satellite dish de-icer?
Karl
dish de-icer?
I've been "googling" for different solutions, such as heat tape,
covers, silicone spray, "PAM" spray, car wax, cooking oil, or more
expensive products like "wx2100," etc.
I've found some homemade recipes, such as mixing common rubbing
alcohol with a small amount of dish soap, then rubbing it on the
dish every now and then between snow storms. Other recipes
include antifreeze, but that can be pretty toxic to animals, and
we live in a remote area where there is abundant wildlife. But I
suppose a thin layer of antifreeze, somehow "hardened" onto the
dish, wouldn't do much harm.
I've tried the "car wax" treatment to no avail. My Dish network
500 dish is located about 100' up the hill from our house, and the
snowy winters make access difficult, especially at night.
Opinions welcome. Cheap products or homemade recipes preferred.
--
Karl
Bob Muncie
Hi Karl - I'm hanging out on the internet today, so I have an opinion on
everything :-)
Why would you need a de-icer? I have had dish for the last ten or twelve
years, and several winters had storms that included only ice ( I live in
Michigan), that kill many trees, and cause tons of accidents. But my
reception has never been an issue.
The only time I have ever had a reception issue is due to seriously
dense clouds (any time of the year), and if the snow pilled up to the
point you would not have recognized it was a dish receiver. Easily
resolved with a snow scrapper like you'd use for your car.
Bob
Sanity
"Bob Muncie" <bob.m...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:hal331$kuf$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
If you read his last paragraph it would have answered your question.:
Bob Muncie
Sanity - No, I did not read the earlier post. My primary ISP has been
out since yesterday, so I am skimming only.
But I don't see how your post would change mine.
I live in the boonies, have had dish network for 10 ~ 12 years, and have
heavy snow and ice every year. My driveway is 896' foot from my house.
What is you point? And better yet, what value did you add?
I stated that snow is not generally an issue, and when it is, a simple
snow scrapper fixes that, and ice has never been an at all.
Do you have value to add here? I assume not as you did not with your
post here.
Bob
Eric
I don't think it's the ice so much as the snow. When we get a heavy, wet
snow, it sticks to the dish and we lose reception. I can tap the dish
with a stick out the window and the snow falls off, but I wouldn't mind
a permanent solution.
Bob Muncie
Eric - That I understand. And I have heard, but not followed up on the
availability of satellite covers that would keep most of the snow away
when having poor weather. The cover will minimize the amount of snow on
the dish itself.
Please check out http://tinyurl.com/y97phqr as I think that would deal
with your issue.
Regards,
Bob
Dr. Personality
<eric...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I don't think it's the ice so much as the snow. When we get a heavy, wet
> snow, it sticks to the dish and we lose reception. I can tap the dish
> with a stick out the window and the snow falls off, but I wouldn't mind
> a permanent solution.
I have had snow buildup on the dish, which is on the roof of my
two-story house. This happens during storms. I've had to construct a
25-foot-long pole with a whiskbroom duct-taped to the end at a
90-degree angle to clear the dish. I won't climb up there in bad
weather.
A heater may suit you. I found this:
It seems to be simple enough to install and maintain, but I have no
experience with this product. They also sell dish covers, which they
say "reduce" the problem. You can poke around their site if you like.
Good luck.
Sanity
>> "Bob Muncie" <bob.m...@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:hal331$kuf$1...@news.eternal-september.org...
>>>>
>>>> 500 dish is located about 100' up the hill from our house, and the
>>>> snowy winters make access difficult, especially at night.
>>>>
The point is that many people here don't bother to read the original post in
it's entirety and give non-relevent answers, like yours was. He wasn't
interested in your reception. He was trying to find a solution to his
problem and you didn't give him one.
Bob Muncie
Fair enough on the surface.
But I did add value with reference. Yes. I even provided the idea of
having a cover.
You?
Not so much.
How about going away and being an ass elsewhere...
Have something to post that has value, or just don't post (hint!).
here's my value: http://tinyurl.com/yhjk7hv
How about yours great flapper of toothless gums?
Bob
Jean Smith
That's why I'm experimenting with the 'always show the first post in
the thread feature.'
Carrying forward the text to which you are responding sometimes fails.
(As has my crossposting filter. ) If the snow problem were in the title
that might have helped.
Remote hair drier anyone?
