Lubricant Storage and Handling Tips

5 Storage and Handling Tips for Automotive Lubricants

Working under the hood of your car from home can be a rewarding hobby. Not only will maintaining your car prolong its life, but routine vehicle upkeep can also save you money. One of the biggest challenges of do-it-yourself auto work, however, is having limited workspace. A home garage typically isn’t equipped with the tools of the trade to make the job as easy and convenient as possible. This is especially true when it comes to storing oils, lubricants and other automotive style fluids.

But just because you don’t have a full-scale garage to work in, doesn't mean you can't set up an amazing workspace for auto repairs and oil storage. Following are five tips for storing and handling automotive style fluids lubricants, which will make performing vehicle maintenance easier and more enjoyable.

1. Have a Dedicated Spot for Lubricant Storage

Having a dedicated location for all of your lubricants has many benefits. Whether you store bulk lubricants in stackable tanks or packaged goods, keeping everything labeled and in one central location can help eliminate possible cross contamination of fluids. It will also help keep your shop clean having all your fluids in one location instead of being spread out in the shop. A dedicated fluid storage location in your shop also enable you to add a waste oil system for collected waste fluids.

2. Shelf Life

Just like food in your house, lubricants also have a shelf life. It is important to know what the shelf life is for each of your lubricants before adding them to your vehicle. You don't want to suffer from poor performance, or from the potential of an expired product to cause damage to your vehicle's engine. When identifying and labeling your lubricants, it is important to also note the shelf life.

3. Use Proper Fluid Dispense Equipment

Proper dispense equipment is essential for a shop to run smoothly. It doesn’t matter if you are refilling bulk oils or fluids into a large storage tank in your lube storage area or using mobile fluid transfer lubrication equipment. You want to properly use the correct equipment for each setup. Make sure you have proper ratio pumps such as 3:1, 5:1 or larger to reach your required dispense distance and volumes. Color coding the dispense meters will help make your shop more efficient.

4. Quality Control

When purchasing lubricant products, its important to make sure you are buying a quality lubricant, and be sure to test it regularly. The lubricants should meeting the quality advertised. Oil analysis can provide key indicators of the base stock, additives used, concentration, performance and overall quality levels.

5. Label Your Lubricants

When you setup your shop with a dedicated lube area, label all products to eliminate cross contamination. Its also important to identify the oil's shelf life, that way you know you are using the correct product and that the product is a quality lubricant.

 

Following these 5 key steps for oil and lubrication storage, will allow your home shop garage to be organized into an amazing fluid storage workspace. Your vehicle maintenance performance should be more enjoyable.