Are there any solvents that are safe and effective for cleaning out hydraulic systems? I want to get water and sludge out of some heavy equipment hydraulics.
Cleaning Out Hydraulic Systems?
- Thread starter 333jeffery
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JHZR2
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Cant you do a drain and refill with some cheap R&O or hydraulic fluid of the right viscosity? Do that once or twice and then put in a better fluid of your choice and you might be set. I guess it depends upon the extent of sludge and water...
Past Life Regression, but still a data point.
Was Commissioning Engineer of an MDF plant (Medium Density Fibreboard), and they were having problems with the pressure control on the conti press.
Was a super duper hydraulic system, 1,300 gal of oil, stored in a permanently pressurised system with a bladder with N2 on top to stop water in it, but some of the cylinders had been flooded in ocean transport.
I wanted a vacuum dehydration unit to correct it (like we do on power transformers), but the customer wanted an oil flush.
They ended up with 1,300 gal of wet oil in drums (had come out of the machine), and a still wet system.
So if you go multiple flushes, you will be throwing out oil until it's dry.
My recommendation...
* if there's a low point drain, first thing in the morning drain it (or all of them)...get the free water out.
* dessicant breathers...get a few, colour changing if you can, and dry the spares in the oven overnight
Rinse and repeat until the breathers stop changing colour.
Then change the oil.
Back to the MDF factory, they eventually let me get a fullers earth and vacuum unit in, then had a clean system...and 1,300 gal of "spare" oil in drums.
Was Commissioning Engineer of an MDF plant (Medium Density Fibreboard), and they were having problems with the pressure control on the conti press.
Was a super duper hydraulic system, 1,300 gal of oil, stored in a permanently pressurised system with a bladder with N2 on top to stop water in it, but some of the cylinders had been flooded in ocean transport.
I wanted a vacuum dehydration unit to correct it (like we do on power transformers), but the customer wanted an oil flush.
They ended up with 1,300 gal of wet oil in drums (had come out of the machine), and a still wet system.
So if you go multiple flushes, you will be throwing out oil until it's dry.
My recommendation...
* if there's a low point drain, first thing in the morning drain it (or all of them)...get the free water out.
* dessicant breathers...get a few, colour changing if you can, and dry the spares in the oven overnight
Rinse and repeat until the breathers stop changing colour.
Then change the oil.
Back to the MDF factory, they eventually let me get a fullers earth and vacuum unit in, then had a clean system...and 1,300 gal of "spare" oil in drums.
An ethanol flush would de-water it, and is fairly volatile so you might be able to get rid of it with dry compressed air.
However, I suppose if you didn't get all the ethanol out, that might compromise future lubrication and seals.
If brake fluid was seal-safe that should also de-water and should be a reasonable lubricant, but it'd be harder to get rid of.
However, I suppose if you didn't get all the ethanol out, that might compromise future lubrication and seals.
If brake fluid was seal-safe that should also de-water and should be a reasonable lubricant, but it'd be harder to get rid of.
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