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Advice sought for Safety Gaps

Gentlepersons:
I have been trying out my new power transformer, and I think I am running
into some glitches that may be due to my moving from 12KV neons to a
14.4KV pig.  To wit:

1) The gap across my cap is firing erratically, but *way* too much.
Currently this gap is set at 0.375". Am I correct in assuming I really need
to expand this gap? And if so, what is safe for my caps as constructed?
[ 3 caps in series, each consisting of 30mil LDPE dialectric, for a total
  of 90mil paralleled with one that is about 72 mil in 2]

2) My safety gap across the pig needs to be amost 1/2" to keep from firing
   unloaded, does this sound right for 14.4?? (seems large to me) This is
   even with using a Variac to ramp up. [ I am using shorted neons as
   inductive ballast until I can build something better.] This gap is
   truely across the pig, and not to ground, this is the correct fashion
   for a non-centertapped transformer, yes?

3) My main gap is currently at 0.156, I intend to take it to .208 once I
   figure out what is going on with the Cap Gap. [ yes I am still using
   my RQ style static gap at the moment. Assuming the nameplate on the
   trannys are accurate, I am passing around 1100 VA to the pig, and it
   is working just fine.]

4) I am using the same chokes and resistors from my NST days still, one on
   each leg, but have dropped the bypass cap. Is this a good/bad idea?

All in all, aside from the scare I am getting from capactitor gap, I am very
pleased with the performance since switching to the pig. even when I was
only
running 720VA (I just used the same 12KV/30 paralleled  neons that used to
power the coil) I am getting arcs in the 48" range. The garage is getting
too
small, but fortunately, the neighbors think this thing is pretty cool. And
I figure my ground and filters are working well enough, as they are not
complaining about snow on the TV :)

Oh, and I learned one other thing.. don't try and use a high power factor
neon as a current limiter.. it won't pass much.

Thanks for indulging me whilst I pick your brains.. I understood things
(I thought) but this higher power range is making life interesting.

Michael Baumann
Coiler, Homebrewer, Nerd. mycroft-at-access1-dot-net