Re: "aquarium gravel" in pole pig? :\

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: Crow Leader <tesla-at-lists.symmetric-dot-net> 

On Tue, 10 Feb 2004, Tesla list wrote:

 > Original poster: "J. Aaron Holmes" <jaholmes-at-silicon-arcana-dot-com>
 >
 > Got a couple new [to me] pole pigs the other day.
 > 15kVA -at- 14.4kV.  One's a Westinghouse, the other an
 > RTE.  Both are presently empty of oil.  I popped the
 > lid on the RTE today, and I see what looks like white
 > aquarium gravel in the bottom of the can and some on
 > the top of the transformer (I know that's not actually
 > what it is, of course).  Anybody have any idea what it
 > is?  Both units were certified working by the utility
 > I purchased them from, and I've called my contact

This sounds suspect. Why were they pulled from service and sold if they're
tip-top? I don't have an exact date, but I think it was sometime in the
80's when RTE was absorbed and the name went away.

Skipping ahead, there are quite a few posts suggesting that maybe it's
silica gel, to remove water from the oil.

If there is water in the oil, the transforer is already destroyed. Silica
gel is not the solution. If I slop pop all over my laptop, then dust it
off with silica gel, it's not closer to being fixed or good again.


KEN