Choosing the right grease with Grease Kit

The last time we wrote about greases, we tried to make one point very clear: there is no single grease that is suitable for all applications. Greases vary widely in their properties, such as viscosity, additives, thickeners and dropping points. Are you trying to lubricate relatively stationary journal bearings or high-speed antifriction bearings? Do you need a tacky, water-resistant grease or one you can wash away easily? Does your equipment generate high operating temperatures? Do you have to pump grease a long distance through a narrow pipe from a central system? These are among the many factors you need to consider when selecting a grease for any application.

Figuring out the right grease sounds like a lot of work. But we’ve made it easy. We’ve developed a Grease Kit to guide you toward the optimal grease for your application. It contains a dozen grease samples so you can get to know the differences between greases by touch – whether they are stiff, stringy, tacky or soft and smooth, depending on the viscosity and thickeners added. You can also see the different colors of the greases, although the color has nothing to do with the properties or performance of the grease. It is simply a dye we add for operational and educational purposes to make it easier to tell our greases apart.

The main feature of the kit is a slide rule that helps you identify and narrow down your grease choices based on your application and operating conditions such as high or low temperatures or speeds. For example, for a higher-speed operation, it will guide you to a lower viscosity oil in the grease. For lower operating temperatures, you would be looking at a lighter viscosity. If you need to pump grease from a central system, you’ll want a softer grease that’s less susceptible to separation of the thickener from the oil during the pumping process.

It pays to know more about greases and to consult with experts on selecting the right grease. Ask your Caltex Lubricants representative about our Grease Kit. A little knowledge can make a big difference in equipment performance and component protection, and ultimately help you get longer life and more value from your investment.