After dealing with large machines, tubing, and cylinders, you might think your industrial facility is running nicely. However, ignoring seemingly smaller issues like seal integrity could one day sabotage operations. Hydraulic seals are easily neglected, but leaks could cause work to slow to a standstill. What seal-related actions should you be undertaking to preserve these components?

1. Ensure Compatibility

If your employees are frequently reporting seal leaks, you might view that as normal. However, you may want to double-check with the hydraulic seal manufacturer and product notes. There's a possibility that the seals were never appropriate for use with the types of chemicals, temperatures and other factors that are present in your facility. A mistake could have been made years ago that affects your facility to this day. Ensure that hydraulic labels are compatible with the environment in which you're using them.

2. Prevent Overly High Temperatures

Even if a hydraulic seal is suited to the work that you do, prolonged high temperatures could be degrading the seals rapidly. While high temperatures may be unavoidable, you can take a few actions to keep them from getting out of control. For instance, if you paint every metal surface, that could drive system temperatures lower. 

3. Monitor Additives

The chemicals running through your hydraulic system might not have caused a problem, but if sudden leaks are becoming common, something could be wrong. In some cases, newly-used additives could be the root of the issue. Before adding new chemical agents, ensure they won't have a negative effect on hydraulic seals.

4. Care for Other Small System Components

Sometimes, if other parts of the system aren't well-maintained, the seals suffer. For example, if filters are torn or bypassed, metal shards can work their way into a hydraulic seal, compromising it and hastening damage. Care for other small components that aren't always checked so that they don't affect the functioning of system seals.

5. Track Maintenance

Tracking maintenance is key. When your workers log their actions with the seals, you can recognize patterns that indicate why leaks happen. Many of the issues here, from new additives to faulty filters, can be more easily noted when good maintenance records are kept.

Your ability to handle or delegate these tasks will ensure hydraulic seals maintain their integrity. Get feedback and input from the people in your facility each day so that your facility can be even more effective in dealing with these seals.j For more information, you can contact companies like HyVal Industries Inc.

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