4 Costly Misconceptions about Lubrication

Is your business focused on marine lubricants and greases ? Do you know that there are many misconceptions surrounding common lubrication practices? Unfortunately, these harmless myths may be holding you back from obtaining a top-class maintenance strategy and environment. Not to mention it can cost your company hundreds of thousands of dollars.

#1 More grease is better

You can get as much negative effects of over-greasing as under-greasing. Added to that is the high cost of lubricant consumption – all because you thought that more grease was better. Think of greasing as purging or filtering the bearing to remove unwanted contaminants. So, you should not exceed the calculated amount when performing greasing activities.

This misconception led us to believe that the more grease we use, the more contaminants will be purged out. The right approach is to apply a calculated quantity at a shorter time interval. Doing so can eliminate over-greasing, but still supply the function of purging, just like automatic grease systems. Too much grease can result to bearing failure and high consumption costs.

#2 OEM hardware is satisfactory

Believe it or not, OEM hardware accessories (dipsticks, small vent-plug breathers, and non-metallic drain plugs) can do more harm than good to your equipment. If you want world-class lubrication maintenance, it’s better to remove them and use proper contamination control devices instead. Examples are desiccant or hybrid breathers and more.

To exclude contaminants in your equipment, make sure to perform lubrication tasks without exposing its interior to exterior atmospheric contaminants. Keeping OEM hardware and its accessories installed can cost your business thousands of dollars in maintenance because of repairs. Spend the money upfront for proper contamination control hardware instead.

#3 Storage is not that important

Another factor that can cost you a great deal of money is improper lubricant handling and storage. Most organizations take it for granted when, in fact, it should be the top priority. You might be spending countless hours installing expensive filtration units, only to find out that the in-service oil is contaminated by the dirty oil, due to improper storage.

How do you transport Shell marine lubricants from the storage room to the machine without compromising its cleanliness? Implement a lubricant storage facility with sealable top-up containers, new oil storage in pods, and transfer devices. Limit the access to vital personnel only. It’s also recommended to use filter carts for transferring and draining.

#4 Filtering incoming oil is a waste of time

It’s a big misconception to think that ‘new oil is clean oil’. Case studies have shown that incoming oil is actually dirtier than most cleanliness targets. Filtering incoming oil is much cheaper than removing a gram of dirt inside your equipment, which will cost you ten percent more. So, filter your incoming oil before it enters the storage area.

The best way to filter incoming oil is through a rack-mounted storage system with integrated pumping and filtration equipment. Periodic decontamination of new oil is just as important. Make decontamination easy and hassle-free by running the storage tank in an incoming circulation and dispensing mode.

The success of your business may rely on finding the best source of lubrication products, such as Shell cylinder oil and services. Today, there are several firms dealing in manufacturing of lubrication. If you’re planning to develop a solid lubrication management program, it all starts by properly evaluating your supplier and clearing out these misconceptions.

Hamburg Trading House is an authorized Shell Marine lubricants distributor in the UAE. In addition to Shell Marine Products, they are representing Tribomar in the United Arab Emirates for their Oil Manage