
	Friday Fax A Weekly Summary of Polywater^® News of Incredible Importance

Issue #862

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What the ...? You'll want to Click on this Image for a closer look. What is that at the bottom of the box?

It is water ... frozen water. The ice is in a combiner box on a solar farm in northern Indiana. In the solar industry this known as "not good." As might be expected, dihydrogen oxide (H₂O) is not considered helpful in combiner boxes in either its liquid or solid state. All parties involved in the installation and maintenance of combiner boxes are particularly interested in the prevention of such things.

How does the ice get there? In this case the solar array was built on a hill, and the combiner boxes are lower than the crest. The conduits filled with water over time, eventually pushing water up into the combiner boxes, where it freezes before it can drain out. This is a fairly common problem for solar arrays.

How can the ice be prevented? The contractor had used duct putty to "seal" the duct, which we've explained repeatedly does not work--as aptly demonstrated by this excellent photo. The correct solution, which you undoubtedly knew the second you viewed the picture, is to actually seal the ducts with FST Foam Duct Sealant. This particular solar farm operator is now requiring all its plants to install FST as a corrective measure.

The moral of the story is that SPW Solar Panel Wash is not the only Polywater sale to be made on solar jobs.

The Friday Fax Editor's Joke of the Week

The Joke

Commonly Misused Phrases. 1) Prostrate Cancer -- (aka, "Stage 5 Cancer" --Editor) It’s an easy misspelling to make—just add an extra r and “prostate cancer” becomes “prostrate cancer,” suggesting a cancer of lying face-down on the ground. Both the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Mayo Clinic websites include this misspelling. 2) First-Come, First-Serve -- This suggests that the first person to arrive serves all who follow (True enough at my house. --Editor). The actual phrase is “first-come, first-served,” indicating that participants are served in the order in which they arrive. Both Harvard and Yale got this one wrong. 3) Sneak Peak -- A peak is a mountaintop. A peek is a quick look. The correct expression is “sneak peek,” meaning a secret or early look at something. This error appeared on websites for Oxford University and the National Park Service. (Cut the Park Service some slack ... at least they have mountaintops. --Editor) 4) Deep-Seeded -- This should be "deep-seated,” to indicate something firmly established. Though deep-seeded might seem to make sense, indicating that something is planted deep in the ground, this is not the correct expression. This error is on the Washington Post and White House websites. (Maybe they were talking about Michelle Obama's garden. --Editor) 5) Extract Revenge -- To extract something is to remove it, like a tooth. The correct expression is “exact revenge,” meaning to achieve revenge. Both The New York Times and the BBC made this error. (In their cases "retract revenge" is the more common usage. --Editor) 6) I Could Care Less -- We should say, “I couldn’t care less” to express maximum apathy in a situation, meaning it’s impossible to care less about something because you have no more care to give; you’ve run out of care. Using the incorrect phrase indicates that one still has care left to give. (Wait, you didn't let me finish: I could care less ... and so I shall. --Editor)

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American Polywater Corporation -- The world's leading manufacturer of cable pulling lubricants, cable cleaners, sealants, and MRO & construction chemicals.
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