There is probably transformer oil leaking from the transformer that
>supplies electricity to your house. It's running thru the wires and
>leaking out. Call the power company and bitch like hell till they
>replace the goddamn thing.
This explains the oil leaking out of some of my outlets. The ones lowest to the floor leak the most oil. I thought the power company put oil in the lines on purpose to help lubricate motors and stuff.
Yea, but with the new synthetic oils it can also help with the motors.
Got to watch the old stuff however. If it leaks out the EPA will be after you.
But there's always a "drip loop" at the service entrance.
If oil were coming in that way, there'd also be water coming in each time it rains....
That's a good one. I'll use it some day.
Seriously a transformer does not have any moving parts that need lubrication. The oil is for cooling and the transformer is immersed in oil. If the oil leak is significant the transformer can overheat and maybe even burst into flames. A leak is a problem the elec util company will be concerned about.
I vaguely remember this oil in transformers as being a source of PCB's. Can anyone shed light on that?
Harry
Transformers used to contain polychlorinated biphenyls. Since they were found to be carcinogenic, they were phased out as they were located, or as they just went out of service from old age.
Transformer explosions due to many causes can be spectacular and scary events.
Steve
What are polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)? I recall hearing about this and did also hear thy no longer use this stuff. But the one thing I never understood was what PCBs are? Is that the oil itself, or something added to it, or some other part of the transformer? What is it?
The short story, for use as coolants and lubricants in electrical equipment such as capacitors and transformers and various other applications due to their general chemical inertness and heat stability.
Older transformers are filled with PCB rather than oil. I didn't see the original post in this thread, but a leaking transformer on the utility pole can be a very serious enviromental problem.
Bob
I heard the oil in older transformers just contain PCB's... who knows.
I do know you don't want to be around a transformer explosion. I suggest keeping any and all away from that pole, and calling your electric company asap.
If they don't get excited about it right off the bat, I'd notify the fire department as well.
Good Luck!
Erik
One of the things I always liked about working on electrical stuff, is the fact that electrons aren't always leaking out of disconnected wires making a big mess..
Erik
The oil used most today is mineral based.
"zxcvbob" wrote in
And if it has PCBs in it or not, a leaky transformer is an incident waiting to happen. Get on the phone immediately. Send an e mail to them with the words "IMMINENT DANGER" as the title so you have a record of when you made them aware of this situation.
Steve
I heard it was opossum oil. From the opossums that arc across the lines ...........
Ever heard the expression "slick as possum grease"?
STeve ;-)
Yes, they can be! Check out the video of a substation disaster (about in the center of the page): http://205.243.100.155/frames/longarc.htmJohn
If this is coming from an old (before mid-70s) transformer, then call the EPA as well as the power company!
If by some chance there are PCBs, you should be concerned about personal exposure as well as a world of pain, remediation-wise. This is persistant stuff. Cross your fingers.
Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!
I think their major virtue in transformers, over oil, was that they were non-flamable. This made a big diference in the fire protective construction that was required around them.
Bud--
PCBs remain stable with the other desired properties (ie: non-conductive, non-corrosive) over a wider temperature range than the previously available alternatives. But they _do_ burn if you heat them high enough.
PCBs _often_ create dioxins when overheated or inadequately burned.
In fact, there's some suggestion that the main toxicity problem with PCBs isn't the PCBs themselves, but trace amounts of dioxin in "used" PCBs. ISTR a report that said that PCBs _themselves_ haven't been proven to be toxic, but dioxins sure have, and most "waste PCB" contains traces of dioxins.
The oil is also a dielectric...insulator. In the bigger one it is a cooling agent.
Regards, Ross
PaPaPeng wrote:
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