[Amps] Distilled water in a dummy load ?

[Kim Elmore]

A quick note about distilled water: if the resistor gets hot enough to boil water at its surface (regardless of the temperature of the water mass), the steam will partially insulate the the resistor from its coolant, in which case trouble will definitely ensue. 

I’ve read that aviation turbine oil will do well, as will the already mentioned drug store mineral oil. 

Kim N5OP

"People that make music together cannot be enemies, at least as long as the music lasts." -- Paul Hindemith

> On Feb 22, 2021, at 12:34 PM, Jim Barber <barberaudio at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
>   - or from Amazon.
> My wife buys it to fill snow globes and I use a little here and there:
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00VNI1JI0/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
> 
> My MRFX1K80N amp uses 90% distilled water and 10% propylene glycol. (pink
> RV antifreeze) Just enough to prevent algae from growing in the coolant.
> 
> 73,
> Jim N7CXI
> 
> 
>> On Mon, Feb 22, 2021 at 9:27 AM Jeffrey L. Bauman via Amps <
>> amps at contesting.com> wrote:
>> 
>> I have used mineral oil in my cantenna successfully as well.
>> 
>> It's most cheaply sourced by the gallon from large animal veterinary
>> clinics
>> where it is used as a laxative and coat dressing.
>> 
>> Good luck.
>> 
>> Jeff
>> W8KZW
>> www.w8kzw.homestead.com
>> w8kzw at arrl.net
>> Davisburg, Michigan
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Jim Klein [mailto:k7rdx at charter.net]
>> Sent: Sunday, February 21, 2021 8:08 PM
>> To: MU 4CX250B
>> Cc: Geert Jan de Groot; Amps group
>> Subject: Re: [Amps] Distilled water in a dummy load ?
>> 
>> Palstar DL5K works well for me...No oil,fan cooled from
>> Palstar...Jim,K7RDX..
>> 
>>> On Sun, Feb 21, 2021 at 12:46 PM MU 4CX250B <4cx250b at miamioh.edu> wrote:
>>> 
>>> My instinct is that mineral oil would be a better coolant than
>>> distilled water, with no corrosion issues.  You can buy it at any
>>> pharmacy, and while it isn't rated at quite as high a temperature as
>>> transformer oil, it works quite well. I used it in a Cantenna for 30
>>> years! As I recall, it was recommended byHeathkit  as a substitute for
>>> transformer oil.
>>> 73,
>>> Jim w8zr
>>> 
>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>> 
>>>> On Feb 21, 2021, at 1:35 PM, Geert Jan de Groot <pe1hzg at xs4all.nl>
>>> wrote:
>>>> 
>>>> ?
>>>>> Is it possible to use  distilled water in a hb  dummy load ?
>>>>> DL  consist of  4 x  200 ohm globars, wired in parallel..in an 8
>>>>> gallon
>>> container.
>>>>> I welded  4 x 3 inch OD  thick wall Alum pipes together, 2 stacked
>>> above 2.
>>>>> One resistor resides  dead center in each alum pipe.   Each resistor
>> is
>>> a
>>>>> new  globar  type  SP,  12 inches long  x 1 inch in diameter.
>>>> 
>>>> Personally, I'm using the Ameritron ADL2500, which is 4 hefty
>>>> resistors
>>> in a case with a fan. I modified it so it automatically switches the
>>> fab to reduce the noise.
>>>> 
>>>> No leakage, no corrosion, no mess if I drop it or I kick it. Much
>>> lighter. No dangerous oils, and my shack doesn't smell like a chip
>>> shop when I'm doing some testing.
>>>> 
>>>> 73, Geert Jan PE1HZG
>>>> 
>>>> 
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