Food Grade Lubricant for First Stage?

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talonraid

Contributor
Scuba Instructor
Divemaster
Messages
178
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Location
Republic of Texas, San Antonio Area
# of dives
200 - 499
I just have a few quick questions about using a food grade lubricant for the O-rings used for the different hoses connected to the first stage.

Can you use a heavy duty food grade lubricant? Is this acceptable if I may use the gear for Nitrox later?

Sure, I can buy Christolube....but I have on hand a food grade lubricant that I use on the O-rings for my beer kegs (my other hobby).

I've read several threads related to this subject but I never saw this specifically answered. I know Christolube and Krytox are the lubricants of choice. I know not to overtighten the brass fittings. I know not to use too, much lube...just enough to make it shiney. I've read about just taking it to the LDS. So, please save those comments.

Thanks.
 
What is the lubricant made out of? If it is flammable then you cannot use it for Nitrox. You may want to PM Oxyhacker with that question, he wrote the book (literally) on O2 cleaning.

I am not sure what the food grade lubricant is used for. If you are using it for the CO2 line in a beer keg, then it may not be designed for a gas that can burn. Remember CO2 is not flammable because the oxygen atoms are already bound to the carbon atom.
 
Well, ams511 what it's made of is a good question. It's food grade so it's supposed to be inert, but I guess it could contain petroleum products. However, the tube doesn't specify. The manufacturer's website is also mum. Perhaps it's a closely guarded secret. The food grade lube industry is full of spies! I hadn't even thought about it containing petroleum and then there being a danger with it coming into contact with oxygen.

Anyway, here is what the tech sheet does say: melting point 200 degrees F, rated H-1 by the NSF (National Science Foundation), all ingredients are FDA approved. Not very helpful.

I don't know...maybe I should just go buy some Christolube from the LDS. Damn! One more day of not putting my gear together.
 
Pure silicone grease! It is inexpensive and the correct thing to use on o-rings. Why poke a 800lbs gorilla if you do not have to?

Nitrox will degrade standard o-rings, but not very quickly. The issue with not using Crystal Lube is the dangers of filling with partial pressure. Having silicone on your first stage will not cause any Nitrox filling issues, it is not attached when you fill. I do not know of any divers that carry CL in their save a dive kit.
:monkeydan
 
The silicone lubes originally used in scuba regs were picked mainly because they were readily available, and food safe. However as regs gave gotten higher and higher performing they have gotten fussier about lube, so it would be false economy to use just any random food safe grease just because is it free.

The O2-safe lubes like Christolube are not just O2-safe, they are much better all around lubes, and using them will often make a noticable improvement in how a reg performs. That's why most of the reg manufacturers use them now, and recommend their use in the field, whether the reg will be used with nitrox or not.

(Which is why I keep Christolube in my save-a-dive kit)
 
oxyhacker:
The silicone lubes originally used in scuba regs were picked mainly because they were readily available, and food safe. However as regs gave gotten higher and higher performing they have gotten fussier about lube, so it would be false economy to use just any random food safe grease just because is it free.

The O2-safe lubes like Christolube are not just O2-safe, they are much better all around lubes, and using them will often make a noticable improvement in how a reg performs. That's why most of the reg manufacturers use them now, and recommend their use in the field, whether the reg will be used with nitrox or not.

(Which is why I keep Christolube in my save-a-dive kit)

Do you think it would it make a significant difference to performance in this instance? Sounds like he just wants to lube the o-rings on the ends of the hoses. Maybe I misunderstood, though.
 
ZzzKing, you are correct. Just lubing the O-rings on the hoses.

However, I played it safe, went to the LDS and bought a tiny little jar of NTX Grease that is "non-silicone, for all SCUBA lubrications and NITROX compatible to 50%" according to the label. It cost me about $16, but LDS owner promised me I would lose it before I ran out of it.

Thanks everyone for the input.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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