How do YOU clean your dust collector's pleated filter?

[Glen Blanchard]

I have a 3 hp Oneida DC system which I like very much. It has a long cylindrical pleated filter. For those with similar filters, what is your process for cleaning the filter and how often do you do it? Merely banging on the outside of the filter to drop the fines down to the collector bowl, while it does indeed help, seems like an inadequate ultimate solution.

[Jesse Busenitz]

I believe the recommend method is using a an air compressor to blow it out while the collector bowl is still on. Not to close though as you can damage the filter if you have high psi. Also error on the side of clean too often.

[John Lanciani]

I blow it down with compressed air regularly and once or twice a year I remove it and use the above tool. (I can't get the pic to post, STIHL BR600 leaf blower)

[George Bokros]

Mine has a bar that you rotate that flexes the inside of the filter and drops the dust into the bag.

[Jason Beam]

I take mine out into the yard and wash it with the garden hose. Mine's not paper - it's a woven fabric and stands up to it just fine. So long as you leave it to dry thoroughly this method seems to be ideal for the fabric ones.

[Jamie Buxton]

In my cyclone, the air blows outside to inside through the filter, so the dust is on the outside. I take the filter off the machine, put it horizontal, and bang it on the floor. It is actually the metal plates at the ends that touch the floor. I bang it, rotate it 15 degrees or so, bang it, rotate, etc. A big dust pile falls on to the floor. I keep banging and rotatting until not much dust is coming out. It takes maybe ten minutes. I do it whenever the suction of the collector seems to be dropping. Depending on how much and what kind of work I've been doing, that may be a couple times a year.

(It is remarkable how much dust comes out of that filter. It is maybe 24" long by 15" diameter. The dust pile from it is several gallons.)

Some filters do not survive washing. DAMHIKT.

[glenn bradley]

Mine has the round bristle brush that you move up and down via cables on the outside of the filter frame. I overloaded my bin and had to do a major disassemble/cleanout once but, except for that, the brush has done the job.

[Darren Almeida]

I have an Oneida DC and I gave up on cleaning the filter and just direct vented it outside. Better performance and no more hassles with the filter.

[Ole Anderson]

I have the 2 hp SDG. I just rap it with a heavy offcut when I empty the chips, letting the dust settle to the pan below the filter. Every 4th or 5th time I remove the filter, take it outside and introduce it to my Stihl leaf blower.

[David Kumm]

Different filter medias require different cleaning methods. You need to find what is recommended for your type of cartridge. Generally the better the filtration the more careful you need to be but best to ask the filter people. An important point is to not exceed the recommended cfm per square foot of filter area for the media. Not pushing the fines into the media helps the integrity and minimizes the damage from cleaning. Dave

[Curt Harms]

I take mine out into the yard and wash it with the garden hose. Mine's not paper - it's a woven fabric and stands up to it just fine. So long as you leave it to dry thoroughly this method seems to be ideal for the fabric ones.

Same here. This is a really bad idea for filters with paper in them though. Mine is 100% spun bond polysomething from Wynn. If my filter needs attention and I don't want to wash it, the shop vac with a brush on the wand and work the brush gently over and between the pleats gets a lot of dust out.

[Jim Andrew]

Since I worked over my cyclone, sealing all the joints, I get much less dust in the filter. Even when using my widebelt sander, and edge sander. I bang on the edge of the filter with my fist, just to see if anything falls out occasionally, still nothing in the bag.