Best 'O" ring lube?

centerline · Jan 3, 2016

silicone grease... NAPA part# 765-1351
its the same as dielectric grease, and what is recommended for o-rings... although there are several manufactures, napa is the most readily accessable...

for an oxygen rich environment, I believe the product you speak of is Krytox, which is more of a teflon lubricant. much more expensive.

Steve Dion · Jan 3, 2016

I believe that Super Lube synthetic grease is recommended for head maintenance.

JamesG161 · Jan 3, 2016

Biobob Catalina 27 said:
what do you recommend for a good all around "O" ring and rubber lube?

If your O-Ring is for a compression type seal....

NOTHING!

Most use simple Vaseline to help hold the ring in the grove while compressing the seal surfaces.
Since O-Rings are made from various elastomers, careful if you select a Lube not compatible with the rubber.
Jim...

centerline · Jan 3, 2016

Steve Dion said:
I believe that Super Lube synthetic grease is recommended for head maintenance.

yes, thats excellent grease also.. a combination of silicone and teflon.... its not considered dielectric due to the teflon and other minimal additives, but it is waterproof and will work great in the application.... but probably harder to find locally.

centerline · Jan 3, 2016

JamesG161 said:
If your O-Ring is for a compression type seal....

NOTHING!

careful if you select a Lube not compatible with the rubber.
Jim...

this is exactly why silicone is best for the purpose of lubing o-rings... its inert and the highest temperture grease available on the open market... but it is NOT an EP grease, so in bearings and such, its not the best choice, unless its in an underwater application where a non waterproof grease could wash out.

in some application, the o-rings must be lubricated or they will wear out too quickly due to the friction.... sometimes the device cannot even be assembled without lube on the seal.... so sometimes you could be right about not using lube, and sometimes not... it just depends on the application

kloudie1 · Jan 4, 2016

For the sliding contact o-ring in the head pump, and the piston shaft sliding in the water seal, the SuperLube is a great choice. It is becoming widely available at Ace Hardware, WalMart, Harbor Freight, and Big Box stores:
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Super-Lube-3-oz-Tube-Synthetic-Grease-with-Syncolon-PTFE-21030/202932687

Ken Cross · Jan 4, 2016

CAREFUL THERE
Some O ring material is not compatible with silicone. It can cause it to swell. What you use id dependent on the O ring material and the surfaces in which the O ring is mounted. As a general rule: if it's a seal for petroleum products you should be able to use petroleum such as grease or Vaseline. If it's for water, or salt water, silicone may be better (but I don't know for sure.) This I do know: some materials aren't compatible with silicone and some aren't compatible with petroleum.
Ken

capta · Jan 4, 2016

The best lubricant for rubber is fresh water.

centerline · Jan 4, 2016

Ken Cross said:
CAREFUL THERE
Some O ring material is not compatible with silicone. It can cause it to swell.

I believe you are wrong.... using the wrong type of fluids or lubes with certain o-rings can cause problems, but when this is an issue, they use a silicone based fluid, and silicone based fluids have a much higher operating temperature and are a lot more expensive.
silicone will work as a lube on all orings... even silicone orings.

Ken Cross · Jan 4, 2016

centerline said:
I believe you are wrong.... using the wrong type of fluids or lubes with certain o-rings can cause problems, but when this is an issue, they use a silicone based fluid, and silicone based fluids have a much higher operating temperature and are a lot more expensive.
silicone will work as a lube on all orings... even silicone orings.

I used to think as you do. In 2009 Boeing had a problem with sticking autopilot disconnect switches. It took considerable effort to identify the problem. These are simple switches that are mounted in the control wheel. It turned out that the flightline guys had lubed the switches with silicone based (Dow Corning DC4) grease and it caused the parts to swell which inhibited movement. The swelling took some time so the problem wasn't seen until the airplanes entered service for a week or two. This wasn't a safety problem (because the switches would only prevent the autopilot from engaging) but a warranty issue never the less. To date autopilot switches are left dry for that reason. Sorry but I don't remember the exact formulas involved.

Back to boat O rings. Use manufacturer's recommendations or risk early failure. This isn't theory and I'm not guessing, it's based on experience and a detailed materials analysis. I'm a 4 years retired Boeing Flight Analyst.
Ken

centerline · Jan 5, 2016

Ken Cross said:
I used to think as you do. In 2009 Boeing had a problem with sticking autopilot disconnect switches. It took considerable effort to identify the problem. These are simple switches that are mounted in the control wheel. It turned out that the flightline guys had lubed the switches with silicone based (Dow Corning DC4) grease and it caused the parts to swell which inhibited movement. The swelling took some time so the problem wasn't seen until the airplanes entered service for a week or two. This wasn't a safety problem (because the switches would only prevent the autopilot from engaging) but a warranty issue never the less. To date autopilot switches are left dry for that reason. Sorry but I don't remember the exact formulas involved.

Back to boat O rings. Use manufacturer's recommendations or risk early failure. This isn't theory and I'm not guessing, it's based on experience and a detailed materials analysis. I'm a 4 years retired Boeing Flight Analyst.
Ken

after doing some research on the Dow Corning Compound4 , which is a silicone based product, it does have a warning that using it in certain applications can cause seizing....
the DC4 product is not as commonly used by the general public as is the 111, which does NOT carry the warning, and which is recommended by ALL manufactures of SCUBA equipment as the lubricant that should be used when servicing SCUBA components...
Parker-Hannifin, who is a supplier of products to the aerospace industry, only offer two different lubes for seal and o-rings, a lithium based product and a silicone based product... their claim is that silicone can be used on all seals and o-rings, yet in some high volume applications it may be cheaper to use a lithium based grease.

so we have to conclude there may be some special seals used in the aeronautics industry are sensitive to silicone lube, OR... that they are sensitive to the thickening agent that is used in certain silicone compounds. but not at all common in general use.

so you are correct.... not all seals are always compatible.
but hopefully we can agree that we shouldnt be comparing an airplane with a toilet, when deciding what to lube the crapper with

Ken Cross · Jan 5, 2016

Centerline:
Thanks. That's a good find. For years DC4 had been the go to grease in the electronics world where I worked.
My concern was once burned shame on them. Twice burned shame on me.
The problem I referred to was expensive.

Ken

Best 'O" ring lube?

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