Although prebilling will minimize introduction of air, it is still important to vent the system where venting is possible. Most hydraulic systems have built-in sources of air. Leaky seals in gas-pressurized accumulators and reservoirs can feed gas into a system faster than it can be removed, even with the best of maintenance. Another lesser known but major source of air is air that is sucked into the system past actuator piston rod seals. This usually occurs when the piston rod is stroked by some external means while the actuator itself is not pressurized.
Water is a serious contaminant of hydraulic systems.
Hydraulic fluids are adversely affected by dissolved, emulsified, or free water. Water contamination may result in the formation of ice, which impedes the operation of valves, actuators, and other moving parts. Water can also cause the formation of oxidation products and corrosion of metallic surfaces. Solvent contamination is a special form of foreign fluid contamination in which the original contaminating substance is a chlorinated solvent. Chlorinated solvents or their residues may, when introduced into a hydraulic system, react with any water present to form highly corrosive acids.