[Amps] Dummy Load Blues

[Jeff DePolo]

> *** How would I know?  Does PCB oil have a specific smell?  Viscosity?
> Color?  Actually, I would REALLY like to know, because I'd 
> like to buy some
> transformer oil.  There's a guy on Ebay who sells it reasonable, and
> CLAIMS it's recent no-PCB shell oil, but how to verify that?
> 
>                             - Jerry Kaidor

I usually go by taste.

Seriously, the most-basic test is that PCB oils are heavier than water,
while mineral oil is lighter than water.  A couple of drops of of the
subject oil in a cup of water would be a good basic test.  However, if there
are a blend of oil types, obviously it may not yield accurate results.  More
sophisticated (and accurate) methods include testing for the presence of
chlorine via a flame test or chemical process.

				--- Jeff WN3A