What grease for electrical contacts?

salar

salar

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Location
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harley25refit.blogspot.co.uk
My shore power plug and socket (arctic site cable 16amp type) can be a bit stiff to pull out if they have been together for a while. Is there a conductive lubricant that can prevent them from getting too friendly and still allow them to do the job properly?
 
salar said:
My shore power plug and socket (arctic site cable 16amp type) can be a bit stiff to pull out if they have been together for a while. Is there a lubricant that can prevent them from getting too friendly and still allow them to do the job properly?
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I had the same issue . Can't recall if I used WD40 or Servisol contact cleaner . http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/servisol-electronic-cleaning-solvent-200ml-re70m.
I probably used WD 40 . Anyway , one good squirt and the problem was solved.
The Servisol stuff evaporates, leaving no residue . I have found it to be extremely useful on the boat .
 
VicS said:
except for a "residual lubricating film" according to the data sheet.
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Indeed Vic, really good stuff for keeping switches and micro connectors happy (it's intended purpose), the Servisol grease is more appropriate for larger stuff like shore power, larger terminals and the like and at about £3.50 for a 50g tube very economical. I have been using both for many years and swear by it, as do many of my colleagues.
 
MartynG said:
I had the same issue . Can't recall if I used WD40 or Servisol contact cleaner . http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/servisol-electronic-cleaning-solvent-200ml-re70m.
I probably used WD 40 . Anyway , one good squirt and the problem was solved.
The Servisol stuff evaporates, leaving no residue . I have found it to be extremely useful on the boat .
Click to expand...

Is this the same as servitol but cheaper?
http://cpc.farnell.com/1/1/55413-contact-cleaner-200ml-aerosol-ppc110-pro-power.html
 
So is there any aspect of Contralube which justifies the price? Does it not dry out, as Vaseline eventually will, or is it a "Y10 Vs Oxalic acid" branding stunt to part the gullible from their money?
 
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pvb said:
Never understood the idea of putting Vaseline on battery terminals. Car makers don't do it. Boat builders don't do it.
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You put vaseline on boat battery terminals after they have been done up, not before. The idea is to prevent water vapour ingress which sets up some form of corrosion or chemical reaction which in turn gets in the way of a good contact. Car makers don't do it because cars generally don't float around in a saltyenvironment. Boat makers don't do it because it is not their problem. Marine engineers do do it, or at least mine does.

I'n not too sure about putting vaseline between contacts...
 
Quiddle said:
So is there any aspect of Contralube which justifies the price? Does it not dry out, as Vaseline eventually will, or is it a "Y10 Vs Oxalic acid" branding stunt to part the gullible from their money?
Click to expand...

Contralube is the bees knees.

I have it in my trailer to car sockets - been there for years.
It is in my mobile phone to stop dampness.
It is on my memory cards in case I dunk camera.

It can do no harm, no short circuits.
It can only do good.

I don't think they are lying on their website:
http://contralube.com/

Apart from protection and longevity, the best bit is, you can smear it on something, say a bare wire, and insert it into socket or whatever and later take it out and re-insert it.
Now you an insert a wire into a socket and cover it with vaseline etc and it will be protected, but pull it out and you will have to clean all that insulating muck off.

Hence it is great for bulb sockets. One smear lasts a lifetime.
 
salar said:
You put vaseline on boat battery terminals after they have been done up, not before. The idea is to prevent water vapour ingress which sets up some form of corrosion or chemical reaction which in turn gets in the way of a good contact. Car makers don't do it because cars generally don't float around in a saltyenvironment. Boat makers don't do it because it is not their problem. Marine engineers do do it, or at least mine does.

I'n not too sure about putting vaseline between contacts...
Click to expand...

But I've never done it, in 40+ years of boating, and never had problems with terminal corrosion. I can understand that way back in the Dark Ages, when batteries were in their infancy, the seal between the case and the terminal might be suspect, allowing acid fumes to escape and cause corrosion. But batteries in the last few decades have been pretty well put together.
 
pvb said:
But I've never done it, in 40+ years of boating, and never had problems with terminal corrosion. I can understand that way back in the Dark Ages, when batteries were in their infancy, the seal between the case and the terminal might be suspect, allowing acid fumes to escape and cause corrosion. But batteries in the last few decades have been pretty well put together.
Click to expand...

You do it your way and I'll do it mine !
 
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