3 Tips to Winterizing Your Oil & Grease Equipment This Winter

Whether your equipment utilizes oil or grease, there are some best practices and things to consider when protecting your equipment for the winter months ahead.

November 18, 2021
1 Minute Read

At really low temperatures oil can congeal and stop flowing. When this happens, preventable wear and tear is occurring in your equipment. The same is true for greaseable lubrication points, as well. As it gets colder, viscosity increases and it’s harder for your lubricant of choice to get where it’s needed. This can lead to increased energy consumption, premature failure, and unplanned downtime.

So, what can we do to mitigate the effect of cold weather on critical lubrication?

3 Tips to Maintain Uptime for Equipment Exposed to Winter Elements

Utilize an automatic lubrication system – properly maintained, they never take a minute off, always deliver lubricant to every point and in the correct amount. Some now have internal heaters, or can be placed in a cabinet that keeps the lubricant at an optimal temperature.
Consider dropping the viscosity or NLGI of your lubricant – be aware of the service window of your lubricants. For instance an NLGI #2 grease might become too difficult to pump or penetrate the lube point at or near freezing temperatures. So, if you’re in a climate where these temperatures are likely, you should consider dropping to an NLGI #1 or #00 for your outdoor applications.
Increase lube frequency for on-road vehicles – Road brine and other chemical treatments applied to pavement before a snowstorm or extreme cold weather can accelerate wear and corrosion on your vehicle’s steering, suspension, and braking components. By increasing the frequency of your lube intervals you’ll be providing a constant barrier against harmful chemicals entering the component. This is done optimally with an automatic lubrication system, as it replenishes lubricant as the vehicle is running down the road.