Air dryer filter element shelf life

[lestat]

Do these things have a shelf life? I bought two new Walker oil/particulate filters off eBay and turns out they're 16 years old. I'm already onto the seller about it, but don't want to send them back.

Practically speaking, do they actually have a shelf life or it's all manufacturer's bull?

 

[jallyn]

I can't think of any reason they would degrade simply by being on a shelf.

Unless it has some type of carbon in it or clay/absorbent, shelf life should not affect it. My 2-cents.

 

[lestat]

I can't think of any reason they would degrade simply by being on a shelf.

Unless it has some type of carbon in it or clay/absorbent, shelf life should not affect it. My 2-cents.

They're not carbon-activated, just general particulate/oil filter elements of 1µm and 0.01µm.

I found some references from three different manufacturers. Two suggest a 5 year shelf life for their filters, another a minimum of 5 years. But I think it's rather a worse case scenario, where paper and rubber become brittle just by sitting on the shelf a long time. It's possible, but not usually the case.

That said, I'm still a bit apprehensive of fitting them on for the fear of being wrong. Air lines are new and want to keep them free of oil.