How to fix an iced up DirecTV dish

[cartman]

I'm bowing to the wisdom of my cold weather dwelling friends on this one. My dish has iced over from the all day sleeting/freezing rain/snow, and I'm not getting any signal. It appears that both the LNBs and dish have about a half inch thick layer of ice on them. Any tips on how to get and keep the ice off? It's mounted to the roof, so I don't really want to get the ladder out.

[st.cronin]

I'm pretty sure you're gonna have to get the ladder out. I have a dish set up at work, and when it snows somebody goes up on the roof with a broom to sweep it out. I don't remember it icing up, ever.

[stevew]

I dunno how to fix it, but make sure to make a WooF draft list up before you head to the roof. Just in case anything bad happens

[cartman]

I did pull out the ladder. The ground was frozen, so the ladder dug right in. I tried spraying hot water on it, anti-freeze, WD-40, but the layering of ice I guess is too thick. I can get some of it off of the dish, but the ice just isn't coming off of the LNBs. I guess I'll have to follow the Texas-Oklahoma State game on ESPN.com.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by cartman

I did pull out the ladder. The ground was frozen, so the ladder dug right in. I tried spraying hot water on it, anti-freeze, WD-40, but the layering of ice I guess is too thick. I can get some of it off of the dish, but the ice just isn't coming off of the LNBs. I guess I'll have to follow the Texas-Oklahoma State game on ESPN.com.

Do you have a hair dryer?

[cartman]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Do you have a hair dryer?

I thought about that, but the risk of electrocution would be too much, since the dish is above where I'd be pointing the hair dryer. My second thought was my propane torch, but my last cylinder is empty.

[Schmidty]

Hammer. Seriously. Just tap it harder and harder until it seems like any harder will wreck the dish. After tapping for a bit, you should be able to chip away.

[stevew]

salt/ice melt?

[gstelmack]

What's interesting is with the regular ice storms we get here, none of them have interfered with my DirecTV dish...

Do you have trees near the line with the satellites? I'm wondering if ice pulled them over and blocked the signal.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Schmidty

Hammer. Seriously. Just tap it harder and harder until it seems like any harder will wreck the dish. After tapping for a bit, you should be able to chip away.

Schmidty for the win! I didn't trust myself with the hammer, so I used a rubber mallet. A couple of taps on each of the LNBs, and the ring of ice fell right off. A couple of minutes whacking the dish, and a few large chunks came off. Not enough to be able to pull in any HD channels, but enough so that the regular channels come in. Thanks!

[DanGarion]

My suggestion is to get cable.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by dangarion

My suggestion is to get cable.

This is the first time in almost 12 years of using DirecTV I've had this happen.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by dangarion

My suggestion is to get cable.

Yeah, the lousy customer service, random service drops for no good reason, fewer HD channels, and a horrible DVR make up for the occasional weather-related outage

[cartman]

Well, that lasted for about 45 minutes. The crap has been falling down from the sky pretty heavy, and the signal is getting worse and worse.

[cartman]

A search of the internet shows that they do make heaters for the dishes and LNBs, but I'm not gonna pay $150 for something that I'll use once every few years.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by cartman

Well, that lasted for about 45 minutes. The crap has been falling down from the sky pretty heavy, and the signal is getting worse and worse.

Try cleaning it off again & then tying a trash bag snugly around the whole kit & caboodle. The snow & ice shouldn't stick to the bag & if it starts to, try spraying the outside of the bag with something like Pam/some other no-stick cooking spray.

Or at least, that's the tip I found earlier while Googling about this subject.
Use at your own risk (but it seems to me that you aren't going to be any worse off even if it doesn't work).

[cartman]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Try cleaning it off again & then tying a trash bag snugly around the whole kit & caboodle. The snow & ice shouldn't stick to the bag & if it starts to, try spraying the outside of the bag with something like Pam/some other no-stick cooking spray.

Or at least, that's the tip I found earlier while Googling about this subject.
Use at your own risk (but it seems to me that you aren't going to be any worse off even if it doesn't work).

Interesting, I hadn't come across that recommendation in my searching. I'll give it a try tomorrow, since the battery on my spotlight died right at the end of my previous dish battering.

[cuervo72]

Pam did occur to me. Maybe melt some butter and pour it on the dish, melt the ice and coat at the same time (just ignore the burns...actually, it's butter, so it will burn then soothe!)

[MizzouRah]

PAM rules! Who doesn't have a can of PAM in their cooking repatore?

[Lathum]

so how about the texas game?

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Lathum

so how about the texas game?

Listening to it on the radio. Third OT, awesome game.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

Yeah, the lousy customer service, random service drops for no good reason, fewer HD channels, and a horrible DVR make up for the occasional weather-related outage

Same thing could be said for DirecTV or Dish or any service.

