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Hanger Door Frozen

TonyK

By TonyK
in Miscellaneous Aviation Talk

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TonyK Rising Star

TonyK

Posted
Posted

HELP!  My hanger door is frozen shut in ice and it will not go up.  I managed to finally get the center pin loose by dumping a half bottle of rubbing alcohol down it and hitting it with a heat gun but the rubber seal on the bottom of the door is frozen into ice.  I tried the heat gun on the bottom but it is re-freezing as fast as I can get it melted.  Unheated hanger with no insulation Any ideas short of waiting until April? 

Hector Veteran

Hector

Posted
Posted

Tony, apologies I have nothing to offer. Being from Florida I have not the slightest idea how to deal with situations like that. Would getting the FBO to spray some de-ice fluid along the rubber seal work? We need some northerners to help out with this.


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carusoam Grand Master

carusoam

Posted
Posted

Want to try something interesting...?

1) It takes an ungodly amount of energy to thaw the ice on a cold day....

2) The reasons salt is used for de icing around the house...

  • cheap
  • available
  • and works moderately well

3) What makes it work so well is... there is a freezing point depression for each particle dissolved in the water...

4) Sodium chloride, is doubly effective.   for each atom of salt dissolved, you actually get two ions, that count as two particles.  Making a simple salt, doubly effective....

5) The challenge with salt around your airplane... increased risk of oxidizing metals...

6) putting that knowledge together...

  • use something that dissolves in water.
  • that lowers the freezing point of water.
  • that doesn't cause oxidation of metals...

7) Examples Of other anti-freeze ideas...

  • Ever use sugar as an anti freeze? Half as effective as salt, but no ions...
  • Depending on temperature, how about windshield anti freeze?  (Engine anti-freeze is slippery and can be toxic to animals)
  • use a high concentration
  • preheat the solution if possible

Warm up your favorite non-salt concoction, and test on your neighbor's hangar door first...  :)

For the sugar solution, just remember there is going to be a stickiness problem left behind.... needing a clean-up.

PP Thinking from a warm spot, not a deep freeze expert...

Best regards,

-a-

MIm20c Grand Master

MIm20c

Posted
Posted

It’s a big problem for north facing hangers, especially those that have poor drainage.  Never use the pin during the winter, the water will refreeze and you’ll have the same issue next trip. Some people have used chicken wire and current to keep the ice melted. Others have used destructive measures and taken an ice spud to tear through the seal at the bottom of the door. 

Luckily I’ve not had to use such measures my first winter with a north facing unit.  I make sure the snow is back from the hanger by 3 or so inches. I leave a skiff of snow to soak up the drip line which is about a foot out.  If we get a warm up I’ll go to the airport to fly and make sure the refreeze will not lock me in. 

Good luck!

Wayne Cease Collaborator

Wayne Cease

Posted
Posted

That's a sign that you live too far north.  :P  Keep moving south until you don't hear anyone having that trouble.

Some good suggestions are above.  Also, you can heat whatever you apply to add in the melting.  Warm-up the anti-freeze, or whatever you apply, and that can help.  Unfortunately the concrete slab is a huge heat sink.  This will work against you right now.

Is the hangar insulated?  Does air leak in/out easily?  Another option to help with the others is to put a space heater in there before you get started.  But if it's not insulated and it leaks (air) easily that won't help much.

Good luck!

 

  • Like 1
Andy95W Grand Master

Andy95W

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, M20Doc said:

Urea fertilizers work for melting ice.

Clarence

For cheap bastards like me, are you recommending I just go ahead and pee on my hangar door?    :P

FoxMike Proficient

FoxMike

Posted
Posted

I have several ideas.  I would start with windshield washer fluid.  If you have a bifold door it  may help to raise it slightly until the rubber seal starts to strain.  Use the windshield fluid on the front and from the back (inside the hangar) slide a thin but wide board under the rubber from the back.  Work the board up and down and as the ice breaks work the board along length of the door.  

Another idea if to use a propane weed burner to melt the ice.  This must be employed with extreme care so you do not melt the rubber or start a fire.  Good Luck!

Browncbr1 Grand Master

Browncbr1

Posted
Posted

When you get it off the ground, go buy a box of wax paper and run the roll down the length of the door and wrap the width of the wax paper around the rubber seal and just use a little masking tape to hold in place so it goes up with the door rather than staying on the ground.  Might work at least once. ;)

Piloto Grand Master

Piloto

Posted
Posted

My son in PIT spray WD-40 every two weeks on his garage door seal and opener to avoid freezing. I had the door seals frozen at KAGC +2F, manage to open the door by pouring AVGAS with the fuel sampler.

