In your last couple of hydraulic maintenance emails,
we've discussed four common causes of premature failure
of hydraulic cylinders.
Today I want to switch gears and talk about
the overlooked value of hydraulic schematic diagrams.
A schematic diagram is a 'road map' of the hydraulic system
and to a technician skilled in reading and interpreting
hydraulic symbols, is a valuable aid in identifying
possible causes of a problem.
This can save a lot of time and money when
troubleshooting hydraulic problems.
If a schematic diagram is not available, the technician
must trace the hydraulic circuit and identify its
components in order to isolate possible causes of the problem.
This can be a time-consuming process, depending on the
complexity of the system. Worse still, if the circuit
contains a valve manifold, the manifold may have to be
removed and dismantled - just to establish what it's
supposed to do. Reason being, if the function of a
component within a hydraulic system is not known,
it can be difficult to discount it as a possible
cause of the problem.
The humble hydraulic symbol eliminates the need to
'reverse engineer' the hydraulic circuit.
As most hydraulic technicians know, there's usually
a better than even chance that a schematic diagram
will not be available for the machine they've been
called in to troubleshoot. This is unlikely to
bother the technician because it is the machine owner
who pays for its absence.
Where do all the hydraulic schematic diagrams go?
They get lost or misplaced, they don't get transferred
to the new owner when a machine is bought secondhand
and in some cases they may not be issued to the machine
owner at all. Why? Because generally speaking, hydraulic
equipment owners don't place a lot of value on them.
So if you're responsible for hydraulic equipment and
you don't have schematic diagrams for your existing
machines, try to obtain them - before you need them.
And ensure that you are issued with schematic diagrams
for any additional hydraulic machines you acquire.
And if you'd like to know how to read schematics
like a pro, watch this video:
http://www.hydraulicsupermarket.com/ahcvid.html
Yours for better hydraulics knowledge,
Brendan Casey
Author of 'Insider Secrets to Hydraulics'; and
'Preventing Hydraulic Failures'.
http://www.hydraulicsupermarket.com/books.html
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