Q: Yeah, But Is Vaseline a Dielectric Grease?

A: Dielectric grease is different from Vaseline, as it uses a silicone base
while Vaseline is petroleum jelly, which is made of waxes and minerals.

https://www.thedrive.com/maintenance-repair/39173/dielectric-grease)

https://askanydifference.com/difference-between-dielectric-grease-and-vaseline/

On Wed, Jun 14, 2023 at 6:42 PM Mike Miller <mwmiller6@att.net> wrote:

> Different name?
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> > On Jun 14, 2023, at 3:36 PM, David McNeely <davmcneely40@gmail.com>
> wrote:
> >
> > Thanks Richard.  I still don't know how it is different, though.
> mcneely
> >
> >> On Wed, Jun 14, 2023 at 3:33 PM Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net>
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> Dielectric grease would work just fine.  Maybe better.
> >>
> >> On Wednesday, June 14, 2023 at 03:27:43 PM PDT, David McNeely <
> >> davmcneely40@gmail.com> wrote:
> >>
> >>
> >> So why not dialectric grease?  I know the price would be greatly
> >> different, but the dg is made for the purpose.  So, why vaseline?  How
> is
> >> the DG different from vaseline?
> >>
> >> On Wed, Jun 14, 2023 at 12:41 PM Richard Koerner <rjkinpb@sbcglobal.net
> >
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> I've recently been discussing microscopic corrosion that occurs on metal
> >> electrical contacts (with 2 engineer buddies, one at Apple, one at H/P).
> >> You know how sometimes something funky and unexpected happens to
> something
> >> electrical in your Vanagon?  Might be a light bulb, might be a spade
> >> connector, might be a speaker connection, might be a door switch, might
> be
> >> an Emergency Flasher switch.  I boldly surmise that in general, the
> >> component itself is not the problem.....it's getting electricity back
> and
> >> forth from it.  Why?  Microscopic surface corrosion....and it doesn't
> take
> >> much.  When building a car or some electronic device, everything is
> bright
> >> shiny new, just attach things and everything works just fine.  Over
> time,
> >> humidity in air and even worse when near an ocean, starts to attack this
> >> nice shiny metal.  Corrosion.  Increased resistance at best, failed
> >> connection at worst.  Now, given that things need to be built quickly
> and
> >> most cost effectively, there is no corrosion prevention applied.
> Mostly,
> >> these situations are very easy to deal with; you clean them up, with
> >> varying degrees of intensity, and then apply a nice protective coating
> >> before connecting again.
> >>
> >>
> >> Vaseline.  A most marvelous thing.  Just a tiny smooth wipe.
> >>
> >>
> >> Yes, I've taken fuses out one by one and used steel wool to shiny up and
> >> then a very thin wipe of Vaseline on contacts and they glide right back
> >> into position.  Every time I deal with some spade or barrel connector I
> do
> >> the same.  Light bulbs?...yes, same treatment.  Worried about shorting
> >> something out with grease?; nope, has never happened, and I just
> recently
> >> did similar corrosion fix on my Samsung smartphone battery and also HDMI
> >> connections on back of TV.   I mean, I used a toothpick and
> magnification,
> >> didn't slather it on, but it fixed things immediately.  Flashlights,
> >> battery operated wall clocks, remote controls, room thermostat....you
> name
> >> it.
> >>
> >>
> >> In cases like the Emergency Flasher Switch....well, you can't readily
> get
> >> inside....but spray Electrical Contact Cleaner and 50 times exercising
> does
> >> the job.  Similar with other enclosed things.
> >>
> >> This is my opinion, and I'd love to hear comments pro or con.  I'm a big
> >> believer in preventative maintenance; even if something isn't broken, if
> >> I'm in the nearby area I do everything I can to preserve it's life.
> It's
> >> always so easy to do at home, and always so discouraging to try to fix
> when
> >> on the road.
> >>
> >>
>