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contaminated bearing

Contamination is one of the failure modes that we see quite often in bearing failures. Foreign matter such as dirt and moisture getting into bearings reduces the reliability of your bearings significantly. Here are some sources of contamination to avoid:

  1. Assembling bearings in a dirty environment: Bearings should be installed in a dry, dust-free room. If you have to mount them in an unprotected area, use a tarp or other means to make sure you keep them protected from dust, dirt and moisture until installation has been completed.
  2. Contaminated lubricants: Store your grease and oil in a clean and dry environment. Make sure that they are contained in quality containers and properly labeled to avoid cross-contamination and misapplication of lubricants.
  3. Worn integral metal parts: As the bearings age and wear, there will be contamination from metal particles as they wear. Proper installation and lubrication will slow this down considerably.
  4. Contaminated area around the bearing: Not only protect from dust and other airborne contaminants but also keep the area around the bearing as clean as possible to keep surface contaminants to a minimum.
  5. Dirty grease fittings: Simply cleaning the grease fittings with a lint-free cloth can keep contaminants from being injected into the bearing during regreasing.
  6. Faulty or worn seals: Pay attention to the condition of the seals. They are designed to keep lubrication in and contaminants out. Take care not to overgrease the bearing, which will cause a seal to fail.

Download our Bearing Storage Best Practices for some basics things to prevent bearing damage and contamination thus maximize bearing life and performance!

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by Tom Cummings