Welding for the Retiree

If you are constantly changing the seals on your hydraulic cylinders, you already know how time-consuming and expensive that can be. Fortunately, there are things you can do to keep your seals in good shape, so you don't have to worry about leaks, project delays and money spent on frequent replacements. Here are just some of the things you can do to extend the life of your hydraulic cylinder seals.

Paint Metal Surfaces

One of the primary reasons that cylinder seals must be replaced is that heat affects them. Hydraulic systems can reach hundreds of degrees, and that can cause a cylinder seal to wear out quickly. To cool your system down, you can paint metal tubing and other surfaces. Painting metal surfaces can cool your entire hydraulic system.

Painting pipes is just one thing you can do to address heating issues. You can also make sure you're using the right heat-resistant cylinder seals. Check with Eaton PLC and other cylinder seal manufacturers, and discover which seals work best with the temperatures your particular system generates on a regular basis.

Keep Seals Clean

When you're working in an industrial setting, it can be hard to clean everything frequently. However, taking the time to remove ice, mud and other debris from your cylinders and seals will ensure that these substances don't cause problems.

Cleaning the outside of cylinders and seals is important, but it's also essential to watch for foreign substances inside the system. If you see metal bits getting stuck in your seals, for example, ensure that you are monitoring your filters and filtration system to reduce problems for your cylinder seals.

Monitor Seals when Using Different Fluids

One of the reasons that you may be replacing your hydraulic cylinder seals so often is that you are assuming that all seals work well with all fluids. In fact, if you use the wrong seal for a particular fluid, you will find that chemicals in the fluid may eat away at the seal until you need to replace it. The fluid itself may not even be the problem; many fluids have additives that can cause seals to wear away or swell. 

To make sure this doesn't happen, any time you use a new fluid, make sure to monitor the seals to see how they are holding up. If you aren't sure whether a fluid will affect the seal, consider the manufacturer of the seals you have to determine whether there will be a problem.

Now that you have some ideas about how you can get your cylinder seals to last longer, start to implement the information you've learned. If you extend the life of your cylinder seals, you can keep your entire hydraulic system functioning well. Why not try these out?