What clogs my filters/

What clogs my filters?

Microbial growth is the root cause. Most diesel engines use filters that are designed to filter particulates ranging from 10 microns to 20 microns in size. If a fuel tank has never been tested, treated, or cleaned, the microbial growth will turn into slim which will clog a filter immediately. In some cases, tanks have been treated with a biocide which kills microbial growth. This microbial growth will die off and settle at the bottom of the tank. The dead microbes can be stirred up from the bottom of the tank and find its way to the filters, depending on the particulate size it may or may not pass through the filter. The average cross-section of a human hair is 50 microns. The human eye cannot see anything smaller than 40 microns in size. Microbial growth refers to an increase in cell number, not in cell size. Bacteria grow and divide by binary fission, a rapid and relatively simple process. The increase in cell numbers clogs filters.