Best heater for Dish 500?

[Andrewwski]

What's the best heater people have experience with for the Dish 500?

I had a heated cover on for a few years, but lo and behold it was actually reducing my signal by about 15 points. So no more of that.

Would like to get something before the snow and ice hits.

 

[space86]

Try hot water and a super soaker

 

[navychop]

Well, I know some people useAmazon.com: Kat's 24025 25 Watt 1"x 5" Universal Hot Pad Heater: Automotive@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41JcQUaA0lL.@@AMEPARAM@@41JcQUaA0lLand place it near the rear bottom of the dish. I am considering one or two for my 1000.4.

 

[Andrewwski]

Try hot water and a super soaker

Happens too often for that. Tried that the first year and it was a pain.

Well, I know some people useAmazon.com: Kat's 24025 25 Watt 1"x 5" Universal Hot Pad Heater: Automotiveand place it near the rear bottom of the dish. I am considering one or two for my 1000.4.

Interesting idea. I wonder if it produces enough heat? It's certainly cheap enough.

 

[Dah-Henny]

The heater that navy recommends would be a good try, plus, you can get those KAT heaters with more wattage if you need more octane.

 

[smoeke]

use 2 of those mounted on top and bottom on the back side of dish

 

[Andrewwski]

Horizontally, top and bottom, as opposed to vertically left and right?

Heating the bottom would seem to be the most important, as the snow/ice will be sliding downward.

What about one of these? Is it overkill/too much heat?

Amazon.com: Kat's 24150 150 Watt 4"x 5" Universal Hot Pad Heater: Automotive@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41%2BeiZlPnCL.@@AMEPARAM@@41%2BeiZlPnCL

 

[kstuart]

The best dish heaters are the ones that are made to fit the back of the dish:

not quite as good are ones made from the automotive parts for a dish application:

Both have sensors that only turn on when the temperature is 35 or below.

See icezapper.com for the latter product, and troll ebay for the fitted products...

PS Lots of old threads on this subject.

 

[Andrewwski]

Thanks...I checked ebay/other sites, the full heaters seem to run $80+. I'll gladly pay it if it's what's needed...but if a cheap $15 auto block heater works too...I'll obviously go with that.

Thermostat sounds interesting...but then again if it's 20 degrees but not snowy or icy, there's no need for it to be running. I'll put it on a switch controlled outlet anyway.

I'll check for the old threads. Thanks. I think I'll try the auto block heaters first.

 

[old corps]

I bought a Kat's 24100/100 watt from Amazon last year but I got it a little too late to use it--the roof was icy. I'll install it this year before the snow flies (YUKKK!).

Ed

 

[Claude Greiner]

I have bought too many of these over the years, and then have the customer decide they no longer needed it once it came in on special order.

The ones that stick on the back of the dish are best, but in all my 12 years I have never needed one

 

[Andrewwski]

I definitely have needed one. First year was awful - got a ton of snow and ice buildup. The light fluffy stuff isn't bad, but the rain/snow/ice mix was bad - especially since the dish often radiated heat faster than the air and was colder - would freeze upon contact.

Ordered some heated cover out of the back (classifieds) of Popular Science and it worked great at keeping the ice and snow off. But went to swing my 110/119 dish to 72.7 earlier this year and found that it actually diminished the signal by about 15 points. So I took it off.

One that sticks on the back of the dish is definitely necessary then...I'll probably try the KAT things first...they're cheap enough that if they don't work right, it's not much of a loss.

 

[navychop]

The only thing keeping me from ordering and attaching the heaters now is that I'd have to run their 120v power cords into my attic (might have to cut plugs off to feed thru) and then set up a remote switch to control (not rely on built in switch). But since reception is worse in EA than in the hybrid setup I had, I might need it. Never know what kind of winter we might have here, or how much ice.