The “green” era is upon us. Many companies are scrambling to be the leaders in becoming environmental stewards. Until now there has been very little concern when it comes to one of the biggest problems with environmental issues: engine oil and filter disposal.

According to the EPA, they are among the biggest containments nationally and globally. Companies are adopting emissions reduction programs and switching fuel sources to natural gas; however, the current practice of waste oil and oil filter disposal are not an effective method of addressing the damage that motor oil is doing to the environment.

Tests have proven that several ounces of oil remain in typical conventional paper-type filters, even after the filter is drained for several days, which is the protocol in the industry. It is impossible for the oil to totally escape from the oil-soaked paper element. After years of research, development, and testing, Eco Flow, LLC introduces a patent-pending line of filters that are the answer to a complete green, safe, cost-effective solution to the current problem.

UNDERSTANDING MICRON RATINGS

Engine design has changed significantly over the past 10 years. Newer engines typically require finer filtration of contaminants to ensure long life of critical, expensive engine components. Micron ratings are often used in an effort to communicate the contaminant removal capability of a liquid filter; however, micron ratings can be misleading if one does not fully understand how to use them.

What is a micron? A micron is a unit of measure in the metric system equal to 1 millionth of a meter in length (about 39 millionths of an inch). The average cross-section of a human hair is 40-90 microns. The human eye cannot see anything smaller than 40 microns in size.

Two filters may each be considered to be 10-micron filters, but one may remove a greater percentage of 10-micron-size particles of contaminant—thus the filters would not be considered equal in performance. For a micron rating to be useful, you must know the filters removal efficiency of the specific particle size in question.

The term “nominal” micron rating typically means that the filter is capable of removing 50 percent of a specific size particle. Some companies’ “nominal” micron ratings may range anywhere from 1-50 percent efficiency at removing a specific particle size.

“Absolute micron rating” means that the filter is capable of removing at least 98.7 percent of a specific size particle. This rating is far more accurate.

ECO FLOW’S RATING

Designed by filter engineers with more than 40 years experience in the filtration field, Eco Flow filters are constructed of the highest quality standards. The filter media is proprietary-constructed stainless steel media with a stainless steel center tube for strength, giving the filters a full flow filter design filtering down to a 15-micron filter rating. Most conventional filters are paper or cellulose media type filters having a nominal micron rating of no less than 25 micron and as high as 40 micron. Eco Flow filters are designed to last for 4 years, replacing approximately 15-25 conventional throw-away filters, saving on disposal costs.

SERVICING ECO FLOW FILTERS

When service intervals are reached with an Eco Flow filter, the same process applies. Remove the filter and drain the filter for the normal filter draining interval. The Eco Flow Filter is then placed in the two-stage Eco Flow ultrasonic cleaning machine for about 2 minutes. After the cleaning process, the filters are 100 percent clean and can be returned back to service.

SAVING GREEN WITH ECO FLOW

Customers can expect a cost savings of 20-40 percent over current filter costs and benefit from being a green company. There is no additional buy-in. When a company chooses the Eco Flow system, a 4-year lease program shifts the current monthly cost for filters and replaces that cost with Eco Flow filters and the Eco Flow ultrasonic cleaning machine.

Both the machine and the filters are designed to last at least 4 years. At the end of the 4-year lease, Eco Flow replaces the filters and the machine with brand new equipment.

OIL AND FUEL TESTING

Oil and fuel testing is an intricate part of preventive maintenance in the industry. Eco Flow has partnered with one of the most prestigious oil and fuel testing laboratories in the industry, Tribologik Labs. Eco Flow’s customers will have the ability to pretest the condition of the engine oil, retest after using the Eco Filter and continue to test engine oil, which is a critical part of a premier maintenance program for engine longevity. Tribologik Labs will deduct trends from oil analysis results and make specific recommendations, not only based on the current oil condition but also based on the specific oil analysis history of the machine, as well as on its operating conditions.

Whereas preventive maintenance consists in changing oil and/or parts on a scheduled time table (e.g., after so many operating hours), predictive maintenance assists in maximizing the operating life of your oil and fluids up to or beyond the manufacturer’s fixed limits. The downside of no preventive maintenance is that you may get rid of parts or lubricants that have not yet reached the end of their useful life. Specialty lubricants and replacement parts are expensive, not to mention the cost of disposal of underused oil.

Why, then, change them if they are still in operating condition? The answer is because you don’t want to play heads or tails with expensive machinery and because breakdowns and unscheduled shutdowns could cost money as well.

Preventive maintenance makes sense, of course, but predictive maintenance is better and cheaper: Oil analysis reduces the frequency of lubricant and parts replacement and consequently the cost of the materials required for maintaining the health of your equipment.

For More Information:

For more information on Eco Flow products and services, visit www.ecoflowusa.com.
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Modern Contractor Solutions, October 2015
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