Blog | POLARIS Laboratories®

Storing Your Lubricants to Avoid Contamination

Are you seeing unexpected contaminants in your lubricant analysis report? How you store and handle your lubricants has a significant impact on levels of contamination.

This quick guide can help you ensure that your lubricant is properly stored — saving time, money and a headache.

The basics:

Pumps, drums and totes need to be stored in a dry environment
Avoid storing lubricants in a humid environment (lubricants are hygroscopic)
Attempt to store lubricants indoors away from contamination under fairly constant moderate temperature conditions
Lubricants exposed to temperature extremes can lose additive effectiveness
Varying temperatures can cause breathing in sealed containers resulting in contaminant ingress

Indoor Storage:

When storing your fluid inside, follow the guidelines outlined in the image below to avoid contaminants.

Outdoor Storage:

Storing drums outside should be avoided but, if outside storage is the only option, consider these methods to avoid contamination:

Shelter drums from the rain and snow
Lay drums on their sides with buns in 3 and 9-o-clock position below lubricant level
Cover drums with shelter or tarp
Store drums upright, but tilt to keep water from bung
Use drum covers
Store small containers in a sealed cabinet

Best Storage

Adequate Storage

Least Desirable Storage

Integrating these simple practices into your maintenance program can help you improve the overall quality of your fluid. Ensuring that outside contaminants such as water, air and abrasives stay far away from your lubricants is a fundamental best practice for strong oil analysis programs.

If you’re interested in learning more about implementing a successful oil analysis program, visit our training page or contact us for more information.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
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Play Like a Champion Today

Picture this… It’s already September which is accompanied by crisp fall air, long nights of tailgating and football. Lots of football. While your days may be consumed with heated discussion on who most has the inside track to becoming this year’s champion, there’s another type of champion we’re discussing here at POLARIS Laboratories®.

While strategic oil analysis may seem vastly different than a game of football, we believe they both require champions to ensure the job is done right. That’s why this year’s Customer Summit theme is “Champion Impact”. This unique, peer-to-peer experience is designed to help your company capture and apply the elements of a successful oil analysis program, create greater visibility for your programs and secure broader management support.

Whether you’re looking to huddle with companies that have proven successes or create a playbook to troubleshoot your own issues with a group of peers, our Customer Summit will help you maximize your oil analysis program and continue to drive operational performance.

We have coordinated every aspect of this event to best fit your team’s needs and ensure that you make the most out of your summit experience. Taking place in Indianapolis from September 19-21, this two-day, 12-session event offers a one-of-a-kind experience for your busy team.

Mixing work with some memorable fun, we’ve even coordinated a special event at the NCAA Hall of Champions, an interactive exhibit that showcases the work and sacrifices it takes to make the grade in collegiate sports. We have an exciting event planned, offering you the opportunity to network with peers and learn all about the NCAA.

Are you ready to take the next step to becoming a program champion? Check out our Customer Summit website to learn more about the agenda and topics, new pre- and post-summit workshops, the exclusive off-site tour options, hotel accommodations, fees and more. Be sure to take advantage of our early registration discount, ending July 31.

Become a program champion with your oil analysis program today. Clear your calendar in September and join us in Indianapolis at the 2016 POLARIS Laboratories^® Customer Summit.

Down. Set. Hike!

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Changing Ourselves to Drive Customer Success

POLARIS Laboratories® embraces change because it is the only way to continuously improve the value of our oil analysis. Some changes are driven by feedback from employees, but often it’s the voice of the customer that drives us to become better.

Each month we send surveys to customers to discover what we are doing well and what needs improvement. Recently, survey comments requested more information in our results comments to help maintenance programs diagnose what is causing abnormal conditions in their equipment.

We took a closer look at our report comments. Wear and contamination comments contained quite a bit of information on potential causes and how to correct the problem, but fluid property comments lacked some of these details.

Our customers pointed out a valid area to improve, so improve it we did. Comments on viscosity, acid number, base number, pH, oxidation and nitration now include more details and possible root causes.

Our ultimate goal is for customers to be confident they are making the right maintenance decisions based on their analysis results. Expanding the report comments is one way we’re helping customers save their equipment.

Log into HORIZON and open a recent report to see the expanded comments for yourself.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Correcting Glycol Concentration

Proper glycol levels in coolants have become necessary to control an adequate boil point in today’s high-temperature engines. A coolant that’s properly formulated at 50% antifreeze can raise a coolant’s boil point another 12°F to 15°F. By comparison, the cooling system pressure cap increases the system pressure up to 16 pounds, which can raise the coolant’s boil point by 2.7°F at sea level.

