5 Ways to extend the life of your hydraulic pump

When a hydraulic pump fails it can be costly for your business. Here are our top 5 handy tips to extend the life of your hydraulic pump to help prevent failures and plan for routine maintenance.

Tip 1 – Oil levels & types

Ensure there is enough oil in your hydraulic system feeding your hydraulic pump. If there is a lack of oil in the system this will starve the pump and could cause cavitation, which would result in poor performance and then ultimately failure. You must ensure the hydraulic oil you use is the correct type for your system. It’s also important to not mix oil types. If another oil type needs to be used, it’s imperative to fully drain the system and clean thoroughly.

Tip 2 – Oil Cleanliness

Ensuring your oil is kept clean is a key factor in extending the life of your pump. If there is contamination and debris in the hydraulic system, this can cause cavitation of the plate inside the hydraulic pump. A couple of ways to prevent this is to ensure your filters are regularly checked/changed for debris. However, please bear in mind filters are designed to help maintain fluid cleanliness not compensate for poor practice in operations and maintenance of your hydraulic pump.

Secondly, another tip for oil cleanliness is to ensure hydraulic hoses are cleaned using compressed air before installation to reduce the chance of metal fillings contaminating the system. These are just a couple of preventative measures; we will cover other useful tips in another blog! 

Tip 3 – Air Breathers

One of the best ways to prevent hydraulic pump failure is to avoid fluid contamination. You can do this by using air breathers and filters within your hydraulic system. Various options are available for air breathers and filters and using these components will help stabilize the temperature and pressure inside the hydraulic reservoir.  

Tip 4 – Desiccant Breather

A desiccant breather replaces a standard breather cap, it offers better filtration against particles that can destroy the inside of hydraulic equipment. Water ingress into a hydraulic tank is a common problem and can reduce the lifespan of hydraulic equipment. Water contaminates oil and causes accelerated degradation of hydraulic equipment, damaging them with corrosion.  Therefore, using desiccant breathers reduces the chances of water entering a system. When air is drawn in through the breather, the desiccant filter removes particles and stops harmful moisture (water) from entering the system.

Tip 5 – Maintenance

Hydraulic pumps, along with the rest of the hydraulic system require regular maintenance checks. Usually, common tell-tail signs on the outside of a hydraulic system indicate internal problems. Two of the most common signs of an underperforming pump or failure are temperature and leakage. Spotting these issues earlier provides a better chance for repairing components.