Rubber O-ring, Electrical Connector & Vaseline

[Decker]

I have a water pump with a rubber impeller.  Directions that came with the pump say to coat the impeller with Vaseline.  After burning out the impeller twice (it fell apart,) I started to use silicon grease.  Years later, the impeller is still going. 

My go-to light lube for metal fishing rod ferrules and o-ring gaskets is nose oil.  Rub it against the side of your nose - works great 

[foakes]

SuperLube works great —

If your not putting it in your mouth — why do you need food grade?

Best, Fred

[Wompus Cat]

John, got it, posted it here.

Steve - MSDS, good point,

Wompus - I read the msds on 3m spray silicon - not good for skin contact

Keith - superlube, I will check if my local stores have a food grade grease.

thor - yes, I have no idea what the orings are made of.

The search is now for PURE/food grade silicone grease. Vaseline is out as it attacks rubber, I just read that.

I am pretty sure I have sil-glide silicone lube downstairs. let me grab that and read the warnings.

Nothing  in that list is much good for skin contact or ingesting,or Breathing the vapors .

Sil- Glide is very good for things yep I use it on drive shaft couplings and steering gear knuckles(keeps the popping noise away) but the Spray from 3M will keep your  snow shovel from ice sticking on it also locks,door locks on cars, Weather strips on all doors  keeps vinyl dashes alive for ever,rubber trim , windshield wiper blades ,garage door guides,sliding glass doors,any rubber trim ,squeaks in dashes /leather,belts,hoses,. Shoes,
Rubber Baby Buggy Bumpers and more .
GOBS Gobi,,,,,,,  just GOBS  of uses .
Did I mention it is Good Stuff?

Ya don't want to spray it near anything you are going to paint as it will crinkle the heck out of it or light a match to it ...lol

P/M your addy and I will send you a can on me.

[Wompus Cat]

I have a water pump with a rubber impeller.  Directions that came with the pump say to coat the impeller with Vaseline.  After burning out the impeller twice (it fell apart,) I started to use silicon grease.  Years later, the impeller is still going. 

My go-to light lube for metal fishing rod ferrules and o-ring gaskets is nose oil.  Rub it against the side of your nose - works great 

I use the Sil Glide on my boat water pumps and ZERO Failure for many years .
Tha nose oil makes my line stick to the rod or maybe it is Snot ? I dunno I am kinda bass ackwards as my nose runs and my feets smell.

[jurelometer]

One note about silicone grease:  strange as it may seem, silicone grease is not compatible with silicone rubber.

Silicone is a bit uncommon material for o-rings, but it is out there.

Here is the food grade o-ring specific product from Superlube:
.
https://www.super-lube.com/o-ring-silicone-grease

And the comparability chart:

https://www.super-lube.com/Content/Images/uploaded/documents/Compatability%20Charts/Super%20Lube%20Silicone%20O-Ring%20Grease.pdf

I think that this blend (also food safe) might also work with o-rings, and can also be used fore a reel grease (this is what Todd uses on reels):

https://www.super-lube.com/silicone-lubricating-grease-with-syncolon-ptfe

I bought a tub of it for a good price on that evil web commerce site named after a river in South America.

Also agree that food safe is always a good idea when it is an option.   Many dangerous compounds bio-accumulate, meaning that they build up over time in live tissue, so the less nasty or unknown toxicity chemicals in your life, the better.   Plus I was able to use the same grease to fix the hinges on my oven.   With its high dropping temp and PTFE (AKA Teflon) additive, it might also be a candidate for drag grease.

-J

[Dominick]

Use Armor-All... Dominick

[Gobi King]

Fred,
my girls have a habit of biting their nail, kinda a nervous habit,

for the stuff that they might open like the flash lights, water tight boat boxes etc I want an ALL rounder grease.

Wompus, pm inbound, thanks!

Jurelo - that compatibility chart is interesting. I have no idea what the orings are made of in different items I have.

lol, I wonder if it could be amazing amazon ;-)

biggest shocker here was:
1. Vaseline is NOT good for rubber stuff
2. Silicone grease is NOT compatible with silicone rubber.

[Tiddlerbasher]

If you want an in depth look at lubricants and 'rubbers':

https://www.efunda.com/designstandards/oring/oring_chemical.cfm?SM=none&SC=Silicone%20Grease

I've re-building some pcp airguns recently (lots of o rings)- the best news I got was I'm probably already uding the best grease - pure synthetic with PTFE

[Donnyboat]

Lanalon grease is food safe, not sure about mixing with rubber, it is from sheep wool, there is a company in Queensland, Australia, that sell is, if you google lanalon, they maybe able to inform you if they have completed tests with rubber, good luck cheers Don.

[El Pescador]

I have used this for over 40 years on plastic,Rubber, Vinyl, and more .
3M Wet type spray silicone !
Good stuff .


ly.

WOMPUS!!!!

Why the Wet Silicone vs the Dry Silicon???

Let us know please,

Thanks.

Wayne

[Jenx]

I saw mention of food-grade lubricants.

I use to do a lot of homebrewing back in the day. They sell a food-grade lubricant that is used on the o-rings of kegs.

Search for "Keg Lube" on Amazon.

[Wompus Cat]

I have used this for over 40 years on plastic,Rubber, Vinyl, and more .
3M Wet type spray silicone !
Good stuff .


ly.

WOMPUS!!!!

Why the Wet Silicone vs the Dry Silicon???

Let us know please,

Thanks.

Wayne

Wet Type  Penetrates the Rubber,Vinyl ,Leather , etc .
Dry sprays are suitable for working on more sensitive equipment because the mist evaporates quickly and leaves behind a protective film. ..............
If you use the 3M wet  type silicone on your Vinyl Dashes ,door panels,any Rubber on your car  it will last indefinitely.
if you want stuff to  harden and crack I recommend Armour All.

[thorhammer]

SuperLube works great —

If your not putting it in your mouth — why do you need food grade?

Best, Fred

Hey Fred, I think I'm the one that brought up food grade- he probably doesn't require it, but he asked for "safe", and OTC  process engineering is part of what I do in my professional life, so my input was based on that.

[philaroman]

pretty sure there's a more-$$$, food-grade SuperLube
for blender/processor/grinder gaskets & such
can't taste much worse than cold lard 

[bluefish69]

Raid the pantry & put Crisco on it. We use Crisco on the rubber gaskets on N.Y.C. water mains for years. Never had a problem with Lab. Tests.

Mike

I've been a Plumber since '63