Plexiglass/plastic cover for ice light

[r0ckst4r]

Fellow TKS people.  The little piece of plexiglass that covered my ice light decided to dissappear.  Not really sure how it happened but everything else seems untouched.   On examination of a picture I found online it seems that piece of plexiglass or plastic is just pressed in and glued.  Anyone know where I can find a replacement for just the glass?  Am I going to have to make one myself and glue it in?   Attached is a picture of the hole where it should go and a picture of a complete assembly

[N201MKTurbo]

I would just make one.

[N201MKTurbo]

Are you sure it didn’t just come loose and is sitting in there somewhere?

[r0ckst4r]

16 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Are you sure it didn’t just come loose and is sitting in there somewhere?

I had the cowl off and looked.   It just Houdini'd its way out of there. 

[GeeBee]

It is not under the cowl area, it is to the left of the rudder pedals in the interior on my Ovation

[r0ckst4r]

1 hour ago, GeeBee said:

It is not under the cowl area, it is to the left of the rudder pedals in the interior on my Ovation

I'm not sure if we are taking about the same thing but this light is definitely on the left (port) side of the lower cowl.   I've had to change the light bulb a few years ago.  

[GeeBee]

They mounted yours in a different place than mine!

[LANCECASPER]

45 minutes ago, r0ckst4r said:

I'm not sure if we are taking about the same thing but this light is definitely on the left (port) side of the lower cowl.   I've had to change the light bulb a few years ago.  

If it's in the cowl that makes it a lot easier to just make a new one and RTV it in there. While you're in there I'd put an LED light in there as well. (https://aeroleds.com/products/starlight-ice-led-light/)

[carusoam]

@CAV Ice may have a parts catalog for the ice light…

LED bulbs may be too cold for the application…

Best regards,

-a-

[MIm20c]

59 minutes ago, GeeBee said:

They mounted yours in a different place than mine!

On certified known ice systems the light is always installed how yours is. The inadvertent systems are different and many don’t even have a light or a slinger ring on the prop.  I’ve seen a couple systems that were added just to cover hail damage on the wings after the owner pushed through some rough weather. 

[r0ckst4r]

Mine is non-FIKI so I guess that explains the difference.  I'm going to fabricate a piece to replace it.   Any recommendations on the material to use?

[GeeBee]

Yeah, I was looking at mine and it is riveted in with flush rivets, not screws.

 

[N201MKTurbo]

On 5/8/2022 at 7:43 AM, r0ckst4r said:

Mine is non-FIKI so I guess that explains the difference.  I'm going to fabricate a piece to replace it.   Any recommendations on the material to use?

I would use 1/8 inch polycarbonate (LEXAN) sheet from the Home Depot. You will find it in the window department.

I would fabricate a piece of 0.020 aluminum with a hole the same size as the outer hole and the two screw holes to put behind the lens to hold it in so it doesn’t fall out again.

[N201MKTurbo]

Actually, after looking at the picture of the light assembly above, it already has the lens retainer plate. It is on the outside for shipping. I suspect it is used for the template to cut the hole in the cowl. When it is installed , it should be with lens against the cowl then the thin plate to hold the lens in, then the light bracket. 
 

If it was installed as shown above, no wonder the lens fell out.

[r0ckst4r]

Here was my solution.   As recommended I got a sheet of polycarbonate but instead of fabricating just the "window" I decided to replace the entire piece.   It's worked great so far. 

[CAV Ice]

On 5/14/2022 at 10:17 PM, r0ckst4r said:

Here was my solution.   As recommended I got a sheet of polycarbonate but instead of fabricating just the "window" I decided to replace the entire piece.   It's worked great so far. 

 

That looks good!  The ice light would have to come back to us to get repaired with the original glass, so I like your solution.  In the no-hazard installations we used our ice light.  On most FIKI installations they were factory installed, so Mooney came up with their own ice light.  That is why the ice light location is different between the FIKI and NH installs.