PCB Data/Distribution Transformer Information

The links below contain information that may be helpful in a PCB elimination program. The data includes serial numbers from many distribution transformer manufacturers. It is not complete, but contains data on many of the major manufacturers doing business over the past 50+ years. Each manufacturer kept records of the serial numbers for units built each year. Many of them coded the serial numbers to include the date of manufacture and at which plant the unit was built. You will quickly learn to recognize serial number sequences created by the various manufacturers. The information imbedded within these serial numbers can then be used to assist in the management of a PCB elimination program, spill response criteria, and work order prioritization.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) did not research the manufacturer’s data; or at least, did not include it in their final Mega Rule considerations. They perhaps considered it too cumbersome and meticulous to include in the final rules. However, since they did not, we must.

As electric power distributors, we have the expensive onus of proving our transformers are Non-PCB with Gas Chromatography (G.C.) lab tests. Our own (G.C.) test results reinforces the claims made by manufacturers, but EPA's Mega Rule (1998) assumes all distribution transformers produced prior to July 1979 to contain PCB's. Most utilities simply cannot afford to pay line workers to pull lab samples on every transformer in the field. Instead, we must develop a program that gradually will eliminate the PCB transformers, while remaining within budget constraints. For this reason, using the manufacturer’s serial numbers is a valuable tool in our efforts to eliminate PCBs from our systems.

We hope this data is useful to your utility or business. If you want to download the complete file, please click on Download the Manufacturer's PCBData. It contains a Quick Look data table, historical data on PCB's and EPA regulatory activities, and a listing of serial numbers from the manufacturers. The file  size is less than 700 KB. The file is in .pdf format, so you will need Adobe’s Acrobat Reader to view the information. If you do not have Acrobat Reader, please click HERE  to download it free

Powered by Star Technology Group
Elizabethton Electric System
Send all inquiries to our website administrator.
Direct technical questions or comments to: webmaster@StarTechnologyGroup.com