TonyK Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hector Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 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. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 Urea fertilizers work for melting ice. Clarence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carusoam Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 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- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIm20c Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Cease Posted February 3, 2018 Report Share Posted February 3, 2018 That's a sign that you live too far north. 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! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raptor05121 Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 Can you order some TKS and put it in a spray bottle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyK Posted February 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 I hadn't thought of getting some deicing fluid. I will check into that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy95W Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FoxMike Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browncbr1 Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piloto Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskytango Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takair Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Piloto Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 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/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDPetersen Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark89114 Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takair Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted February 4, 2018 Report Share Posted February 4, 2018 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. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N5937Q Posted February 5, 2018 Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 Heat tape?Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lotsofgadgets Posted February 5, 2018 Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 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. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinwing Posted February 5, 2018 Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 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 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Posted February 5, 2018 Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 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 . . . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thinwing Posted February 5, 2018 Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TTaylor Posted February 5, 2018 Report Share Posted February 5, 2018 When you get desperate . The reason why my hangar has a south facing door. https://www.harborfreight.com/propane-torch-91033.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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