Remote Oil Filter on a Parts Washer

[Glenn F.]

I am setting up a parts washer (20 gallon tank but requires 12.5 gallons of solvent). I read on the internet of many people
installing a simple remote automotive oil filter at the pump the discharge port and thinking they really have something. But
others who say it will make little or no difference and will actually stress the pump leading to early failure. For sure,
draining the tank occasionally and discarding the last half inch is still in order. Pump intake is 1+ inches above bottom of
tank. Solvent is Naphtha based Crown PSC 1000 at about $9.00/gallon. I appreciate any advice on this matter.



Thank you,

Glenn F.

 

[Ultradog MN]

With as much crud that goes into a parts washer a typical oil filter would fill up and plug in short order. And you don't really need the solvent filtered that clean. My thinking is the factory settling tank that it came with is sufficient.

 

[M-MAN]

I agree. The ones I've used were all industrial and had a strainer to catch the heavy crud. Empty that when it starts to fill up and it will be good enough. I can't imagine an oil filter lasting long at all.

 

[caterpillar guy]

No parts washer per say but when I rig up one. I let the solvent set in a pail for awhile it will settle most of the crude out leaving nearly clear solvent. Then when I get close to the bottom of the pail I let that set again for awhile and settle the most of that out to a nearly clear drain off and dump the rest in the furnace to burn. I also scrap the pail out and the sink/tank I use for washing in after drained. The tank settling will get more out than the pails will for most of the crude. I let it set for months so you might want a couple batches of solvent for your use to do this.

 

[Hobo,NC]

I could not pull up a photo of what Safety kleen uses. One is a sock
a bag filter with a plastic ring that fits into the drain hole. The other is a large cylinder metal screen. I don't use the sock they stop up to fast I use the metal screen. The screen catches most all of the junk it also will stop up but easy to clean and back in businesses.

I put a few gallons of used clean coolant in the bottom of my tank it works quite well to give the junk a place to settle and not rust out the drum.

If I remove a clean air filter like the ones 90's 5.7 GM pickups use I let the fluid run thru them to get the fine meal out of the fluid.



https://www.mcmaster.com/parts-washer-filters/parts-washer-filters/

I am very particular about what I throw in my parts washer. I have a 250 gal drum out back that looks like a pig cooker I lay the part on the grade and scrap off as much of the junk as i can. Once i run the part thru the parts washer I spray it off with purple stuff and hose off.

 

[Steve@Advance]

No, an oil filter will be too restrictive and will clog quickly.

Just run the pump a few inches above the bottom of the barrel. You can put a screen basket at the top to catch the big stuff, something easy to dump. And be careful what you put in, preclean the really nasty stuff first.

But, I suspect you will find evaporation will be the big enemy. I gave up on home shop parts washers a long time ago. The solvent evaporated so quickly it wasn't cost effective to maintain it. I've had better success with soaking in full strength Purple Power. Heat it up for even better cleaning. But it will strip paint!

 

[DoubleO7]

How much solvent is above the pump inlet in the tank??
I might be inclined to run the inlet pipe up to the half full level.
Reduce the amount of turbulence below the intake.

 

[4520BW]

I have a sock filter that goes in the drain back screen that works well. McMaster Carr has a filter that goes on end of the flexible spigot.

 

[K Effective]

Using solvent, remember to drain off any water that accumulates below the solvent at the bottom of the tank. IF your tank is metal and gets scratched up, it will rust out under the fluid. Yes, I know it will for sure.

 

[Hobo,NC]

This is what my washer uses, I have the option of a bag are screen I use the screen.

Screen, it does a good job

Bag does to good of a job it looks like thin pig mat.

Grease and oil you are stuck with it unless you have away to distill it.

 

[oldproudvet]

I use a remote housing I had laying around for years and would not be w/o it. Be sure your solvent pick up is at least 6 off the bottom. That's where the water/mud/dirt etc will settle. Obviously you have to clean that once in a while. I preclean some parts with a soak tank. Some will end up using the filtered solvent just for preassembly work. Use the cheapest, bottom feeder type filters out there. I wouldn't be w/o mine, it's been in the shop 40+ years. One time I bought half a dozen filters at a swap meet for $5, thinking that I scored big here. Heck, they'd plug in a week vs 6 months with the cheap ones. Larry

 

[Mike M]

I have an older decent size unit. It will hold alot more but I seldom put more than 5 gallons at a time in it. The pump is up off the bottom a little bit. Never had any issues and it had alot of use in previous years.

 

[brooktre]

I have a Carolina CPW30 thats at least 25 years old. I use kerosene for fluid (same stuff has been in it all this time). It is just for my use so it doesnt get used but a few times a year. I put a spin on filter on a few years ago and it seems to work very well. My fluid is much cleaner and Ive seen no reduction in flow.