Do Zerk fittings have pressure ratings?

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Rubycon

Madame President
Aug 10, 2005
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Named after the inventor.

Sorry about that I could not hear over the screech of a leaking Schrader valve overhead. ;)

Yes, we've hit over 20,000 with some electric ones. hand levers are usually 10-15k, depending on model/brand and grease used.

Also, isn't "Zerk" a brand name like "weed-eater"? The generic term is just grease fitting. I've never seen a rating on the fittings, not saying it doesn't exist I just haven't seen it.
 

bfdd

Lifer
Feb 3, 2007
13,312
1
0
Just like we blow our nose with a kleenex and then grab a crescent wrench. :)

"The patent for the Zerk fitting was granted to Oscar Zerk in January 1929." <-- where the name caught on.

i love calling them adjustable spanners just to fuck with people.
 

bobdole369

Diamond Member
Dec 15, 2004
4,504
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Those jerks at Chrysler broke off my zerks. PT Cruiser has a "non-serviceable" chassis. One greasing is meant to last forever..... They are incorrect. My (and every other PT owners) worn bushings speak volumes.
 

herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
8,500
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i do not think the grease fitting is the thing that is susposed to be holding the pressure back. in a wellhead valve ( gas well) rated at 15k there are zerks that are there to pack the threaded shaft but there are o ring seals inside that actually hold the pressure of the well back.
 

Fritzo

Lifer
Jan 3, 2001
41,920
2,161
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They used to, but everytime someone would try to mark them, they would get eaten by a grue.







Oh wait...sorry...sorry....those were Zork fittings. I always get those confused.
 

Tsavo

Platinum Member
Sep 29, 2009
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Scan it with a Geiger Counter first to ensure there's no dangerous radiation.

Jefferies Tube has a built in Faraday Cage, so she will not have to worry about stray radio waves.
 

Tsavo

Platinum Member
Sep 29, 2009
2,645
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Jefferies Tube has a built in Faraday Cage, so she will not have to worry about stray radio waves.

That's true, but don't bring your Tesla Coil into one...it will sound like a Theremin when exposed to the gamma suppressors inside the unit.
 

Greenmtn

Junior Member
Apr 22, 2020
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Maximum pressure observed was 7400 psi without failure. Most common equipment in our industry produces 3,000 psi max.

Maximum pressure has been addressed. Anyone knowledgeable regards minimum pressure? What does it take to open the check ball?
 

herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
8,500
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holy necro batman

in my experience, it depends on how much dirt is in the ball and seat and how thick the grease is. if its clean and its a normal grease i would go for just a few psi to overcome the spring pressure.

Its hard to quantify.

what is going to be a larger contributor to that number is the pressure behind the ball. if you are greasing something that is at a working pressure it will be the few for the spring + the working pressure.

also, the area of that ball is tiny, so even at 10kpsi its not that much actual lbf.
 
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Greenmtn

Junior Member
Apr 22, 2020
2
0
6
holy necro batman

in my experience, it depends on how much dirt is in the ball and seat and how thick the grease is. if its clean and its a normal grease i would go for just a few psi to overcome the spring pressure.

Its hard to quantify.

what is going to be a larger contributor to that number is the pressure behind the ball. if you are greasing something that is at a working pressure it will be the few for the spring + the working pressure.

also, the area of that ball is tiny, so even at 10kpsi its not that much actual lbf.
Thank you. This is very helpful. Assuming no back pressure and pumping at 3000psi, would you take a stab at GPM through a standard 1/4 x 24 zerk? Material is 600 to 800 cps.
 

herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
8,500
1,116
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it is a black art, dimensionless numbers and coefficients that some dude figured out.

like a 30 wt grease? some "back of the envelope" calcs would call it .05 in^3 per s for a basic flow through and orfice calc. but its probably less than that. i would say could be different by 30% or so.

what the hell are you greasing? its a stab in the black arts. its been a min. from my fluids class. its going to be a small number. and small things have more variation from a calculation ime.


you can always measure it. get a zerk and a pressure gauge. hook up the guage to the output of the grease gun and put the zerk on somthing. pump to maintain constant pressure and use a stopwatch to measure 10 sec of it. measure the volume of grease. you can drop it into a known amount of water and measure the displacement or look up the density ( api standard charts, ex 30 wt or whatever it is on the can) and weigh the sample.
 
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Greenman

Lifer
Oct 15, 1999
21,706
6,139
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it is a black art, dimensionless numbers and coefficients that some dude figured out.

like a 30 wt grease? some "back of the envelope" calcs would call it .05 in^3 per s for a basic flow through and orfice calc. but its probably less than that. i would say could be different by 30% or so.

what the hell are you greasing? its a stab in the black arts. its been a min. from my fluids class. its going to be a small number. and small things have more variation from a calculation ime.


you can always measure it. get a zerk and a pressure gauge. hook up the guage to the output of the grease gun and put the zerk on somthing. pump to maintain constant pressure and use a stopwatch to measure 10 sec of it. measure the volume of grease. you can drop it into a known amount of water and measure the displacement or look up the density ( api standard charts, ex 30 wt or whatever it is on the can) and weigh the sample.
He could just ask Ruby, she knows everything.
 
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herm0016

Diamond Member
Feb 26, 2005
8,500
1,116
126
Maximum pressure observed was 7400 psi without failure. Most common equipment in our industry produces 3,000 psi max.

Maximum pressure has been addressed. Anyone knowledgeable regards minimum pressure? What does it take to open the check ball?
He could just ask Ruby, she knows everything.

HA. i thought you were the one asking. i see now its your very similar named blue G avatar friend.