Burning Bronze is destroying my filter life. What can I do to help?

Hi guys,
I'm running a Sodick AQ327L and I am having a terrible time with these Bronze parts.
Only roughly 20-30 minutes after I start burning the block, my filter pressure will shoot way up to well above recommended levels.
Has anyone found a way to make filters last longer when running bronze?

I only occasionally run Ampco bronze material, but I do run a fair share of aluminum which is pretty smutty. I purchase a #4 bag filter housing and put it inline before my canister filters and change them a couple of times a day on aluminum runs. The 4 dollar 5 micron felt bags do save me money on 70 dollar times 2 canister filter changes. My canisters go about twice as fast when running aluminum. The worst is if you blow through a canister. What a mess to the clean side of the water system.

Add an in-line filter.

If they are clogging fast that means they are doing what they are supposed to do. You could switch to a larger micron filter for longer life at the expense of sending large dirt & debris through your water system, but that would eventually end up starting another thread about the proper way to clean out the "clean side" of the system.

This is already something that I'm wondering...
Is there a chemical or something that I can run through the system to clean it?
If not, please feel free to share how to clean the "clean side".
And maybe how to tell if it needs to be cleaned?
Sorry for my ignorance.

This is a very good idea.
How much does each bag cost to replace?
Do you run the bag filter constantly, or only when running aluminum?

Btriquetra said:

This is a very good idea.
How much does each bag cost to replace?
Do you run the bag filter constantly, or only when running aluminum?

Click to expand...

I run the auxiliary bag filter constantly. When cutting steel I generally change it about every 8 hours of burn and aluminum is about every 2 to 4 hours. I have a weir between the clean side and the dirty side of my water tank that I can see water cascading over as the filtration pump runs. When that water flow starts to slow down I know its time for a change. I change my canister filters about every 70 hours of burn time for steel. Aluminum about half as long.

I buy the filter bags at a supply company called McMaster-Carr

5162K18 (Same as 5162K112), Felt Filter Bag for Water Sewn Seam, 4" Dia X 14" High, 5 Microns $4.37 ea

Housings are kind of pricey, but you could shop it around or even make your own:
6870K55, Aluminum Filter Bag Housing, 5" Diameter x 20" High, 1-1/2 NPT $531.67