To grease or not to grease??

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Having taken the manual pump on our Brydon heads apart for it's anual service, should I apply any lubricant to the "piston"? If so, would seacock grease be appropriate? I am wary of applying anything which will cause the rubber seals to deteriorate...

Thanks,
Ruth
 
The only lubricant I ever apply to the heads pump is olive oil. Eliminates squeaks and eases pumping. I dont think Jabsco recommend use of grease either.

Keith
 
Try silicon grease...

I use silicon grease for the piston in my heads pump. It's a clear, fairly clean grease which plumbers use. You can buy it in little pots from any plumbers merchant. Also useful for lots of other lubrication jobs on board.
 
I give mine a dash of cooking oil every so often, does not damage
the seals and the difference to the ease of pumping has to be seen
to be believed, just tip a drop into the bowl, it mixes with the
waste water as you pump and lubricates the insides of the pump.

regards mike
 
Re: Try silicon grease...

I assume you mean siliconE grease...unless you've been grinding up your solar panels!

I've heard it said that silicone grease is bad for the seals, but that to me is ridiculous since they are made of silicone rubber. I use it along with almost any other grease to no ill effects. The easiest solution I find though is a squirt of washing up liguid in the bowl pumped through before leavng the boat.
 
from the horse\'s mouth

asked this question on a specialis stand at the show last year. answer was 'liquid soap'. further prompting produced the advice to just squirt some washing up liquid into the bowl now and again.
 
Re: from the horse\'s mouth

I was a regular silicon grease user, unitl I discovered Olive Oil on this site. Saves stripping the pump too - a couple of teaspoons in the flush, and it gives an even smoother action than did the silicon grease (which I had to do twice a season).
 
Re: Try silicon grease...

I tried using liquid soap but its only ok for a few flushes then requires a redose guess it washes away any lubricant that may be there and effectivly makes the stiffness / squeek worse. So I reverted back to water resistant grease, on the par bridon Mk 2 the piston is easy to remove in order to apply the grease which I think is the reason why they changed the design.
PS give the system a good flush before removing the piston.
Trevor
 
Thanks Mike,

I'll go with the majority and try a few drops of olive oil. Here's to smooth pumping in the new year!

Ruth
 
Solubility

The difference between the lubricants proposed is their solubility in water. Liquid soap will dissolve almost instantaneously. Olive oil, despite its name, is not a hydrocarbon but is also water based. It will dissolve more slowly than soap but cannot be expected to be effective for more than a few flushes. I have found baby oil to be about as effective as olive oil. Silicone oil is almost completely insoluble in water, so is likely to remain where it is put for longest. It is also almost inert and will not affect seals or plastic. I find that spraying PTFE inside the cylinder and over the seals is also fairly effective. None of these treatments lasts all that long, though.
 
Liquid soap/washing up liquid is the best way of lubricating this particular item. I am a great believer in silicone grease but that doesn't seem to last as long as the good old Fairy Liquid.

She who must be obeyed rinses her hair INTO the bowl with the shower attachment and that works very well.

Glen
 
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