Good grease vital for marine maintenance

To ensure the continued use of Ramonol Advanced in the maintenance of its hatches the company now supply a tube of the grease with each new hatch. Hercules had been looking for a better quality waterproof grease for some time and, after trials, now use Ramonol Advanced exclusively simply because it works and doesn’t get washed out easily.

The product’s manufacturer, Southampton based Gruebb Ltd, is a small specialist lubricants company. Commenting on grease choices for marine use, Gruebb said far too many people think grease is just grease, and that could not be more wrong.

There are many types of grease chemistry and if the correct choice is not made, marine equipment operators are likely to be paying more to replace parts, as well as having to do more regular maintenance. Choosing and using a high quality marine grease is therefore more important than people may think. The right grease for the job saves maintenance time and provides greater protection to equipment and fittings. There might also be compatibility problems if grease types are mixed, which could compound the problem, Gruebb advises a clean up before re-greasing.

Gruebb entered the marine market in response to many enquiries for alternatives when Duckhams dropped the long time marine favourite, Keenol. As a replacement, Gruebb developed a high quality white lithium soap based grease of similar properties and named it Ramonol White, which quickly became well established in the leisure marine industry. Lithium soap based greases are by far the most popular grease type. Used widely by industry they perform well and offer excellent value for money.

However, Gruebb is a technology driven company and saw a need for a better grease that could withstand the harsh seawater spray conditions experienced by commercial vessels, where equipment problems cannot be tolerated. This led to the development of Ramonol Advanced, a calcium sulphonate grease, which provides a very high degree of water resistance, excellent adhesion and exceptional anti-wear and anti-corrosion protection. Although calcium sulphonate greases are more expensive than lithium soap, it pays to use them, particularly when equipment is being used in extreme conditions. As in Ramonol White, a whitening agent is added so that the grease is visible. This helps ensure surfaces are seen to be separated, preventing corrosive welding and seizure.

Ramonol Advanced was initially aimed at the superyacht market as a ‘one grease for all applications’ concept, but quickly found its way into other marine sectors, including use by fishing vessel operators and deep sea equipment builders. The product can be used on winches, seacocks, deck gear, blocks, bearings, and hinges. It is also well suited for wire rope protection as well as for jet drives and grease packed variable and folding propellers, where wash out is a persistent problem.