It was only 5 - 6 years ago when diesel particulate filters were put on construction equipment to comply with new regulations around emission control. Construction equipment manufacturers modified their designs to include the diesel particulate filters (DPF) as part of the exhaust system and an essential part of the comprehensive emissions control system. The DPF’s purpose is to trap soot and harmful emissions from being released into the atmosphere.
Engineers have worked since then to reduce emissions on equipment while also preserving the efficiencies and benefits of a diesel engine.
There are different recommendations for frequency of DPF cleaning for construction equipment –it depend son the manufacturer, however we suggest equipment with 4000+ hours should have their DPF cleaned and restored back to OE specifications
DPF Cleaning for the Construction Industry Vehicles
When a DPF and diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) are a part of your fleets exhaust and diesel engines, it is important to have them cleaned as part of preventative maintenance to help avoid unscheduled downtime. Ignoring a warning light is not a good idea. Statistics show that this is the primary problem various fleet owners experience when they have failed to care for the installed filters properly. That’s because over time, without maintenance, the equipment’s DPF will most likely clog with soot and hardened ash and could even crack, making it an irrecoverable filter.
In general, the DPFs for the heavy-duty construction industry fleets should be cleaned every 4,000 hours. As for the medium-duty vehicles, they should be maintained every 75,000 miles. However, these intervals might also depend on the application(highway vs. city driving), as the ash begins to set and harden in the DPF if left for an extended period.
What does high idle time do to a DPF?
Problem: Fleets that are running equipment with extended idle times or city driving will most likely see their DPF’s clogging up due to the exhaust not getting hot enough to perform an auto regeneration on the DPF. Some examples are tractors, dump trucks, city buses and garbage trucks.
Solution: Keep the equipment aftertreatment system (DPF, DOC, SCR, EGR) maintained and clean regularly to ensure equipment uptime
The Ultimate Solution - DPF Cleaning Service
At The DPF Company, our four-stage Gold Service DPF restoration process brings any functional DPF back up to 98% of its life and included with that is a 1 year guarantee. We also have a Silver and Bronze cleaning service if that is preferred.
Step 1 - Air Knife
The first stage is to remove any loose debris, using an environmentally safe service for clogged DPFs.
Step 2 - Ultrasonic Restoration
Ultrasonic is a proprietary DPF restoration practice that allows a life time renewal for your diesel particulate filter. After an extensive refinement and testing process, we have developed an unmatched filter restoration option for all industries, bringing any functional filter back up to 98% of OE specifications. This percentage is well beyond the industry standard, as most companies have only been able to refine a filter’s life back to 66%.
Step 3 -Solution-Flush
Solution-Flush distinguishes our methods from other DPF cleaning companies. Combined with the first two steps, this solution flush will rid any loose or stubborn debris left in the filter.
Step 4 - Advanced-Regen “Bake”
As a final step to the restoration of your DPF, we perform an advanced-regen and prepare your DPF for delivery back to you.
For further information about our DPF cleaning service, you can call us at
or visit our website to contact us via email. Our expert team at The DPF Company will be more than happy to answer all your questions right away!