I recently came across an article describing a failure that occurred on a hydraulic machine during the last northern winter. The extreme cold had caused the water present in the hydraulic oil to freeze on the surface of the installed suction strainer. When the hydraulic system was started the ice-clogged suction strainer imploded and the resulting debris destroyed the hydraulic … Read more
Tag Archives: hydraulic tank
The Top 2 Causes of Hydraulic Vane Pump Failure and How to Avoid them
One of our members wrote to me recently regarding the following problem:
“Recently, we bought a used hydraulic power unit (15HP electric motor directly coupled to a vane pump). A high-pitched, clicking noise is generated when the unit runs. We have checked the following:
–We thought it was a motor bearing, so we detached pump from motor, no noise heard.… Read more
Why Air is One of the ‘Big 4’ Contaminants of Hydraulic Oil
Air is both a normal ingredient, and a contaminant, of hydraulic oil. It’s a normal ingredient because hydraulic fluid typically contains between 6 and 12 percent by volume of dissolved air. There’s no avoiding this. And provided this dissolved air stays dissolved, it poses no problem to the hydraulic system or the fluid itself.
But if this dissolved air comes … Read more