When glycol levels are out of balance, some companies simply drain and replace the coolant. However, as much as one-third of the fluid, even rinse water, can remain in the engine block and passages and will dilute the new coolant. If the glycol percentage is the only coolant concern, it is easier to readjust the coolant using this simple mathematical equation to ensure a proper coolant dilution.

Learn more about getting a coolant analysis program started with POLARIS Laboratories®.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Monitor Biodiesel “Shelf Life” – Test for Bacteria, Fungi and Mold

The use of biodiesel and biodiesel blends is continuing to become more prevalent in the marketplace. Implementation is easy because the fuels work with existing fuel systems with little to no effect on performance.

Yet biodiesel fuels are not without problems. They are prone to biological growth and may need special treatment for optimum cold weather performance. Regular testing can help find issues early before they develop and plug fuel filters.

Biodiesel and biodiesel blends are a natural food source for biological growth. Water contamination is a concern for any fuel because, along with corroding the storage tank, water also aids in microbial growth. Testing fuel regularly for bacteria, fungi, and mold, as well as monitoring water content, is recommended to know when treatment is needed.

Testing becomes even more critical as we approach the cooler winter months. Winter temperatures could dip below your fuel’s cloud and pour points which causes filter-plugging wax crystals to form. Biodiesel and biodiesel blends naturally have a higher pour point than #1 and #2 diesel fuel, meaning that they could present cold weather problems sooner. Thankfully, additives are available that can lower cloud point and pour points if a problem is identified.

POLARIS Laboratories® recommends testing bulk fuel tanks every three months to stay on top of filter plugging problems. Regular testing will help you know when to treat your fuel before problems can escalate.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Overcooling Is as Detrimental as Overheating

It’s common for maintenance personnel watch for conditions that can cause overheating in their engines. Did you know that overcooling causes just as much damage to an engine as overheating?

Overcooling most commonly occurs when the coolant bypasses a defective water temperature regulator and flows directly to the radiator preventing the engine from reaching normal operating temperature. Your coolant system is a vital one – but typically the most neglected and least understood.

Our Data Analysis Team at POLARIS Laboratories® has identified just four tasks to add to your routine maintenance to help prevent overcooling and ensure the health of your coolant system.

Learn more about getting a coolant analysis program started with POLARIS Laboratories®.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

How Clean Is Your Fuel?

Many people assume they’re buying quality fuel that meets the required specifications, so diesel fuel cleanliness is seldom questioned. However, fuel systems with higher operating pressures have lower system tolerances for contamination and require very tight filtration. These factors have pushed fuel cleanliness into the maintenance spotlight.

Fuel system pumps and injectors are most susceptible to contamination from micro-organisms, asphaltines, dirt, sediment and rust. These particulates will quickly clog fuel filters, erode injectors, cause valves to stick and damage or clog injector spray nozzles. This can lead to overfueling, inefficient combustion and piston wear.

How can you extend your fuel filter life and maximize injector performance?
Simple. Identify both the size and concentration of contaminant particles in your bulk diesel fuel supply and filter out unwanted contaminants.

How can you identify the size and concentration?
Perform an ISO Particle Count test on all of your fuel samples. An optical laser will count and report the number of particles present in each of eight micron ranges (spanning from 4 micron to 100 microns). An ISO Cleanliness Code is then assigned based on the number of particles present at the 4, 6 and 14 micron levels.

Engine manufacturers are realizing diesel fuel cleanliness can have great impact on overall engine performance. In fact, many are now recommending diesel fuel that does not meet an ISO Cleanliness Code of 18/16/13 should be filtered before introduction to the fuel system. Surprisingly, more than 50 percent of samples tested by POLARIS Laboratories® do not meet the OEM’s 18/16/13 ISO Cleanliness Code recommendations. By these numbers, half of the diesel fuel in your bulk storage should be filtered before adding it to an engine’s fuel tank. Now, do you know how clean your fuel is?

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Q&A with Keynote Speaker David Cripps

The 2015 POLARIS Laboratories Customer Summit has an amazing lineup of speakers to demonstrate how oil analysis helps drive
action inside their maintenance programs.

Likewise, keynote speaker David Cripps, chief engineer for HERTA Racing, will bring a unique perspective to the summit. POLARIS Laboratories® sat down with Mr. Cripps for a preview of what’s in store for Customer Summit attendees.

