According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), more than 700 million gallons of petroleum products enter the environment each year. Around half of which is through irresponsible and illegal disposal. But hydraulic industry experts estimate that when it comes to hydraulic oil, between 70 and 80 percent of that lost to the environment is through leaks, spills, line … Read more

In The Hydraulic Troubleshooting Handbook I lay out a step-by-step SYSTEM for reliable and efficient troubleshooting. But there’s another prerequisite you won’t find in the job description: the ability to educate and convince the most ardent skeptics of your diagnosis – usually engineers with limited hydraulics knowledge. This story, sent to me by Joachim Renner, one of our members from … Read more

Contaminants of hydraulic oil are broadly defined as any substance that impairs the proper functioning of the fluid. Air fits this definition and therefore when air becomes entrained in the oil, corrective action is required to prevent damage to both the oil and the other components in the hydraulic system.

Air can be present in four forms:

1. Free air … Read more