"half_pint" bravely wrote to "All" (25 Jul 04 20:29:45)
--- on the heady topic of " TV tube, hissing, fizzling crackling noise,
arcing."

ha From: "half_pint"
ha Actually though something does appear to have affected the
ha inside of the plastic back casing of the TV making it sticky
ha particularly around the area near the anode cap. I presume
ha this has been caused by ozone.
ha I took the back off to let more air get in, I think maybe I should
ha put it back on tho keep the ozone in.
ha Anyway humidity is 82% at the moment and the tude is fizzling
ha away quite merrily.(sounds like there is a wasp in there!!).
ha Also as I smoke 20 a day maybe all that tar will protect my
ha lungs from the ozone? Smoking may also have something to
ha do with the black sticky stuff on the plastic, or it may be
ha plastic attacked by ozone. I wouldn't say I can particularly
ha smell ozone in the room, certaintly not as much as during
ha a thundersorm anyway but it is more of a concern than my
ha TV packing up anyway.

I agree. I don't think you can smell ozone if you smoke 20 coffin
nails a day. I also agree the goo inside you TV is very likely tar.
The oily combustion products from the burning tobacco tend to condense
on every surface they land on. It gives everything in the room a nice
yellow film just like on your fingers.

If I bring say a clock radio from your room into a non-smoker's house
it will reek of tobacco smell to them for months. You don't even
notice it because you are desensitized in being saturated by it 24/7.
But it's a longshot that the tar in your lungs acts as a protection
against ozone. Don't count on it.

I smoked 2 packs a day for over 20 years but finally gave it up after
discovering a couple of shadows in my lung xrays. It has now been over
20 years since I last smoked and a clean bill of health. It wasn't as
hard to quit as my smoker friends made it seem.


ha However I will have a go at cleaming the cap up a bit when
ha I am feeking braver, apparently the voltages are less dangerous
ha than they sound but I will not be taking any chances.
ha Apparently a bit of insulating tape might come in handy.
ha Beats me why these caps are metal anyway, I assume they are,
ha it would seem to be more sennsible to make them plactic coated.

ha Also is the back of the tube glass or metalic? I assume it is
ha glass but I and not 100%

ha Actually the noise has been a bit louder, and I checked
ha the humidity, its up to 88%.

ha Actually the noise was beginning to annoy me so I through
ha caution to the wind and stuck a couple layers of
ha sticky insulating tape over the offending area, result:- silence.
ha Or near silence anyway, I will do a proper clean up on it
ha tomorrow.

ha Well that has saved me #50 for the time being anyway,
ha humidity still 88%.

Alcohol is a good cleaning solution for this purpose. Try and get the
99% variety at the pharmacy. After the glass and cup are clean,
inspect the HV cup for damage such as carbonization. Any trace of a
track means it should be replaced. Then smear HV dielectric or spark
plug grease all over the inside of the cup before reconnecting it to
the CRT dimple. This will keep the air from getting under the cap and
causing short circuiting to ground. Some folk use hv rtv, or ordinary
car axle grease or engine oil but all that just seems too messy.

A*s*i*m*o*v

.... High Voltage Electronics: Life's a glitch, then you fry.