Snow On My Dish

[Mikey11]

last night we had our first snowfall and to my surprise some snow has accumulated on my 39 inch dish causing a drop in signal quality....this has never happened to me before and we get ALOT of snow here....is there anything i can put on the dish surface to prevent this?

in the last 4 years i had a Fortec Star dish and this never happened to me once!!!

i replaced the Fortec this year with a different brand....i have noticed the finish on the Fortec dish is alot smoother compared to the new dish....is that the reason why this is happening?

 

[brentb636]

Probably it's also wet snow, which clings better to the dish, and tends to block the signal more. Colder weather, that might not happen so much. I typically have to shovel around my Ku dish all winter long, just to keep space for it to move freely, and keep the dish and lnbf clear of snow. There are products to make your dish more slippery, one specifically for dishes is King's Rain Shield . There have been many threads on this subject in the past, you might try searching them out.

 

[FaT Air]

I'm thinkin', HEAT TAPE, on the bottom half of my BUD. The new heat tapes are not the same as a generation ago. If can be cut to length, wrap over itself even. Should work on the USS Steel mesh BUD. Not so sure if it would work on my 'glass Ku dishes though. And if the old VonWeiss actuator gets a bit too slugish at -30,(???)

 

[Corrado]

We had a slight coating of snow this morning from lake effect in NY for the first time locally this season. I was thinking about my Fortec Porta-Bud and recently raised it's platform. Last winter the snow was piling up in front of it after a few storms and required a little shoveling. Mikey11 was right, the snow just slides right off unlike my mesh and fiberglass dishes out there that collect snow.

 

[Mr Tony]

yeah wet snow will do that. We had snow last Saturday (11 inches) and the dish was buried and was up the dish almost 1/2 way stuck. A quick wipe with the glove and back in business

 

[Corrado]

... Not so sure if it would work on my 'glass Ku dishes though...

Here's how my third Prodelin dish was heated. This was attached on the rear of the reflector.

 

[upnatm]

I've had good results with industrial silicone-spray on my solid pan.

Water and wet snow slide off really fast, and any frozen beads will brush off easily.

I also use it on the van's weatherstripping to prevent the doors from freezing shut.

I should mention too, that at first, I tried paraffin wax on the dish, but I put it on too thick and
it caused a big drop in signal (worked great to repel water and wet snow!).
I had to re-heat and mop it off as best I could, and THEN I used the silicone.
So I can't say I've put silicone directly to a fresh pan, and it may be a combination of the two that I've enjoyed!

Cheers.

 

[trommy]

I've seen a lot of people saying they just use Pam.

 

[FaT Air]

I don't like the Pam idea, it's a fly attractor. (although, there are NO flies around in February) But being a natural oil, think it would rot in the Hot Summer Sun. Might just have to "Red Green" something on the Ku if the snow gets especially sticky. I do have a few hot air guns - - -extension cords - - - TBC.

 

[FED-UP-INSTALLER]

RAIN-X

 

[TheTechGuru]

I wonder if Heat Tape would work.

 

[dougruss]

I've used this on my Dish's that I've had over the years.:up
It's in a Gel form,makes it easier to apply.

Rain Clear® Gel is highly is highly concentrated, VOC free, non-flammable, non-combustible, non-toxic and non-corrosive. Easily applied, this long-lasting glass polish repels rain, sleet & snow on contact and restricts the adhesion & buildup of frost, salt, mud, bugs & road grime.

.

 

[toucan-man]

I've seen a lot of people saying they just use Pam.

I prefer Mary. Just give her a broom and off she goes. And she doesn't attract flies...

 

[FaT Air]

I prefer Mary. Just give her a broom and off she goes. And she doesn't attract flies...

ROFLOL wiping the tears from my eyes!

 

[Mikey11]

thanks for all the replys and suggestions....this really sucks....this never happened with my fortec star dish and now im regreting replacing it....fortec star has a nice smooth finish...so i guess the snow just slides off it....no problems with fortec star in four years....