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IV. GENERAL MAINTENANCE
Within this section are the maintenance duties that must be followed to ensure optimum
performance and avoid hazards.
A.
LUBRICATION
1. PILLOW BLOCK BEARINGS
Some radiators are equipped with bearings that require frequent greasing, depending on
the application (See Table 2).
Table 2: Greasing frequency guide
APPLICATION
GREASING FREQUENCY
40 hours a year
Every 1-2 months
18 hours a day
Every 48-60 hours of
operation
18 hours a day
(dirty environment, high
humidity or rainy periods)
Every 24-36 hours of
operation
24 hours a day
Every 24-36 hours of
operation
24 hours a day
(dirty environment, high
humidity or rainy periods)
Every 24 hours of operation
When lubricating the pillow block bearings, it is recommended that the housing be filled
until a bead of grease starts to come out around the seals. Do not use excessive
pressure, as this can damage the bearing seals. Do not mix grease types.
Grease compatibility is critical. Re-lubricate with grease that is compatible with grease
supplied from the factory.
For Single pillow block (spherical bearing) units such as QM/Timken (Blue Brute Model
QMPL), Browning (Model SPB1000) and Moline (Model M2000), use synthetic NLGI #2
lithium complex grease (Mobil Mobilux EP-2, Dow Corning Molykote G4700 or
equivalent).
For Double pillow block (ball bearing) units such as Ketchie-Houston (Model KH), use
NLGI #2 polyurea grease (Mobil Polyrex EM, Chevron SRI or equivalent).
For -30°F and below applications, contact Rocore Engineering for cold-weather or arctic
grease recommendations.
For radiators that are not operated regularly, rotate the shafts several turns, once per
month, to redistribute the grease in the bearings