Improper Dish Cleaning Method

[Pi314]

The following is a true story, only the names have been changed to protect the innocent:


WIFE: I couldn’t watch my show on Ion Life because of snow on the big dish, so I jiggled the dish until most of it came off.


HUSBAND: (Waking from nap) You did what?


WIFE: Yeah, the channel still didn’t come in, so I got the broom and swept the rest off by leaning as far as I could across it and it still doesn’t work. Can you look at it?


HUSBAND: Uhhh…. (facepalm)


Do not let this happen to you. Hold an in-service training session for all family members on the proper method of cleaning snow off your satellite dish. Luckily for me the damage was minimal and all is in working order now.

 

[primestar31]

If "jiggling" your dish(es) causes it to get misaligned, then it's not installed properly, or needs to be beefed up. You need a stronger mount, and to make sure everything is tight and strong. Plus train the family to be careful.

 

[navychop]

Hilarious!

 

[turbosat]

Leafblower should work pretty well ? Provided it isn't wet snow frozen to the dish, and you're careful ! I'm so glad I haven't had that problem since the 93 snowstorm.

 

[waylew]

You probably would have had a heart attack if you saw me getting the,up to,4" of ice/sleet/snow out of the 10' Pinnacle.And then when I took the roofing torch to the ku dishes,,,,

 

[Magic Static]

I have a couple of 10' dishes on AJAKs. I've removed the snow a few times this season already. Both these dishes are at rooftop level and not easy to reach. I came up with an idea for an automated snow dump feature using a vibration motor and a micro switch powered by the dish motor circuit. One of the things I'll work on this coming summer season.

 

[KE4EST]

If "jiggling" your dish(es) causes it to get misaligned, then it's not installed properly, or needs to be beefed up. You need a stronger mount, and to make sure everything is tight and strong. Plus train the family to be careful.

I think it is more the wife leaning in on the dish, and even with a proper "beefed" up as you say mount, someone uneducated on the thing could mess it up. She must have jiggled pretty hard to get most of the snow off.

 

[skysurfer]

I have a squeegee bolted onto a 8' 1"x1" that works great for snow removal on all my big/small/dbs dishes while I remain on solid ground.

 

[toucan-man]

Wonder if I throw nuts on the dish if the squirrels will go up there and poke around making the snow fall off ? Might take a lot of nuts or have to be nuts myself to get it to work.

- Red Green wannabe

 

[stanleyjohn]

Before a winter storm that you think ice may be in the mix try to have your dish aimed to your favorite Satellite. About 2 weeks ago we did get ice and very cold weather after and my dish wasn't aimed at my favorite satellite.Didnt get a lot of ice and snow on the dish but the actuator froze up and it was days before it thawed out.I guess I could of tried to de-ice the actuator but didn't bother.

 

[RT-Cat]

I have a squeegee bolted onto a 8' 1"x1" that works great for snow removal on all my big/small/dbs dishes while I remain on solid ground.

Need a manufacturer of push brooms to make one the contours to the bud. After moving bud to 135, I take my floor push broom and clean of the bottom half, then go on the back side and tap the upper mesh and most of the white crap slides off. Couldn't do that when I had the orbitron. Mesh was too weak. Now with the winegard heavy mesh, it can take a tad bit more thumping.

 

[migold]

I use a floor push broom also, on my 8 ft and 10 ft dishes. The 8 ft is solid so that usually cleans easily, unless it has ice.... I like RT-Cat's idea for a contoured broom. That would have benefits on these dishes. The 90 cm dish is usually pointed at 125 W and usually has no accumulation on the dish at that angle. Haven't had to clean them this winter, yet...

 

[T4Runner]

For those of you in heavy snow country, don't electric pipe warmers work on a mesh dish? I get snow here once a year maybe, and then its only two inches for a day or so. I have electrical pipe warming tape on my outside pipes at the well and pipe entering the house and it turns on at 35 deg. I guess you'd need too much if it did work?

 

[RT-Cat]

For those of you in heavy snow country, don't electric pipe warmers work on a mesh dish? I get snow here once a year maybe, and then its only two inches for a day or so. I have electrical pipe warming tape on my outside pipes at the well and pipe entering the house and it turns on at 35 deg. I guess you'd need too much if it did work?

Well, it would work, but you would end up with melted trenches like the heat tapes on my roof eves.
Say, now here is a project for the engineers out there. Find a way we can electrify the entire mesh of the dish so it heats up to 35 degrees and melts all the snow off. Problem there would be the electric bill. Already too high.:rant:

 

[toucan-man]

I just use a regular cheezoid plastic broom. It won't reach to the top of a 10 footer, but most snow is in the bottom half anyway. A light gentle touch sweeping side to side takes time, but what nicer thing than to be out in the great outdoors sweeping your BUD clean, reassuring your neighbors that you really do like that big thing.

 

[olegray]

Down in this part of the country, our worst problem is freezing rain. Has anyone tried RainX or a product of that sort for icing?

 

[NoReDist]

Those expensive RoofRakes make even a 5m dish a piece o cake. (relative to any other manual way of clearing)

Not too hard to homebrew, but make sure the wife doesn't treat the dish like a piñata...
Agree with Cat though: need to make something contoured

 

[RT-Cat]

NoReDist,
Welcome to SatGuys!

 

[Pi314]

I will experiment with a car battery warmer pad on the next snowfall. Perhaps two or three strategically placed pads underside of dish might do the trick.

 

[(((Garyd)))]

I will experiment with a car battery warmer pad on the next snowfall. Perhaps two or three strategically placed pads underside of dish might do the trick.

View attachment 93755

I always told everyone to park the dish on the lowest bird, snow don't stick to a wall