Recent content by Tom NJ

Here is a comment from a pilot's forum that I thought was interesting: "The authors of the preliminary report would surely have known that the report as drafted would raise strong suspicions of an intentional act by one of the pilots to shut off the fuel switches. If the investigators had...

I fell in love with the idea of parachuting from a TV series called Ripcord back when I was 13 and wrote to parachute clubs across the US requesting any pamphlets or other information they could offer. I had to wait until I was 16 to jump, and made four static line jumps back in 1966 at a NJ...

Esters have the C=O bond and so will increase the oxidation number result, but do not reduce the oxidation stability of the oil - in fact they often increase the oxidative stability depending on the ester. Esters are also polar and increase swell and softening of elastomer seals. For more...

The specification ranges are pretty wide. There is room to change elastomer compatibility with additives, but must be balanced across the different elastomers, which may respond differently to different additives. Here are the specifications for SN, the latest I have handy:

Depends on the total formulation and type of ester. They all need to pass the seal compatibility specifications.

A higher starting oxidation number means that the oil has more of a component containing C=O molecular bonds. It may or may not mean extra seal conditioners. One would have to identify the source of the C=O bonds to determine its effect. In any case, a starting oxidation number does not mean...

Just a little perspective on seal compatibility. Back in the 70s my employer (Hatco) was selling 100% diester based motor oils meeting SE/CC for rebrand. The major oil companies were pushing back against “synthetic” in the early years, and one item of contention was seal compatibility. In order...

Amazing coincidence! Two weeks ago I decided to check my water heater, suspecting it was the original from when the house was built. Sure enough, the label shows it was made in week 40 of 1996! So I went to Home Depot and took home their flyer on water heaters, and after studying it decided...

Reproducibility for the pour point test by ASTM D97-17b is 6°C, meaning results from two different labs that disagree by up to 6°C are considered acceptable. In addition, different companies may choose different approaches in reporting their pour point, such as production average, production...

I eat a lot of fruit. Well, more specifically a lot of grapes. Well, more specifically a lot of grape juice. Well, more specifically fermented grape juice. Hey, it's fruit!

Thank you all for your advice! I will check for contact corrosion, and then look at You Tube and do some research into a rewire bypassing the ballasts and switching to LEDs. These fixtures are screwed into the beams in a 9' high cellar, so it means working overhead on a step ladder, something...

I have seven fluorescent light fixtures in my cellar on the same circuit, each holding two 48" T12 fluorescent bulbs. Three of the fixtures work consistently, but four of them are not working properly, that is, they come on when they want to. One fixture will eventually come on if I flick the...

Not sure, but I believe it is a standard teaspoon, i.e. 4 grams.

Hope so. And these Altimas are real pretty cars! Mine is trouble free at six years old and 60k miles, as was my last Altima.

Esters both swell and soften seals. How much may be used (if any) depends on the ester type and PAO content. The formulator decides based on desired balance of performance targets and cost.