[Milsurplus] PCB's.

Reuben Popp reuben.popp at gmail.com
Sat Dec 2 15:25:49 EST 2023 

I knew that incineration is the typical method; at least, I know that's how
they tend to handle dioxin style contamination, having lived near Times
Beach here in Missouri during the 80s.  I wasn't sure if newer methods like
phytoremediation or similar is as successful or whatnot.

Either way, it's not that I am over the top concerned, but I was more
interested in restuffing filter caps in my TS-505D/U test set.  I don't
have it here in front of me, but I suspect it was made in the 50s, or maybe
the early 60s.  IF they were leaky (electrially) then ok, I could cut them
open and restuff them.  Same with my AN/URM-25D.  But, what to do with the
internal compounds?  If they're still liquid, I get that same feeling about
dumping them down the drain as if I dumped a bunch of antifreeze down the
drain.  Throw it in the trash?  Eh...

Yes, I still use leaded solder, no, I am not a die hard environmentalist,
but it was about being safe.  Same thing as the old adage of keeping one
hand in your back pocket when you have a hand in the machine.  My past
history of smoking and later diabetes will likely kill me LONG before PCBs
will, but it's never too late to play it smart.  ;).

Reuben

On Sat, Dec 2, 2023 at 7:50 AM lbfulton at windstream.net <
lbfulton at windstream.net> wrote:

