Using the Right Oil for Industrial Equipment

When you work with industrial equipment, it's really important that you use the right type of oil for the job. If you don't, then your equipment won't work properly and you'll end up wasting oil, time and money and can even damage your equipment. This article looks at five of the main problems that can arise if you don't use the right oil, demonstrating how important it is that you're careful about the issue.

Current high price of oil

You are no doubt aware that oil is currently really expensive. This means you need to be as thrifty as you can when you use it and get exactly the right oil for industrial equipment and commercial uses. If you don't, then you'll find you end up spending much more than you want to on oil because you'll have to replace it and try different types until you get the right one. This is why it's worth doing some research beforehand so you can be absolutely certain you've got the right one and, therefore, the most cost effective option.

Changing it too often

If the oil you use isn't quite right for the purpose you're using it for, then you might find you end up changing it more often than you otherwise would because it will become tainted more quickly. There are only 2 main reasons you need to change oil in industrial machinery: the additives in the oil have become depleted or the base oil has become tainted. If the oil isn't doing its job properly then your first instinct will natural be to change it, but if it isn't the right product you'll end up changing it more often and wasting more money, even though there might technically be nothing wrong with the oil itself - it's the type you're using that's wrong.

Oil gets hot too quickly to be effective

If oil gets too hot then it loses its viscosity and the fluids won't lubricate your machinery properly. This then has an impact on the why it transfers power and stops the industrial equipment from running as it should do. If you find that the oil you use on your machinery gets hot too quickly, then you are probably using the wrong one and should change to another one. You should also check there is nothing wrong with your machine and make sure it's not overheating.

High viscosity means it won't flow properly

In contrast to the point above, if oil is too cold then it has a high viscosity and it won't flow properly. This can lead to machine parts becoming clogged up, which again stops them from working as they should do. If this is a problem for you, then you need to be using oil that has a lower viscosity.

Increases power consumption due to wrong viscosity

Ultimately, when you use the wrong oil, it generally has the wrong level of viscosity for the job. This makes it harder for the oil to work properly and impacts on the equipment itself. This then increases your power consumption as using the wrong lubricants makes it more difficult to do the job. All of this shows why it's so important that you use the right lubrication when working with industrial machinery.


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The selection of the correct oils and lubrication fluids is a vital part of the safe ownership of any mechanical equipment, be it a car or industrial plant. Graham Baylis is working with some of the best experts in the field, Exol Lubricants. See www.exol-lubricants.com