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Transitioning to a New Lube Supplier
David Krause, Commercial/Industrial Sales Manager,
Parman Lubricants Corporation
Most commonly found lubricants are compatible from one brand
to the next. One brand's AGMA R&O or EP series of products should
be interchangeable with another brand's same series of products,
for example. Having said that, there are some products and some
product formulations that differ from one brand to the next, and
this can result in some compatibility issues.
The most notable potential pitfall involves mixing incompatible
grease types. This can cause varying changes in N.L.G.I. consistency,
which, in the worst cases, can quickly lead to premature bearing
failure. For this reason, it is important to use greases of the
same thickener type if different brands are to be mixed in service.
The alternative is to purge every bearing, but this is not generally
a practical solution.
I would involve my new lubricant supplier in comparing every
"old" product to every "new" product being proposed, and I would
ask the new supplier to certify compatibility prior to mixing
products. If the proposed product is incompatible with the former
product, I would solicit information from the new supplier as
to how to accommodate a change. An example might be changing from
a phosphate ester type fire resistant fluid to a vegetable oil
based fire resistant fluid. An interim flush of petroleum oil
is generally advised in this case. Similar flushes may be required
for changes from one type of synthetic oil to another, etc.
The bottom line, though, is to utilize a technically adept supplier
as a lubrication consulting resource who can help make such a
change as seamless as possible.
See other responses
to this Readers Challenge.
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