Can Dielectric Grease Cause a Short?

Have you ever used dielectric grease to prevent a connection from corroding? Well, if so, have you given any thought about dielectric grease being conductive and touching another piece of metal that may cause a short? In short, yes! Dielectric grease can cause a short. However, read on to discover how and when this can happen.

What is an Electrical Short?

First, we need to know what a short is before we can talk about dielectric grease. A short happens when there is an electrically conductive connection from one place to another, allowing electricity to flow between two normally non-connected components. A short is typically a unintended connection. The electricity will often be very high-power and can melt, burn, or start a fire.

What is Dielectric Grease?

Dielectric grease is a non-conductive compound used to fill the space between electrical parts. This can be used as an insulator for connections or wire splices to help keep out moisture and contaminants. Read more about conductive grease vs dielectric grease to better understand when and where to use them.

Dielectric grease is generally applied on the insulator (non-conductive portion) of electrical equipment such as wire splices and connections where corrosion has occurred. A dielectric material is used because it does not conduct electricity but also it is designed so that air does not get trapped between the dielectric and conductive surfaces.

Can it Cause an Electrical Short?

Dielectric grease has a high electrical resistance, but is capable of conducting electricity if there is enough voltage and current. If dielectric grease comes into contact with another conductor, such as bare metal or another electrical connection, it can cause corrosion and poor connections because dielectric grease acts as an insulator and prevents the flow of electric current. Dielectric grease may be useful in wiring and electrical components that do not conduct much electricity or that require non-conductive insulation. For electrical applications where conductivity is expected, such as an automotive battery terminal, dielectric grease would actually introduce more problems than benefits by preventing a solid connection from forming because the dielectic grease would act as an insulator.

Summary

For dielectric grease to cause a short, the dielectric grease must be conductive, the connections must be conductive or have enough voltage and current that dielectric grease can conduct electricity, both of the components with dielectric grease in between them must touch each other either directly or by another connection, and there must not be any insulation.

When conducting your own electrical wiring make sure you either do not use dieletric compound or use dielectric compound that is not conductive. For dielectric grease, look for dielectric silicone grease, dielectric molykote, or dielectric conformal coating which are all dieletrics that are known to be non-conductive.

After reading this article do you have any questions? If so comment below with them! And if not… leave a comment anyways! I would love to hear about any experiences that you have had with dielectric grease causing an electrical short in your wiring project.