Electrically conductive grease vs copperslip

[Mark Serj]

Gents

Having found out I have lost the little pot (or the plot depending on your point of view...) of electrically conductive grease whilst restoring the loom on my Moto Guzzi, it occurred to me that I might use Coppaslip (other products are available etc.).

Any one tried this by chance please?

Regards and seasons greetings to you all!

Mark

[Phil S]

I have only ever used grease as a protection on electrical circuits never as a conductor, and I have worked on battery power access equipment for years. if the 2 parts are clean when connected the a spray of silicone grease will keep moisture out.
Phil

[marshman]

Have to agree with Phil here. There is no need for a "conductive grease". All you need is a smear / spray of silicone grease. This should act as protection against corrosion (water repellent/proofer)- which is usually the biggest problem with electrical connections. Conductive grease will do nothing extra to prevent the corrosion and in my opinion could help "conduct" away from the connector and even add to potential galvanic corrosion - not much problem on low voltage connectors but a definite no no on higher voltages such as on Solar Panel connectors. The only place where I would even consider conductive grease would be on moving switch contacts.

Roger

[Mark Serj]

Right oh chaps - thanks for the feedback. Silicon grease it is then!

Regards

[StagJonno]

I've used this for many years https://www.etscablecomponents.com/b...paste-bxi.html on external earth connections, or those in damp environments, especially with disimilar metals. Works a treat. Calls itself a paste, but is greasy in its consistency and does a good job of excluding moisture. Of course you'd need to use carefully to avoid introducing unwanted electrical bridges/ short circuits.

Jonno

[flowboy]

I know this is an old thread but I came across this in the Alfa Bulletin forum & thought it might be relevant to readers. The article refers to a US grease called Noalox, which is available in the UK

"Silicone grease should not be applied to (or next to) any switch contact that might experience arcing, as silicone can convert to silicon-carbide under arcing conditions, and accumulation of the silicon-carbide can cause the contacts to prematurely fail. (British Telecom had this problem in the 1970s when silicone Symel® sleeving was used in telephone exchanges. Vapor from the sleeving migrated to relay contacts and the resultant silicon-carbide caused intermittent connection.)"
Interestingly, the Wikipedia article "Dielectric grease" opens as "silicone grease or dielectric grease" & states that; "Silicone grease can decompose to form an insulating layer at or next to switch contacts that experience arcing, and contamination can cause the contacts to prematurely fail."

So the substitution of a named dielectric grease with a "silicone grease" would seem to be acceptable (except in conditions where arcing is a risk) & providing the heat range is ok for the intended use.
The Prysman Biccon X paste looks to be just the ticket though.

Re. Vaseline, my experience of using it in some cases where rubber o-rings were present, in time appeared to show the vaseline damaging the o-rings. It is hydrocarbon based so may degrade some rubbers.