A. We manufacture only filters.

 

A. OEM or Makers Filters are only designed to protect the turbocharger from FOD, (Foreign Object Damage). Pollutants such as exhaust gases, oil mist, dust & sand particles pass straight through OEM gauze filters.  PMAX Filters protect both turbochargers and engines from even the finest particles of sand or exhaust fumes.

 

A.  Diesel engines create pollution, exhaust fumes & oil mist, mix with airborne dust to create an oil sludge which quickly coats turbochargers and air coolers, gradually building up to restrict air flow.

 

A.  Your engines are already running less efficiently with high exhaust temperatures. Removing the filters highlights the fact your engines are not performing as per makers specs.  Breakages such as fuel & oil lines are most likely to occur when engines are highly stressed with oil & fuel spray being drawn in to the air inlet.

 

A.  There’s nothing wrong with washing the turbo as directed, however excessive washing will damage the compressor wheel and washing oil & dirt out of the turbocharger simply deposits the dirt in to the charge air cooler, exacerbating the problem.

 

A. PMAX filters have a unique pleated construction, constructed of wire mesh and synthetic fibers.  The pleated construction has up to 500% more surface area, important for dirt loading or the ability to carry dirt and still supply sufficient air for combustion.

 

A. One single wrap does not have the surface area to hold pollutants effectively and often the wraps fall off or partly off, exposing large areas of the air inlets to completely unfiltered areas.
PMAX Filters are easy to fit & provide a 100% seal from large gaps.

 

A. PMAX Filters are carefully designed to match engine air intake requirements. All filters are delivered with manometers to register pressure drop across the filters.  It is recommended a daily log be taken of the pressure drop & recorded in the official engine room log book.  Initial design requirements use engine data to predict air consumption and air velocity through the filter to accurately predict pressure loss across the filter.  If the calculated air velocity is higher than 5 m/sec it may not be suitable to fit PMAX Filters.  Some modern turbochargers, have high air velocities & are prone to cause operational problems.  

 

A. PMAX Filters are long lasting, 5 years plus, they are a quality product designed to give great return on investment. 

 

A. In terms of engine hours & the work they do PMAX Filters are cheap.  Ask for a no obligation free quotation. The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten, good quality costs a little more.

 

A. PMAX filters are easily cleaned using commonly carried degreasing detergents.  The filters are delivered with full care instructions.  There is no need to carry additional cleaning chemicals.

 

A.  You would expect to see roughly what you are reading now, 10 to 50mm water gauge.
Most OEM fitted manometers are not used or are broken.  PMAX filters do work and the manometer reading will increase as dirt builds up.

 

A. We recommend cleaning the filters by using the manometer to gauge dirt buildup.  Recommended cleaning is at 100 to 150mm water gauge, usually once a month. Modern turbochargers on 4 stroke engines can operate safely with up to 350mm water gauge pressure loss.  Refer to the manufacturers recommendations.

 

A.  The filters will not provide more air, nor will they provide less air.

 

A.  The filters catch oil, dust & dirt, preventing dirt buildup in turbochargers, air coolers & scavenge spaces.  Dirt buildup causes high exhaust temperatures.  High exhaust temperatures can cause exhaust valves to burn & promote catastrophic engine & turbocharger damage.  Dirt buildup in engines causes a loss of boost pressure, loss of power & excessive fuel consumption.

 

A. PMAX Filters are very easy to fit. They are designed almost like a car filter, simple, just put them on & do up the bolts.  Larger filters are split in 2 pieces for ease of servicing.

 

A. PMAX filters are not critical equipment and do not need to be classified.

 

Lower exhaust temps with less risk of burnt exhaust valves & catastrophic engine & turbocharger failure.  Generators carry better load and have less need to be paralleled so a ships overall engine hours can be reduced.  There will be fewer costs with service & spare parts to be spent on engines & turbochargers.

 

A.  As turbo’s & air coolers foul, exhaust temperatures rise due to a loss of air pressure & air volume.  Engine power output is reduced. High boost pressure is important for cylinder filling, high combustion pressures & power output.  An unrestricted air flow is important for cooling and scavenging where the excess cool air mixes with hot exhaust gases during the overlap period to cool exhaust valves, exhaust manifolds and turbocharger gas side components.  With less engine power, governors increase fuel rack settings slightly to compensate for the loss in power output.  An increase in fuel rack readings by an average of 1mm can be as much as 4% extra fuel consumption.

 

A. Manufacturers of engines & turbochargers have both tested PMAX filters & approve of their use for most marine turbochargers.  They spend millions on research, development & manufacturing technology then rely on the sale of spare parts & service for their income.  They are mostly interested in only protecting the turbocharger from FOD damage & see it as the owners responsibility to protect the engine & the environment.  Some say PMAX filters are a conflict of interest to manufacturers business interests.

 

A.  PMAX Filters has $10,000,000.00 public liability & property insurance to cover incidents should it be needed