Washing paper filters

[Jim]

I know that this sounds dumb but I met a farmer that washes the paper filters in his big tractors. He said that he spays on some cleaner like 409 lets them set and very carefully washes them with a gentle spay from a garden hose.

I tried it once and when the filter dried out it looked like new. I don't have a powerful microscope so I couldn't tell if the fibers changed any.

 

[Ken2]

I've done that to some heavy equipment filters where the instructions said to do so. I wouldn't do it without those instructions from the filter maker.


Ken

 

[Terry]

If it is a synthetic media I can see doing that, cellulose/paper Nope.

 

[Neil Womack]

My old Massey filter came with washing and drying instructions on what looked like a paper filter. The instruction were in the operators manual and in the filter packaging.

The newest John Deere operators manual warns me several times to not wash ,blow out or knock off dirt on the paper air filters. It simply says when the change indication trips a red flag change the primary air filter. If the indicator is still tripped change the secondary air filter.

If your filter does not come with instructions for cleaning just don't do it.