Even a short period of downtime can create havoc in a company. If your business depends on hydraulics, then you need to have professional hydraulic services available to you. There are quite a few benefits to this, including the fact that you’ll be working with experts in the field.
It’s possible to work on the hydraulic system yourself and you might even be fairly good at it. Maintenance, hydraulic pipe repair, and such can be done well by someone who is a quick study. However, evaluating a problem and fixing it in an emergency situation is a little different and requires someone with experience on the job.
Benefits of Working with Professional Hydraulic Services
By having a regular hydraulic service, you never have to worry about who to call if something goes wrong. Ideally, you will find a company that has an emergency service, so you can work with them whenever something goes wrong, whether day or night.
Other benefits include:
Minimal downtime: If you have a trusted company on call, you can be back up and running rapidly, with as little time out as possible. A company that you know can pop out to see the system and will be able to get it up and running quickly.
Quick to find: You’ll already have the number to call, so getting a repair person out will be easy. Hunting through reviews and trying to find someone who can do a great job, comes recommended and isn’t just going to scam you. It can be a waste of time to look for a company this way.
Familiarity: Since the hydraulic repair company will be familiar with your business and your particular system, they can easily repair the system, because they know exactly what it does and where it goes. This reduces downtime, too.
Latest Advancements: The experts in hydraulics will be on top of things and stay informed of the latest developments in the industry. That means you have the chance to tap into that wealth of knowledge and make sure your equipment is in good hands and has the latest innovations.
Stay Maintained: While emergency services are good, it’s far better to prevent the problems in the first place. Instead of just waiting for the machines to break down, why not hire a company to maintain the equipment on a regular basis? You won’t even have to worry about scheduling it, since they will make it a once a month thing and will come to service the equipment.
Of course, you need a good company to work with, since a poor one on call isn’t worth much at all. Take your time finding the right company and then go ahead and make them you go-to for the future.
What to Do When Your Hydraulic Pump Fails
It’s every company’s worst nightmare, when a hydraulic pump fails. This is particularly bad when the majority of the equipment depend on the pump. You should first check the pump for any obvious signs of what has gone wrong. If it’s just run out of fuel, this is something that should be simple enough to remedy yourself. However, if there are bigger problems, you will need to bring in a little help.
Cut the power to the pump while you are examining it. You should check all the fluids and pipes or hoses that may be leaking. It’s a good idea to find as many potential issues as possible to share with anyone who is talking
Check the pump over carefully and then call the repair clinic to schedule an emergency repair. You’ll need to relay anything you’ve noticed when you were inspecting the pump. They will then be able to decide just how serious the issue is and visit you within the allotted time period.
Hydraulic pumps tend to fail for the following reasons:
Contaminated fluids: One of the most common problems and the most likely reason your pump is failing is because something managed to get into the system. This happens when the pump hasn’t been properly maintained and random stuff can get caught up in the system, including fibers, liquids, and even bits of metal leftover from when the item was made. Since these contaminants can completely destroy a pump, you need to make sure it’s all eliminated.
Air: If air gets into the hydraulic fluid, it will be compressed by the pump and cause an implosion. This can cause bits of metal to fly into the liquid and may also skyrocket the pump temperature to dangerous levels.
High pressure: If the pump begins to over-pressurize, it causes the pump to move pieces and can wear down the entire thing very quickly. If the pump fails because of over-pressurization, it will be a permanent finish to it.
Overheating: Most of the things on this list can cause overheating, but any time the pump heats up too much, it is ruining the longevity of the whole system. Any time you notice the heat is skyrocketing, it’s time to shut things down and get it checked.
Poor Viscosity: The fluid viscosity in the hydraulic pump should be a specific level, but if it is higher than that, it will result in cavitation. Too low and it will raise the heat of the pump and cause leakage.
All of these issues tend to be preventable if you just maintain the system. An expert company can ensure you have regular checkups and maintenance and catch potential problems early. Of course, you can manage some of this on your own, but it’s best to have the experts take care of things for you, leaving you to do the more important work.
Hydraulic Ram Repair
While everyone should have an idea as to how to maintain their hydraulic ram, it’s still much simpler to outsource this. The hydraulic ram may be a relatively simple component, but it is made up of so many tiny pieces that you need to know exactly where each one goes before you can take it apart or put it together again. Multiple piston seals, O-rings and pins are all used to keep the whole thing functioning and just losing one piece can cause the entire system to fail.
An expert knows exactly how to locate the problem and where to start working. They will also have the experience necessary to handle any potential issues and to deal with an emergency. You’ll be back up and running faster when you leave it to someone who knows what they’re doing.
Unfortunately, while many people are capable of finding out a problem and working on it, this method takes a lot of time. Every minute your system is down is money being wasted and it makes sense to get the entire thing going again as quickly as possible. The best way to do this is to simply hire the best people for the job . . . those who have done this for years.
What to Look for in a Hydraulic Repair Company
To ensure you have the best service possible, you need to be sure to get the best possible company for the job. Here are a few things to keep an eye out for.
Experience. This is essential. A company that is just starting out may actually have employees with the experience, but you should always find out just how long they’ve been dealing with emergency repairs and maintenance. The more experience in one company, the better. If one person isn’t sure of the issue, another might be.
Reviews. Does the company have good reviews? Did someone you know and trust recommend them? You can look online to see reviews of companies that deal with hydraulic pipe repair and systems maintenance. These will give you a better idea of whether or not it’s worth trying to hire them. If a company has overwhelmingly bad reviews, that’s a fairly good indication that you shouldn’t bother with them. However, if they are focused on customer service and have good reviews, you know they’re worth the effort.
Test. Why not try the company out? You can quickly see what works and what doesn’t. If they come out and do a maintenance run, you should be able to tell if the technician knows what they’re doing or if they are poorly trained.
Saving time and money is essential when you’re in business and having hydraulic repair services ready to help you out when you need it is an important resource.
Are you ready to turn the most important part of your business over to the experts? Contact HP Hydraulics today to learn more about how we can help you keep your system up and running at full capacity.