Q's for people with Dish Heater experience

[Steve Mackay]

I've been looking for a dish heater for this coming winter. I've looked online and I see quite a few that are "Direct TV" dish heaters but none for Dish Network.

1. Is there a specific heater I should buy for my Dish Network dish?
2. I assume the DTV heaters will work the Dish Network dishes but do I have to worry about the bolt pattern?
3. Do you put the heater on the front or the back of the dish?
4. Does the LNB need a heater as well (I live up at 7000ft in Park City, Utah)?

I don't want a heater that automatically turns on and off. Like my roof heat tape I'd like the heater line to run to an outdoor switch (next to my heat tape) so I can choose when to turn it off and on. Is this a typical setup and what kind of power do I need to run to the switch/dish heater?

Cheers

Steve

 

[navychop]

Look at Kat's hot pad heater on Amazon.

Don't use the DTV heater.

LNB might need it more.

Another option is to bag the whole setup.
On the back.

 

[Steve Mackay]

Those Kat's hot pad heaters look like a good cheap alternative. Due to the size of the dish it looks like I'd need 2 and put them either side of the mounting bracket.
I'm interested in why you said not use the DTV heater? Wrong bolt pattern? It should work, it's just heat?
If the whole setup is bagged, I'm worried about the bag and more importantly the snow sitting on top of the bag, it sagging and interfering with the dish signal.

 

[navychop]

Two, near the bottom. Say, a third up?

The shape and slope is different.

Yep. But deicing the LNB can be tough without damaging it.

 

[Steve Mackay]

Just because the curvature is different the heaters designed for direct TV seem to have enough articulation to accommodate different dish shapes.

I was thinking the low power of an official heater might be more energy efficient than running 110v for 2x 100w Kat's heating pads. Maybe I can wire the Kat's pads to a timer like a hot tub timer so they are not on all day.

I've read some forums say bagging doesn't work as well as heaters.

I can't believe I'm the only dish customer in the mountains that needs a heating solution.

 

[ChadT41]

Another good choice is to just use a slick spray paint and coat your Dish. No need to hear, and most snow will slide off almost immediately. Crisco works well also, but reapplying constantly would suck.

 

[Skytrooper]

My swimming pool cleaner knocks the snow off quite well.

 

[Claude Greiner]

IMHO I think the heaters are a waste, however Perfect 10 I believe does make a hot shot heater that works very well.

I would put the heater behind the dish if possible.