Why Does AER Control Systems Centrifugal Mist Collector Get A Bad Rap?

After finding several articles giving the AER Control Systems Centrifugal Mist Collector (CM) negative publicity. We’re here to set the record straight.

The CM unit gets a bad rap because the throwaway liners aren’t being checked/replaced and are expected to run without any maintenance. Do we bring our cars in for maintenance every few months? Yes. Then why wouldn’t we check the throwaway liner? Throughout this post, we’ll be giving insight into the different types of Centrifugal Mist Collectors and how to maintain them.

Centrifugal Mist Collectors

There are at least two different CM designs in the industry, one uses sponge-foam filtering pads, while the AER Control Systems CM does not.

AER Control Systems Centrifugal Mist Collector

AER Control Systems CM uses a cylinder or drum that rotates at 3450 RPM. Inside the drum are two filter media, one is called a throwaway liner, designed to be a pre-filter, protecting the secondary high density and efficient polyester media. Welded in the drum are radial fan blades, these are radial so contaminants don’t collect on the blades. As the mist is drawn into the center of the drum it’s thrown through the two filters due to centrifugal force. The throwaway liner stops the large contaminants from grinding swarf, metal chips, and dirt from dirty coolants. Just like in your dryer at home when your clothes shift to one side and your dryer bounces up and down these contaminants will impose an imbalanced load on the inside of the drum and begin to vibrate.  If this is happening pop off the cover of the CM unit, remove the low-cost throwaway liner, and replace it with a new one. You can learn how to replace a filter by viewing our Centrifugal Mist Collector Filter Replacement video.

A good maintenance program for starters is to check the throwaway liner every two weeks to see if the liner is more then 50% blocked, if it is, then you need to replace it. If you find that you can go more then 2 weeks then check every week until the liner is 50% blocked, record how often this is, and replace the throwaway liner. With frequent replacements of the throwaway liner, the CM unit will not become imbalanced and will run without any vibrations.

Centrifugal Mist Unit With Sponge-Foam Filtering Pads

The CM unit with sponge-foam filtering pads operates by the mist being drawn into the unit using a blower wheel and then the mist is filtered using the sponge foam pads.

If you don’t label the sponge pads after you clean them and don’t put them back in the same location then this design will cause vibration. This vibration is not the same as the Aercology and AER Control Systems drum vibration which is due to lack of maintenance.

If your drum does vibrate, what can you do to repair it? You can start by replacing the drum filters. If that doesn’t work you can buy a new balanced drum with filters. If the vibration still exists then you can either re-build the bearings in the motor or buy a new motor. If you buy a new drum and motor you will essentially have a brand new unit because all the moving parts of the CM unit have been replaced.

For all of your filter, drum, and motor replacement needs contact us at (866) 265-2372 or visit us at www.IndustrialReplacementFilters.com.

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