Use the checklist below to pressure-test your dust collection or air filtration setup and identify common gaps before they become expensive problems.

Start with the basics: what you emit, how much you emit, and what your permit (or potential-to-emit status) requires.

Quick check

• Are you regulated for criteria pollutants (like particulate matter) under a permit program?
• Are you a major source for hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) (or close to it)?
• Have recent regulatory updates changed your compliance strategy (e.g., tighter particulate standards that can affect permitting expectations)?

Action: Review your air permit, reporting obligations, and any applicable federal/state rules with your EHS team or environmental consultant.

EPA compliance isn’t just “having a dust collector.” It’s demonstrating that the system performs under real operating conditions.

Quick check

• Are you seeing visible emissions, dusting around discharge points, or frequent housekeeping issues?

• Are you tracking operating conditions that correlate to emissions performance (airflow, pressure drop, cleaning cycles, leaks)?

• Are you using the right collector type for your process (baghouse vs. cartridge, etc.)?

Action: Inspect for leakage (ducting, tube sheet, gaskets, hopper seals), verify airflow, and confirm collector sizing/fit for your process variability.

3. Are you monitoring differential pressure (DP), airflow, and cleaning performance?

Differential pressure is one of the fastest ways to spot problems that impact compliance, capture efficiency, and energy consumption.

Quick check

• Are DP readings stable—or trending upward over time?

• Are pulse-cleaning components working correctly (solenoids/diaphragms/timing)?

• Are you trending DP alongside airflow to catch gradual performance loss?

Action: Establish a baseline DP/airflow range for your process and alert on drift—especially after production changes, media changes, or seasonal humidity shifts.

4. Are your filters helping prevent worker exposure to hazardous dust (OSHA)?

Even if your emissions look “fine,” you can still have exposure risk in the workplace—especially with fine dusts (like silica) and poor capture at pickup points.

Quick check

• Have you identified high-risk dusts (e.g., respirable crystalline silica) and validated exposure controls?

• Are dust migration and housekeeping becoming a daily battle?

• Are you documenting controls, inspections, and corrective actions?

Action: Pair source capture + high-efficiency filtration with exposure monitoring, training, and a documented control plan that aligns with your hazards and processes.

5. Is your filtration media suited to your application (chemistry, temperature, dust type)?

Media choice can make or break both performance and compliance—especially in harsh chemical environments, high temperatures, or extremely fine/abrasive dust.

Quick check

• Do you need a membrane (e.g., PTFE) for fine particulate or challenging dust release?

• Is your media compatible with process chemistry and temperatures?

• Are you seeing premature blinding, high DP, or short filter life?

Action: Match media to the real conditions (dust characteristics + process + cleaning method). Menardi Filters can help you select media that supports stable operation and compliance-focused performance.

Need help evaluating your filters?

Contact Menardi Filters