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Re: The dowel of death - SAFETY



Original poster: "Ed Phillips by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <evp-at-pacbell-dot-net>

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> Original poster: "Wall Richard Wayne by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <rwall-at-ix-dot-netcom-dot-com>
> 
> Justin,
> 
> Actually PVC has enough permeability to water that the oil will eventually be
> contaminated with water.  This unsuspected event poses a real HV danger.
Also
> you have several dielectric interfaces such as oil-PVC and PVC-air which will
> become contaminated with moisture.
> 
> A single failure will probably be fatal.  There are no dress rehearsals here.
> 
> RWW

	I've been watching this discussion, and thought I'd add something. 
Many years ago (late 1940's) I had occasion to visit the Edison Company
Big Creek hydro plant in the high Sierras.  Aside from the fact the
whole operation was almost silent, the  thing that impressed me most was
when one of the operators picked up a varnished wooden hot stick off the
(not particularly dry) floor and held it up near enough a 220 kV HV line
to draw rather long sparks to the hook-like metal fitting on the end. 
He held the thing in his hand without any grounding strap or anything!
He must have been at least in his late '50's and must have survived this
show off for visitors on many occasions.  Maybe the god who looks after
fools, drunks, and engineers had been protecting him.....

Ed