www.hpmag.co.uk HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS April/May 2025 17 0114 349 0766 | info@plascompo.com | www.plascompo.com SPECIALISTS IN HOSE PROTECTION SPIRALS • HDPE • NYLON • PVC • FLAME RETARDENT • MSHA • EN 45545 • COLOURS • TWO COLOUR • FLAT PROFILE • DOMED PROFILE SLEEVING • POLYPROPYLENE • POLYESTER • POLYAMIDE • VELCRO FIXING • FIRE SLEEVE • PVC SLEEVE • POLYURETHANE SLEEVE • OVERBRAIDS • STAINLESS • GALVANISED All made in Europe & UK begin to stick. The motor draws more current. Eventually a pump fails, or a seal blows, and the pack is brought in for repair or replacement. At that point, the contaminated oil may have already been changed, but the damage is done. And without addressing the original cause — the contaminated fluid — the new parts are at risk from day one. What’s frustrating is how avoidable most of this is. Keeping oil clean isn’t a technical challenge. It’s about doing basic things consistently. Oil should be stored sealed, indoors, away from dust and moisture. Filling should be done using clean, dedicated tools. Filters should be monitored and replaced based on operating conditions, not guesswork. And perhaps most overlooked — fluid should be tested. Sampling and analysis reveal what’s really happening inside the system and give early warning signs before problems develop. Mobile or remote installations In mobile or remote installations, where power packs are often used, this kind of attention to fluid condition becomes even more critical. Access is harder, response times are slower, and the cost of failure is higher. The whole point of using a compact power unit is to provide reliable, self-sufficient hydraulic power — but when fluid care is left to chance, that reliability quickly disappears. Modern power packs are often designed with better filtration and even condition-monitoring options built in. But too often, these features are underused. Off-line filtration ports go unused. Filters go unchanged. Breathers are left open to the elements. And because the units are compact and “plug-and-play,” maintenance gets deferred. The result is that many power packs are running well below their intended lifespan — not because of design flaws, but because the fluid that runs through them wasn’t looked after. The mindset needs to shift. Fluid cleanliness should be treated as a design and operational priority — not just something checked when things go wrong. When power packs are specified, filtration and reservoir quality should be considered just as important as pump size or motor power. When they’re installed, breather quality, fill practices, and ease of sampling should be part of the setup. And in service, regular oil testing and filter changes should be routine, not reactive. The benefit is immediate. Clean fluid means fewer breakdowns, more stable performance, and less wear on pumps, motors, and valves. It also makes diagnostics easier — if the oil is known to be clean, then performance issues can be traced more confidently to mechanical or control faults. In an industry where downtime costs are high and replacement lead times are long, these small steps make a big difference. Contamination is not an exciting issue. It doesn’t draw attention unless something fails. But in the context of power packs — where space is limited, cooling is constrained, and reliability is critical — it’s the single most important factor in long-term performance. It’s also the easiest to control. Power packs are built to work hard, often in tough environments, and they usually do. But that strength can be undone by neglecting the condition of the fluid inside. Clean oil doesn’t make the machine run faster, but it makes sure it keeps running — and in many applications, that’s the only thing that matters.
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