Loading…
19
Just realized I was wrong about using lithium grease on switch contacts
An old master electrician in Chicago spent 15 minutes showing me how dielectric grease actually attracts dirt in high-heat panels. Made me switch to a dry contact lubricant on my last 3 commercial jobs.
3 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In3 Comments
paul2863mo ago
Dielectric grease is honestly overused in places it doesn't belong. Switched to a dry film lube for all my control panels last year and zero dust buildup since.
8
karen_roberts43mo ago
You're right about dust buildup in high heat panels, but the piece nobody talks about is how temperature cycling affects those greases over time. Dielectric grease goes through a weird breakdown process when you've got constant heating and cooling in a panel... turns into this sticky mess that actually traps more debris than the original dirt would have. That dry film stuff works better because it doesn't change state as much. The old timers in Chicago knew their stuff though, they saw panels fail from grease migration before anyone even thought about it.
6
charles4423mo ago
The dry film stuff is the only thing I use now in panels after seeing how bad dielectric grease breaks down in temperature swings. Switched a year ago and haven't had a single issue with contacts or dust buildup since.
5