silicon grease

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youen

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Is it a good thing to put a lot of silicon grease in the connector of the mhu to prevent corrosion?Could the grease unable electric good connections?Thanks
 
If you use Servisol silicone the act of plugging in will clear the contact areas but help prevent moisture penetration, it's been around for years in common use and is still poular with professionals.
 
I stuff my multipin deck sockets with silicone grease at the end of each season. It does no apparent harm. I suspect Vaseline would do as well at a 10th of the cost. It excludes water quite effectively over the winter, and much reduces the chance of pin corrosion.
I however rate as an experienced amateur..... :-)
 
Silicone grease

youen said:
Is it a good thing to put a lot of silicon grease in the connector of the mhu to prevent corrosion?Could the grease unable electric good connections?Thanks
Click to expand...

Silicone !

I always put a smear of silicone grease on the deck plug contacts, nav light bulb contacts etc
and the screw thread of the VHF deck plug and on the O rings of Dri plugs.

Seems to keep electrical contacts good and lubricates the things that need to be unscrewed/ unplugged at the end of the season.


Some people however wont allow silicones anywhere near their boats because of the difficulty of cleaning it off before repairs
 
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VicS said:
Some people however wont allow silicones anywhere near their boats because of the difficulty of cleaning it off before repairs
Click to expand...

As one of those people;), I'm happy to make an exception for silicone grease. It's not hard to keep it where it belongs, not least because it's best used sparingly, and it's uniquely safe in certain applications, such as lubricating O-rings.
 
contralube 770 is the best "grease" for electrical contacts - buy it from boatlamps.co.uk - it cleans and protects / waterproofs

I wouldn't use silicon anywhere near electrical contacts - isn't it an insulator ?
 
VicS said:
Silicone !

Some people however wont allow silicones anywhere near their boats because of the difficulty of cleaning it off before repairs
Click to expand...

In the industry I worked in, we used to use silicones ( they were/ are reactive polysiloxanes) to assist nucleation. we had to avoid using the word "silicone" if we were optimizing levels as the automotive parts being produced were subsequently painted and any paint issues anywhere in the paint plant would have been automatically blamed on our technology !.
 
KevinT1 said:
contralube 770 is the best "grease" for electrical contacts - buy it from boatlamps.co.uk - it cleans and protects / waterproofs

I wouldn't use silicon anywhere near electrical contacts - isn't it an insulator ?
Click to expand...

I don't know what Contralube 770 is but it must be an insulator as it would be disasterous to use a conductor on most electical systems as you would simply create short-circuits.

Siicone grease is expensive but does not dry out which tends to be the problem longer-term with vaseline. Some types of rubber are also adversly affected by vaseline I believe. For less critical rubber / plastic applications I use red rubber grease which is much cheaper than silicone, can be used with all plastics and rubbers and does not dry out. It's bright red colour can be a bit alarming but at least you are always clear about whether you have remembered to apply it.

Richard
 
If the silicon grease is an insulator how are assured the contacts between the female part of the plug and the male part if they are covered of silicon grease.Thanks
 
youen said:
If the silicon grease is an insulator how are assured the contacts between the female part of the plug and the male part if they are covered of silicon grease.Thanks
Click to expand...

In the case of the Contralube referrred to above, imagine the contact area as a succession of microscopic peaks and valleys. The dielectric grease allows conduction between two peaks in physical contact, but inhibits it between valleys, where arcing may otherwise occur (and with it, erosion/corrosion). More here: http://contralube.com/contralube-770/

Its makers say that Contralube contains no silicone, but I daresay silicone grease might work in a similar way.
 
KevinT1 said:
I wouldn't use silicon anywhere near electrical contacts - isn't it an insulator ?
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Mostly an insulator, I believe - it's famously used as a semiconductor but that's after doping with other elements.

However, that's a completely moot point because we're talking about silicone, not silicon.

Pete
 
VicS said:
Silicone !
Some people however wont allow silicones anywhere near their boats because of the difficulty of cleaning it off before repairs
Click to expand...

I....
only use the silicon grease on rubber seals/washers etc...

really dislike the spray for sail slides etc.. once onto places not intended it can be very unpleasant stuff.

usually have some dry spray lubricant e.g.ptfe, that needs occasional replacement.

S.
 
V.useful thread this- always been confused over when/were to use silicone grease. Think this has cleared it up a little............ S.
 
We always used Silicone grease to both to lubricate the Viton or Kalrez rubber boots around the electrical contacts at the head of well-logging tools (ie where they connect to the cable) and to keep other fluids out. These tools are then lowered into oil or gas wells which contain corrosive and salt-saturated muds, sometimes with dissolved gases as well, all at hydro-static pressures of ten thousand or more PSI and temperatures up to a couple of 100 degrees Celcius.

Yet despite this really aggressive environment we could keep leakage paths above 1M Ohm. It really does work!
 
savageseadog said:
There's no such thing as a metal to metal contact, at an atomic level nothing actually touches.
Click to expand...

Just gets close enough for the electrons to move around freely?

I use silicone grease on connectors, particularly on my motorbikes.
I've been using the same tube for years, so I don't think it's expensive in the long run.
Even if you pay RS prices of about £6 for a 100ml tube.

Any lubricant seems to achieve better electrical contact, I think it carries the oxides away from the contact points?
Then stops re-oxidation.
 
lw395 said:
Just gets close enough for the electrons to move around freely?

I use silicone grease on connectors, particularly on my motorbikes.
I've been using the same tube for years, so I don't think it's expensive in the long run.
Even if you pay RS prices of about £6 for a 100ml tube.

Any lubricant seems to achieve better electrical contact, I think it carries the oxides away from the contact points?
Then stops re-oxidation.
Click to expand...

I spent some years of my life trying to understand how electrons move around materials, your version is near enough. Silicone grease is the best thing for marine connectors. As a point of interest don't use vaseline as it tends to dry out.
 
Contralube is the bees knees

You just apply a smear and connections will be good for life.

However, if you make a good connection in the beginning and then manage to make it waterproof with vaseline and other messy stuff, then maybe the connection will not corrode.

I know what I'd use.
 
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