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Thread: anti seize on light bulbs

  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    What I use is dielectric grease, available at any auto parts store or in a larger container/applicator at an electrical supply store.
    Quote Originally Posted by Robert LaPlaca View Post
    I agree with JKJ, I use conductive grease on exterior low voltage lighting,
    However, the meaning of "dielectric" is "insulator".

    I hesitate to put dielectric grease on every type of electrical connection. Is dielectric grease suppose to be used only on connections where the metal parts of the connection press together tight enough to squeeze out the insulating grease from between them?

    At auto parts stores,there is also "bulb grease" that is used on head lights and tail lights. Is "bulb grease" also a dielectric?

  2. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stephen Tashiro View Post
    However, the meaning of "dielectric" is "insulator".
    I hesitate to put dielectric grease on every type of electrical connection. Is dielectric grease suppose to be used only on connections where the metal parts of the connection press together tight enough to squeeze out the insulating grease from between them?
    At auto parts stores,there is also "bulb grease" that is used on head lights and tail lights. Is "bulb grease" also a dielectric?
    I understand the bulb grease is the same as dielectric grease, I'm guessing it's a renaming to market to consumers. I think they are both thick silicone grease.

    All good connectors will have metal parts that fit together tight enough to displace the insulating grease at the contact points. If the metal parts of a connector do not make tight contact that needs to be fixed first.

    What the dielectric grease does is coat the metal parts and keep corrosion-causing moisture and oxygen away from the metal. This will keep the connection working AND let you actually get that one under the hood apart again in a decade. Preventing corrosion is especially important on older plated connectors where some of the protective plating might have worn off, or where you cleaned off corrosion with an abrasive. It also lubricates and minimizes wear where connections are made and broken often, such as for trailer lights and brakes. It also discourages tiny mud daubing insects from building nests and clogging up the little holes of the connectors on the trailer. It also protects any rubber parts of the connector from degrading over time. It helps lubricate and seal rubber boots on electrical connectors such as spark plugs. Great for batteries such as AAs used in outdoor applications (I have them in four motion detectors near and around my gate.) Have some of those cheap solar-powered yard/path lights? Dielectric grease on the batteries, battery holders, crimps, and connections will give you more use before you throw them all in the trash.

    Using this stuff can even prevent disasters where currents are high. For example, an old commercial heat pump the original owner put in this house had large circuit breakers in an outside box that, due to humidity and time, had a corroded connector. Corrosion causes increased resistance, increased resistance causes heat, heat increases resistance.... When the heat pump quit working I found one corroded connector had burned in two, arced inside the breaker, disintegrated the plastic, and caused the breaker to fall apart. Pieces were loose in the box. New breaker, new box, dielectric grease, still good 13 years later.

    Some people have different opinions but mine is to use it.

    I don't think it was mentioned is you only need a light coating in a light socket. I don't think too much is better. I put a little on my finger and smear it around. I turn off the power first.

    JKJ

  3. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    All good connectors will have metal parts that fit together tight enough to displace the insulating grease at the contact points. If the metal parts of a connector do not make tight contact that needs to be fixed first.
    That seems reasonable, but I find that dielectric grease makes problems with car battery terminals worse, not better. With the grease on the terminals, the connections to the battery look clean much longer but the problem of "you have to jiggle the terminals in order to start the car" is more likely to happen.

    As you said, the mental model for using dielectric grease is that it is an insulator. It does not improve the conductivity of electrical connections. Perhaps someone with equipment for measuring very small changes in resistance has tested this theory - measure resistance in a connection before applying dielectric grease and then after applying dielectric grease.

  4. #19
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    Dielectric grease is also great on trailer plugs. I've had corrosion problems in the past where lights would short out. That grease solves the problem.
    -Lud

  5. #20
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    With the grease on the terminals, the connections to the battery look clean much longer but the problem of "you have to jiggle the terminals in order to start the car" is more likely to happen.
    If a car battery's terminals can be jiggled, the problem isn't the grease. The problem is the terminals are loose.

    This is an tow truck operator's trick I learned years ago. Find the loose terminal, stick a screwdriver in the terminal and twist, my key ring has a small screwdriver. Then ask the owner to try to start the car. If the battery is good the car will start. Then tell the owner to tighten the terminals. I have done this to stranded motorists and they thought I had performed some kind of magic.

    Interesting how the dictionary defines dielectric:

    dielectric.png

    jtk
    Last edited by Jim Koepke; 01-07-2017 at 12:56 PM. Reason: added image
    "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
    - Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

  6. #21
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stephen Tashiro View Post
    That seems reasonable, but I find that dielectric grease makes problems with car battery terminals worse, not better.
    ...dielectric grease... is an insulator. It does not improve the conductivity of electrical connections. Perhaps someone with equipment for measuring very small changes in resistance has tested this theory
    This is the way I understand it: The basis of connector technology is a springy metal (or a physical spring, or something that creates pressure) holds one internal conductor tightly against another. This creates a point or, usually, multiple points of tight contact between two conductive surfaces. The molecules of the quite fluid silicone grease is squeezed and pushed away from the points of contact. The grease then seals around the points of contact to keep out gases and liquids which can cause or accelerate corrosion. Connectors are designed so the total area at the contact point(s) is appropriate for the current rating.

    If the internal connection is poor and the points are not in tight contact then yes, anything including the grease could get between the contacts and cause a problem. I never heard of dielectric grease causing reduced conductivity between metal conductors in a connector - if it did I suspect the connector was damaged or poorly designed. The next time I see him I'll ask my friend Joe, he knows everything. I think he has a micro-ohm meter or we could use the amp meter/volt meter method. He is in high demand so you might have to pay him for the time.

    As Jim mentioned, there should be no jiggling necessary or even possible for vehicle battery terminals. If it will move, jiggle, or rotate, even with pliers, it is not tight enough. If it will not tighten enough, clean well and replace the bolts if necessary, or replace the cable end. I am certainly no expert, but at the moment I keep up with 15 things here on the farm that have engines started by batteries (if I'm counting correctly). I can't remember having a problem with a battery terminal connection in 30 years unless I forgot to put grease on the outside.

    The best thing I've found for battery terminals is to clean them well with the brushes, make a secure connection, then cover the connector and post top with plain old grease gun grease. I've never had one corrode with this method.

    Oh, I forgot one other place I use dielectric grease; it's even related to woodworking: on the internal contact points of electrical switches. I have repaired a bunch of switches over the years where the problem was poor contact where it needed to be good. I disassemble, blow out dust, clean, remove any corrosion, then coat the contact points with dielectric grease. Like with a connector, this lubricates and works to inhibit corrosion.

    JKJ

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