Particle contamination is responsible for more than 70% of all hydraulic system failures — and most of it happens gradually, without any obvious warning signs until something expensive breaks.

Here's what's happening inside your system:

• Particles as small as 5-15 microns — invisible to the naked eye — score pump bores, valve spools, and cylinder rods
• Every component that wears generates more particles, accelerating damage downstream
• Heat and water contamination accelerate oxidation, turning good fluid into sludge

Protect Your Hydraulic System

The ISO cleanliness code (e.g., ISO 16/14/11) tells you how many particles of each size are present per milliliter of fluid. Most hydraulic components have a target cleanliness level — if your fluid is above that level, wear is already happening faster than it should.

Four things you can do right now:

1. Pull a fluid sample and send it in for analysis — we can point you to a lab.
2. Check your filter differential pressure indicators — a high differential pressure indicates that the filter needs to be changed. Bypassing a filter defeats the purpose of having a filter at all. We can supply you with spare filter elements to minimize downtime.
3. If your system doesn't have dedicated filtration, we can help with sizing the appropriate filter for your application.
4. Use a dedicated filtration cart for any fluid transfers or top-offs — never use a dirty funnel or open container.

We carry Norman Filters, portable filtration carts, and transfer units designed specifically for contamination control in hydraulic systems.

Explore Filtration Solutions

Jason Walker,
Director of Sales
1-800-250-8891
jason.walker@normanequipment.com

9850 Industrial Dr
Bridgeview, IL 60455