POLARIS Laboratories: At what moment did you realize the money- and equipment-saving potential of oil analysis?

David Cripps: In racing, the key performance area we’re concerned with is drag, and there’s a tremendous amount of drag within the mechanical components. Lots of R&D goes into finding bearings and coatings that minimize the drag. Mostly, it’s accomplished by lowering lubricant viscosity as much as possible without lowering the life of the equipment. Oil analysis is an important piece of the process – especially when evaluating the wear on the equipment.

PL: What is the one piece of advice you wish every oil analysis user would follow?

DC: Data is king. It’s extremely important. People will acquire loads of data thinking they’ve done their job. But data processing is what’s important. You need a data reduction process – to collate it. You need to paint longer-term pictures, to refine the data.

PL: What’s the best oil analysis “save” you have experienced?

DC: That’s actually a story I’m going to talk about during the Customer Summit. I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ll give you a quick preview: Assume nothing.

PL: How did you end up coming to Indianapolis, and what do you think of the city?

DC: [Former IndyCar driver] Dick Simon personally invited me to work for him in Indy. He was a great guy and he had a growing racing team. That’s when I began laying down roots in the city. 20 years later, Indianapolis has changed a lot. It’s an impressive, well-run city. The downtown went through a huge renovation, and now it’s a clean, attractive place people want to hold events at, like this summit. The city is more than just racing – there’s a good cross-section of business with a little bit of everything.

Hear more from David Cripps during the 2015 POLARIS Laboratories Customer Summit. Register for the summit before July 16 and save $200.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published July 6, 2015

Take HORIZON Wherever You Go with the Mobile App

I am thrilled to unveil the newest installment of our award-winning fluid analysis software – the HORIZON® mobile app. After months of hard work and behind-the-scenes configuration, the HORIZON app and web versions sync in real-time, regardless of whether you’re on a smartphone, tablet or computer.

The feature most customers are looking forward to is adjustable alerts for the app. The app will send a “push” notification to your phone when a sample arrives, and, yes, you can adjust the alerts based on fluid type and overall severity. Since our labs process samples around the clock, I recommend using the “Do Not Disturb” feature during off hours.

For now, the app is only available for Apple devices running iOS 8 or higher. We anticipate the release of the app for Android devices in 2016. In the meantime, anyone can still access HORIZON on a standard mobile web browser.

The next feature we are developing is submitting sample information via the mobile app. We improved the web-based sample submission process earlier this year, and this app will be able to perform those same tasks this fall. You will be able to stand next to the equipment and enter fluid time, mileage and other information directly into HORIZON, which will completely eliminate handwritten paperwork and a lot of errors along with it.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published June 30, 2016

Online Sample Submission: Change Is Good

Submitting sample information through HORIZON® is quick, easy and, best of all, reduces errors. While this option has been available, we’ve redesigned the feature to be better than ever.

But why does this matter to you today? Several reasons.

The redesign also gave us the opportunity to prepare HORIZON for future updates. The HORIZON mobile app is coming out Summer 2015, and a lot of behind-the-scenes work was needed to set the foundation for the mobile app. You will be able to view and filter sample reports when the app is first released, and soon after you’ll be able to submit sample information from your mobile device, too.

After selecting the components that were sampled, now the information and fluid type is displayed right next to the sample fields. The system will make sure the barcode you enter is valid to use on the component type. This should reduce the number of coolants submitted as oils and vice versa.

You also can collapse the fields for each component or even remove components from the screen. Collapsing large lists of components and expanding the fields only when needed greatly reduces the amount of scrolling required. Removing individual components was a popular request because if the wrong component was selected in the old sample submission process, users had to move back a screen, unselect the component and re-enter all of the sample data.

Just after the new sample submission process launched, we received a call from a customer with immediate feedback. He had pulled many samples and wanted to save time by submitting the sample information online. The customer processed half of them in about five hours before work ended. The next morning, he noticed the new sample submission feature had deployed. The customer picked up where he left off with the samples, and to his surprise, the last half of the samples only took him two hours! He was very impressed by the improvements and appreciated the additional time we saved him.

For instructions on using the new sample submission process, download the written instructions or watch the video.

Proven Impact. Proven Uptime. Proven Savings.
Let us prove it to you.

Published July 6, 2015

Published June 30, 2016

Published June 9, 2015