--
event http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/hqblog
Not the News http://www.dropdobbs.com/get-the-facts/
Keep Up with Smears: http://mediamatters.org/
http://www.kevinandkell.com/2009/kk0913.html
Bob Muncie
Hi Jean.
I've never heard of a remote hair dryer, but I assume it would
accomplish the task needed here. :-)
However, since I posted my satellite dish on a pole of my own
construction (galvanized, capped, and anchored with 80 lbs of cement),
it's not too big of an issue for me. But, I have needed to scrape the
snow off exactly twice in the last ten or twelve years. I used my car's
snow scraper (brush side) twice to knock off the heavy snow.
But having a cover I think would have even prevented that requirement.
Have a nice night!
Bob
jasperpso
year, the only time you will have a priblem with dish in the winter is when
we get snows at or about 31-33 degrees outside.. when the snow is close to
the melting point it becomes heavy and soggy and likes to accumulate...
once it gets thick enough and wet enough it will knock out tv reception..
however, EVERY TIME it happens is at night or in all out sleet/snow storm,
and as soon as the sun gets high enough in the sky in the morning by
10-10:30 it will eventually melt and fall off on its own.. it would have to
be seriously overcast for it not to, worse case like before mentioned
brushing the accumulation off will immediately fix your problem, and a cover
might actually work, i too have seen them over the years, but no personal
experience. now on snows colder then 31-33 degrees, the dish surface being
so cold, snow doesnt really accumulate on it..i have NEVER had to brush snow
off the dish from the most serrious blizzard, only when it above 30
degrees..
ice generally wont cause a problem, last year we had a SERIOUS freezing
rain, where the whole area had a 3/4 in sheetof ice encasing it.. my
satellite ran right through it.. in any case, you arent going to stop a
freezing rain likee that from happening, and how often does that happen
anyways.. and like i said, it shouldnt be a problem anyways..\
jasper
Sanity
Oh, you're so bright and scary. You're an idiot. You didn't answer the
original posters question but you think you're right. Go away little boy and
come back when you grow up.
Bob Muncie
Okay... and to not waste everyone else's time... I won't respond again
to you or this topic.
Haven't the time to consider tards as a special interest group I need to
give to.
I would rather give to people that have honest questions.
Have a good life Sanity.
Seth
news:081020091647480908%aff...@no.com.invalid...
My previous house I had to put a dish heater in. Dish was too high up to be
climbing in winter and we did have snow accumulation problems.
Was pretty simple to install. Was basically a big sticker that covered the
face of the dish (and was of the same reflective quality that it didn't
change my signal levels) and low voltage wiring that went to a control box.
The control box was mounted outside and plugged into a regular power outlet.
Had a thermostat built in and only powered the heating elements when the
temp was below 35.
Sanity
Thank you. I do and I will. I wonder if you can give your snippy replies and
attitude to someone in person or are you just a 'behind the computer' hero?
There's a lot of people here that have big mouths and attitude while they
are hiding behind the monitor so they think they can respond in a nasty
tone.
Anyway, keep up your attitude. It'll get you nowhere in life.
Karl
That sounds like the ideal solution. But it also sounds
like it could be a bit expensive for my budget, and could
also be more labor intensive than what I am willing or able
to do.
I mounted our dish securely on the advise of the Dish
network installer who determined where the optimum direct
south exposure was for our dish, when we signed up for
their satellite tv service six years ago. Over a hundred
feet from the house, and it is very rocky terrain. It took
me a month of picking and digging to bury the cables, and I
darned sure don't want to dig them up just to bury a small
electrical power cable.
Someone mentioned the slushy conditions when temperatures
are just above freezing, where the snow really wants to
cling to the dish. That describes about half of the snows
we get where I live, late fall and early spring especially
when it is frequently sunny in the morning and showery to
snowy in the evening. And it's a real pain in the ass to
have to hike up the steep and snowy hill to scrape off the
dish every hour in the middle of your favorite prime time
programs durning snow storms. That's what I am trying to
avoid, or at least curtail.
Even when it's well below freezing in the dead of winter,
the snow accumulation on the dish quickly reduces our
otherwise strong signal (on 110 and 119) to the point where
I have to get up there scrape the snow off every time after
it builds up. Helps keep me in shape, I suppose.
I've read too many negative reviews of the various dish
"covers" to pursue that avenue any further. So that
eliminates running power to the dish or using "covers."
