Removing water from grease?

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I have a 5 gallon bucket half full of bearing grease.
@ some point, the lid cracked and water settled in the bucket. Down in knooks/crannies and after trying to (tip khe bucket to drain) it just made more Pockets of water in random spots...

If i put the grease in a frydaddy deep fryer, would the grease get hot enough to boil the water off yet not hurt the grease?
 
I have nothing to add other than I agree

Sucks... But you're talking about $75-$100 for a new bucket. I don't think it's worth reinventing the wheel here, so to speak.
 
The fryer in question had gear oil in it for chains. So its not a loss.
 
You could try testing a small batch, but I'm not sure grease would "melt" in a way that would be conducive to heating. And even still, that's ignoring the chemistry of the grease and if any of the water may have chemically bonded to the detergents or binding agents in it. I'm not sure of a way to test to see if that' effective other then trying it, then sending off a sample to test. But then you run into cost prohibition issues.

And even if it does work, you're essentially talking about heating water in hot oil oil(assuming it melts). It likes to more or less explode so there's a danger there.

My 2 cents, I still don't think it's worth it
 
You'll probably oxidize the grease, unless you could heat it at a low temperature for a long time. It's likely cheaper to replace the grease.
 
Originally Posted By: Kestas
You'll probably oxidize the grease, unless you could heat it at a low temperature for a long time. It's likely cheaper to replace the grease.

Little more philosophical.. I wonder if you could spread the grease into thin, roughly 1/4" sheets, stack them, then dry under vacuum
 
I'm surprised that just leaving the bucket outside in the AZ sun wouldn't help with getting rid of the water after wicking off most of the water with some clean cotton rags.
 
Originally Posted By: bioburner
I'm surprised that just leaving the bucket outside in the AZ sun wouldn't help with getting rid of the water after wicking off most of the water with some clean cotton rags.


Paint the bucket black, alternate taking the lid off as it gets hot, let the vapor out, then put the lid on to heat it back up. Putting the bucket on black asphalt is even better.
 
Scoop down to unwatered grease then use that.

Bearing grease + water + deep fryer = good potential for long, slow, Darwin award.

BSW
 
Originally Posted By: leroyd92
If I put the grease in a frydaddy deep fryer, would the grease get hot enough to boil the water off yet not hurt the grease?


I have done it with a really old "turkey fryer" and new water contaminated hydraulic fluid.

Heated it up to 250*F to boil the water off , and it was like new.
 
Originally Posted By: bsmithwins
Scoop down to unwatered grease then use that.

Bearing grease + water + deep fryer = good potential for long, slow, Darwin award.

BSW


Explosive boiling is really only a serious hazard when you add water to already superheated oil/fat/grease. Gently melting and heating the grease should boil of the water fairly gradually, but it might not be very good for the grease.

Whats the melting point of the grease and how critical is your application for any grease you "recover"

You could perhaps try a double boiler with brine as the outer fluid, which will have a slightly higher boiling point than water and would avoid surface charring.

Might not be hot enough though.
 
Originally Posted By: bsmithwins
Scoop down to unwatered grease then use that.

Bearing grease + water + deep fryer = good potential for long, slow, Darwin award.

BSW


That's funny.
 
I think i might fill the fryer up and try it in the middle of my back yard.

Run a cord 30 ft away and just see what happens...

The grease is for trailer bearings and other really light duty stuff
 
Originally Posted By: spasm3
Paint the bucket black, alternate taking the lid off as it gets hot, let the vapor out, then put the lid on to heat it back up. Putting the bucket on black asphalt is even better.

I didn't notice the OP was in Arizona

So, better yet, place it in a parked car, black in color, in the sun, with the windows rolled up, for about a month.
 
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