Any idea what this is?

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K8MHZ

Senior Member
Location
Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
Occupation
Electrician
Those are definitely crystals and not mold.

I am pretty sure the only way to get crystals like that is to have them 'grow' out of a liquid.

The liquid could be draining down the conductors or could be condensing. Whatever the liquid is, it has a bunch of dissolved minerals in it.
 

big john

Senior Member
Location
Portland, ME
Is there a water seepage problem above those wires?

Looks a lot like concrete efflorescence where water carries minerals out of the cement and they crystalize as the seepage evaporates. See it a lot in hydroelectric dams.
 

mgookin

Senior Member
Location
Fort Myers, FL
For the first 0.5 seconds I saw the picture I thought tin whiskers but quickly discounted it. It's not tin whiskers. It is some kind of dendrites.

Until OP tells us where this is we're limited on identifying it. Is this some kind of lab? Shop area? Data center?
 

RichB

Senior Member
Location
Tacoma, Wa
Occupation
Electrician/Electrical Inspector
Obviously those conductors feed a refrigeration system and are, therefore, cold, causing snow to form on them:lol::dunce:
 

just the cowboy

Inactive, Email Never Verified
Location
newburgh,ny
Odd

Odd

I think it is some type of reaction from the current flowing in the wires.
1. Look at the base of the wires with the black ferrules it has allot of oxidation there.
2. All wire marked have the same number on them, black ferrules don't, may be different voltages.
3. Wire on left has crystals growing out of right direction, wires on left have it growing out of left direction.

So my guess is there is a magnetic attraction causing it or helping it.
 
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