3 Reasons To Repair An Overheating Hydraulic Cylinder
Posted on: 21 February 2023
While you might not be too worried if your hydraulic cylinder is running hotter than usual, this excess heat is a sign that your cylinder has a problem. Even if it continues to work, this heat can cause other problems that might affect your running costs or damage the cylinder even more.
How does overheating affect the way hydraulic cylinders work?
1. Higher Oil Consumption
Your hydraulic cylinder needs oil to work. Typically, your oil should last a reasonable amount of time; however, it will need regular replacement or refilling.
If a cylinder overheats, then it has negative effects on its oil supply. This heat transfers to the oil. Once it becomes too hot, it starts to break down more quickly than it would in ideal operating temperatures.
Degraded oil can become dirty and inefficient. It might dissipate faster. So, you will have to clean or replace your oil supplies more often. This increases your overall running costs and your labor time.
2. Inadequate Lubrication
Oil helps keeps hydraulic cylinders running smoothly. It also helps to protect their internal working parts.
The oil in the system runs around parts and lubricates them as the cylinder works. It prevents friction damage. It also ensures that parts can move smoothly and correctly so that your cylinder does the right job seamlessly.
If your cylinder is getting too hot, then this heat might change the viscosity of the system's oil. The oil will thicken; it won't be able to flow smoothly or at the right speed.
As well as increasing your oil-change schedules, increased viscosity can damage a cylinder's parts. If parts rub against each other, then they can cause some damage. Parts might wear too fast or break completely. You'll have to pay for more expensive repairs or replacement parts.
3. Material Damage
While some excess heat might not directly damage the more resilient parts in a hydraulic cylinder, it can cause problems for more fragile materials. For example, if your cylinder overheats, then you'll probably start to have problems with flexible parts, such as seals and hoses.
These parts aren't made to cope with excessive heat levels. The heat damages their materials and makes them wear and break down more quickly. So, seals or hoses might spring leaks or they might break. In either case, you'll have to buy and fit replacements.
To avoid these problems, you need a fast solution to your overheating problem. To get started, contact a local company, like Miller Hydraulics Service, Inc.
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