How do you know if you have varnish in your lube system

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How do you know if you have varnish in your lube
system?
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• Premature failure from lubricant breakdown is the
  most common cause of machinery failure, because
  it is largely misunderstood and ignored. Here are
  some clear signs for you to look for a problem
  without waiting on lab reports

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WARNING SIGNS  

• Change in oil colourStrong or burnt
  odourChange in oil consistencySludge and
  deposits on lube tank walls and floorVisible
  contaminants in the sample bottle

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• Any of these generally indicate that your oil has
  undergone a chemical change and will no longer
  perform to the standard it was designed to.
  Breakdown of the oil can occur from particulate
  contaminant, fuel or gas entrainment, oxidation
  and thermal stress, but the most common cause is
  from water contamination.

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What is varnish?

• Varnish (also known as sludge, tar and lacquer)
  is a soluble and insoluble contaminant made up of
  by-products of oil degradation.It can appear as
  resinous, sticky, tacky or a gel-like substance
  that settles or plates out on the surfaces of the
  lube system.

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• This can cause stiction on servos and affect
  clearances and tolerances in bearings and
  hydraulic control systems and valves.As oil
  degrades, it consumes its additives packages and
  antioxidant properties and waste by-products are
  formed, creating sludge and varnish.

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• You will have seen it in hydraulic components,
  inside engine rocker covers and on journal
  bearing surfaces or sumps.There are many causes
  of varnish and sludge, but clean oil is not one
  of them!

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Is your system susceptible? 

• There are a number of explanations for why lube
  oils suffer from high rates of varnish. If your
  system ticks any of these boxes then you should
  ensure your lab is testing for varnish potential

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• Visible deposits or staining of lube circuit
  componentsSwitched from Group I to Group II or
  blend of oilsGas turbine or hydraulic
  applicationHigh flow rate from a small lube
  reservoirHigh operating tempsYour chosen oil
  brand is predisposed to varnish formation

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The effect of varnish on equipment

• If left unchecked, varnish can propagate at an
  exponential rate, creating hot spots, prematurely
  plugging filters or oil gallery orifices, and
  coating heat exchangers and rendering them
  thermally inefficient. Hydraulic control systems
  and valves can gum up or seize, causing unit
  trips and starting faults.

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• Also, hard particles can adhere to varnished
  components and cause premature wear.The cost of
  a gas turbine or hydraulic system not starting
  immediately can be enormous as these are the
  assets that are designed to work at the press of
  a button to meet supply requirements.

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• All lubricating systems are subject to varnish
  potential if not maintained. The biggest cost to
  industry from varnish is unscheduled downtime and
  lost production. There is a yawning cost-gap from
  an unscheduled shutdown or unit trip, in
  comparison to condition monitoring and cost of
  varnish mitigation.

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