Reusable oil filter-Are they worth it?
- Thread starter Schmoe
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I'm with Schmoe. To get that thing to "work" $$$ wise, you need to provide it as a service. You still charge the higher price, but offer a return policy when the owner changes cars ..and assure that there will be a model for them ..or their money back. Otherwise you can buy over a decade worth of filters for the money. There's also issues of "true" environmental gains. Sure you reduce landfill volumes ..but are you reducing pollution? What of the excessive solvent wastes in cleaning it? What are you as a consumer going to do with them??
I think the Fleetguard retro canister type deal is a decent alternative ..but it too will be too expensive for the average consumer to take advantage of. It will work for fleets ..taxi, police, state, local, federal agencies ..where environmental policy can carry the added costs and they, more or less, dictate waste stream/disposal policy.
I think the Fleetguard retro canister type deal is a decent alternative ..but it too will be too expensive for the average consumer to take advantage of. It will work for fleets ..taxi, police, state, local, federal agencies ..where environmental policy can carry the added costs and they, more or less, dictate waste stream/disposal policy.
We have a member on the Board that is testing a cleanable Full Flow. The design and the materials and ease of cleaning appear top notch, but so is the initial price. I am almost certain he is doing a UOA prior and after.
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Great! Then we can stop talking out of our behinds on this matter
I love it when someone asks "How many teeth are in a horse's mouth?" ...until someone counts them ...you'll never know. At least someone ante'd up.
Most of the washable stainless steel filters I've seen only filter to like 35 microns or something.
Heck, one website actually claimed that disposable full flow filters only filter to 80 microns.
Heck, one website actually claimed that disposable full flow filters only filter to 80 microns.
"We have a member on the Board that is testing a cleanable Full Flow. The design and the materials and ease of cleaning appear top notch, but so is the initial price. I am almost certain he is doing a UOA prior and after."
On evironmental stuff...my understanding is that used filters are compressed and the metal goes off for scrap. T
ossing it in a fill is a waste of good metal no?
Not to insult the elders intelligence, is the member going to have a particulate count completed as well?
Reusable filters seem like a good concept, what turned me off was the advertised micronic filtration rating in Jegs a while ago. I believe the brand was "System 1." However now I cannot find the tech data to corroborate this either way.
On evironmental stuff...my understanding is that used filters are compressed and the metal goes off for scrap. T
ossing it in a fill is a waste of good metal no?
Not to insult the elders intelligence, is the member going to have a particulate count completed as well?
Reusable filters seem like a good concept, what turned me off was the advertised micronic filtration rating in Jegs a while ago. I believe the brand was "System 1." However now I cannot find the tech data to corroborate this either way.
I looked at these lifetime oil filters and the cost is way out there.Are they worth a look and to even consider?Thanks Joe
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outrun, sure it's a waste to send perfectly good metal to a landfill. If, however, it's that much of a waste ..then the metal put into the product would be worth more to assure its reclamation. It's still too cheap to produce and too expensive to recycle the value of a filter. Surcharges will have to be added to the cost of filters to make it the sensible thing to do. This can be in the form of deposits like some states do with cans ..or outright charges/taxes and mandated approved return/disposal services for those who sell filters.
As far as the effectivness of permanent filters, I think that a balance will be met between effectiveness and need. If we're retiring cars to the junkyard with perfectly good engines ...do we need superior filtration? OTOH, if we return to the former European standard of the 25-30 year car ownership experience ..then the energy and resources saved by not producing 2 tons of stamped, cast, and machined metal by using maybe 100lbs more of thrown away (or recycled) metal cans would make more sense.
As far as the effectivness of permanent filters, I think that a balance will be met between effectiveness and need. If we're retiring cars to the junkyard with perfectly good engines ...do we need superior filtration? OTOH, if we return to the former European standard of the 25-30 year car ownership experience ..then the energy and resources saved by not producing 2 tons of stamped, cast, and machined metal by using maybe 100lbs more of thrown away (or recycled) metal cans would make more sense.
One area where reusables (Oberg) are invaluable is for keeping an eye on debris. We used them at the track for years and it was always nice to be able to zip them apart and see what internal engine goodies were trapped in the mesh.
Last time I check they were only able to filter down to 40 microns, when typical (Fram?) can filter down to 20 easily, and PureOne filter down to 10.
It is not good enough for me.
It is not good enough for me.
I have wondered about a mesh type and a bypass filter.
Steve S,
I think you are really on to something with your idea. A bypass and a cleanable mesh FF. I am really interested in that. I have used a bypass and a block off plate for pressure for the bypass, and no FF. I ran 3 vehicles like this for a few years. No problems. A cleanable mesh would have been better because of the added oil that it used over the block off plate.
I am certain that a particle count will be done on our members test.
Block-Off Plate that replaces the Full Flow and is used for pressure for a bypass.
[ March 31, 2006, 11:59 PM: Message edited by: 59 Vetteman ]
I think you are really on to something with your idea. A bypass and a cleanable mesh FF. I am really interested in that. I have used a bypass and a block off plate for pressure for the bypass, and no FF. I ran 3 vehicles like this for a few years. No problems. A cleanable mesh would have been better because of the added oil that it used over the block off plate.
I am certain that a particle count will be done on our members test.
Block-Off Plate that replaces the Full Flow and is used for pressure for a bypass.
[ March 31, 2006, 11:59 PM: Message edited by: 59 Vetteman ]
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