Grease, Dry Film, and What Each Is For

Grease is not a general purpose answer, and on a coastal gate the wrong choice does measurable harm. The product notes kept at Gate Maintenance Mount Pleasant, SC thetaxpayers split the hardware into wet points and dry points for exactly that reason, since a Mount Pleasant gate lives in blown sand and shell dust that sticks to anything tacky.

Where Grease Belongs

Sealed points take grease: a hinge with a zerk fitting, a roller bearing built to hold it, the pivot inside a hydraulic operator. In all three the lubricant is enclosed, so it stays where it was put and grit cannot reach it. Those are the only positions where a heavy product is the correct choice.

Where It Does Damage

Anything exposed should stay dry. A ground track, an open chain, a latch mechanism and a drop rod guide all collect airborne debris, and grease turns that debris into a grinding paste. A track that looks well cared for because it is glossy is usually the one chewing through its roller fastest.

Dry Film and Where It Wins

A dry film lubricant carries in a solvent, flashes off, and leaves a slick layer that dust will not cling to. It suits exposed pivots, latch tongues, keypad lock cylinders and any sliding contact out in the weather. It needs reapplying more often than grease, which is a fair trade for not building an abrasive on the part.

Leave These Alone

Do not oil a photo eye housing, a safety edge, a loop detector lead, or the terminal strip inside an operator cabinet. Nothing there moves against anything else. Lubricant on those surfaces only holds dirt against an optical face or a connection, and creates a fault that presents as an electrical failure.

Clean Before You Apply

Lubricant laid over old grit seals the abrasive in. Wipe or brush the part down, let the track dry, then apply. Skipping that step is why a component that has been serviced faithfully can show more wear than one nobody ever touched. On a coastal property, rinse with fresh water first, let the part dry, then lubricate. Salt sealed under a film of grease keeps working on the metal underneath it, and the part looks well maintained the whole time it is corroding.