Re: Help please - info on big CDE pulse caps?

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Bert Hickman <bert.hickman@xxxxxxxxxx>

Phil,

Leave 'em be. It sure sounds like they presently contain mineral oil, and 
(unless the oil is heated to well over 100 degrees C), they should not 
represent a fire hazard. Shell Diala-X or AX IS fundamentally mineral oil, 
so there's no benefit in changing out the oil. You may want to top it off a 
bit though.

Best regards,

-- Bert --

Tesla list wrote:

> Original poster: FIFTYGUY@xxxxxxx
> Folks-
>     Just a follow up - thanks all for the advice so far.
>     The ".15 MFD" means .15 microFarads.
>     A few of ya'll voiced your concerns (rightfully so) that these old 
> caps might contain PCB's. I'd like to state here (semi-publicly) that 
> they would appear to NOT be PCB filled.
>     The gummy accumulation at the base of one insulator was, as Jim Lux 
> guessed, simply gummy old oil. They slosh when shaken, so the oil still 
> inside is quite thin (even at 45 deg F ambient) - not a viscous 
> impregnation, as I understand PCB's used in caps tended to be.
>     Sample oil has very little aroma, and what faint smell is there 
> resembles fuel oil.
>     Sample oil floats on water. Even after emphatic attempts at mixing it 
> all stays on top.
>     Sample oil supports combustion - vigorously! Burns with the typical 
> hydrocarbon blue flame with yellow tops. No green tint at all. Hisses and 
> pops flaming droplets of oil everywhere. Smoke has typical fuel-oil 
> smell, no acridity/bleachy smell at all.
>     However, this puts a new light on things. Catastrophic failure may 
> constitute a serious fire hazard. Perhaps they should be drained and 
> refilled with modern transformer oil? Would Diala mix with, say, residual 
> fuel oil or mineral oil, or would it cause more problems than it would prevent?
> -Phil LaBudde
>
> .