Warning: Never trust a 30-year-old hydraulic line just because it looks dry

I was doing a routine service on a 1987 Otis at a bank in downtown Nashville when a packed line burst right next to my face. Oil sprayed everywhere and I had to spend 4 hours cleaning the pit before I could even start the real repair. Has anyone else had a near-miss from aging equipment that looked fine at a glance?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade479d ago

Funny you mention that, I was just reading about a guy who had a 40 year old air line blow on him in a shop. He said the outside looked perfect but the inside was all dry rotted and cracked. They're tricky like that, the rubber degrades from the inside out and you'd never know till it lets go. Sounds like you got lucky it didnt hit your eye or something, that hydraulic oil is nasty stuff.

taylor.betty9d ago

Overreacting much? It's just hydraulic oil, not battery acid.