From the Lubrication Excellence/Reliability World 2005 Conference Proceedings. An excerpt from the paper "Using Oil Analysis as a Root Cause Analysis Tool".

Contaminants, in their various forms, can enter the machine in numerous ways. Often, contaminant ingestion is highly controllable with minor modifications to the system, such as upgraded seals or breathers, or by developing and implementing appropriate procedures, including properly training staff. For example, poor vent breather performance and short element life might be a direct result of the breather's location, where it is susceptible to large amounts of dirt or direct water spray during equipment wash-downs. Simply adding a pipe or hose to manifold the element to clean air and out of the direct path of water spray, may increase the element's performance level and life considerably.

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QUESTION: Can the pressure generated by an ordinary grease gun damage a bearing?

Get the answer.

"How long should grease be stored? To be more precise, how long should grease remain in a remote grease line before actually reaching the bearing with ambient room temperatures of 80 to 90 degrees F?"

According to lubricant manufacturers, lubricants have a shelf life of 2 to 5 years, depending on how the material is stored and its constituents. Noria takes a more cautious line, and calls for 1-year maximum storage periods.

As for the lubricant in a grease line, if the line is not pressurized, and it is maintained at the temperatures you suggest, then the 1 year cycle should be fully acceptable.

2 to 5 years - hard to say. It is important that there would be no pressure on the line while it is sitting idle. Pressure will force the oil from the thickener at a premature rate, which will certainly add to loss of consistency and plugging of the lines. Maintaining low temperatures is also important for similar reasons.

Mike Johnson, Noria Corporation

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