Door Seals / Gasketing

Baghouses, electrostatic precipitators, and other dry air filtration devices operate on "closed loop" air flow systems. "Closed loop" means that this equipment is designed to handle only that air or gas chemistry of the given process that is provided for. Any outside air that "leaks" into this "closed loop" of process air can create a variety of potential problems. All equipment access doors, hopper doors, flange attachments, hopper outlets, and other similar area must be sealed tight.

Even the smallest leak to outside air at these ports can create corrosion and deterioration, contamination, chemistry imbalance, and great losses in efficiency. These problems create excessive costs in maintenance, downtime, loss of production, replacement and repair costs, and high operating costs.

All access doors, flanges, and inlet and outlet ports should be inspected periodically for leaks due to gasket and seal strip damage or deterioration. Gaskets and seals, where elevated temperatures are present, need higher temperature rated materials. These sealing materials should be replaced annually or regularly as a method of preventive maintenance. Gaskets and seals around ports of frequent use should also be replaced annually or regularly to prevent leaks from occuring. Gaskets and seals around flanges and dust connections should be inspected regularly and replaced as needed.

Hopper doors, access doors, and inspection doors should be inspected regularly for corrosion and other damaging conditions. Repair or replacement of these doors should be done before leaks begin. In many cases, these replacement doors and hatches are better than the original doors and hatches supplied on the equipment and provide for easier operation and longer usage lifetime without maintenance.

Menardi supplies a wide variety of gasket and sealing materials in many shapes, sizes, and designs. These include silicone, wire braid, EPDM, and PTFE (Teflon®) impregnated material. Our type of gasket and seal trip material is 30-40% PTFE compound impregnated into 100% texturized fiberglass. This combination provides a low coefficient of friction, excellent chemical and temperature endurance, and will not absorb water, shrink, or attract mold and mildew. It is very flexible and easy to form around corners and shapes. It has a service rating of 550°F (288°C) and is nonhazardous to the environment. It is resilient under pressure and does not "take a set."

If you stop you outside air leaks before they begin, you will easily justify the cost and assure top system performance.