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Lubricating Eheim O rings and gaskets with ?

Zak Rafik

Member
Joined
11 Aug 2014
Messages
466
Location
Singapore
Hi guys,
I'm in the midst of setting up a new tank. Yahoooooo! :happy:

I have an Eheim 2080 (1200XL) and it has been sitting in my store room empty for the past 1 year plus and now I would like to use it for my new setup.

Planning to lubricate the locking lever mechanisms, gaskets and O rings. However, getting Eheim's water neutral maintenance spray in my country (Singapore) is tough.
I did manage to find it on ebay (where else?:lol:) but the shipping will cost me more than the price of the spray.

I came across forum threads where using normal (unscented) vaseline is recommended but at the same time other members in the thread cautioned on the effect vaseline may have on the O rings.

It would be most useful if fellow members here can share their thoughts and experiences on this.

Will the O rings and gaskets deteriorate over a period of time when vaseline is used?
Are there are other types of lubricants that are rubber safe and fish safe?

Thank you very much and Cheers.

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It's said that petroleum based vaseline will deteriorate the rubber, so you should always use water based vaseline. It must be ok to use in the impeller as it as no rubber parts and is safe for fish.

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It's said that petroleum based vaseline will deteriorate the rubber, so you should always use water based vaseline. It must be ok to use in the impeller as it as no rubber parts and is safe for fish.

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Do you know what material the o-rings are? Both Viton (FKM FPM) Rubber and Nitrile Buna Rubber (NBR) have good resistance to petroleum based products. EPDM on the other hand will be badly affected.

Didn't realise you could get water based vaseline?
 
Do you know what material the o-rings are? Both Viton (FKM FPM) Rubber and Nitrile Buna Rubber (NBR) have good resistance to petroleum based products. EPDM on the other hand will be badly affected.

Didn't realise you could get water based vaseline?

Actually.... it's probably irrelevant what material the o-rings are. Probably shouldn't be using petroleum based products on aquarium gear anyway.
 
Do you know what material the o-rings are? Both Viton (FKM FPM) Rubber and Nitrile Buna Rubber (NBR) have good resistance to petroleum based products. EPDM on the other hand will be badly affected.

Didn't realise you could get water based vaseline?
Sorry, I meant silicone based. Will edit the post

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I don't believe the lifetime of the pumps mechanical parts of exceed the lifetime of an o-ring. What wears down an o-ring is, mechanical strain (friction), temperatur fluctuations and UV radiation from sun light. Or mistreatment during installation. If they are mounted tight as a non moving sealing they do not realy need any lubricant. Lubricants are generaly used for long time storage to prevent it from sticking together to other rubber parts. And that's why you find Talcum powder in and around a rubber inner tube of a tire, because it is stored inflated and folded. :) Or is used for easier mounting and reduce the chance of damage..

Most o-rings require some sort of lubrication for storage (to keep the parts from sticking together), for installation or
for automatic feeding. Many lubrication options are available depending on the requirements of your application.

:Shorter-term lubrication of the o-ring can be accomplished by coating the exterior of the part with:
Silicone oil
Graphite
Molybdenum disulfide (MoS2)
Talcum Powder

:Longer-term external lubrication can be realized with:
PTFE coating
Applying other dry lubricants to the surface

http://www.allsealsinc.com/pdfs/dichtomatik_oring_handbook.pdf

The best and saffest way of dry lubrication is rub the o ring with talcum powder before reinstalling (especialy for long term storage if not in use). Greasy lubrication only collects dirt particles.
 
I use silicon based lubricant. Bought a small tube from a local dive shop

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Good tip about using scuba-grade silicone lubricant. So far living in Europe never had problems getting the Eheim spray but may give it a try, particularly on those pesky connector taps on the canisters that always seem to stick. Ciao

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Hi guys,
I managed to find this in a local forum. Please read the quote below:

"According to Eheim website, you can use the petroleum jelly

here cut and paste from the web site:
07. How do I service sealing rings?

Each time you clean the filter, lubricate the sealing rings lightly with our aquatic maintenance spray 4001000 or with ordinary petroleum jelly (Vaseline). This increases the lifespan of the rubber sealings considerably and ensures easy mounting.
http://www.eheim.de/eheim/inhalte/in...reich=produkte "


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Sadly the web link given above is not working anymore. Has any members come across this on Eheim's website?
I also wonder if the above advice was for old models of filters which might have O rings made of a different material.

p.s. thanks for all the info sharing. I appreciate it. :)
 
Last edited:
Sir, in reply to your most mind boggling tip, see below. :lol:
36580320105_b2db43cca1_b.jpg

But its lubricating properties are well well documented, reducing the friction two orders of magnitude lower than water alone. So aiding reassembly FOC with a biologically degradable lubricant which wont attract any detritus long term.
 
Hi.
Silicone spray is perfect.
I use it at work for all kinds of gaskets and also the gaskets on my filters.
It also works well when slipping the filter hoses onto glass Lilly pipes and even co2 diffusers.

Cheers
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