Uses for silicone grease

Silicone grease is slippery stuff and doesn't wash off with water. You can use it to waterproof outdoor connections to LNBs, dish motor connections and to make things slide on more easily. How about those tricky radiator hoses on vehicles?

Silicone grease will also tolerate very high temperatures so it is used on heatsinks in computers and other equipment. (Sometimes zinc oxide is added but this is not essential.)

Apply it to the wall bracket bolts and to all dish bolts and U-bolt threads. This will help to ensure that they can be undone in a few years time.

It is also perfect for preventing corrosion on battery terminals in all situations from cars, tractors and lorries to model aeroplanes.

You can use it as polish to make things shine and to protect them from tarnishing. (I use it on my kitchen work surfaces).

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This high temperature silicone grease is also ideal for lubricating the threads of spark plugs. It helps to conduct heat away from the spark plug and makes it easier to remove at the next service.

Also try it on squeaky hatchback door seals.

I also used it to prevent crackling audio on my iPod. Read more about this here.

Silicone grease is also widely used as a thermally conductive medium to improve heat flow from electronic devices. For example, inside your computer you'll find a Microprocessor chip which has a heatsink attached to keep it cool. Silicone grease (often mixed with zinc oxide) helps to improve heat conduction by filling the miniscule air pockets between the surfaces (see below).

Silicone grease is available in a 50 gram tube (like a large toothpaste tube) or in an economy size 10 gram tub.

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10g economy tub

Some people have suggested that, since silicone grease is an insulator, it can not be used on battery terminals. This view is incorrect.

Imagine looking at a tiny section of the battery terminal surfaces where they touch. They are clamped tightly together. The surface appears smooth to the human eye but, under a microscope, you can see "mountains and valleys" and only the peaks of the "mountains" make contact.

When moisture and oxygen get inside the gaps ("interstices") between the mating contact surfaces, an electrochemical reaction causes corrosion. This is speeded up inside a warm engine compartment.

The corrosion products swell and push the surfaces apart so that contact is eventually lost or very poor.

By introducing silicone grease between the new shiny mating surfaces, we exclude oxygen and moisture but sharp "mountain peaks" bite through the grease to maintain the same electrical contact as before. But this time it will last indefinitely because the grease keeps moisture and oxygen out.