Proper lubrication is the most important factor to long life for any blower or vacuum pump. Blowers require a good grade of industrial type, non-detergent, rust inhibiting, anti-foaming oil of the correct viscosity. Automotive type lubricants are NOT recommended as they are not formulated with the necessary properties. Check your blower manual for viscosity recommendations or contact our engineering team to discuss your application.
A good synthetic blower oil will have a normal life expectancy of approximately 6000 hours with an oil temperature of 180°F (82°C) or less. As the oil temperature increases by increments of 15°F (8°C), the oil life is reduced by half for each 15°F (8°C) increase. Since 180°F is low for most blower applications, the actual life of the oil might be much less than the 6000 hours often referenced.
Example: Oil temperatures of 195°F (90.5°C) will produce a life expectancy reduced by half or 3000 hours oil service life. Normal life expectancy of petroleum based oils is about 2000 hours with an oil temperature of about 180°F (82°C). As the oil temperature increases by increments of 15°F (8°C), the life is reduced by half for each 15°F (8°C) increase. Example: Oil temperatures of 195°F (90.5°C) will produce life expectancy reduced by half or 1000 hours oil service life.
Note: To estimate oil temperature, multiply the discharge temperature of the blower by 0.80. Example: if the discharge air temperature of the blower is 200° F, it is estimated that the oil temperature is 160° F.
