Stop using the WRONG oil in hydraulic elevator buffers

I see it all the time on jobsites, guys dumping whatever 32-weight hydraulic oil they have on hand into the buffer cylinders. That stuff is NOT the same as buffer oil, it's way too thin and the seals will blow out in 6 months tops. I learned this the hard way on a job at a 12-story office building downtown back in 2021. Had to replace all four buffer seals after the owner complained about oil puddles forming in the pit. The manufacturer's spec sheet clearly calls for ISO 68 or higher, but people ignore it. Has anyone else seen this shortcut damage a system?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaretshah3d ago

Man, I feel your pain on this one... seen it way too many times myself. There's a medical building I work at that had the same issue, someone put 32-weight in the buffers and within a year the seals were weeping everywhere. The pit was a mess, oily concrete that would never dry. You're right about that ISO 68 spec, it's not just some suggestion, it's what keeps those buffers working right under heavy loads.

theawest3d ago

ISO 68 is standard but 32-weight buys you time in cold climates.

cameron4263d ago

Funny enough, I actually heard a building engineer say once that the whole '32-weight buys you time in the cold' thing is a holdover from old manual hydraulic systems that didn't have the same viscosity needs as modern elevator buffers.