The hidden risk of using a wrong Funnel
The hidden damage of using the wrong funnel:
A small habit that can destroy your machinery
In many workshops, oil top-ups are treated as a simple routine task. Grab a funnel, pour the oil, move on. But what if I told you that this everyday habit could slowly destroy your equipment - and cost you far more than you realise?
Let’s talk about something most technicians overlook: how oil is added matters just as much as which oil is used.
The Galvanised funnel problem
Galvanised steel funnels are still common in workshops. They’re strong, cheap, and seem to last forever. But chemically, they can be disastrous for modern lubricants.
Most hydraulic, engine and gear oils today contain additive packages such as:
- Anti-wear (AW)
- Extreme pressure (EP)
One of the most common additives is ZDDP (Zinc DialkylDithiophosphate) - and zinc is also the main component of galvanised coatings.
When oil additives come into contact with the zinc layer inside a galvanised funnel, unwanted chemical reactions can occur. These reactions may:
- Form metallic soaps or waxy foam that block filters
- Cause additives to separate from the oil
- Leave you effectively running additive-free lubricant
In simple terms: you pay for high-performance oil, then destroy its performance before it even enters the machine.
And that’s not all.
Over time, the zinc coating itself wears away. Microscopic metal particles break loose and enter the system, acting like abrasive powder inside bearings and gear teeth - accelerating internal wear.
A funnel has just become a silent machine killer.
“Fine - I’ll use Plastic funnels instead”
Plastic sounds safer, right?
Only partly.
If you use one funnel for multiple oils, you introduce cross contamination. Even small residual amounts of oil left in the funnel can mix with the next lubricant, leading to serious problems such as:
- Sludge formation that blocks oil passages
- Breakdown of the protective oil film
- Chemical incompatibility between additive packages
Different oils are designed differently. When incompatible additives meet, they can neutralise each other - again leaving you with oil that no longer protects.
Colour coding helps - but it’s still not enough
A common solution is assigning one funnel per oil type and colour-coding them. That’s a good step, but it doesn’t solve everything.
Funnels left exposed collect:
- Dust
- Moisture
- Airborne debris
The next time oil is poured, all that contamination goes straight into your machine.
Even clean-looking funnels can be dirty at a microscopic level.
The Best Practice: Sealed pour containers
The most reliable solution for manual oil transfer is using sealed spout containers.
These containers:
- Are closed to the environment
- Prevent dust and moisture ingress
- Eliminate the need for funnels
- Can be colour coded and clearly labelled per oil type
Each oil gets its own dedicated container. No mixing. No exposure. No confusion.
This single change dramatically improves lubrication cleanliness and consistency.
If you Must use plastic funnels
Sometimes sealed containers aren’t available or are too expensive. If funnels are your only option, strict discipline is required:
- Implement rigid colour coding (for example: red for gear oil, blue for hydraulic oil).
- Immediately wipe funnels after use with a lint-free cloth.
- Store each funnel in a sealed bag in a designated location.
The goal is simple: when a technician reaches for a funnel, it must already be clean - removing any excuse to skip proper handling.
The industry lesson
Lubrication excellence isn’t achieved through big investments alone. It starts with small habits.
A funnel may seem insignificant, but poor oil handling practices quietly destroy machines from the inside. Additive depletion, contamination, abrasive wear - all caused before the lubricant even reaches the system.
If we truly care about reliability, asset life and maintenance costs, we must treat oil like the precision component it is.
Because in machinery lubrication, how you add oil is just as important as which oil you choose.
“The wrong funnel can undo everything your lubricant was designed to protect.”