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Calcimator

Valve Oil Interval Calculator

Determine how often to oil brass instrument valves based on usage, climate, and oil type.

Inputs

hrs

Results

Oil Every

6 days

Drops per Application6
Monthly Oil Cost$0.20
Deep Clean Every7 weeks
Valve Lifespan25 years
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Playing Hours per Week, Instrument, and Number of Valves.
  2. Set Climate Type and Oil Type.
  3. Review the Oil Every (days) result.
  4. Use Drops per Application and Monthly Oil Cost ($) to inform your decision.
  5. Use the chart to visualize the results and explore different scenarios by adjusting inputs.

How the result changes with Playing Hours per Week

Playing Hours per WeekOil Every
5.456 days
182 days
331 days
451 days

What each input means

Playing Hours per Week
Average hours of playing time per week.
Instrument
1=Trumpet, 2=French Horn, 3=Tuba, 4=Euphonium.
Number of Valves
Number of piston or rotary valves on the instrument.
Climate Type
1=Dry, 2=Humid, 3=Variable. Dry climates dry out oil faster.
Oil Type
1=Synthetic (longer lasting), 2=Petroleum-based.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Playing Hours per Week = 5, Instrument = 1, Number of Valves = 3, Climate Type = 2 = 5 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Oil Every
    Oil Every
    6 = 6
  3. Calculate Drops per Application
    Drops per Application
    6 = 6
  4. Calculate Monthly Oil Cost
    Monthly Oil Cost
    0.2 = $0.2

Engine last updated . Checked against 2 independently-derived tests — how we verify calculators.

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