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PSA: I put a new type of grease on a door operator and it totally backfired
So I was working on an old Otis door operator in a building downtown, the kind that's always a bit sticky. Everyone on the crew swears by this heavy lithium grease for everything. I decided to try this newer synthetic stuff I got a sample of, thinking it would handle the heat better. I put it on the drive arm and the guide rollers. Two days later, the super calls me back. The grease had basically turned into a thick paste and seized up the whole mechanism. It took me three hours to clean it all out and redo it with the regular grease. I learned that just because something is newer doesn't mean it's right for every old part. The old grease works because it's simple and doesn't break down the same way. Has anyone else had a bad reaction with a synthetic grease on older units?
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grantmartinez2d ago
I get why you'd ask about cleaning it first, but that's not the main issue here. The problem is mixing old and new grease types. Some synthetics just don't play nice with the residue of the old lithium stuff, even if you wipe it down. It causes a chemical reaction that turns it to gunk. That's probably what seized up the unit, not just leftover grease. You really need a full solvent clean or you risk this exact thing happening.
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