Oil maintenance in elevator hydraulics
Relevance of oil care in elevator maintenance
An elevator should not be limited to safety and cleanliness alone, but should also be permanently ready for use to reliably transport passengers and goods between floors. The focus here is on reliability, especially when it comes to essential transportation tasks. To ensure the best possible accessibility, manufacturers, operators and service companies rely on advanced concepts. In the case of hydraulic elevators, regular maintenance and the use of high-quality components are becoming increasingly important. One aspect that is often overlooked is the hydraulic oil. Compliance with the purity class should be taken into account here.
Purity according to DIN ISO 4406
In most cases, the hydraulic oil is either changed regularly in accordance with the regulations or when problems occur. However, it is often already too late when such problems occur. This is because, in addition to aspects such as additives, viscosity and water absorption capacity, one decisive factor is often neglected: the purity of the oil. This purity is divided into purity classes according to ISO 4406, for example “Oil purity according to ISO 4406 18/16/13”. If the purity of the oil is within the range specified by the manufacturer, no unforeseen defects should occur and there should be no excessive wear on system-relevant hydraulic components.
Consequences of impurities in the hydraulic oil
However, if the cleanliness class is not maintained and is significantly worse than the manufacturer’s specification, for example 21/19/16 (higher figures here mean more particles in the hydraulic oil), this can lead to increased wear and, in the worst case, to an unplanned shutdown of the system. In situations where expensive pumps or valves are defective, which often also have long delivery times, the elevator may not be able to continue operating for a longer period of time. An outage is imminent, which can last several days, weeks or even months. This once again underlines the importance of fluid monitoring to ensure the reliability and operational continuity of the system.
Fluid management with bypass filter: sustainability, efficiency and environmental protection
Oil care is not only sustainable, but also has far-reaching benefits. In addition to ensuring operational safety, environmental protection and resource conservation play an important role. Extending the intervals between hydraulic oil changes not only saves costs and protects the environment. Effective fluid care and targeted oil care, for example through the use of bypass filters or oil service devices can significantly increase the service life of the oil and the availability of the system. An impressive user report shows this clearly, especially when a bypass filter system was subsequently installed. This illustrates how effective oil maintenance measures not only protect the environment, but can also increase the efficiency and reliability of the system. This is a significant step towards sustainable and cost-efficient operating practices.
Tepper elevators: Tradition, quality and innovation since 1883
Tepper Aufzüge GmbH (founded in Münster in 1883) is one of the most renowned elevator manufacturers in Germany and is known for its quality, reliability and innovative strength. The company operates 23 other locations throughout Germany, with its own sales and customer service. As part of the TK Elevator Group, Tepper benefits from broad access to the latest developments and innovations in the field of elevator technology as well as an international exchange of know-how and experience. Tepper services a large number of elevators (160 in total), including 35 hydraulic elevators in full maintenance. Many of these elevators are classified as “system-relevant” as they also have to be used for the transportation of emergencies. In the past, Tepper has optimized the utilization and capacity of these elevators by using modern, intelligent control systems.
Reliability and operational safety through oil maintenance and cleaning
Routine checks revealed that the oils used were heavily contaminated. In response, an external company was commissioned to carry out the corresponding oil changes. This underlines the importance of careful oil care and maintenance to ensure the operational safety and performance of the systems. Subsequent oil analyses showed that the degree of contamination according to ISO 4406 was even higher, presumably due to the dissolved dirt particles in the system. It is also possible that insufficient filling of the units played a role. As the elevators have to function reliably 365 days a year, Mr. Danny Marcks, Service & Modernization Foreman at Tepper Aufzüge Service Niederlassung Nord, decided to clean the oil with the help of an Argo Hytosbypass filter system.
Filtering instead of changing: The success story of oil filtration at Tepper elevators
Experience has shown that filtering is often better than a complete oil change. In the past, Mr. Marcks repeatedly struggled with the cleanliness of the oil in the facilities at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). Even after oil changes, the cleanliness class according to ISO 4406 did not improve and in some cases even deteriorated considerably. Filtration in the bypass now made it possible to achieve the outstanding purity class 16/15/12 within 30 to 40 hours, which protects the system from unpleasant malfunctions and breakdowns. Mr. Marcks and his team plan to filter all relevant aggregates in the bypass flow and document the results using oil analysis. This shows how targeted oil maintenance measures can significantly improve the operational safety and availability of elevator systems.
You are also welcome to read the technical report in fluid.de in addition to many other interesting articles.
