By Steve Pollock

GREENVILLE, PA…  “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is never truer than when it comes to Diesel Particulate Filters (DPFs).  As your DPF plugs with soot, it robs your engine of performance and fuel economy. Many manufacturers recommend a cleaning interval of about 250,000 miles, but at Advanced Particulate Technologies (APT) they recommend cleaning your DPF every 125,000 miles, 5,000 hours or about once a year.  The shorter maintenance interval will extend the life of your DPF while also providing your engine with optimal operating conditions.  Paying a little now will save you from paying a lot later.

 APT, a Greenville, Pennsylvania based company is owned by Debora Cornman and managed by Robin Thompson.  At APT Diesel Particulate Filters are tested both before and after they are cleaned to insure the filter is cleaned properly and completely undamaged.  The filter is first visually inspected, and then the cells are checked and measured for soot content with a pin gauge.  The filter is then bench tested for airflow. All the data is recorded for the customer and also provides for a baseline comparison when the filter is cleaned.  During the visual inspection technicians look for black cells, chips, cracks and discoloration.  Any filters that are “wet” must be kiln baked at 500º for a 24-hour period.

The DPF is then placed in a pneumatic cleaner using a special air nozzle technology that forces “knives” of air into the cells to clean them.  Since the cells are capped at one end, the “air knives” must force the soot back out as opposed to forcing it clear through.  This process usually lasts about 30 minutes unless the filter is still blowing out soot.  The soot is sucked out of the pneumatic machine by a vacuum machine, which deposits it into a container for disposal.

APT then bench tests the clean DPF for air restriction.  If the filter is found to be out of air restriction parameters or is defective, the customer is contacted and other options are discussed.  All data is logged and given to the customer so they can be confident that the filter is clean. 

Advanced Particulate Technologies services all types of DPFs, including Mack, Volvo, Paccar, Cummins, International, Detroit,  The company also stocks premium replacement filters from DCS, which are made in North America.  APT can clean diesel pick-up DPFs as well.  The company offers free pick up and delivery within a 60-mile radius of Greenville and also has a 24-hour turnaround in most cases.  For additional information, call Robin at 724-588-3062 or log onto http://advparticulatetech.com.