Dielectric Grease vs Electrical Contact Grease

[gmw photos]

And Byron is correct in his spelling ( and definition ) of it, and I was wrong in how I spelled it my previous post. Sorry if my misspelling caused any corn-fusion.....

geo

[Andrew Gibbens]

Is dielectric grease what I should use when repacking electric bearings?

[Darwin Maring]

Andrew, The answer is no. You use it on Muffler Bearings.

[Raz]

The last time this topic came up I posted this entry from Wikipedia. I think it is worth repeating.

[edit]Dielectric grease
Dielectric grease is electrically insulating and does not break down when high voltage is applied. It is often applied to electrical connectors, particularly those containing rubber gaskets, as a means of lubricating and sealing rubber portions of the connector without arcing.
A common use of dielectric grease is in high-voltage connections associated with gasoline engine spark plugs. The grease is applied to the rubber boot of the plug wire. This helps the rubber boot slide onto the ceramic insulator of the plug. The grease also acts to seal the rubber boot, while at the same time preventing the rubber from becoming stuck to the ceramic. Generally spark plugs are located in areas of high temperature, and the grease is formulated to withstand the temperature range expected. It can be applied to the actual contact as well, because the contact pressure is sufficient to penetrate the grease. Doing so on such high pressure contact surfaces has the advantage of sealing the contact area against corrosion.
Another common use of dielectric grease is on the rubber mating surfaces or gaskets of multi-pin electrical connectors used in automotive and marine engines. The grease again acts as a lubricant and a sealant on the nonconductive mating surfaces of the connector. It is not recommended to be applied to the actual electrical conductive contacts of the connector because it could interfere with the electrical signals passing through the connector in cases where the contact pressure is very low. Products designed as electronic connector lubricants, on the other hand, should be applied to such connector contacts and can dramatically extend their useful life. Polyphenyl Ether, rather than silicone grease, is the active ingredient in some such connector lubricants.

[Paul west]

I use dielectric grease on bulbs in my tug.
Even after years of use the bulbs are removed easily and the sockets are in good shape. One of my vans has 325,000 miles on it. Somewhat of a great proving ground! Using this has never resulted in faulty connections. I am also a licensed electrician. We use a product on aluminum wire to prevent oxidation on connections. I would not use products such as this or conductive grease on 12 volt connections. It will short the connection eventually.

[rabbit]

I have had corrosion problems on the contacts in trailer connectors on camper and utility trailer. I got tired of scraping a contact or two. Dielectric grease on both a 7-pin and a 4 to 7 adaptor and have not had continuity problems since doing so. It may be the trailer plug should have a cover. I saw someone here had installed one on the front of their tongue box; makes sense as the connector on our tv has a spring-loaded cover. The "unanimity" of opinion on this question is something to behold. Should I assume that petroleum jelly is conductive and should not be used?


jack

[Raz]

Originally Posted by rabbit

The "unanimity" of opinion on this question is something to behold.


jack

Jack, I shall remain the one lone voice in the wilderness. Any product with a resistivity of 10^13 ohm-cm (about the same insulating quality as glass) should not be used on a conductor that lives depend on irregardless of the parade of anecdotal evidence. Raz MS, BSEE

[rabbit]

I was attempting irony, Raz. You're only alone in the sense that you're certain about what you think of a grease with the property of an insulator. The rest of us aren't sure if we're lubing, sealing, conducting or insulating and we're not sure what with and that includes the folks in the rv industry that made the video.

I believe everything that everyone says happens may happen or has happened with products which may have or do have the properties which everyone says they have or don't have. But I'm also lazy; I took a load of brush to the county DNR chipper site yesterday; the tail lights and markers lit up first time when I plugged in the connector so I won't scrub the stuff out of there until they don't. Then I'll probably blame the whole thing on folks who can actually quantify the conductivity of grease.

jack

[Darwin Maring]

At Auto parts stores they now sell one time use of D-Grease for your light bulbs and a small one time use tube of the stuff comes with the tow vehicle wiring kit.