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Re: weather influence on TC performance



Tesla List wrote:
> 
> Original Poster: "Robin Copini" <rcopini-at-merlin-dot-net.au>
> 
> Hi all,
> 
>  I have a question involving the performance of TC's and the ambient
> weather conditions. For those that don't know
> I live in Adelaide South Australia - quoted as being the driest state in
> the driest continent on earth. Now for most of
> the spring/summer/autumn, (fall for you guys in the states), it's very
> dry and can get quite hot, temps 37  - 40 degC are quite
> normal for days at a time here.
> 
>  Usually this isn't a problem, but this year for whatever reason it's
> also quite HUMID, with levels between 65 - 80% fairly
> regular lately soooooo......
> 
>  My TC rather enjoys secondary arcing now instead of the nice arcs I was
> getting when it was not quite so humid. I still get
> arcs from the top load but they are vary numerous, (10 to 15), and
> fairly short, (2 to 3 feet), and at the same time an almost
> continuous secondary arc occurs, not much fun!.
> 
> Now I'm assuming that it's the humidity but is there a cure or do I just
> wait until it dries out a bit?  I figure, given the wide
> geographic distribution of the members on this list that someone has
> encountered this before.
> 
> Best Regards in now not so dry OZ
> 
> Robin Copini.

Robin,

I live in the northern middle of the United States (well into the
temperate zone). We see fairly wide temperature and humidity
fluctuations. My coil resides in an unheated (but enclosed) area, and
under some conditions, I will even get water condensing on the coilform.
While I never knowingly run the system under these conditions, I do see
some performance degradation under high humidity conditions. My system
runs best when it's near freezing with very little humidity.  

A couple of things you might try:
- Carefully wipe off the secondary to remove any dust that may have
accumulated. This can combine with moisture to degrade the insulating
properties of the coil, and can lead to arc tracking damage. 

- While not in use, try running a small electric current through the
secondary coil to elevate its temperature versus its surroundings. This
should help drive off any absorbed/adsorbed moisture from the coilform
and keep it off irrespective of the relative humidity. It shouldn't take
much power - measure the DC resistance of the secondary, and use Rs*I*I
to estimate the current needed. 25-40 watts of power will probably be
enough to do the trick, depending on the size of your system. Once the
secondary temperature has reached steady-state, the coilform should feel
warm (and dry!) to the touch, but not hot. Tweak the current as required
to reach the desired temperature. And don't forget to disconnect the
heater power source before running your system... :^)

Some years back, there was a fellow on the list trying to keep his coil
running in a rain forest area - I don't think he was ever very
sucessful... :^)

Good luck, and safe coilin' to you!

-- Bert --