DPF filter cleaning will always be a necessary task as long as there are diesel engines on the road. Diesel engines emit harmful pollutants into the air. In an effort to reduce these pollutants, DPF filters are fitted to a vehicle’s exhaust pipe to capture the soot particles.
DPF Filter Cleaning Process
The filter’s substrate collects ash from motor oil. Unfortunately, it may go unnoticed by vehicle owners until the clogging becomes a problem. When this happens, the next step is to remove the truck’s DPF and place it on a special machine that cleans the filter by sending compressed air through the filter’s substrate.
Maintenance Schedules
It’s safe to say that DPF filters should be cleansed of excess ash every 50,000 miles. At the very least, they require cleaning at least once a year. Many truck owners take their trucks to dealers for regular cleaning. Independent shops are also a source for cleaning the filters.
Failure to Clean DPFs
There’s always a price to pay when any mechanical item is overlooked for regular maintenance, and PDF filters are no exception. The DPF technology requires periodic maintenance to ensure that filters are performing as intended. Failure to clean them on a regular basis can cause filters to fail, vehicle power drops, melted filters, and cracked DPFs.
For truck owners who have recently purchased a used commercial truck, it’s critical to make sure you’ve done a thorough walk around. This includes heavy duty, severe, and medium duty truck inspections. Check with the dealer where the vehicle was purchased to see if they can schedule cleaning. If not, there should be local shops who can handle the job.
Material Removed from DPF Filters
The material removed from the filters is considered hazardous waste. As such, it makes perfect sense to let the experts handle the job. Proper maintenance and inspection can benefit truck owners by:
- Reducing downtime
- Identifying potential filter problems
- Increasing the service life of the filter
Preventative maintenance through DPF filter cleaning can help ensure that diesel trucks run efficiently. When that happens, profits are usually just around the corner.
