Bitzer has issued a warning about the use of imitation oils which have been discovered in Vietnam and Korea.
Using forged Bitzer logos and packaging the fake, low quality oils can lead to compressor breakdowns.
In Vietnam, Bitzer said a local company has been selling containers with low quality oil as original products from Bitzer.
According to the label, the high-quality oils B320SH, BSE32, BSE170 and B100 should be in the containers. However, they contained oils of inferior quality whose chemical formulation differs greatly from the high quality of the originals.
Bitzer is warning customers that the viscosity characteristics, moisture content and chemical formulation are very different from the original products.
“Using the fake product can lead to insufficient lubrication of compressors, chemical reaction, destruction of elastomers and lead to great damage,” Bitzer said in a statement.
“In the imitation oil of the type BSE170, the moisture content exceeded the permissible values significantly. It was three times higher than the permissible value.
“High moisture content in polyolester oils like BSE170 is particularly critical because it leads to hydrolysis resulting in acid formation in the refrigerant circuit. This in turn causes copper plating and thus damage of critical moving parts like roller bearings as well as possible motor burn-out.
“This can trigger very high costs for compressor exchange and measures for system dehydration and acid catching.”
Original Bitzer lubricants feature lowest moisture content (lower than specified in standards) and specific properties optimised for Bitzer compressors.
“Their chemical compatibility is extensively tested including distinct compressor construction materials introduced for use with the latest low-GWP HFOs and HFO/HFC blends,” the company said.
Bitzer Refrigeration Oils are subject to Quality Assurance and are delivered in metal packages which allow no moisture to ingress, even after longer periods of storage.
Furthermore, safety data sheets are available as standard in several languages.