Are Spin-On Filters Worth the Cost? The Hidden Trade-Offs

Spin-on filters have become a popular choice for hydraulic filtration because they combine the filter media, housing, base plate, and gasket into one easy-to-replace unit. Their simple, all-in-one design reduces maintenance time and makes filter change-outs quick and convenient.

However, that convenience comes with trade-offs in waste, long-term operating costs, and filtration performance. Before choosing a filtration solution, it’s worth understanding both the advantages and limitations of spin-on filters.

Let’s review the pros and cons of spin-ons!

Spin-On Filters: The Benefits

It’s not for nothing that spin-on filters are popular in hydraulic applications:

• User-Friendly Maintenance. Unlike cartridge filters, spin-on filters generally don’t require any special tools during connection or removal from a system. Change-outs and maintenance can be performed more quickly than with a typical cartridge filter due to the all-in-one design.
• Lower Up-Front Cost. The price of spin-on filters is lower than the up-front cost of a traditional cartridge-style filter assembly.
• Minimal Spillage. The self-contained design of a spin-on filter prevents oil leaks for a more sanitary change-out process.

Spin-On Filters: The Drawbacks

But, while convenience is a helpful quality of spin-ons, their disposable nature has some significant downsides:

• Oil & Metal Waste. Due to the all-in-one design of spin-on filters, the entire housing is disposed of along with the element. Not only is any trapped oil discarded, but the metal which forms the spin-on housing, core, and gasket are unrecoverable.
• Inefficient Disposal. Spin-on filters cannot be recycled, shredded, or incinerated through normal waste-processing. As a result, spin-on filters eat up landfill space.
• Lower Performance. Spin-on filters tend to have lower efficiencies compared to cartridge filter media, which can reduce overall system efficiency.

Counting the Cost of Spin-Ons

The greatest downside of spin-on filters is the sheer amount of material and oil waste involved. Let’s look at an example of how much waste is produced by a very common spin-on type:

Waste Reduction example, per 1,000 spin ons:

7″ M10 (cellulose 10 micron) Spin On

• 1,966 pounds metal scrap waste
• If not properly drained, wastes approximately 450 gallons of oil
• CO2 emissions: approximately 10,600lbs of CO2

Millions of spin-on filters are discarded every year, contributing to a staggering amount of unnecessary waste!

 

Is It Time For A Change?

While spin-on filters are a convenient and effective choice for filtration, the wasteful nature of conventional spin-on technology can’t be ignored.

Between environmental repercussions and potential missed revenue, spin-on filtration technology is long overdue for an upgrade.

Material and oil costs rise with each passing year. With the amount of metal and oil wasted with each spin-on, it’s likely that users could be paying more than they need to for their spin-on filtration.

Could a less wasteful, more cost-effective spin-on alternative not only reduce emissions, but save money for hydraulic-driven operations?

Can the convenience and user-friendliness of spin-ons be combined with the economical, lower-waste benefits of cartridge filters?

Schroeder Industries thinks so.

A More Sustainable Alternative to Spin-On Filters

A low-waste, cost-effective, high-performance spin-on alternative is coming soon. Stay tuned for Schroeder Industries’ most game-changing innovation yet!

 

 

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