O Ring grease to use or not to use?

If you dont over tighten is it ok not to use O-Ring grease? on first stage home hook ups or diver your self projects?
How do you make sure you dont over tighten,is there simple suggestions?

You don't need to grease the rings. They usually have some kind of sheen on them anyway. About tightness; I don't know what to tell you except tighten until the O ring submerges into the fitting and then apply about a pound of force to snug. Normally, the fitting requires a 1/2 or 9/16 wrench which is capable of a lot of torque so less is better. Grip the wrench close to the work, not on the end of the handle. When one feels metal to metal contact between the fitting and regulator body it is time to be cautious. Just snug up. Do not use a crescent wrench. Tank neck rings need to be greased but not the little ones.

I would recommend greasing the O rings.....but it all depends what oring your talking about........the grease prevents it from prematurely drying out...The sheen on them is OK but definetely not a substitute for grease!

I agree, you should keep o-rings lubricated. If they dry out, they become brittle and more difficult to get to seal. The lube I use is Crystal lube. It is the stuff NASA uses and is freaking expensive. A small tube is about 30.00 bucks. It works on pretty much all o-rings and you use it sparingly.

Dive Right In Scuba:

...The sheen on them is OK but definetely not a substitute for grease!

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On my o-rings the sheen IS grease. In most applications, all the o-rings need is a very, very light coating of grease.

I don't know about regulators, but my bet is that more lights and cameras have flooded from having excess grease than too little grease.

the o-ring is the sealing surface that meets the case , the surfaces must be clean ,the silicon grease is not a lubricant its a material preservative to keep the 0-ring from dry rotting. a 4 oz. tube of silicon grease should out last a diver. most o-ring will flatten out with time or extreme temperature fluctuations.

squidster:

If you dont over tighten is it ok not to use O-Ring grease? on first stage home hook ups or diver your self projects?
How do you make sure you dont over tighten,is there simple suggestions?

Click to expand...

Depends on the application.

If it is a "dynamic" oring you ned lube. What's a dynamic Oring? One that moves in service. Examples would be the rings on a moving portion of a regulator, or the orings on a SPG stem. Dynamic rings can slide, rotate or both.

If it's a static oring you may or may not need lube. Examples of static rings would be the face sealing ring on a Din connection, or the Oring on a hose to first stage reg connection.

I lube most orings because even a "static" oring can be "dynamic" when it's first installed. Consider a hose fitting oring, i.e. the oring on the end of the threaded hose fitting that screws into a first stage. When you tighten the fitting the oring both deflects and is turned relative to the fitting. A little lube here helps ensure it fills the void evenly and does not bunch up or pinch. Mostly overkill I admit, I have seen it happen on some large hydraulic assemblies.

A useful trick I was shown was to put a little lube in a small plastic bag, and then but the oring in the bag. Rub it around and you have lube ring without wasting any lube on your fingers.

If the oring is exposed, like a yoke valve oring, lube will just be a dirt magnet.

Tobin

CARE AND FEEDING OF O-RINGS...

Silicone grease is, at once, a lubricant and a protective "skin". As mentioned above, for dynamic use it is manditory as a lubricant. Where the o-ring never suffers movement and is always sandwiched, it is likely that grease serves no function except to ease any friction-related problems in the installation process. Thus, a light coat of grease...and I mean LIGHT...will do no harm...UNLESS THE MFG RECOMMENDS AGAINST IT...

When it comes to all sorts so gear from dive lights to cameras, I have seen too many folks slather on the grease, thinking it is sealant. It is not...and great globs of grease will only gather sand, sand that can abrade, penetrate, and generally ruin gear.

The message: GO EASY WITH GREASE...unless you are doing a wheel bearing grease job on your car!

joewr...no further udates in this section, but keep watching...