I think at this point I will just experiment with several
of the popular "quick and dirty" solutions. The car wax
didn't work for me, so today I applied some cooking oil to
the dish, because our local weather forecast is for snow
this weekend. If that doesn't work, I'll try something
else. I've even considered rubbing a very thin layer of
liquid clear silicone caulk onto the face of the dish,
because I know that water totally beads up and is repelled
by the silicone calk where I've used it to prevent ice-
daming that leaches under the asphalt shingles on the parts
of our roof where there is no (unheated) attic space.
I will keep an eye on this thread, just in case anyone
else has some beneficial advice such as you've given, but
such as might better suit my particular situation.
--
Karl
Seth
> In <news:ham0uq$ic0$1...@news.eternal-september.org> . . .
> "Seth" <seth_ler...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>My previous house I had to put a dish heater in. Dish was too high up to
>>be
>>climbing in winter and we did have snow accumulation problems.
>>
>>Was pretty simple to install. Was basically a big sticker that covered
>>the
>>face of the dish (and was of the same reflective quality that it didn't
>>change my signal levels) and low voltage wiring that went to a control
>>box.
>>The control box was mounted outside and plugged into a regular power
>>outlet.
>>Had a thermostat built in and only powered the heating elements when the
>>temp was below 35.
>
> That sounds like the ideal solution. But it also sounds
> like it could be a bit expensive for my budget, and could
> also be more labor intensive than what I am willing or able
> to do.
IIRC, the kit was only like $100.
> I mounted our dish securely on the advise of the Dish
> network installer who determined where the optimum direct
> south exposure was for our dish, when we signed up for
> their satellite tv service six years ago. Over a hundred
> feet from the house, and it is very rocky terrain. It took
> me a month of picking and digging to bury the cables, and I
> darned sure don't want to dig them up just to bury a small
> electrical power cable.
Well worst case as a temporary solution you should be able to get 2' stakes
sticking out of the ground every so often and just string the power cable
along that. Maybe by now they have units that will work off of the 13v
power that comes up the line from the receivers to power the LNBf. Don't
know as I haven't looked into it in years.
Dr. Personality
> That sounds like the ideal solution. But it also sounds
> like it could be a bit expensive for my budget, and could
> also be more labor intensive than what I am willing or able
> to do.
The heater will cost $70 or $80, depending on the model and from whom
you buy it.
> I mounted our dish securely on the advise of the Dish
> network installer who determined where the optimum direct
> south exposure was for our dish, when we signed up for
> their satellite tv service six years ago. Over a hundred
> feet from the house, and it is very rocky terrain. It took
> me a month of picking and digging to bury the cables, and I
> darned sure don't want to dig them up just to bury a small
> electrical power cable.
Why would you? Set the whole thing up at the dish site and run an
outdoor extension cord or two up the hill for power. It's all going to
be buried in snow anyway, isn't it? Then roll it up in the spring.
> I've read too many negative reviews of the various dish
> "covers" to pursue that avenue any further. So that
> eliminates running power to the dish or using "covers."
I agree about the covers.
> I think at this point I will just experiment with several
> of the popular "quick and dirty" solutions. The car wax
> didn't work for me, so today I applied some cooking oil to
> the dish, because our local weather forecast is for snow
> this weekend. If that doesn't work, I'll try something
> else. I've even considered rubbing a very thin layer of
> liquid clear silicone caulk onto the face of the dish,
> because I know that water totally beads up and is repelled
> by the silicone calk where I've used it to prevent ice-
> daming that leaches under the asphalt shingles on the parts
> of our roof where there is no (unheated) attic space.
Wax and oil attract dirt, pine needles, etc. Soon enough the profile
of the dish will degrade.
I wouldn't put caulk on the dish. You can't possibly get it as smooth
as the Teflon coat.
nob...@nowhere.com
Anyone tried Rain-X?
Karl
I would gladly try it if I could find it. Does Walmart, or
Target, or major hardware stores sell it? Lots of talk about
it on the discussion boards. "Ice-X" was something that they
say worked especially well, but is out of production.
--
Karl
Karl
"Seth" <seth_ler...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>"Karl" <_@_> wrote in message news:7HOR8MN14009...@reece.net.au...
>> In <news:ham0uq$ic0$1...@news.eternal-september.org> . . .
>> "Seth" <seth_ler...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>My previous house I had to put a dish heater in. Dish was too high up to
>>>be
>>>climbing in winter and we did have snow accumulation problems.
