Spin Out Filters and Separators are designed to remove large amounts of sand and sediment from your water. We created a webinar to educate you and your team on our new line of spin out filters and separators. Throughout the presentation, we cover what exactly the filters are, the applications and installations, the designs and features and quality assurance practices. Below, is a copy of the webinar.
We welcome any feedback about this webinar or suggestions for future webinars.
Good morning everyone, thanks for joining us today as we explore our new Spin Out filters and separators!
During the presentation, since they are both spin out filters, I will just be referring to them as filters and separators.
My name is Braedlyn McEwen and I am the Social Media and Content Coordinator here at Boshart Industries! Sitting around the table with me is our panel of experts. Will Bender, Steve Hudson and Paul Erb. You may here them chime in throughout the presentation.
Feel free during the presentation to type out any questions that you have. We will do our best to answer all questions after the presentation.
If you want to type out a question, you should see a side bar on the right hand side of your screen. If you click on the top button, which looks like an arrow in a box, it will open a little menu with a question box which you can type your questions and we will be able to see them.
Please note the slide number if you’re referencing a specific slide. The numbers will be displayed on the bottom left of the slide.
First we will go over exactly what these filters are, why you would want them and how they work. We will then take a look at the applications where they work best and the best installation practices. Then on to designs and features where we will cover the physical differences of our filters compared to those on the market. To end off the presentation we will take a look at some of the testing procedures that QA performs. Let’s get started!
Spin out filters and separators are designed to remove large amounts of sand and sediment from your water.
The picture on the left is showing the filter element and the picture on the right is showing the separator element. They both use centrifugal force to separate the sediment from the water, hence why they are both spin out filters. There is only one fundamental difference between the two. The difference is the separators have a larger sediment holding capacity, as you can see in the picture.
As you can see by the pictures, the 1” separator housing is a little different compared to the 1 ½” and the 2”. Both the 1” filter and separator housings require the same element, the bowl is just extended on the separator. For the 1 ½” and 2” units, the same bowl is used for both the filter and separators but the filter is shorter on the separator element to create a larger holding area beneath the filter.
We will now take a look at the applications and installations of these filters.
These filters are mainly used in the Water Well industry and are also big in the agricultural sector, mostly in the poultry industry. They also work really well in Industrial, Commercial and Irrigation environments and as pre-filtration for finishing filters.
The filters are designed for sediment removal, making them perfect as a pre-filter for other filters that clog due to heavy sediment. To remove a large amount of sediment, the filters or separators should be used before a 10 or 20 micron sediment cartridge filter in series. In series refers to the water going through the pre-filter first then passing through the sediment cartridge. Later in the presentation we will go over where you would set up the filters parallel to each other.
Traditional sediment filters like string wound, pleated or spun are excellent for filtering out large amounts of sand and particulate but they will clog quickly and will need to be changed more frequently than six months. Needing to change a filter more frequently is not only a waste of time but also a waste of money.
Although most of the sediment is removed from centrifugal force, there will still be small particulate that stays in the water and needs to get filtered from the filter element screen. Filter and separator screens are sized by a mesh number.
The mesh number represents how fine the particulate is that it can block. The larger the number, the finer the particulate it stops. For example, a 1000 mesh will be able to filter out particulate as small as 15 microns, as you can see in the chart. To choose a mesh size, you need to know what is in the water.
The solution to frequent filter changes is to add a filter or separator before the cartridge filter. They make a good team as the filter or separator will remove most of the sediment entirely and the traditional cartridge will catch the very fine particulate that the filter or separator did not catch. By adding a pre-filter, you will prolong the life span of the traditional cartridge and it will last the entire six months until it needs to be changed due to bacteria build up. Pre-filters pay for themselves by extending the life of the finishing filter.
The reason the filters and separators can remove so much sediment is because if they are sized correctly, the sediment won’t actually touch the filter element. The centrifugal force pushes the sediment to the outside and it will drift down through the two holes in the filter element and then it will rest in the chamber at the bottom of the bowl. As you can see in the picture, the particulate is resting at the bottom of the chamber. You can then purge the sediment as much as you need to.
Here is a quick video to show how the centrifugal force actually works. As you can see, there are arrows on the filter head to indicate the direction of flow. The water is then forced to swirl around the bowl. The heavier sediment will be pushed to the outside and then it will eventually drift down into the chamber. Some lighter sediment might take some time to drift to the bottom.
Now here is a quick video to show an example of purging. The filter will need to be purged after its been filtering and collecting sediment. To purge the filter, simply open the ball valve attached to the drain port. The systems pressure will flush away the contents of the filter bowl through the drain port. Be sure that there is an air gap between the filter and wherever the filter drains into. The air gap eliminates any risk of back siphoning dirty water into the system.
Yes, they can be used as stand alone filters. If silt needs to be filtered and no smaller particulate needs filtering, you could either use the cartridge style or the filter style. If the particulate is coarse with no smaller sediment, the filters can be used on their own.
