Ice Storm

soonerman

Active SatelliteGuys Member
Original poster
Jan 4, 2007
24
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Hi everyone, I am a satellite newbie and have a question. We have an ice storm approaching over the weekend. They are prediction 2" of ice. My question is if I spray a chemical deicer on my dish and I think it is called the LNB, will that cause any damage to my dish. What is the best recommendation for keeping the ice buildup off of my dish or to remove the ice from the dish.

Thanks for your advise.
 
I've seen dish heaters for sale, but I can't imagine they're really necessary.
 
I'm in the bullseye for this one too. It'll be interesting to see the effects. The last big ice storm was in 2002, before I got the dish.

And :welcome soonerman.
 
Yeah it should be fine the last big snow storm we got back before Christmas I did not loose signal one time. Had friends that were on Direct that switched to Dish they said if they would have been on Direct they would have lost signal. So overall you should be fine.
 
If your dish is low enough you can use a hose to spray water on the dish to remove accumulations of ice. If ice accumulates on your dish it can block signal from getting to the LNB but also the weight can shift the alignment of the dish. PAM, automotive wax or deicer sprays can all give temporary help in keeping ice off the dish surface.
 
I had no problems with the foot of snow last month in Tulsa and the big ice storm 5 or 6 years ago did not do any damage either. I can't really remember having to do anything because of the ice buildup, but warm water would clear it quick if needed and assuming the dish is accessible.
 
The last one that went through didnt mess mine up at all. I live in McAlester, so we didnt get it as bad as Tulsa, and looks to be the same this time... :( :(
 
Depends on what you use, its never a good idea to spray any kind of chemical on to the LNBF as it is electronics. With the reflector itsself you can use a deicer but I wouldnt use anything thats petroleum based or any oil based product as it will sludge up at low temps and give the snow/ice something to build up on. Generaly the area of the reflector that seems to be effected the most is the lower third of the reflector wich when it gets a crescent of snow on it will cause signal problems. Winter 05/06 I cleaned off about a dozen dishes in the detroit area and all had the same area of the dish with a crescent of snow yet mine had snow all over the reflector and didnt loose signal at all.

You can also place a plastic trash bag over the whole assembly being sure to pull it taught so that its rigid from the top of the dish to the LNBF so that there is little chance of sag from snow/ice right off the bat, give them an inch and they will take a mile.
 
I find that you should first clean the reflector as the dirt built up cause the ice to stick.

After it is clean, spray it with pam and then wipe it off lightly.

Never had an ice problem when doing this. I have had ice and snow sticking problem one year that I forgot.
 
Hi everyone, I am a satellite newbie and have a question. We have an ice storm approaching over the weekend. They are prediction 2" of ice. My question is if I spray a chemical deicer on my dish and I think it is called the LNB, will that cause any damage to my dish. What is the best recommendation for keeping the ice buildup off of my dish or to remove the ice from the dish.

Thanks for your advise.

Go get your old patio umbrella. Put it above the dish, but not blocking the signal. Watch TV until the power goes out.
 
When I have a problem with snow and ice buildup I fill a super-soaker squirt rifle with hot water and spray it a couple of times. The snow falls off the dish and lnb and presto the picture returns. It'll work if your dish is within shooting range :)
 
the water hose isnt gonna do much good for us peeps in oklahoma.The weather here is going to be real crappy for the next 7 days,some days we will barely be in the double digits with 30mph north winds.God this weekend is gonna suck.
 
I brought my hose inside the house, before water in the hose froze. Then, if you dish gets iced up, bring out your emergency hose with a strong nozzell, and you can spray the ice away. This worked for me during the last ice/snow storm.
 
When I have a problem with snow and ice buildup I fill a super-soaker squirt rifle with hot water and spray it a couple of times. The snow falls off the dish and lnb and presto the picture returns. It'll work if your dish is within shooting range :)

I heard of a guy in upstate NY that sent his wife up on the roof to clear the ice off the dish and he shot some hot water up there and hit his wife instead in the wrong place.
Now he's cooking his own suppers for a while. :D :hungry:
 
Thank you for all the advise. The storm is just beginning. There is a visible thin layer of ice on my dish and no loss of signal whatsoever. Let's hope it stays that way!
 
I'm more worried about my OTA antenna on the roof than I am about the dish. Enough ice could start to bend and break the elements.
This is going to be really ugly before it is over!
 
Just got home sliding, it has started in Tulsa. Had not thought about the OTA antenna. That would suck if it bends and breaks. I guessing we won't get much network HD this weekend, you know the weather guys are going to take over.
 
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