>>>
>>>Was pretty simple to install. Was basically a big sticker that covered
>>>the
>>>face of the dish (and was of the same reflective quality that it didn't
>>>change my signal levels) and low voltage wiring that went to a control
>>>box.
>>>The control box was mounted outside and plugged into a regular power
>>>outlet.
>>>Had a thermostat built in and only powered the heating elements when the
>>>temp was below 35.
>>
>> That sounds like the ideal solution. But it also sounds
>> like it could be a bit expensive for my budget, and could
>> also be more labor intensive than what I am willing or able
>> to do.
>
>IIRC, the kit was only like $100.
Not bad, but the labor of installation is more than I can pay,
even if I had to do it myself.
>
>> I mounted our dish securely on the advise of the Dish
>> network installer who determined where the optimum direct
>> south exposure was for our dish, when we signed up for
>> their satellite tv service six years ago. Over a hundred
>> feet from the house, and it is very rocky terrain. It took
>> me a month of picking and digging to bury the cables, and I
>> darned sure don't want to dig them up just to bury a small
>> electrical power cable.
>
>Well worst case as a temporary solution you should be able to get 2' stakes
>sticking out of the ground every so often and just string the power cable
>along that. Maybe by now they have units that will work off of the 13v
>power that comes up the line from the receivers to power the LNBf. Don't
>know as I haven't looked into it in years.
Nice suggestion, were it not for all the wildlife in the remote
area where I live. The Rocky Mountains. Lots of critters both
large and small running around here. Those suspended wires would
be ripped apart within the day they were hung, and probably
carried away. Just our outdoor trash bins are steel reinforced
strong boxes to keep the bigger predators out of our refuse.
Bear break-ins are common up here. We've been lucky, so far.
But wait a minute! There's 13 Volts of electrical power in our
burried cables which might power a big de-iceing sticker?? Now
that could make the $100 purchase more attractive to me, provided
that tapping into it wouldn't compromise my Dish service. I think
I need to first test the cables for voltage with a VOM meter. If
they're hot, and if tapping into the power proves not to interfere
with my Dish service, then, and only then, might I more favorably
reconsider the satellite dish snow-melt sticker you suggested. If
everything else checks out, a hundred bucks I can afford.
But why would there be 13v voltage in the cables, that run from
the dish to my two separate Dish network receivers, be going back
up to the hilltop dish? I've never heard about that before, but I
will look into it over the next day or two, and I will post the
results of my findings. Also, any link to the company that makes
or markets the "sticker" you suggested would be appreciated.
--
Karl
Sanity
"Karl" <_@_> wrote in message news:7HOR8MN14009...@reece.net.au...
> of the popular "quick and dirty" solutions. The car wax
> didn't work for me, so today I applied some cooking oil to
> the dish, because our local weather forecast is for snow
> this weekend. If that doesn't work, I'll try something
> else. I've even considered rubbing a very thin layer of
> liquid clear silicone caulk onto the face of the dish,
> because I know that water totally beads up and is repelled
> by the silicone calk where I've used it to prevent ice-
> daming that leaches under the asphalt shingles on the parts
> of our roof where there is no (unheated) attic space.
>
> I will keep an eye on this thread, just in case anyone
> else has some beneficial advice such as you've given, but
> such as might better suit my particular situation.
>
> --
> Karl
>
>
The dish installer recommended that I spray PAM on the dish. He claimed it
would help with weather conditions. About 6 months later I was suffering
signal loss. The repair tech knew what the trouble was immediately after
telling him about the PAM. He told me the PAM caused a severe reflection and
eventually put a burn spot on the LNB's. He thorougly cleaned off the dish,
replaced the LNB's and my reception is perfect.
Seth
> the dish to my two separate Dish network receivers, be going back
> up to the hilltop dish? I've never heard about that before, but I
> will look into it over the next day or two, and I will post the
> results of my findings. Also, any link to the company that makes
> or markets the "sticker" you suggested would be appreciated.
The 13v is to power the LNBf and tell it which "polarity" to tune to. IIRC,
13v is odd transponders and 18v is even. Many of the troubleshooting posts
you will see where someone is no longer able to tune even transponders is
usually a problem with the cable having voltage drop or the power supply in
the receiver isn't sending the power upstream.
Dr. Personality
Rain-X works great on glass, but not on other kinds of surfaces. It
will not stop snow from accumulating on your dish.
