Hydraulic System Hose Changes Need to Be Checked For Contamination
Next time you cut a hose for your hydraulic system, there’s something that you need to know. Each time you use a blade on the wire reinforcement it’s going to create metal particles or some type of dust from the friction and cut on the outer or inner lining of the hose. This can introduce contamination in your circuit.
Fortunately, there are ways to do hose cutting that will reduce the risk of contamination such as using a wet blade as opposed to using a dry one. Either vacuuming or blowing air through the hose could also remove dust. Of course, when a long length of hose is cut, or when out in the field this might be difficult to do.
It’s important to do all that is possible to remove the cutting residue, or any other dust or contamination that could be in the hydraulic hose – before you install it. One of the most popular ways to do this with most hydraulic engineers is to blow through a foam cleaning projectile.
The manufacturers of this solution claim that it’s possible to achieve very clean hoses from using these products. As with anything else, it will depend upon a number of things as to whether this achieves this promised cleanliness. For example, it’s important to use a projectile that is of the same size as the hose being cleaned. In addition it will depend upon the number of shots used and whether you use a dry or solvent wetted projectile. If you’re planning on crimping the ends, ensure that the projectile is performed prior to that action.
These days we understand that most hydraulic hose fabricators have access to hose cleaning projectiles. However, it’s another matter with regards to how thorough they are with their cleaning. If you are looking for very clean hydraulic hose assemblies, it’s something that you must specify to the manufacture.
Recently one of our clients told us that he received a hydraulic hose from a manufacturer and he checked it by pouring solvent into it before he installed it, he was absolutely flabbergasted by the amount of dust and other rubbish that came out. Be sure to check your hydraulic hoses before installing them.