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Prop cone full of snow


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Did some snow and ice clearing two evenings ago.  Found my prop cone was full of snow.  Thought to remove the cone to clear, but didn't like the thought of losing hardware.  Then, I had the bright idea of pouring warm water into the cone to melt out the snow.  Rotating the prop a bit drained all the melted snow and water.

Edited by Derrickearly
loosing vs losing
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I might regret asking, but how did you come to notice snow packed in your spinner?

...and more specifically, how did snow manage to get packed in your spinner?

Pics would be priceless here.  Hope you don't think I'm being..."nosy".   :-)

Edited by StevenL757
Added really lame, pathetic joke.
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In the winter, you always want to park outside with one blade down. 

What happens is, the spinner gets full of snow. During the day the sun melts some. If the blade isn't down the melt water collects in the bottom of the spinner and freezes overnight. 

When you start the engine the un-balance is huge and it will almost shake the engine off its mounts.

With a blade down the melt water just drains out.

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21 minutes ago, StevenL757 said:

I might regret asking, but how did you come to notice snow packed in your spinner?

...and more specifically, how did snow manage to get packed in your spinner?

Pics would be priceless here.  Hope you don't think I'm being..."nosy".   :-)

Snow was piled up on the left side of the plane including where a blade passes through the cone. I cleared the snow and ice on the outside of the cone with some falling back inside. I thought to inspect inside and found lots more snow. 

My first thought was to leave it there and let the motor spin it out. Then, I worried about a persistent imbalance. 

Sorry for the lack of photos. Low light and rushed to finish the job. Had lots of snow to move. 

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45 minutes ago, 201er said:

That's why I used a Prop Pastie cover to keep it out.

That's why I live where the chance of snow is considered an Emergency!, schools close early and stores sell out of milk and bread. :D

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1 minute ago, N201MKTurbo said:

I live somewhere where it reliably snows every 20 years for about 1/2 hour.

I've experienced the "dry heat" on business trips. Getting back to my rental car in June and August was just like a stroll through my oven . . .

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7 hours ago, Hank said:

I've experienced the "dry heat" on business trips. Getting back to my rental car in June and August was just like a stroll through my oven . . .

LOL!  Yeah, that's when you know why no one in Arizona buys a car with a black interior:D

Worst high-temp interior experience was years ago when I flew a rental Mooney down to Calexico for business (we had a plant in Mexicali) early in the morning (like 6 am) in the dead of summer.  Well, it turns out that was one of the hottest days that summer, 120 in the shade...and I assure you the plane had NOT spent the day on the ramp in any shade! I don't know what the cockpit temp was, but the minute I crawled in I started sweating like I never had.  Running into my eyes, dripping on my paper sectional in my lap (it was a long time ago!).  I couldn't taxi fast enough and, I swear on all that is Holy, it has been the ONE and ONLY time I skipped a run-up.  Gawd, I still remember just how miserable that was:o

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Outdoors and winter in the mid-Atlantic states…

That is where the Prop-Pastie was born…. (One of my favorite NJ Mooniacs…)

Some people have different reasons for where they leave the prop turned…

In this case… My M20C was slightly cocked…. From vertical…

Most of the water will drain out… while birds don’t like the uneven perch….

 

If you have a few grams of snow or ice… in the spinner…. It won’t want to leave on its own…

And… you will probably notice the imbalance as the rpm increases….

 

Have a look at where your blade seals are… allowing them to fill with water isn’t a really good idea either…

Blade corrosion of the blade’s base is a big reason for them not passing inspection…

 

Stuff I mostly learned before MS got started…

Best regards,

-a-

https://www.proppastie.com/Bird Spikes.html

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