At this level, lubrication and shaft sealing stop being a set of checks performed on a schedule someone else designed, and start being a system an operator or supervisor helps plan, optimize, and defend on cost and reliability grounds. This guide covers how to choose between packing and mechanical seals for a given application, how to structure a lubrication PM program, how oil analysis extends that program from reactive to predictive, the major bearing types and what each needs from a lubricant, and how packing material selection changes across water and wastewater fluid services.
Mechanical Seal Types and Selection vs. Packing Tradeoffs
Choosing between packing and a mechanical seal — and, if a mechanical seal, which type — is a genuine engineering tradeoff, not a simple upgrade decision.
Packing remains attractive where:
- The fluid is relatively benign (potable or lightly t