Re: [TCML] transformer oil source or substitute?

["J. Aaron Holmes" <jaholmes@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

--- On Thu, 8/27/09, jimlux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> transformer oil IS mineral oil, but mineral oil that has
> been kept dry and clean and is of the proper viscosity.

...and often has other chemicals in it to prevent oxidation and whatnot, or so says the Diala AX documentation I'm read.  Might be all marketing propaganda, though. :-)  Transformer oil is also generally yellow/orange, which might matter to somebody if they were building a clear tank with aesthetics in mind.

> The stuff has gone up in price recently.. used to be
> $4-5/gallon, but someone mentioned recently they paid almost
> $50 for a 5 gallon pail.

Yep.  I've typically paid $10/gal for it at a couple of local oil places in the Seattle, WA area (e.g., Ballard Oil).  That seems to be about the going price right now, unless you're really buying in volume.  Also, the manufacturers only usually sell the stuff in 50-gal drums, so any place selling in 5-gal pails has obviously been handling the stuff, and you should make sure they're doing so in a way that maintains its purity and low moisture content.  I'm forgetting my examples, but transformer oil does have some other industrial uses, and some smaller oil shops keep the stuff for this reason and not with electrical insulation/cooling in mind.

Cheers,
Aaron, N7OE
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