Changing
Your Concrete Saw's Filter
Of the things you can do to prolong the life of your concrete saw, changing
the filters is probably the most important. I’ve seen saw filters
get so gummed up with dust that air ends up finding ways around the
filter, bringing dust with it, burning up those hard-working 2-strokes.
We
like to change ours twice per construction season, or according to hours
of use (some saws aren’t used as much as others and only need
a filter change once per season). If you own a Partner
or similar concrete saw, the first filter will be an oil-impregnated adhesive filter. There might be a temptation to
clean this filter out with gasoline and then just soak it in some 30-weight.
Don’t! That’s not how the filter was designed to operate,
and you’ll just shorten the life of your saw. Pony up the few
bucks for the new filter and be done with it.
The second filter is the more traditional accordion paper filter. This is also
inexpensive, but I’ve been known to blow it out in a pinch, instead
of replacing it. It you try the same, be sure you have your compressor
gun on the inside of the filter, shooting out. Blowing from the outside
can force dust particles into the paper and reduce the filter’s
ability to do it’s job, and can create a situation where dirty
air flows past a seal in the filter, instead of through the paper.
While I change filters, I also take a few minutes to disassemble the larger
parts of the saw and give them a good cleaning, too. The cooling fan,
starter assembly, engine cooling fins and throttle linkages all seem
to accumulate a good deal of dust, and can cause problems later if not
kept clean. If we were running
the concrete saws wet, we'll take a little more time cleaning, as
the dust will likely be hardened onto the body of the saw.
Take these simple steps to care for your concrete saws, and you may get seven or
more years out of them, like we do from ours.
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