How to Increase Hydraulic Pressure

Hydraulic systems may lose pressure as they age or as the components loosen and wear through use. If you find yourself in need of a little boosting power, check your hydraulic system for leaks, faulty valves or other pressure leaking culprits. If you find that none of these appear to be the case, you can try an easy technique designed to help increase the hydraulic pressure in your pump system.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• 2 feet of rubber or vinyl hose
• Old coffee can
• Hydraulic fluid

1. Locate the intake and refill port for the hydraulic liquid. This should be clearly indicated by an airtight sealing cap or rubber plug. Some expensive models will have the caps or plugs clearly marked with fueling illustrations.
2. Turn or angle the pump, so that the refueling cap faces upwards. If your pump is too large or heavy to turn in this manner, you may trust that the reservoir is designed to hold the tank in this relatively upright position anyway.
3. Remove the cap or plug. It is especially important to lift a plug carefully, as the seal it creates may cause liquid to splash as you break that seal. Always open a vacuum-sealed reservoir with your face held safely away from the opening.
4. Feed the hose or funnel into the fueling-port opening.
5. Insert the opposite end of the hose into the hydraulic fuel in the coffee can.
6. Allow the pump to cycle around eight to 10 times. This will not only pull any needed fluid into the pump from the coffee can, but it will also force any air that may be trapped in the pistons out of the pump.
7. Keep a close eye on the temperature of the pump. Due to the break in the vacuum, this process could interrupt the normal cooling cycles of the hydraulic system. Do not allow the pump or cylinders to overheat.
8. Wipe off the plug or cap to remove any debris or contaminates that may have gotten on it during the procedure.
9. Replace the cap or plug. Seal the fueling port tightly to re-establish the vacuum seal in the pump.

Tips & Warnings

• Always monitor the heat of both the pump and the fluid as you work to increase the pressure. The fluid may heat up faster than the equipment and whenever there is an open fueling port, there is the potential of being splashed by hot fluid.
• Although it is easy to increase pressure by hand, more sophisticated equipment may require the use of a hydraulic pressure pump or compensator.