Grease decradation

Ted, I am not sure that the grease in the buckett will separate that fast. The separation may take place when the grease is under pressure in the lubrication system, but in the bucket, it may separate just few percentage points if the grease is done right.

Look again into mthe quality of the grease. ask your supplier for explaining the changes in appearance. Volgel lubricators are a great tool to avoid the work of periodic manual lubrication. Check that the system releases pressure in the line after pumping the grease so you know that the grease is not pressurized for long periods.

A nlgi 00 is too soft for bearings. why are you using grease that soft, an NLGI 1 should be also pumpable by those systems.

Ted,

It is not uncommon to have greases seperate in automatic lubrication systems, in fact one of the main reasons i see for blockages in lube systems is the residual grease base. As far as proving to your management, usually you can see oil forming on the top of a grease which is not stable when it is in the drum. A certain amount of "bleed" is acceptable however when subjected to the pressure of an autolube environment problems can occur.

As far as convincing your management send the remaining grease to a lab for analysis comparison against a new sample. They should be able to measure dropping point and consistency of the two products to demonstrate a signficant change. (Mobil should do this as part of their customer service if you ask them.)

There are a number of greases on the market which are specifically formulated for use in automatic lubrication systems which will not seperate over time and under pressure. Look for one of these.

Regards,

Rodney Fitzpatrick.