As we saw in the mesh size chart, traditional cartridge filters have a range of 1 to 50 microns, whereas the filters and separators have a range of 15 to 711 microns.
The filters work well on sediment but they should not be used for applications like algae or iron that could potentially clog the element.
Filters and separators are typically installed at the point of entry near the pressure tank. They should at least be placed before any appliances such as softeners and iron filters, to protect them from sediment build up and premature failure.
As far as we know, these are the only filters that can be installed on the suction side of a pump.
We offer 1”, 1-1/2” and 2” filter kits. Choosing a size of filter unit depends on how much flow is required: As you can see, each size has it’s own flow rate.
Typically, the most common thought when filtering is that bigger is better, when it comes to filters and separators, choosing the smallest size that will work for the application is actually the best. The smaller the housing, the more centrifugal force and therefore the more separating action. For an example. A flow rate of 20 GPM, the 1” filter would be the most effective at separating the sediment even though all three sizes would achieve the same flow rate.
If you want more flow rate, then the solution is to manifold two or more filters in parallel. You can plum as many filters as you need to get the desired flow rate. The pictures shows an example of filters being plumbed parallel to each other.
The 1” units come with mounting clamps that screw on the wall, gripping onto the ports of the filter head. The picture on the left shows an example of how the mounting clamps will work if the spigot connection is used instead of the slip connection.
The 1” filter head ports are a 1” slip connection, like I mentioned before, but they also double as a 1 ¼” spigot connection on the outside. That means you can connect 1 ¼” slip fittings over the port to connect to 1 ¼” pipe. In this case, the clamp will need to clamp on the 1 ¼” pipe.
The 1-1/2” and 2” models have mounting brackets that can screw onto the wall. As you can see in the picture, the bracket has a screw hole in the middle to use as an anchor so that the bracket can be levelled and held in place while the other screws are put in.
All sizes of units have ports that are a slip connection, glue- in ports that will work with schedule 40 and 80 pipe size. This means that the service pipe can be directly glued into the filter heads. Any adapter could also be used.
Now, let’s take a look at the different designs and features.
The Boshart difference is all our filters come with mounting systems to adhere to the wall so filters can be attached to the system piping and wall securely and conveniently.
Our filter bowls have ribs that make tightening and taking off the bowls very easy. This is a huge help since the bowls only need to be hand tightened to create a seal. The 1” standard bowls, not the separator bowl, initially did not have the gripper ribs but the ribs have since been added to the mold and all production now have the ribs.
Others have multiple materials used for the filter screens like poly and stainless. All of our screens are 316 stainless steel which has a high level of corrosion resistance. Another benefit is that stainless steel is much harder to tear than a plastic screen would be.
Each of our filter elements are marked with the mesh size, o-ring identification and whether they are a regular filter element or a separator element. The “F” in the picture shows that this element is a regular filter element.
The 1” units use the same element for both the filter and the separator so they don’t require the marking.
Others ink jet their elements which can wear off with regular use so changing filters elements in the future is made pretty difficult. Boshart markings are done by dot peening which is a physical mark that won’t wear off. We have added the extra information to make replacing very simple.
Here is a closer picture of the markings on our elements. You can see that for this particular element, the o-ring size is 220, the mesh size is 100 and the element is a regular filter element.
Our core has been designed to optimize the filtering area by increasing the amount of open area. More filtering area equals less flow rate loss. You can see the difference in the two pictures.
We will now take a look at some our Quality Assurance practices.
The pressure rating for these filters is 150 PSI. The Quality Assurance standard states that they must withstand a minimum burst of 3 times higher than the pressure rating or more to be acceptable. We tested the units and improved the design until we were reaching a burst pressure of 5 to 6 times the pressure rating.
The Instant Measurement machine allows us to take images of the product and, with that image, quickly and accurately measure the dimensions of that product. The filter heads and element cores are measured to ensure that there will be a proper fit and that the molding is consistent.
With help from research and development, they created a custom Go and No Go gauge to test the slip port dimensions to the ASTM D2466 standard. The short ends of the gauge test the entrance of the socket and the long ends of the gauge test the bottom of the socket to check that it has the proper tapper.
To wrap up the presentation, we have included five important facts to remember. Keep in mind that separators have more sand holding capacity than the regular filters, all of our filters operate on centrifugal force to separate the sediment from the water, the collected sediment can be easily purged by opening the ball valve on the drain port, all of the filters work very well with very coarse sand to silt and lastly, it’s important to remember not to over size when selecting a spin out filter.
That is the end of the presentation today. You can learn more about the features we offer at Boshart’s as well as other useful information on plumbing and water well products by visiting BoshartU.
At BoshartU, our goal is to equip you and your team with the knowledge you need to be more successful.
We regularly publish new blogs and content that will help you become more comfortable and confident with our products.
Be sure to also follow us on Social Media!
Thanks again for joining us today. We hope you found this Webinar educational.
Check out our website for more product specs and subscribe to our blog to receive new content updates. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Head over to Boshart's Knowledge Base: technical product information, guidelines, and more.