Episodes

  • What Does Good Transformer Diagnostics Really Look Like?
    Sep 22 2026

    You have the reports, you have the data, so you have your diagnostics, right? In this episode of Transformer Truths, host Ryan Tate talks with Michael Weber, who is the Manager of Diagnostic Services at SDMyers, about the gap between having data and understanding it. Most teams today are drowning in numbers and dashboards, yet still can't answer the question that matters: what do we do next, and in what order? Michael breaks down what separates a pile of test results from a real diagnosis—how the right tests corroborate each other. If your team gets plenty of data but not enough clarity, this one is for you. 

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    16 mins
  • What Really Happens to Your Oil Testing Samples?
    Sep 15 2026

    The samples are pulled from the transformer, and a week or so later, a report comes back. But what actually happens in between? In this episode of Transformer Truths, host Ryan Tate goes behind the lab door with Rachel Nypaver, Lab Supervisor at SDMyers, for a look at what really happens to your oil sample. It turns out there's no single test that tells you everything—there's a whole battery of them, and each one sees something the others don’t. Rachel walks through a day in the life of the lab and explains a few of the key tests in plain terms. Along the way, she reveals something most people never think about: the quality of the sample itself shapes everything the lab can tell you. A rare, human look inside the work behind every oil test report.

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    15 mins
  • Four Ways to Look at a Transformer (and What Each One Can Miss)
    Sep 8 2026

    Your team ran your annual oil test—and it looks like everything came back fine. So, you're covered, right? Not necessarily. In this episode of Transformer Truths, host Ryan Tate sits down with Kyle Johannes, who helps lead Field Inspection Services at SDMyers, to explore where most maintenance programs fall short: an annual oil sample might only be part of the story. It's a candid, practical conversation about the four ways to look at a transformer—what each method sees, what it misses, and how to move from checking boxes to truly understanding the health of the asset you can't afford to lose.

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    23 mins