As we all know, the temperature plays a big role in the stable working of a hydraulic system. The cold weather is coming, it’s time to do some preparations for your hydraulic equipment. This article will tell you 8 things you need to do before the weather becomes cold.
1. The Importance of Preparation for Cold Weather
Before learning about the preparation work you need to do, you may be wondering why you need to do this? Just as written at the beginning, the temperature can have a big impact on hydraulic system working.
If the temperature of your workplace is below -18℃ for a long time, then the performance, security and service life and other aspects will get damaged. Once the hydraulic system gets broken, it is very troubling to repair and delay your project schedule.
2. What are the Preparations for Cold Weather?
2.1 Replace the Hydraulic Fluid
When the temperature gets lower, the most prone to problems is the hydraulic fluid. We all know the importance of hydraulic fluid in the hydraulic system, just like the blood in the human body. So the first thing you need to do is change the hydraulic fluid.
The normal hydraulic fluid will become thickening under the low temperature. Usually, the hydraulic fluid is like liquid honey when the temperature is under 0℃. It makes the hydraulic pump hard to absorb the hydraulic fluid, thus hydraulic fluid becomes corrupted. The thick hydraulic fluid has bad liquidity and is a heavy burden on the hydraulic pump, thus increasing the power loss and wasting your operating costs.
On the other hand, the low temperature will reduce the hydraulic fluid’s lubricity and increase the degree of wear. So it is necessary to replace the hydraulic fluid to a suitable type.
Typically, the high-quality hydraulic fluid can withstand the minimum temperature about 0℃. If your business is working in the high-latitude area or polar regions, then this hydraulic fluid is not suitable for you.
You can use the special hydraulic fluids for cold weather, these types of hydraulic fluids have low viscosity and can start up with a low temperature. Or you can choose the hydraulic fluid with high VI(Viscosity Index), this kind of hydraulic fluid will not change the viscosity due to the temperature change.
2.2 Adding the Coolant and Antifreeze
If there is water remaining in the hydraulic system and frozen because of the low temperature, then the hydraulic hose or hydraulic valves will be blocked. So when the cold weather comes, you need to discharge the coolant in advance and change for the winter coolant mixture to avoid the freezing.
Many people think the coolant and antifreeze are the same thing and ignore the importance of them. Actually, they may have some commonalities, but antifreeze has more comprehensive functionality. When working under a low temperature, it is better to use the antifreeze in your hydraulic system.
The antifreeze can avoid the hydraulic motor from local freezing. On the other hand, it can protect the metal parts from rust and corrode.
2.3 Inspect the Hydraulic Fluid Contamination
Usually the regions always raining or snowing have high humidity. The moisture in the air can affect the hydraulic system a lot. There will occur condensation inside the hydraulic system.Which means the hydraulic fluid will condensation into free water, thus contaminating the hydraulic fluid.
If you find this situation in your hydraulic tank, then we suggest using a water absorption filter to filter the water in hydraulic fluid and ensure the efficient operation of the hydraulic system. In addition to the influence of humidity, the snow on the hydraulic equipment may be melting and flowing into the hydraulic circuit, you can use the desiccant vent cap to absorb the water.
Hydraulic fluid contamination is always troubling during the hydraulic system working. Apart from water contamination, there are many factors that can lead to hydraulic fluid contamination like metal particles and chemical pollution. You must maintain the hydraulic tanks, hydraulic pumps and other parts regularly.
2.4 Preheat Hydraulic Fluid
In cold weather, if you start up the hydraulic system without preheating, this may cause cold start problems and destroy the hydraulic equipment. Preheating the hydraulic system is essential. Correct preheating methods can reduce the viscosity and improve the liquidity of hydraulic fluid, thus reducing the degree of wear to the lowest level.
You can start up the hydraulic system to idle for a few minutes, this step can help the fluid gradually heat up. Then slowly increase the system load to get the best working temperature.
In extreme cold conditions, the hydraulic tank heater is necessary. It can help you heat the hydraulic fluid to the temperature you need to keep the hydraulic fluid smoothly working. Hydraulic tank heaters can reduce energy consumption while improving work efficiency. It can also extend the service life of hydraulic system parts and reduce the cavitation risk.
2.5 Replace the Seals
Most of the seals in hydraulic equipment are made from rubber. However, the rubber will lose its elasticity and become brittle in cold weather. On the other hand, due to thermal expansion and contraction, the size of seals will become smaller under low temperature. This situation is not good for the running of the hydraulic system.
Hydraulic hose made from nitrile rubber (NBR) will harden and crack in a low temperature environment. Furthermore, due to the reduction of hose radius, the hydraulic fluid flow will also reduce. This will cause the hydraulic system performance to weaken and reduce work speed.
As the normal rubber seal size decreases, the sealing performance of the seal will also deteriorate. It’s time to change the seals for your hydraulic equipment. We suggest using seals made from cold-resistant material like polyurethane or other elastic materials like PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) and HNBR(Hydrogenated Nitrile), which can stay flexible and withstand extremely low temperatures.
2.6 Monitoring Tires Pressure
The cold weather can also cause tire pressure to drop. Not enough tire pressure will form insufficient traction, thus making your trucks hard to move on ice roads. In order to avoid this situation, you have to check the pressure of truck tires and make sure they are worn or damaged.
Here we recommend you to replace winter tires with deeper tire tread, it can improve the truck traction to move smoothly.
2.7 Electrical Protection
Many people will ignore the significance of electric protection. Actually, the electronic components are also needed to protect in cold weather. The low temperature can affect the efficiency of the battery and make the hydraulic system hard to start up.
Clean the battery terminals to prevent the battery from corroding. Before using the flow batteries, you must make sure that the power is sufficient. The cold protection measures of batteries are also needed, you can use Insulation materials to cover the batteries to avoid temperature effects.
2.8 Dry Storage
On the one hand, you must store all the fluids like hydraulic fluid, antifreeze, and coolant at room temperature to prevent freezing. Also, keep the storage dry to avoid the moisture affecting the fluid. As mentioned earlier, humidity has a big impact on hydraulic fluids and causes hydraulic fluid contamination.
On the other hand, avoid placing hydraulic equipment outdoors in cold weather. This is very important to extend its service life. At the same time, it can prevent the hydraulic fluid inside hydraulic equipment from freezing, thus saving the startup time for the next work.
Conclusion
The preparation for a hydraulic system in cold weather not only can keep your hydraulic equipment in normal operation, it can also extend the service life and reduce the maintenance costs. Target is an experienced hydraulic power packs manufacturer, we can offer you professional suggestions on hydraulic systems. Please feel free to contact us.