BTW, Ice-X still seems to be available. It, and Rain-X, are sold at
auto supply stores. Try Pep Boys or the equivalent.
Bob Muncie
I mentioned earlier, I don't have this issue since my dish is mounted on
a pole next to the house that I can wipe off with the brush side of my
car's ice scraper.
But for the sake of throwing ideas our their; has car wax been
considered? Rain-X also makes a wipe on/liquid version.
I'm just guessing that any snow that might cling, would likely come off
quicker that without it.
TV Slug
How about getting a second dish so one can be peaked for 110 and the
other for 119 without the compromise that a single dish solution
requires? Then a little accumulation might not knock out your signal,
and even if it does on one feed, you can always watch the other feed
until it clears.
Gary
to build some sort of lean-to shelter over the dish. I'd think that it
could be done in such a way so it would be high enough to not be in the
line-of-sight of the lnb but still low enough to keep most snow and ice off
the dish.
I live in central Illinois where we have some snow and ice but not enough to
cause a lot of reception problems. (Except for the major ice storm a couple
of years ago but since we didn't have any power for over five days, dish
reception was the least of our worries.) If I did have a problem I'd be out
building a shelter over the dish before winter sets in.
Gary
Central Illinois USA
Visit Lucy & Gary and do the jigsaw puzzle at
www.under-1-roof.com/PuzzlePage.html
"Karl" <_@_> wrote in message news:7HOR8MN14009...@reece.net.au...
Russ
>
> But wait a minute! There's 13 Volts of electrical power in our
>burried cables which might power a big de-iceing sticker?? Now
>that could make the $100 purchase more attractive to me, provided
>that tapping into it wouldn't compromise my Dish service. I think
>I need to first test the cables for voltage with a VOM meter. If
>they're hot, and if tapping into the power proves not to interfere
>with my Dish service, then, and only then, might I more favorably
>reconsider the satellite dish snow-melt sticker you suggested. If
>everything else checks out, a hundred bucks I can afford.
>
> But why would there be 13v voltage in the cables, that run from
>the dish to my two separate Dish network receivers, be going back
>up to the hilltop dish? I've never heard about that before, but I
>will look into it over the next day or two, and I will post the
>results of my findings. Also, any link to the company that makes
>or markets the "sticker" you suggested would be appreciated.
hmmm, if you have 13V going out to the dish, some enterprising
designer could make a unit with a large battery, that can be trickle
charged using the 13 V. You wouldn't want to set it on a thermostat,
though, or the battery would never hold a charge to power the heating
element when it snows. In fact you would probably want to wait until
it stops snowing before turning it on, so it has enough time to
recharge. A switching signal can be sent over the 13 volt line to turn
it on manually when needed. A trap could be used to keep the on/off
signal from damaging the receiver/preamps etc.
The idea was easy, but implementing it requires more brain power than
I have, or I would get the idea patented myself!
Timothy Daniels
> The dish installer recommended that I spray PAM on the dish.
> He claimed it would help with weather conditions. About 6
> months later I was suffering signal loss. The repair tech knew
> what the trouble was immediately after telling him about the PAM.
> He told me the PAM caused a severe reflection and eventually
> put a burn spot on the LNB's. He thorougly cleaned off the dish, replaced the LNB's and my reception is perfect.
PAM caused a "severe reflection"? I think the repair tech
was handing you his B.S Business Card, maybe to denigrate
the installer's reputation. Do you actually believe that the dish
satellite companies would use a dish that had such a non-reflective
surface that PAM would make it "too reflective"? Since LNBs
have to deal with variations in signal strength that vary by ratios
of the order of 1,000:1, and that it's unlikely that a layer of PAM
could even change the refectivity by a ratio of 2:1, PAM couldn't
possibly make the dish "too reflective" such that the signal would
"burn a spot" in the LNB. That something was wrong isn't in
doubt. That someone advised you to use PAM may be have
been the tipoff to the repair technician about who the original
installer was, and so he concocted this story to cover a simple
fix. I'd go back to the original installer to find out if he knows
what that simple fix was and whether the "repair tech" has it
out for him.
*TimDaniels*
David
"Timothy Daniels" <NoS...@SpamMeKnot.biz> wrote in message
news:ueidncGIIoJQXk3X...@earthlink.com...
Here are a couple of observations. First the LNB will see no
more than a few dB of signal variation. Where did the 1000:1
come from? The severe reflection, if it was the problem at
all, was probably from reflection of the sun. There are two
times a year when the LNB stares directly into the sun. That
is why the paint on the dish is purposely dull.
