4 Reasons Your Hydraulic Hose Is Leaking

The last thing any industrial workplace wants to see is a leak in the hydraulic hose system. Once a hose leaks, it necessitates a shutdown of the entire system. Figuring out the reason your hydraulic hose is leaking will help you address the current issue and prevent future leaks.

Wrong Fitting or Improper Installation

If you’ve recently assembled and installed the hydraulic hose system or replaced the fitting and found a leak, the hose and fitting likely aren’t defective. Instead, they’re probably incorrectly installed. This is why running tests after installation and part replacement is crucial to ensuring all the parts fit correctly and are properly rated for the working pressure of the hose.

When choosing a fitting, you should always use the STAMPED (Size, Temperature, Application, Media, Pressure, End, and Delivery) method. This helps you buy a fitting ideal for the hose and the application.

External Damage

Hose failures and leaks often occur from external physical damage like abrasions or kinking. An abrasion can occur from two hoses rubbing against one another or a hose rubbing against a sharp or rough external object like a wall or pipe.

This is another reason why running quality tests before operation is important. While the hoses in a system may appear to not touch one another, they can move and vibrate once in operation, causing them to kink or grind against one another. If the leak results from an abrasion, there’s no other option besides replacing the hose and adjusting its route to prevent future abrasion.

Environmental Conditions

The issue with the hose and fitting may also be the environment in which it operates. If the hose and fitting are under extreme heat or cold, it could dramatically affect their durability and functionality. Also, if the temperature in the environment of the hydraulic hose system fluctuates rapidly, that can cause the hose material to age quickly, degrade, and eventually crack and leak. Owners may need to invest in more reinforced hydraulic hoses or attempt to adjust the environment to make it more hospitable.

What To Do if You Find a Leak in Your Hydraulic Hose

If you find a leak, it is not a good idea to patch a hydraulic hose. Once a hydraulic hose breaks and its structural integrity is compromised, it’s beyond saving. The only option for hydraulic hose owners is to replace the part completely.

But now that you know the reasons your hydraulic hose is leaking, you can prevent it from reoccurring. In most cases, the fault is in the part, installation, setup, or environment, so starting there first is smart.