Exposure to regular bearing and part cleaners can cause uneasiness in the short term and adversely affect health in the long run.

Bearing cleaning and re-greasing is a part of the regular ‘Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul’ activity in all industries. Typically, the dismounted bearings contain used grease debris, scales and other foreign residues which need to be cleaned thoroughly for inspection prior to lubricating with fresh grease and re-use. Improper cleaning can impact performance and diminish bearing life. Based on the type of bearing, manufacturers have provided clear instructions on the process of dismounting and cleaning for small to large bearings.

While bearing manufacturers recommend an oil bath or rinse tank, It is common practice for maintenance teams in industries to set-up component cleaning machines that use water-based cleaners. This set-up is commonly observed in industries such as Railways where the quantum of bearings to be cleaned is huge and regular. Bearings cleaned through such parts washers with water-based emulsions are dried out thoroughly with hot air or through vacuum dry outs. BECHEM’s range of water-based cleaners (Beruclean 3843, Beruclean 113 EMF and Beruclean 111 EHF) for high pressure cleaning systems have provided excellent cleaning results in such set ups.

The alternate arrangement observed in heavy industries such as Steel and metal processing that operate with large, heavy duty bearings is to soak the used bearings in rinse tanks or by manually spraying and rinsing them with the cleaning agent. Subsequently the operator brushes off the residues from the bearing. Traditionally light oil, kerosene or degreaser based on Isopropyl alcohol are recommended as the cleaning agent. However, the industry practice has been to provide commonly available diesel, mineral turpentine oil (MTO) and kerosene as the cleaning agent to its Maintenance team.

While cleaning effect with diesel is good, the low flash point and continuous exposure of the personnel to the nauseating odour of diesel renders the working environment vulnerable. Apart from the known symptoms such as irritation to skin and eyes, continuous exposure to diesel without safety gear can affect central nervous system, immune and hormonal systems in adults.

Continuous exposure to kerosene is known to cause irritation to eyes and skin in humans. Studies have shown that chronic exposure to kerosene can result in drowsiness, irritability, restlessness and even convulsions. Flash point of kerosene varies between 23°C to 61°C.

Owing to their low flash points and associated safety concerns, authorities in many countries prohibit and dissuade industries from using diesel and kerosene as a cleaning.

Even more dangerous is the use of MTO as a cleaning agent, the health hazards and environmental impact associated with this traditional cleaning agent has been well established. Fortunately, with increased awareness, the use of MTO has waned within the industry. Disposal of used cleaning agent is also a factor that is controlled by Authorities and expensive to manage.

Restarting machines without priming after prolonged stoppage can have adverse effect on the components and land you in further downtime.  While there is a vast range of bearings suited for every application based on speed, load and alignment, optimal lubrication is a common yet critical requirement for efficient performance. Here is a list of possible scenarios that can adversely affect bearing performance due to lubricant starvation and remedies to ideally prep the machine before restart.