Johnson Controls is responding to concerns about an increase in counterfeit oils entering the market by offering a global range of uniquely branded, authentic York lubricants with highest quality standards and specification.

Lubricants are a key component of chillers and mechanical cooling systems, protecting wear surfaces, ensuring long-life, maintaining leak-tightness, and, not least, enabling proper performance and efficient operation. They also play a vital role reducing corrosion, which can quickly result in serious internal damage and / or mechanical breakdown.

Product manager, Johnson Controls IR & HVAC parts in Europe, Alpesh Trivedi, said: “The problem is that low grade counterfeit oils, which are increasingly common in some markets, often have inferior ingredients and may contain contaminants, such as harmful additives, and generally do not adhere to the tight specification laid down by the original equipment manufacturer.

“This can result in chemical breakdown within a chiller, resulting in acid build up which can have devastating consequences for chiller performance and, in the most extreme cases, lead to total mechanical breakdown.”

He continued: “If this happens, the small cost savings from using counterfeit oils are completely eclipsed by the cost of repairing or even replacing the chiller, not to mention the inconvenience for building owners or loss of productivity in process applications.”

To protect customers from the risks of counterfeit oils, Johnson Controls is introducing a global range of uniquely branded and authenticated lubricants, YORK PureOil, guaranteed to meet the specifications for particular chillers and mechanical cooling applications.

The gallon containers of YORK PureOil carry a YORK ‘seal of authenticity’, to reassure contractors and end users, and deter those seeking to pass off inferior products as genuine components supplied by the original equipment manufacturer.

The range of lubricants does not contain damaging additives, has a high flash point, and is resistant to high temperature breakdown. They also have a guaranteed low moisture content, and low pour points to discourage oil congealing in condensers and evaporators. Viscosities and other key physical properties are precisely calibrated to match particular chiller types and / or applications.

Johnson Controls recommends that oil in working chillers should be analysed on a regular basis to assess the internal mechanical condition of the plant. “In a similar way to a blood test in medicine, oil analysis kit can give vital clues to the way the system is operating and if any potential problems are brewing,” said Mr Trivedi

“We see this as a two-stage approach to protection. In the first place, make sure you use only authentic lubricants; and, then, throughout the lifecycle, carry out periodic tests to ensure everything is operating normally. These can be done quickly and conveniently by service engineers or maintenance staff on site.  If there are anomalies, then quick remedial action can save a lot of money, time and trouble.”