Overheard a retiree at the parts counter schooling a kid on compressor oil last Tuesday

I was waiting for a capacitor and this older guy starts telling a younger tech that generic oil will kill a compressor in 6 months flat, said he learned it the hard way back in '89 on a commercial fridge. It hit me that I've been grabbing whatever oil is cheapest without thinking about the viscosity specs. Anyone else ever cut corners on something like oil and regret it later?

2 comments

2 Comments

lisa67119h ago

Damn, that story is a perfect reminder. I switched to the right spec oil after my first compressor failure and it's been running smooth for five years now, so that one lesson paid off big time.

ivan5221d ago

You ever buy the cheap stuff just to save a few bucks? I put generic oil in a walk-in cooler once and three months later the compressor sounded like it was gargling rocks. Had to replace the whole unit cost me a weekend and way more than the oil would have. Never skimp on that stuff, learned my lesson.