resources


Benefits of On Demand Cleaning


Dust Collector Maintenance


Dust Collector Change Out Check List

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