A customer called in the other day and asked questions about our Y-Strainers. He wanted to keep some of the rust from his old water heater out of his pipes. He said that he wanted an easy solution to keep his pipes cleaner and to keep his shower heads from being clogged. [caption id="attachment_156" align="alignright" width="300"]
Y-Strainers can be installed horizontally or vertically with the leg down to catch debris.[/caption] While you can wonder at the wisdom of not just replacing the water heater that sounds like it is on its last legs, it does give me a chance to talk about Y-Strainers.Why use Y-Strainers?
Y-Strainersare an important tool for filtering unwanted particulates out of a line. You can use them for both liquids and gasses. They are most often used to protect more sensitive equipment like pumps, condensers, nozzles and turbines from particulates that may clog, or otherwise damage them. “We use them to strain chemicals that are being pumped from a poly tank by a chemical pump," said Billy Babineaux, the facility manager for FloQuip Inc. “(They are) very convenient for our setups." Y-strainers help keep the pump running at peak performance without concerns about clogging. [caption id="attachment_160" align="alignleft" width="300"]
Notice that the straining element is in a place that can be opened easily for cleaning.[/caption] Much like the Y-Check Valve discussed in a previous article, the strainer is shaped like a lower-case “y" with the descending line of the letter as the main channel.The Y-Strainer Filter
The filter fits into the intersecting leg of pipe and strains all of the fluids or gas that passes through the main channel. That filter is usually made from perforated metal or wire mesh and come in a variety of particle retention sizes which are fitted securely to the strainer to prevent “bypass." We offer filter sizes of 20 mesh or 100 micron.
Installing and Cleaning a Y-Strainer
The Y-strainer can be installed horizontally or vertically, but should always be installed with the filter leg pointing down so that filtered materials can be collected away from the main flow channel. This ensures the flow will not be obstructed as long as the filter leg is cleaned out regularly. How often it should be cleaned out depends on the process and materials being filtered. The filter can be accessed easily for cleaning or replacement by simply loosening and removing a plug at the end of the filter leg. Some engineers and designers use a “blow-off connections" which is added to the downward pointing filter leg to clean the strainer. Babineaux, from FloQuip Inc. , says he relies on DuraChoice Y-Strainers for their low cost and reliability. He said he uses DirectMaterial.com for its “great service, prices and products."
Founded in 1997, FloQuip Inc. manufactures and maintains chemical injection pumps, solar injection pumps and high volume double diaphragm pumps. The company has offices in Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi.