Good Maintenance procedures of Filter Housings

Good Maintenance procedures of Filter Housings:

We all use filter housings in various processes in Pharma & Biopharma industries. We have to have an idea how to keep them proper and how to re install them back so that leaks of product and compromise of sterility and membrane integrity never happens.

-[b][COLOR=“blue”]Maintain the calibrated pressure gauges properly and do not lift any filter housing by holding the pressure gauge.

-Proper numbering of filter housings is necessary to avoid confusion of installing membrane cartridges depending up on purpose. Maintain a list.

-Clean all the housings during your regular maintenance periods with hot distilled water and at times use some reagent with mild alkalinity. Clean them properly with Hot WFI and take a rinse analysis to assure that the detergent is properly removed as per limits.

-Filter housing has a bell, Base with stand, a gasket or washer and a clamp. Make sure that you match the numbers of Bell, Stand and Clamp. Any mismatch will lead to improper setting of housing and it might leak.

-Regularly check the gasket in filter housing. Any peeling or cutting or abrasive surfaces on these gaskets when observed must be removed and changed immediately as it might cause a leak or the abrasive particulates might enter the product in small pieces before filtration.

-Make sure that you replace the gaskets of filter housing with same material that is specified by your Filter Housing manufacturer. Any new gasket material other than recommended will pose a problem to your product as it leaches.

-If filter housings come with a machine or a filtration train or a stand alone system you must fit them back to the same system. Never ever use for any other purpose than it is intended.

-Numbering your filter housings as per Rooms or as per machines.

-Make sure that you properly check the gaskets at the inlet port and outlet ports and attach to them properly with out any leaks and also with out any misalignments.

-Always wear clean gloves when you remove cartridge from Filter housings.[/color][/b]
These are minimum precautions one must take. Depending the product and process the precautions will be very stringent.

Regards