[BC] Re: Sat dishes vs snow

[Dennis Cope]

On Wednesday 04 January 2006 03:07 pm, Dennis Cope wrote:
>When you find something let me know.  Where I work we have dishes from 85'
>to 40' and so far everything, except heaters,, don't work.

 /snip/

>We have spent thousands of dollars trying to find a way to keep the snow
out
>and we have to be on line 24 hours a day or no weather satellite pictures
>for anyone..  If you find a way to keep snow out please let us know..
>
>GE/Americom would like to know also...

 Now, that's a horse of a whole 'nother color !

 On a dish that large, and with that kind of budget......

 How's this ?

 A pump, and some creative plumbing, and a catch basin.

Problem, because the dishes are moveable and must be able to track several
different satellites on the Clark belt the catch basin would have to be
fairly large.

 Rig a piece of perforated tubing, which you may have to fabricate
 yourself ( or hire me to do it for you ) to ring the top 1/2 of the
 perimeter of the dish, adjusted to put the holes toward the dish.
 Actually, several bathroom shower heads from Lowe's or similar
 could work as well.
 A small pump to constantly feed de-icing fluid, keeping a constant spray
 on the dish during a snow storm.

Problem, on large dishes of this type the sections (petals) have to have
gaps between them to allow for expansion and contraction. Also the dish must
be aligned every several years, so each petal is adjustable.

 A catch basin under the drain edge of the dish, which feeds the pump.

 As long as the fluid keeps moving, even in sub-zero weather, it would
 need to be very, very, very diluted to not work.
 ( which will eventually happen, if the fluid isn't changed often enough, as
 snow melts into it )

--
Cowboy

Now, if we can get around these little problems and the EPA, we will have a
working fix...

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