Choosing a Proper Water Mesh Filter Element - BoshartU

Sep. 30, 2024

Choosing a Proper Water Mesh Filter Element - BoshartU

Do you have heavy sediment or large volume of scale, debris, sand, or grit needing to be removed from your water filtration system? Selecting the right mesh filter element for your sediment filter or separator starts with having a good understanding of what is on the market and what they remove from water.

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Water mesh filter elements are specifically designed to remove large volumes of sediment. In this blog, we will be going over four things to consider when selecting a mesh filter element.

Housing Selection

Part of selecting an element is determining what housing you have or need. If you already have one installed, the size is listed on the inlet and outlet. When installing a new one, knowing the desired flow rate greatly helps! Check out our &#;What is the Typical Household Water Flow Rate&#; blog for more on determining flow rates.

Flow rates in sediment filters and separators have a wide flow rate overlap between sizes. For example, a 1&#; filter housing has a flow rate of 1-25 GPM and a 1-1/2&#; filter housing has a flow rate of 10-50 GPM. If your flow rate is within the range, it&#;s best to go with a smaller size to ensure the centrifugal force is adequate to separate the sand from the water. That would mean that if your desired flow rate is 20 GPM a 1&#; filter housing would be more effective.

Element Type

Elements come in two different styles, filter and separator. They both work the same way, the difference being that separators allow for more sediment to build up before it needs to be purged. Our "Understanding Sediment Filters & Separators" blog goes over the difference in more detail.

Depending on the size of the housing the filter may look different. For 1&#; housings the filters look the same between filters and separators whereas for a 1-1/2&#; and 2&#; housing, the filter has a shorter screened area and a stem holding the filter part up which gives room for the sediment to build up at the bottom. The image shows a filter element on the left and a separator element on the right for a 1-1/2" or 2" housing.

Mesh Material

There are two main mesh materials, polyester and stainless steel. Polyester mesh is manufactured from non-corrosive material and is ultraviolet stabilized / weather resistant. Stainless steel mesh is manufactured from 316 stainless steel and is non-corrosive and durable.

Stainless steel will hold up better to sharp sediment and particles as they won&#;t rip the material. In the past polyester was the more economical option but that has changed making them both very economical options.

Mesh Size

Selecting the mesh size required is determined by what needs to be removed from the water. When talking about filtration there is different terminology that defines the size of things that will be removed. The equivalency chart below shows the comparison between the different terminologies.

The opening is the size of space between material that water and particles can pass through. The number of openings in one square inch of screen is called the mesh size. The micron rating is the distance between filter media. &#;Water Filters &#; The Basics on Micron Ratings&#; goes over this in more detail.

When using a sediment filter or separator as a pre-filter for other water filtration products, make sure that the mesh size is equivalent to a larger micron rating. For example if your filter is 80 micron you would want to use a mesh size of 140 or smaller.

To give you an idea of some common sizes, scale may be removed by using a 24 mesh element whereas sand is smaller and would require a mesh element with a 100 rating or even higher.

Determining the amount of sand / sediment that needs to be removed will help determine the element that is right for you. No matter which element you choose it can be removed and cleaned with a soft brush. Soaking the element in 50/50 bleach and water solution will help remove stains caused by iron, etc. Be sure to rinse the element thoroughly before it is installed again. Now you have a better understanding of what goes into choosing a water mesh filter element and what the options are.

Haoshun Wire Mesh Manufacturing are exported all over the world and different industries with quality first. Our belief is to provide our customers with more and better high value-added products. Let's create a better future together.

Additional reading:
Fiberglass vs Pleated Air Filters

Have further questions about this subject?

Head over to Boshart's Knowledge Base: technical product information, guidelines, and more.

The Ultimate Guide To Woven Wire Mesh Filters

When designing and incorporating mesh filters, there are three elements to the mesh that your mesh supplier needs to know to ensure your filter works as intended. Wire diameter, opening size, and mesh count all play a role in the effectiveness of a mesh filer.

W
ire Diameter: The width of each
wire used to weave the filter
Opening size: The Space between any two wires
Mesh count: The number of openings in an inch in any direction

When designing a mesh filter, a &#;good, better, best system is used. The &#;good&#; category illustrates when one of the three elements listed is provided. &#;Better&#; illustrates your ability to provide two elements, and &#;best&#; illustrates your ability to provide all three.

So, let&#;s say you send the mesh supplier a quote request for 200 feet of filter cloth with a mesh count of 50 microns. While the mesh supplier can provide an adequate recommendation, the inquirer&#;s exact needs remain unknown.

NOTE: Designing a woven wire filter may require you to convert mesh count to micron rating and vice versa. Use the following chart as a tool to help you comminate the needs of your operation:

If you were to submit a request for a 60x60 mesh filter with a wire diameter of ., the mesh supplier would have enough information to identify the mesh count and wire diameter. In turn, the mesh supplier can also calculate the opening size.

To that end, if any two elements are provided, the third can be determined; however, for best results, you should have all three ready before reaching out to the mesh filter supplier.

Read "Wire Mesh Filters: What You Need To Know Before You Buy" for insight into the mesh filter buying process.

Sample Request
Woven wire mesh filter are a big investment. To ensure you are satisfied and confident with bulk orders, you have the opportunity to request samples of both cut pieces and fabricated components.

To do so, you must reach out and provide the following information:

Alloy
Dimensions
weave pattern
layer configuration
Quantity needed

Having said that, there are a few limitations to note. As quantity plays a significant role in the feasibility of a sample request, we will need to establish the resources and labor your request requires.

Typically, if a woven wire supplier doesn't have the capacity to produce the desired component or specification, your sample request will get turned down. Your request can also get turned down if the rest volume doesn't align with the amount of tooling and labor needed to produce the component.

When it comes to cost, the amount you can expect to pay depends of the form factor of the sample.

If you are simply looking for cut-to-size pieces to familiarize yourself with a particular specification, the price tag will be fairly inexpensive. Of course, the price will depend on the various parameters of the specification.

If you are looking to sample a custom component, however, the expected cost will spike significantly. This is due to the increased labor needed to set up the tooling and fabricate the component.

NOTE: The expected cost of a customized part will increase as the complexity of the part increases.

What To Do After You Receive Your Sample?

If after testing the requested sample you find the performance does not meet your expectations, you should set a meeting with the mesh supplier's engineering team. This will give you the opportunity to identify the reason where improvements can be made.

Maybe it's as simple as switching someihng like the weave pattern or alloy. Or maybe you discover that woven wire mesh isn't the answer.

Either way, it is critical that you sit down with the engineering team so you can coordinate your next steps.

Now, if you are satisfied with how the component turned out, you will want to establish how many finalized parts you will need. After you decide and determine whether you will need a purchase order or blanket order, the next step would be to request a quote.

Once you receive a quote, approve it, and submit a purchase or blanket order, production will start.

You can use one of the following avenues to request a quote:

The company is the world’s best Filter Mesh supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

Visit our request a quote page
Fill out the form on our Contact Us page
your configuration and contact information to our sales team at
Call us directly at 800-321-

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