Can't seem to get all water out of my splitter's oil

[muncybob]

Last year I noticed the hydraulic oil was milky. Drained as much as I could and refilled...same problem. This year I saw that a hose was leaking and the tank was very low on fluid after dripping all winter, so I got a new hose and while it was off I drained the tank again but this time I used a pump to get the tank as dry as possible. I even lifted the tank from one end so all the fluid would run to the other corner of the tank. Installed the new hose...no leaks but, after running it a bit the fluid is milky again! Is there something else I can do?

 

[Ashful]

Rinse out with a little diesel, to get it as clean as possible, but to me it sounds like water is re-entering thru some topside point. What's your filler hole/neck look like? Do you keep the thing covered, or sitting out in the rain?

 

[brenndatomu]

If empty the tank, there is still another gallon or two in the system...

 

[muncybob]

It's covered except when in use. The only possible way for any fluid to enter is either the fill hole or the filter, both are secured. If I empty the tank again and refill it will be the 3rd time in 12 months and start to get a bit $$. I did tip the tank hoping water would rise to the surface and sucked out some fluid but I doubt that will fix it.

 

[Jags]

Make sure the vent for the hydro tank is working proper. Is it milky/foamy or just milky in color? A froth would indicate aeration. If it's just a little water work the hell out of it and get it good and hot. Properly vented the water will vaporize out.
The bigger question might be "how is the water getting in?"

 

[highanddryinco]

Is it milky/foamy or just milky in color? A froth would indicate aeration.

^^^This^^^

 

[Eman85]

Probably accumulating condensation when not being used. Running it hard will get the fluid hot and get the water out of it. Tractors do this all of the time when they sit.

 

[muncybob]

It's just milky. The only vent I see is a pin hole in the tank plug. So running it hot the water will escape through that?

 

[Ashful]

Probably accumulating condensation when not being used. Running it hard will get the fluid hot and get the water out of it. Tractors do this all of the time when they sit.

I know tractors can do this, usually due to their mass causing condensation of warm spring-time air within their cold castings, often made worse when kept inside a poorly air-sealed barn. But we don't typically see people reporting this in log splitters, which makes me suspect something else is happening here. Many of us keep our log splitters outdoors under a tarp, without any such issues. I drain and refill my own every 5 - 6 years, and honestly, the fluid usually looks like the day I installed it.

 

[Ashful]

It's just milky. The only vent I see is a pin hole in the tank plug. So running it hot the water will escape through that?

Is the tank plug hole located high on the side of the square nut, like most Speecos? Mine even lost its little expanded bronze filter element, so now it's just a 1/8" hole in the side of the nut, but still, no water in the tank.

Do you think this could have been some one-time event, and that you've just failed on each fluid change to get all the water out of the system? Any chance on running a few cycles on compressed air, next time you dump fluid?

Evaporation will occur whenever the system is hot. If you're not seeing new water intrusion, it may eventually dry out by running. But the fact that it's milky now might indicate your water intrusion rate to evaporation rate is not going to favor this solution, unless we can pinpoint when and how it got wet.