Aqueous DPF Cleaning
Until recently, if you wanted to get a DPF “cleaned” and installed back in a vehicle the same day you had to sacrifice quality of cleaning. And if you wanted the filter to be cleaned and operate within OE specs it was a 24 to 48 hour turnaround time. Well that was the case until now!
Aqueous DPF Cleaning Equipment by EcoClean revolutionizes the timetable to properly maintain filters. Our system allows you to properly clean and dry a contaminated DPF in two-hours or less. Our treated water & surfactant stream maneuver around the complicated cell structure of a DPF, removing and recovering debris found inside the filter. Our non-destructive cleaning process helps prolong the life of the filter while restoring it to OEM operating specs.
9-Step Aqueous DPF Cleaning Process
1: Inspection & documentation pre-cleaning.
2: Pre-soak of contaminated filter (10-minutes).
3: Flushing of contaminated filter (replaces blowing out function).
4: Clean soak of filter in wash station holding area.
5: Computer-guided cleaning of filter with EcoClean machine.
6: Rinsing & inspection of clean filter.
7: Drying of the filter using EcoClean drying cabinet.
8: Post cleaning inspection & documentation of filter.
9: Final prep of clean filter.
When using the EcoClean flush tank, aqueous cleaning machine, and drying cabinet you can have up to six filter going through various steps of the process at one time.
- The estimated amount of labor required to complete the entire testing and cleaning process is 35-minutes.
- The average turnaround time on one filter cleaning is approximately 90-minutes.
- One person is capable of cleaning 15 to 20 filters in one 8-hour shift.
Improving The Cleaning Process
EcoClean Aqueous vs Air Knife
Using the air knife method to maintain your DPF is a temporary fix. It may remove the codes from your dash but your filter could still be at 50% contamination or more. And remember, once a filter is over 50% full it negatively impacts fuel economy and engine performance. EcoClean Aqueous cleaning equipment provides the same type of turnaround time without sacrificing quality of cleaning. While air takes the path of least resistance, our patented low-pressure | high-volume aqueous stream provides edge-to-edge filter cleaning and a solution to DPF maintenance.
EcoClean Aqueous vs Bake and Blow
Oven cleaning for DPFs was a huge advancement at the time. Both oven or kiln equipment and the EcoClean aqueous system have the ability to restore DPFs to original operating specs. However, there are a few major differences.
Cleaning Turnaround Time Comparison
To bake a DPF it is roughly an 8 to 12 hour process which typically results in next day turnaround time. The EcoClean machines allow you to properly clean and dry filter in 2-hours of less. Same day service which is a huge factor in reducing costs associate with vehicle downtime.
High-Temperature Cleaning
We’ve also taken high temperatures out of the EcoClean DPF cleaning process. This is important because the canister of a DPF and the substrate have different expansion rates. Steel expands faster than the cordierite which places undue stress on the filter. If the weld breaks during expansion the substrate can “fall” and the filter is ruined. Steel also contracts faster than the cordierite which can “clamp” the substrate and put pressure on the internal structure of the filter. The damaging effect may not be seen after the first cleaning, but issues can definitely arise on the third, fourth, or fifth cleaning. This is one reason why many OEMs warranty the DPF for 3 to 5 years, which calculates out to a filter being cleaned annually.
Cleaning Capacity
While some ovens or kilns can accommodate a dozen filters or more, many models of baking equipment can only do two or four filters at a time. If you have a smaller oven and ten filters waiting to be cleaned, the customer may not see their filter for a week. With EcoClean Aqueous DPF cleaning equipment you can have up to six filters going through the cleaning process at one time. In fact many of our service centers have been able to clean 12, 15, and up to 20 filters within an 8-hour shift. This allows for filters to be returned same day in many cases, and takes full advantage of night shifts companies often run.
