Transformer oil bottle sampling instructions:

a) If glass bottles are to be used, use dark or amber bottles with a secure cap. Make
sure that the bottle is clean and dry. Wash glass bottle with detergent and use a
brush as much as possible to scrub the inner walls. Rinse several times with water
making sure that no residue of detergent gets left behind. Rinse finally with
distilled water and oven-dry or air-dry. Make sure that the bottle cap makes a
secure fit. Flimsy plastic caps tend to make a bad seal, while caps lined with
cardboard tend to contaminate the oil sample. Bakelite caps lined with Teflon are
the best. Clean caps the same way as above and make sure it is dry. If dark
bottles are not available, one can wrap the bottle with newspaper or bottle stored
in a box to keep away from sunlight exposure.
b) Do not wrap adhesive tape (masking tape, electrical tape) around the bottle cap
thinking it will keep the caps more secure. Adhesive from these tapes will
dissolve in oil and produce a messy gum which may affect certain properties of
the oil.
c) If plastic bottles are to be used, use opaque, HDPE bottles and a secure cap. If the
manufacture of the plastic bottle involves the use of release agents, rinse the bottle
with methanol then distilled water and let air-dry. Plastic bottles are for one-time
disposable use. Do not attempt to clean and re-use plastic bottles.
d) Bottle sampling: Use a clean, dry, clear hose such as aquarium air hose or Tygon
tubing. Let oil flow down by the side of the bottle to lessen bubbling caused by
abrupt pouring. Introduce a small portion of oil to flush the hose and rinse all the
sides of the bottle. Discard this rinsing. Rinse the bottle 3 times. Fill the bottle
with sample oil and cap securely. Filling the bottle to overflow is the best, but
sometimes oil contraction during temperature changes may exert vacuum and
break glass bottles. To avoid this, leave a small air space to allow for oil volume
changes.
e) When taking both bottle (for oil quality test) and syringe (for DGA and moisture
test) samples, it is best to sample the bottle first, before the syringe. Ascertain
that the transformer headspace is not at negative pressure when sampling from an
energized transformer.
f) When sharing transformer valve adapters, clean after each use before using on the
next transformer. Sampling tubing are for one time use only. Use a fresh hose for
the next transformer to avoid cross contamination.
g) Do not forget to label bottle with pertinent transformer information and oil type.
Identify bottle with its syringe partner by writing down the syringe serial number
on the bottle or label the syringe with the same transformer information.