Satellite Dishes and Snow

[Nolena]

You can get a cover for a dish that helps keep the snow off.

[budnett]

Help!!!! I can't take it anymore!!!!

Can anyone please advise if a satellite dish "cover" really works to keep the snow off the dish and preventing your tv from loosing connection?

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!

I am sooooo tired of using my home made paint extention pole to remove the snow off the dish  (which is located on 2nd story roof) in some cases every few minutes when it snows.

[ChessT]

Is it up now??  We lost reception last nite, but it is working fine now!

[Nolena]

We'v had no problems. I think it's because our dish is under a roof overhang.

[Wrightwood]

We'v had no problems. I think it's because our dish is under a roof overhang.

We also have mounted our small dish under the eaves for that very reason and have no problems.

[clint]

Yeah, the eaves thing is the best approach. I never have to clean it. If you don't have enough overhanging eave where the dish needs to be, you could build a little roof over it. Although I have no personal experience, I have heard the dish heaters work well also. I think Radio Shack may still sell them. It's a big dish shaped self stick panel that curves to fit the inside surface of the dish. They have an in line thermostat just like pipe heater tape.

[budnett]

thanks, maybe i can have dish relocate it under my eaves.

but anyone out there had any experience with the dish covers?

[clint]

Happened to be in Radio Shack today and they no longer sell the dish heaters. In fact the guy said they have had people looking for them and comments that no one seems to have them anymore. You could always duct tape a pipe heater ribbon on the back of the dish.

[rmekemson]

[Surfer_Dude]

Try this, spray pam on your dish.  Or you can try putting a glad bag on it too. But that rips and gets ugly with time.  My best results was to move my dish were I can reach it.

[BikingBrian]

I have the Dish Network "dish" already, I just need the mast and the clamp to put it on the roof - anybody got one they're willing to part with?

[snwbnny]

When we get our new house I'll have one you can have. The house has both Dish and DirecTv satellites up and we only need the direct. But that's not for 2 more weeks so let me know if you still need one by then .

[kew]

When you put up the dish, try to position it where you can reach it with a broom, from the ground, so you can knock the snow off of it during a storm. You don't want it where you need a ladder or need to climb around on the roof.

[clint]

Or just install a dish heater and save going out in the snow at night.

http://www.satpro.tv/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=236

[kew]

Good concept, but for $96 I think I will get up off the couch and go outside. 

[Wrightwood]

If you can mount the dish under an eave and you'll never worry about snow build up.

[BikingBrian]

This one is only $70-$80:  http://www.icezapper.com/

My eaves aren't big enough to get the dish underneath - and due to issues with line of sight (i.e. trees) and where the electrical service enters the house, I know I will have to mount my dish higher than reach of a broom.

[SkierBob]

I have the Dish Network "dish" already, I just need the mast and the clamp to put it on the roof - anybody got one they're willing to part with?

I have more then my share of those things.  You are welcome to one if you like. Send me a PM.

[ForestGal]

Renewing this topic, maybe there is a more recent one, but I can't find it.  I switched from cable to dish (DirecTV) in late April, and this is my first experience with enuf snow to disable the transmission, and sure enuf, it did.  Today's sun melted some of the snow off the dish, but not enuf to have service tonight.  The thing is located on the corner of the roof of my garage, my house is only one story, but I'm so terrified of heights that I can't climb up enuf steps on a ladder to clear it.  Thankfully, I hardly ever watch TV anyway, but I've been enjoying the XM Satellite radio. 

I know that somewhere on this forum, there was a discussion about covers for the exposed dishes, that help a lot for this problem.  I can't find it, so if any of the moderators can direct me there, thanks!  And, how do the covers help?  Does the snow just slide off from them?  I'd really like to get this corrected by 1/1/10, to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade.  

[MountainGrizzly]

Here's the low tech solution:

Go to the hardware store. Buy an old style, clamp on, work light, the one with the bell shaped reflector.  Buy a spring or C clamp.  Buy enough extension cord to get to an outlet.

Clamp the work light onto the back of the dish, with the enery-wasting, hot, incandescent bulb installed.  When it threatens to snow, plug in the light/60W heater.  Snow melts from dish.