[Boatanchors] [Milsurplus] Drying Out an Open Frame, Large Power Transformer.

[Rob Atkinson]

I agree with this and I'd add that I'd use work lamps for the heat,
the kind used in garages that have the bulbs in cages.
I'd put a thermometer inside the box to verify the temperature.

I've been running a dehumidifier in the shack (basement) for 10 or 15
years, set at 40%.  I don't run it all the time but turn it on if the
basement feels like it's getting humid.  Originally I got it for the
radio gear and parts but in the long term it is beneficial for
everything--the furnace and breaker panels for example.

73

Rob
K5UJ

On Sat, May 9, 2015 at 12:16 AM, Richard Knoppow
<1oldlens1 at ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>       FWIW,  when I worked for Hewlett-Packard we routinely washed
> instruments sent in for repair unless they were almost new.  The routine
> ended with baking in a temperature controlled electric oven set at about
> 130F.  The minimum time was 48 hours but I preferred to leave stuff for as
> long as five days if possible.  Open frame transformers usually survived.
> The ones we worried about and removed were hermetially sealed units.  That
> sounds odd but  the corporate experience was that these transformers often
> developed small leaks which allowed some moisture to get in but made it very
> difficult for it to leave again.  An oven of this sort would be ideal if
> available but in its absence one can make as sort of makeshift oven from a
> couple of cardboard boxes with incandescent lamps for heaters.  There should
> be a few holes cut in the cardboard to allow ventillation.   Gas ovens often
> produce a lot of moisture, it depends on how well the oven itself is
> isolated from the burner, but I think electrical heating is better.