David
Eric
I would think silicone spray would be a better choice than Pam. Pam is
vegetable oil and organic, and will deteriorate. Silicone is... silicone
and lasts until it washes off.
Bob Muncie
Don't know if it helps as I haven't done this myself, but I wanted to
point out to OP that the silicone spray is available in most bicycle
departments in any of the major stores (I use that for my chains &
sprockets). I think I would try the rainX car wax though... I have that.
I just don't remember where I bought it.
I also didn't have the original need.
Hope you have this resolved this season OP, and if you do, please post back.
Bob
Raymond Feist
"Timothy Daniels" <NoS...@SpamMeKnot.biz> wrote:
I would think if anything Pam would make it less reflective after a
short while; it's basically vegetable oil and will collect dust, pollen,
or any other particulate mater and bind it to the surface faster than
they normally would if they just settled. I also think the difference
would be trivial.
Best, R.E.F.
--
Never attribute to malice what can
satisfactorily be explained away by stupidity.
SAC 441
ANYTHING....I have used it before,and after a few months if the film is
thick enough,it will stick to the point of being a nuisance.At that
point,it will start to flake off and peel and it will look ugly.For
SHORT TERM uses it is great.Just do not use it for long periods of time
or you will be sorry.Just do not let
filming buildup occur.That is the start of silicone buildup problems.At
that point,it will be difficult to remove.
Timothy Daniels
> First the LNB will see no more than a few dB of signal variation.
*Any* RF receiver/detector worth buying or installing will
accomodate more than a "few dB" of signal strength variation.
Otherwise there would be a drop-out whenever a cloud passed
overhead.
> Where did the 1000:1 come from?
1000:1 is a difference of 30dB, a variation tolerated by
most RF receivers/detectors.
> The severe reflection, if it was the problem at all, was
> probably from reflection of the sun. There are two times
> a year when the LNB stares directly into the sun. That is why the paint on the dish is purposely dull.
I thought it was so that it wasn't an eyesore. Otherwise,
why not just paint it black?
*TimDaniels*
Karl
Dirtydan <Dirtyda...@satelliteguys.us> wrote:
>Here is my solution, cover dish with small trash bag, spray bag with RZ
>50, which has no oil or silicone, therefore no build up of gooey stuff.
>Only on rare occasions do I have to brush snow off my dish, and with the
>bag in place all I do is grab the bag an shake it a bit and all snow
>falls off
Color me astonished! It works perfectly, the bag I mean.
This morning, before putting a medium sized white trash bag
over the dish, I checked the Dish network signal strength on
echostar #119 and got 66 on my DVR 510, which is fairly normal
from past experience. Echostar #110 was better at 75.
Next, I headed up the hill and placed the trash bag over the
dish. Headed back down the hill and checked signal strength
again. It matched! I channel flipped pretty much all over the
dial, to make absolutely sure it worked. And it does. The
only thing I noticed is that it seemed like it took about half
a second longer than before to lock in any of the channels that
I tried. Don't know why that is, and I am completely baffled
as to how the dish signal is not being interrupted by the loose
trash bag. But waiting a half second longer to lock in a
channel will be a small price to pay, next time a snow storm
or freezing rain comes along.
Next time I'm at our local Home Depot, I'll be sure to grab
a can of the RZ-50, which the "rz-50.com" website says should
be available in the "Window & door replacement hardware
section" of, quote, "most all" Home Depot stores. Thanks to
"paultry" for providing that link.
But just the bag alone might be enough to keep the snow from
building up? I'll have to wait for the next snow to find out,
which by the looks of things could still be weeks away.
I'll post the results of a bag sprayed with RZ-50, compared
to a bag without the RZ-50, as time and local snowfall permits.
But I want to say thanks to you, Dan, for providing what
promises to be the perfect, cheap, "quick and dirty" solution
to the problem. Even though it's actually a chemically very
clean solution, speaking of the new unused trash bag and the
RZ-50 "PTFE Polymer developed for NASA by DUPONT."
Also, I can testify that rubbing or spraying "PAM" or other
cooking oil on the dish is definitely NOT recommended. I had
to wash the dish with hot soapy water (then rinse off with
clean hot water) because the oil had dried up into a sticky
ducttape-like glue, and lots of little dead insects were stuck
to it. Live and learn.
--
Karl