Industrial Filter Housings

An industrial filter housing is a robust, pressure-rated vessel designed to hold one or more filter elements—depth filter, pleated depth or bag filters. Its role is to direct liquid through the filter media to remove contaminants, ensuring clean output.

Industrial filters are essential for protecting downstream equipment and maintaining product quality in industrial processes and you find them in prefiltration, guard filtration, clarification or membrane protection.

Read more: Navigating Different Housings for Your Cartridge Filter Applications

There are several types of filter housings depending on the application:

• Cartridge filter housings – Used for precise filtration with depth filters and pleated depth filters and micron ratings typically between 50 to 1 micron.
• Bag filter housings – Ideal for high-flow systems and those with high dirt loads.
• Basket strainers – Designed for coarse filtration to trap large debris, 50 microns plus.

Choosing the correct filter housing type depends upon the application. If it is a  prefiltration, guard filtration, clarification or membrane protection application then it is normally an industrial filter housing that is chosen. If the application is sterile filtration or bioburden reduction using membranes then hygienic housings are used.

However it is worth noting that should the application be in food or beverage and CIP or SIP is required then industrial housings are normally not suitable because of dead zones created in their design. These can be designed out, but that greatly increases their cost. For these applications, even in prefiltration, clarification or guard filtration applications hygienic filter housings are used.

Read more on CIP & SIP Filtration HERE.

Filter housings are typically made from:

• Stainless steel (304 or 316) – Excellent for corrosion resistance and durability across many industries.
• Carbon steel – Suitable for less corrosive applications but more economical.
• Plastic (e.g. polypropylene, PVC) – Used in lower-pressure, chemically aggressive environments.
• Special alloys (e.g. Hastelloy) – Used in highly corrosive or high-temperature applications.

Typically an industrial housing accepts DOE (double open ended) filters, which use a knife edge sealing mechanism and are acceptable to micron rating down to 1 micron. Below that level it is accepted practice that SOE (single open ended) filters are used. These are standard in hygienic filter housings.

Yes it is 95% possible to retrofit an existing industrial filter housing with another manufacturers filter elements. DOE and SOE end caps are standard for a range of well known endcaps. 

Retrofitting may be useful when switching to a more efficient filter type or upgrading for better contamination control or allows you to have a second filter source to ensure that your pricing remains competitive.

However be aware that there are end caps supplied that are unique to single manufacturers and these are supplied with the sole purpose of tying the customer to a single supplier. Buyer beware!

Regular inspection and cleaning are essential to prevent fouling or leakage. Maintenance includes:

• Checking and replacing seals or gaskets as needed.
• Cleaning internal surfaces during filter changes to remove debris or scale.
• Monitoring differential pressure to identify clogging and ensure efficient operation.

ASME compliance means that the housing meets recognised pressure vessel standards for design, fabrication, and safety. This is often a requirement in regulated industries such as pharmaceuticals, food processing, or petrochemicals. It assures buyers of quality construction and safer operation under pressure.

A differential pressure gauge measures the pressure before and after the filter. This helps you:

• Monitor filter condition – as the filter loads with particles, resistance increases.
• Determine the optimal time for replacement – changing too soon wastes media; too late risks damage or contamination. Filter cartridges are normally changed out at a differential pressure of 2.5 bar (35psi).
• Spot potential issues like blockage or bypass.

It is possible to design housings for higher temperature use, but as the temperature increases the maximum pressure of the housing decreases. Often it is a trade off to find the optimum balance between temperature and pressure. However if budget is available then materials can be chosen to enable the most difficult conditions to be design for.

It is also worth noting that as temperature rises the filter elements become limited in their service life. For most high temperature applications st.st filter elements become the only choice.  

Yes, many housings can be tailored to suit specific applications. Common custom options include:

• Alternate materials for better chemical resistance.
• Custom inlet/outlet sizes or flange types.
• Internal coating or polishing for hygiene or corrosion control.
• Duplex setups for uninterrupted filtration during changeouts.