Why Monitor the Case Drain Flow in Hydraulic Pumps & Motors?

White House Products Ltd., one of the leading hydraulic gear pump suppliers, is familiar with the importance of monitoring case drain flow and offers some valuable tips for monitoring your hydraulic pump, lines, and overall system performance.

Monitoring the case drain flow in hydraulic piston pumps and motors is beneficial to determine the current state of the hydraulic pump and the status of fluid flow rates. This type of monitoring is considered to be preventative/predictive pump maintenance because you can see the conditions slowly start to degrade over time from continuous pump use. Without maintenance, the pump’s performance and pressure load capability will degrade; excessive wear due to particulate contamination is responsible for the vast majority of all hydraulic component failures.

In the past, it was common to just continue to run piston pumps & motors without any monitoring. Once the fluid degraded and the conditions become too poor to continue to operate the system, the pump was either replaced or rebuilt. Plus, the system was flushed. This often led to long downtimes while the work was being done.

Not to mention, the costs to replace/rebuild a pump and flush the hydraulic system are more expensive than case drain monitoring. Case drain monitoring allows the operator and maintenance technicians to determine the current flow rates and evaluate the pump without having to stop operations.

Once the flow rates start to drop below a percentage of the total expected pump output on the case drain monitor, maintenance technicians will know the pump needs to be serviced, by either rebuilding it or replacing it. Monitoring can also help prevent having to flush the system each time the pump is serviced.

Using a Case Drain Flow Meter

If your case drain flow meter is properly sized, it should be easy to take readings and there should be minimal back pressure on the case of the pump or motor. When selecting a device, determine your application’s flow rate (one method is to calculate 10% of the pump’s total output and picking the closest flow range). When results don’t correspond to a specified range, rounding to the nearest one is helpful.

A case drain monitor can reveal abrupt changes in drain flow and can provide years of service. During installation, check manufacturers’ guidelines for the pump or motor to be certain that the maximum allowable case drain pressure, exceeds the back pressure exerted by the flow monitor. While monitoring pump performance, you can log the baseline flow from the pump case to reservoir and any changes at set time intervals. You’ll instantly know when maintenance or hydraulic pump replacement is required.

Find Top Hydraulic Pumps and Motors at White House Products, Ltd.

Order a hydraulic motor or complete hydraulic pump system from one of the most trusted hydraulic piston pump suppliers. We offer a full range of high-quality hydraulic components so you can have the most reliable hydraulic system possible. Also, find hydraulic diagnostic equipment including flowmeters and pressure gauges to help maximize the reliability of your hydraulic pump installation. For assistance in choosing the right case drain monitors for your hydraulic systems, do not hesitate to call White House Products, Ltd. at +44 (0) 1475 742500 today!