The term shelf life refers to the period in which you can store lubricants, grease or oil and continue to use these products without going through a quality control process. How long can you keep lubricants? Solution Oil provides shelf life recommendations to guide distributors or customers. However, these recommendations will only work if you strictly adhere to the conditions. If you store the lubricants under recommended conditions, you can rely on the manufacturer’s shelf life instructions. It is important to be very careful with lubricants that have reached their expiration date. What should you do with oils and lubricants that reach the expected shelf life? If so, perform an oil analysis for lubricants that have been stored longer than the recommended shelf life. In such cases it becomes necessary to check whether the quality of your oils has been affected by a longer storage period or the environment. The environment in which you store lubricants is just as important as the storage time.
Temperature fluctuations, humidity, agitation of the lubricants and quality of storage products are some of the factors that can completely change the situation. Maintaining a dry and clean environment is essential when it comes to achieving their maximum shelf life for lubricants.
Lubricant characteristics
Lubricant properties can play a decisive role in determining their expected shelf life. Base oil, thickener type and additives are some of the factors that determine whether the lubricant has a short or long shelf life. Custom lubricants are recommended to be stored for three months, calcium complex based greases for six months and lithium based greases for one year. While lubricants with a low percentage of additives can ideally be stored for more than five years, soluble oils and fire-resistant lubricants can ideally be stored for about six months.
How long can you keep lubricants?
The life of the product in use and the life of the product in storage are two different concepts. Lubricants remain immobile when stored for extended periods of time. During storage, lubricants can be exposed to cyclical temperature changes and the ingress of contaminants that can seriously affect the performance properties of the product. During use, lubricants undergo dynamic conditions such as splashing, circulation, churning, etc. Most oils and greases deteriorate over time. Nevertheless, excellent oil storage practices lead to adequate inventory turnover and lubricants can be used before performance loss occurs.
Solution Oil lubricant
Solution Oil is one of the largest suppliers of high-quality lubricants, storage and filtration products in the Netherlands. As a leading oil company, we always strive to keep your oil in good working order through top quality, on-site inspection and technical support. Contact us for more information!