Oil Mist Unit Troubleshooting

Possible Cause	Action
Drum has solid build-ups	Clean the drum, ensuring all solids are removed from sides and base of vanes and change filter pads
Damaged motor bearing	Consider adding a pre-filter or cyclone grinding operations will require shorter service intervals because of the grinding dust that can be taken into the unit along with the oil mist. Check motor bearing and replace motor if required.
Used on acidic substances	Do not use on high acidic substances
Drum loose	Disassemble drum from unit, and then re-connect and re-tighten drum
Drum is out of balance	Return to Filtermist for re-balancing

Possible Cause	Action
Incoming air to unit is higher than 60°C	Fit T piece and airflow regulator to reduce air temperature to allow mist/steam to condense
T Piece with airflow regulator not allowing fresh air to help condense steam	Open airflow regulator to allow fresh air to be pulled into operation

Possible Cause	Action
Drum is rotating in wrong direction	Check rotation of drum – anti-clockwise when viewed from inlet Re-position and clean the drain hose. If motor ‘kicks’ in one direction of rotation, the drum will be spinning in the opposite
Drain hose is blocked, kinked or submerged	Remove blockage or kink, ensure hose is not submerged
Excessive extraction	Re-position extraction point or fit splashguard
Fume could be oil smoke	Fit High Efficiency Afterfilter. Do not use on heavy smoke extraction.
Unit attempting to filter in a dry dust application	Do not use Filtermist product on dry dust applications
Attempting to use Filtermist unit on high pressure neat oil applications (over 10 bar)	Fit Fusion filter or High Efficiency filter. If still an issue alternative solution required

Possible Cause	Action
Blocked inlet	Clean inlet swarf arrestor
Afterfilter is blocked	Change Afterfilter – (recommended every 3-6 months)
Unit needs servicing	Contact Filtermist Local Distributor (recommended Service intervals of 6 months or 1000 hours – whichever earlier)
Kinks in ducting	Ensure no kinks in ducting Ensure that the ducting has no "U" bends without an oil drainaway at the bottom of the "U", as this will cause oil to build up and block airflow
Pre-filter blocked	If unit has a pre-filter, to check that it is not the pre-filter blocking the air, remove to test the airflow; if the airflow returns to correct levels, order replacement pads, or clean the recyclable pre-filter using a parts washer
Equipment requiring extraction not adequately enclosed	The unit will have an especially difficult job, and must not usually be used on high velocity applications such as grinding, and should be tested to ensure the unenclosed equipment’s mist is safely extracted
Drum spinning the wrong direction	Check the rotation of the drum from above or below the Filtermist unit. Ensure the red directional arrow is followed when the unit is speeding down or speeding up (as you cannot tell which direction the drum is spinning when the unit is operating at full speed). If the drum is turning in the wrong direction, change two of the three phase wires around (from L1, L2, L3).

Possible Cause	Action
Overload setting incorrect	Reset or replace overload (see electrical info chart) in product manual

Possible Cause	Action
Kinks in oil return hose	Straighten or replace oil return hose
Oil return hose submerged in oil	Remove oil return hose from oil, either by connecting to higher location, or cutting to suit to be above level of oil

Possible Cause	Action
Equipment not working correctly	Maintenance schedule with local distributor to be advised. Check above for ‘Unit is not extracting’. Fit Afterfilter if not already fitted
Not installed correctly	Request an ‘LEV’ (Local Exhaust Ventilation) test to ensure setup is working as required, including oil mist readings at 10 and 1 micron in factory ambient air using DustTrak or similar. Test near gaps and air intakes/outlets of the extraction equipment and machine tools to check contaminant is not escaping into the air. Action the findings of the specific report
LEV equipment not being operated correctly	Train operators to turn on LEV equipment at appropriate times, close doors of machines when not in use, keep guards in place. Train on the effects of oil mist contamination on human health
Extraction point above the workpiece or close to operator	Relocate Filtermist unit extraction point as far away from the machining operation as practicably possible
The smell could be created by another application that does not have mist extraction on, such as another machine tool or an open oil tank, or one that does have mist extraction on, but it needs servicing.	Identify all potential sources and fit or service extraction as necessary

Possible Cause	Action
The Filtermist is successful in removing mist and steam from applications up to 60º Celsius	If the temperature is higher than this, then you must try to cool the mist before it reaches the unit Always consider specifying Stainless Steel units when dealing with higher temperatures or highly corrosive detergents Where ambient air needs to be taken into the system to help cool the mist or steam, T-pieces can be used with airflow regulators to control the amount of ambient air being used