Contralube Alternative

[Tim Good]

Is waterproof grease, silicon grease or Vaseline perfectly OK as an alternative to an specialist terminal protector like Contralube?

Or do other greases mess up the electrical connection?

 

[alahol2]

Before I got some cheap(ish) Contralube I always used silicon grease. It always seemed to work OK, kept corrosion at bay and had no ill effects on rubber/plastic etc..

 

[Giblets]

Vaseline has been used on car battery terminal since the beginning of time. Having said that I do use Contralube on out of the way places primarily at the top of the mast.

 

[RichardS]

Is waterproof grease, silicon grease or Vaseline perfectly OK as an alternative to an specialist terminal protector like Contralube?

Or do other greases mess up the electrical connection?

The vaseline and the wp grease will both dry out and potentially let water in eventually so they are the two least suitable for the long term but they are all electrically insulating.

In the short term, all are fine. I cannot define "short" because it depends upon temperature and humidity.

Richard

 

[David2452]

I've used Servisol silicon grease for over 40 years and the results have not given me any reason to consider changing.

 

[Daydream believer]

I've used nothing & that has worked quite well too

 

[jakeroyd]

It took me ages to understand how Contralube works.
i could not understand how it could work being slathered all over the place between two or more conductors.
Apparently when the film thickness is thin it becomes conductive.
if the thickness is 'thick' it is an insulator with a high resistance.

 

[Yngmar]

It took me ages to understand how Contralube works.
i could not understand how it could work being slathered all over the place between two or more conductors.
Apparently when the film thickness is thin it becomes conductive.
if the thickness is 'thick' it is an insulator with a high resistance.

While it's easy to ascribe near magical properties to pricey products, this is not how it works at all. Contralube is not conductive and works exactly like silicon grease, vaseline and any other grease used for this purpose - it gets squeezed out of the contact area and the connection is made where conductor touches conductor with no grease in between. Its job is not to do anything in there anyways. Instead, its job is to keep the moisture away from the conductors, which it does by covering the exposed remainder of them, thus preventing the corrosion that leads to high resistance and eventual failure.

Don't just believe me though, here it is from the horses mouth: http://contralube.com/wp-content/up...s_About_Lubricating_Electrical_Connectors.pdf

Since silicon grease is completely sufficient for the job and much cheaper than Contralube, not to mention useful in many other areas on a boat, that's what I'm using too.

 

[alahol2]

Since silicon grease is completely sufficient for the job and much cheaper than Contralube, not to mention useful in many other areas on a boat, that's what I'm using too.

As you say, silicon grease is a good substitute. The only reason I have swapped from silicon grease to Contralube on electrical connections is that the Contralube seems to have a 'stickier' consistency that lasts from one year to the next. The silicon grease seemed to dry out (or migrate?) after a year or two. A purely subjective observation.

 

[JimC]

I use silicon spray lubricant on electrical connections, bulb holders, terminals etc.

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/engine-oils-fluids/lubricating-penetrating-oil/3-in-one-professional-silicone-spray-lubricant-400ml

It surrounds the individual strands of the wire and penetrates under the insulation such that I have never seen any corrosion or degradation of electrical performance. This is using ordinary un-tinned automotive or domestic cable.