Hold the fluid

Problem: A valve, immersion heater, or similar item, must be removed from the bottom of a hydraulic reservoir. Draining the reservoir is a time consuming nuisance.

By Staff June 1, 1999

Problem: A valve, immersion heater, or similar item, must be removed from the bottom of a hydraulic reservoir. Draining the reservoir is a time consuming nuisance.

Solution: Instead of draining, fill the reservoir as full as possible, and seal all inlets tightly with duct tape. Place a pan under the item to be disconnected, and quickly remove and replace the component. (This approach has worked successfully on a 300-gal. reservoir, opening a 2 1/4-in. line with only 2-3 gal. of fluid dropping to the pan.)

Contributor: Ronald R. Gould, VP/Engineering, Advance Lifts, Inc., St. Charles, IL

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