José

whiskytango Proficient

whiskytango

Posted
Posted

Consider using propylene glycol, the orange-colored antifreeze that boat and RV owners put in their potable water tanks to prevent freezing when the boat / RV is not in use.  It is non-toxic to animals and humans and can be bought pre-mixed.  When I lived up north I kept a spray bottle of the stuff in the truck, and put it on the floor under the heater duct outlet for the drive to the airport.  By the time I got to the airport it was warm and ready for ice melting.  As others have stated, DO NOT use ethylene glycol, the green-colored automotive antifreeze.

takair Grand Master

takair

Posted
Posted
29 minutes ago, Piloto said:

My son in PIT spray WD-40 every two weeks on his garage door seal and opener to avoid freezing. I had the door seals frozen at KAGC +2F, manage to open the door by pouring AVGAS with the fuel sampler.

José

Jose

You make great use of WD40.  I picture you having a hangar full of the stuff.  You can almost do an ad for them, 1001 uses for WD40. I just hope you have not found a use for it in the kitchen as a replacement for vegetable oil.

Piloto Grand Master

Piloto

Posted
Posted
21 minutes ago, takair said:

Jose

You make great use of WD40.  I picture you having a hangar full of the stuff.  You can almost do an ad for them, 1001 uses for WD40. I just hope you have not found a use for it in the kitchen as a replacement for vegetable oil.

Be surprised, join the WD40 Club http://www.mywd40.com/ 

BDPetersen Proficient

BDPetersen

Posted
Posted

For de-icing the DC-3s, we carried a large garden-type sprayer half full of glycol. We would top it off with the hottest water we could find and spray away. Probably some version of that would unfreeze a door.

Mark89114 Experienced

Mark89114

Posted
Posted

Don't know if that pipe warming electrical wrap would work as a semi permanent installation?  My guess would be not enough watts, just spitballing here.

 

takair Grand Master

takair

Posted
Posted
29 minutes ago, Mark89114 said:

Don't know if that pipe warming electrical wrap would work as a semi permanent installation?  My guess would be not enough watts, just spitballing here.

 

Along those lines, I wonder if roof heater wire, run down the center of the rubber bulb (as I recall, most hangars have it set up this way) would work?  Would need a way to keep it from entangling, but that wouldn’t be too hard.

Hank Grand Master

Hank

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, takair said:

Along those lines, I wonder if roof heater wire, run down the center of the rubber bulb (as I recall, most hangars have it set up this way) would work?  Would need a way to keep it from entangling, but that wouldn’t be too hard.

All depends if the door is a bifold or split push-open. The latter would be difficult to wire up . . . .

My second WV hangar, split push open facing north, froze a couple of times. Getting it open was a royal b!tch . . . . My Alabama hangar door may have frozen open during our (record?) second snowfall this winter, but I can't say for sure, the roads out  by the house were too icy . . . So it didn't matter.  :)

  • Like 1
lotsofgadgets Enthusiast

lotsofgadgets

Posted
Posted

I bought a roof heating cable and taped it to the floor under the door using 4" gorilla tape.  now all I have to do is plug in the cord to start the thawing process.  I could also just connect it to the remote switch that runs the engine preheat.  

What I would do in the meantime is warm up several bottles of RV Anti Freeze and pour around the door seal.  The warm glycol should break loose the existing ice and prevent it from refreezing right away.  Once you get the door open I'd recommend using a heat gun to warm and dry the floor allowing you to tape down a heat cable.  if you don't warm the concrete, the tape won't stick.  

  • Like 1
thinwing Grand Master

thinwing

Posted
Posted
On 2/3/2018 at 2:30 PM, M20Doc said:

Urea fertilizers work for melting ice.

Clarence

Yeah if you want your Hangar to smell like a homeless camp

  • Like 1
Hank Grand Master

Hank

Posted
Posted
10 minutes ago, thinwing said:

Yeah if you want your Hangar to smell like a homeless camp

What's wrong with that? We all know it's possible to sleep in an airplane, but nobody can fly a house . . . .  :ph34r:

thinwing Grand Master

thinwing

Posted
Posted

No Comprende Senor Hank!..I was reminded of an elderly hangar neighbor who liked to pee on his hangar door in a corner...smell got pretty ripe after awhile

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