> The comments on PCB's/old capacitors interested me. So, I sent an email to
> my older brother to get his take on it. He's a retired chief engineer for a
> big hazardous waste disposal outfit in CA.  Here's his reply: The only way
> to destroy PCB's is to incinerate the oil as far as I know.  Storage places
> and of course the incinerator's have to be federally approved to handle
> this stuff.  We used to get old capacitors and other items that were likely
> to have PCB's but they occurred much less frequently as time went on.  All
> of the big utility transformers were certified not to contain PCB's before
> we would accept them.  Our storage permit had a special attachment to it
> specifying where PCB's could be stored.  We generally only sent them on for
> incineration every few months.   They are "forever" compounds but
> thankfully they are not a common problem any more.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: milsurplus-request at mailman.qth.net
> To: milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
> Sent: Friday, December 1, 2023 4:12:04 PM
> Subject: Milsurplus Digest, Vol 236, Issue 4
>
> Send Milsurplus mailing list submissions to
>         milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
>         http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/milsurplus
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
>         milsurplus-request at mailman.qth.net
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
>         milsurplus-owner at mailman.qth.net
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of Milsurplus digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Re: Oil filled capacitors and PCBs in our equipment
>       (joldenburg2 at new.rr.com)
>    2. Re: Yet another question: TS-505D/U lead wire (sbjohnston at aol.com)
>    3. Re: Oil filled capacitors and PCBs in our equipment
>       (sbjohnston at aol.com)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 01 Dec 2023 20:19:15 +0000
> From: joldenburg2 at new.rr.com
> To: "'hwhall at aol.com'" <hwhall at compuserve.com>
> Cc: 'Military Surplus Mail List' <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Oil filled capacitors and PCBs in our
>         equipment
> Message-ID: <5264a61bba7b810d8c510efd17fcd977c17e095c at webmail>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> In clean-up projects here PCB was destroyed by incineration,
>
> Jon AB9AH
> "I have always preferred diversions to duties; this strange taste has
> clung to me all through my life." Clarence Darrow
>
>         -----------------------------------------From: "hwhall at aol.com"
> To: "Military Surplus Mail List"
> Cc:
> Sent: Friday December 1 2023 1:55:35PM
> Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Oil filled capacitors and PCBs in our
> equipment
>
>   Manufacturing economics being what it is, one would expect capacitor
> makers used the cheapest oil available that met the electrical
> requirements - so, probably mineral oil almost always, unless very
> high voltages or flameproof requirements existed.
>  There is a simple test to identify PCB vs mineral oil, used once
> (maybe still) in the electrical power industry. Mineral oils are
> lighter than PCBs & will rise to the top of water but PCBs will sink.
> So if you can get a drop or two of the suspect oil, you can test.
>  As for disposal, is it any better in the long run to send to a
> landfill a sealed but leaking (or eventually leaking) capacitor body
> or some paper towels or rags with the same quantity of oil? Our
> hobby's output of PCB trash is almost microscopic. If we're really,
> really, really environmentally concerned (as we use our lead filled
> solder) perhaps there's a method to chemically destroy PCB?? It
> wouldn't have to be "economical" since we're not concerned with
> neutralizing industrial quantities.
>  Wayne WB4OGM
>
>    On 01/12/2023 17:05, Reuben Popp wrote:
>  > My apologies to everyone for spamming the list so much lately. I'm
>  > trying to do my research before asking the list, but sometimes my
>  > google-fu isn't exactly fruitful.
>  >
>  > Anyway... Oil filled caps in our gear. Was it standard to denote
>  > whether they contained PCBs in them, or is it a safe assumption
> that
>  > ANY oil filled cap with a manufacture date before 1980 is suspect?
> As
>  > most of those are likely out of spec and leaky, is there ANY way to
>  > open the cap, dispose of the contents at an EPA approved site and
> then
>  > restuff the shell with new components? Or is my only recourse to
>  > decouple the old cap from the circuit and then place newer ones
> under
>  > the chassis (or try to hide them, etc). If my only option is the
>  > latter, once decoupled from the circuit, what's the likelihood that
> it
>  > will actually start leaking (as in, the oil). One would think that
>  > would be fairly miniscule, but what with some of these going on 80+
>  > years old, it's a crap shoot at this point, no?
>  >
>  > Thanks again
>  > Reuben
>  >
>  ______________________________________________________________
>  Milsurplus mailing list
>  Home:  [1]http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/milsurplus [2]
>  Help:  [3]http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm [4]
>  Post: mailto:Milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
>
>  This list hosted by:  [5]http://www.qsl.net [6]
>  Please help support this email list:
> [7]http://www.qsl.net/donate.html [8]
>
> Links:
> ------
> [1] http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/milsurplus
> [2] http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/milsurplus
> [3] http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> [4] http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> [5] http://www.qsl.net
> [6] http://www.qsl.net
> [7] http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> [8] http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> -------------- next part --------------
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> URL: <
> http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/milsurplus/attachments/20231201/47a71d41/attachment-0001.html
> >
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2023 20:50:53 +0000 (UTC)
> From: "sbjohnston at aol.com" <sbjohnston at aol.com>
> To: "milsurplus at mailman.qth.net" <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Yet another question: TS-505D/U lead wire
> Message-ID: <1267099547.10823231.1701463853984 at mail.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> Reuben -
> I'm six thousand miles away from my wire stash right now, but I'll see if
> my wife can cut some lead wire and send it to you.? I'll email with you
> directly to work out the details.?
>
>
> Steve WD8DAS??
>
> sbjohnston at aol.com??
> http://www.wd8das.net/?? http://af4k-crystals.com/??
> --------------------------------------------------------------------??
> Radio is your best entertainment value.??
> --------------------------------------------------------------------??
>
>
> -------------- next part --------------
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> URL: <
> http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/milsurplus/attachments/20231201/b8bb89e0/attachment-0001.html
> >
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Fri, 1 Dec 2023 21:11:49 +0000 (UTC)
> From: "sbjohnston at aol.com" <sbjohnston at aol.com>
> To: "milsurplus at mailman.qth.net" <milsurplus at mailman.qth.net>
> Subject: Re: [Milsurplus] Oil filled capacitors and PCBs in our
>         equipment
> Message-ID: <565321425.10822365.1701465109623 at mail.yahoo.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
>
> I only rarely see capacitors marked as "containing PCB".? These are
> usually quite new caps, not the ones in vintage gear'
> I rely on the trade names to decide if a capacitor or transformer contains
> PCB.? You can see a list of some of these names at
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polychlorinated_biphenyl
> I've done a number of projects to replace PCB capacitors at broadcast
> transmitter sites.? The trade names I remember seeing most frequently were
>
> Pyranol
> AskarelDykanolClorinol
> Santotherm
>
> I don't have much concern about occasionally touching dielectric oils
> containing PCB.? I just clean up the area carefully and wash my hands
> thoroughly.? But I worry very much about having PCB around if there is a
> significant chance of fire.? In a fire, I understand that PCB can change
> into other very toxic chemicals that we do not want to breathe.
>
> Steve WD8DAS??
>
> sbjohnston at aol.com??
> http://www.wd8das.net/?? http://af4k-crystals.com/??
> --------------------------------------------------------------------??
> Radio is your best entertainment value.??
> --------------------------------------------------------------------??
>
>
>
> -------------- next part --------------
> An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
> URL: <
> http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/milsurplus/attachments/20231201/47414721/attachment.html
> >
>
> ------------------------------
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Milsurplus mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/milsurplus
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
>
>
> End of Milsurplus Digest, Vol 236, Issue 4
> ******************************************
> ______________________________________________________________
> Milsurplus mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/milsurplus
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Milsurplus at mailman.qth.net
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/milsurplus/attachments/20231202/fa8d22cc/attachment-0001.html>

More information about the Milsurplus mailing list