Common Types Of Oil Filter Failures And Prevent Techniques

May 12, 2022

Oil filters are responsible for supplying filtered and clean oil to your equipment’s important components and parts. There are different types of oil filters that perform different functions, but one common element among all oil filters is that they all are used to ensure that quality lubricants are being supplied to all the essential parts of your equipment so that it works properly. So if there is a problem with your oil filters then it will lead to bigger problems as proper lubrication will not reach your equipment hence oil filter failure will lead to complete equipment failure. Hence it is important that you know the common ways oil filters can fail so that you can detect them easily and avoid bigger filtration problems. Also, it is important that you buy your oil filters from an authentic industrial oil filter supplier. Also Read: Factors You Need To Consider When Choosing A Lubricant If you want to increase the lifespan and efficiency of your equipment then you need to be proactive at detecting common oil filter failure on time so that you can take the right measures. In this blog post, we will outline the common types of oil filter failure and their solutions.

Channeling

The most common type of oil filter failure is channeling, which is also known as media pore erosion. In challenging the filter screen or weave is bombarded by high-speed abrasive particles such as wear metal or sand. All these particles slowly erode the oil filter material and enter your equipment system by lodging into the filters’ pores. So if you see an upward trend in the number of large particles in your particle count test this is an indication of channeling. You can prevent this failure by maintaining and checking the equipment’s seals and gaskets.

Fatigue Cracking

Another type of oil filter failure is fatigue cracking, also known as matrix deformation. In this failure, the oil filter weaves wraps due to operational stresses such as harsh cycle shifts of flow and pressure. Fatigue cracking will make the oil flow bypass the filter and will let the contaminants enter your equipment’s system. This oil filter failure will increase the particle count in your oil. This type of contamination will lead to the poor function of the equipment and will decrease the lifespan and efficiency of your equipment. Hence to avoid this oil filter failure you will have to do regular maintenance and analysis of your equipment and its parts.

Blocking Or Plugging

Another common oil filter failure that you will have to deal with is plugging. If the filters are overworked without a timely oil change and proper maintenance then they will degrade over time. If the oil filter has worked for a prolonged period of time without any change or analysis then it will further increase the chances of plugging. An increase in plugging leads to carbon sludge and varnish. The contaminated filters can also affect the oil flow and restrict the filtration process. Since plugging is caused by the consecutive work of the oil filter, by replacing the oil filter you can reduce this problem.

Media Migration

Media matrix rapture or media migration oil filter failure is very similar to fatigue cracking. The only difference is that instead of wrapping the oil filter and bypassing them, the high flow and pressure partially destroy the filter and rupture the material out of the oil filters’ structure. Moreover, the normal contaminants don’t get caught in the filter, so new contaminants are introduced into your equipment’s system in the form of failed filter pieces. Media migration is the worst type of filter failure as it essentially is the other three filter failures happening simultaneously, hence it is difficult to detect immediately. You can prevent media migration by conducting daily visual inspections of the system, observing pressure and flow behavior and by performing regular routine maintenance activities such as installing oil filters and changing the oil.

About Micro-Lube

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