[BC] Assistance with a tall tower

[Cowboy]

On Friday 19 November 2010 02:14:18 am Miltron wrote:
> You remember correctly. Especially the cone shaped type are hollow and have
> a small drain hole which can easily become clogged but is not easily seen.
> A coat hanger, &c. is ideal for reaming out this drain.

 And at this time of year, not a bad idea to make sure that weep hole
 is open, especially before any hard freeze if there is any chance
 at all of water in them, if you've had a problem, or not.

> Some of the small 
> newer cylindrical types appear to be solid.
> The Austin-Decca supporting the 440' Stainless G-4 here is a cylinder of
> ~8" diameter, ~3' tall, with a wall thickness of only ~one inch !!! It is
> filled with oil.

 A mineral based transformer oil, about 3/4 full. An elbow at the top
 with an inverted vent plug.
 The physics suggest that the more weight on them, the stronger
 they are, though they will not stand much lateral force.

> A few months after it was erected in 1976, I noticed oil 
> all over the base and a vertical split at the bottom of the porcelain.
> Decca sent a new one and the crew returned to jack up the tower and replace
> it. M

 I've seen some infant mortality on those, usually within the first few days.
 If there's no oil leaks apparent after the first month or so, they're OK
 and should last practically forever.
 It's rare, but it does happen.


-- 
Cowboy