Not all cable companies are the same, and not all cable regions of cable companies are the same. I was just giving a suggestion, partly in jest.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by dangarion

Same thing could be said for DirecTV or Dish or any service.

Not all cable companies are the same, and not all cable regions of cable companies are the same. I was just giving a suggestion, partly in jest.

Except for the part about random dropping of the signal (the rare times it happens you can always attribute it to weather), fewer HD channels, and horrible DVR (I think even the crappy D* DVR is better than most cable ones -- save those that have now upgraded to tivo).

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Except for the part about random dropping of the signal (the rare times it happens you can always attribute it to weather), fewer HD channels, and horrible DVR (I think even the crappy D* DVR is better than most cable ones -- save those that have now upgraded to tivo).

Wow I've never had a horrible DVR, what do you want in a DVR? To me if it records the shows I want recorded and it has a dual tuner then it's good.

As for fewer HD channels how many do you get? I have 25 on my Time Warner Cable at this time with at least 1 more coming up soon. I checked the direcTV site and all I can count is 15 actual HD channels. I'm honestly trying to find out this information. As for service going out, in the 9 years I've had service I remember 3 occasions that the TV service has gone out.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by dangarion

Wow I've never had a horrible DVR, what do you want in a DVR? To me if it records the shows I want recorded and it has a dual tuner then it's good.

As for fewer HD channels how many do you get? I have 25 on my Time Warner Cable at this time with at least 1 more coming up soon. I checked the direcTV site and all I can count is 15 actual HD channels. I'm honestly trying to find out this information. As for service going out, in the 9 years I've had service I remember 3 occasions that the TV service has gone out.

My Time Warner experience has been very different. Before I switched to DirecTV, at least once a week I'd turn on the TV in the morning to snow. I follow my local HD thread over on AVSForum, and everyone is having a ton of troubles with the various HD-DVRs over there (may FINALLY be stabilising). My local Time Warner does not have NFL network in HD or ESPN2 in HD, two key channels for me. They sent nastygrams to my brother over a single penny left over on a bill from a move (which he had been assured was paid off). They charged me a $75 installation fee for my RoadRunner when I moved across town (subsequently waived, but nice try).

Every time I consider dropping DirecTV for Time Warner, I find another reason not to. Don't get me wrong, DirecTV is not the peach it used to be, but as they look more and more like a cable company, Time Warner keeps lowering the bar for them.

[Butter]

Time Warner in my area has been fine. The first DVR I got was crap, but they replaced it with little fuss, and I have had no system outages in my digital phone, RR, or cable for over a year now, and any customer service items I have had have been at least handled as fast as DirecTV did (which is to say after at least 10 minutes on hold).

Now if I could just get them to add ESPNU and GOLTV, that would be nice.

[DanGarion]

And for full disclosure for those that aren't already aware I do work for Time Warner Cable. I just like to find out what problems people have, because I'm surprised at some of the stories I hear from customers in other divisions (regions).

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by dangarion

Wow I've never had a horrible DVR, what do you want in a DVR? To me if it records the shows I want recorded and it has a dual tuner then it's good.

As for fewer HD channels how many do you get? I have 25 on my Time Warner Cable at this time with at least 1 more coming up soon. I checked the direcTV site and all I can count is 15 actual HD channels. I'm honestly trying to find out this information. As for service going out, in the 9 years I've had service I remember 3 occasions that the TV service has gone out.

I'm assuming none of these DVRs were a tivo?

100 in the next year!

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

I'm assuming none of these DVRs were a tivo?

100 in the next year!

No, but I have had a Tivo in the past, before Time Warner came out with their DVR I had a Tivo, I hacked it and put in a larger hard drive.

I'm not sure what Time Warner's plan/response to 100 HD channels in the next year that DirecTV is planning to do, but I do know they are ramping up to offer more HD channels (sooner rather then later), and I'm happy about that because I find myself watching the HD channels more then the non HD channels.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by dangarion

No, but I have had a Tivo in the past, before Time Warner came out with their DVR I had a Tivo, I hacked it and put in a larger hard drive.

I'm not sure what Time Warner's plan/response to 100 HD channels in the next year that DirecTV is planning to do, but I do know they are ramping up to offer more HD channels (sooner rather then later), and I'm happy about that because I find myself watching the HD channels more then the non HD channels.

If you have had, and actually used a Tivo I don't see how you can ask "What more do you want a DVR to do?"

I exclusively watch HD channels.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

If you have had, and actually used a Tivo I don't see how you can ask "What more do you want a DVR to do?"

I exclusively watch HD channels.

Like I said I have had and have used a Tivo. I personally don't need a computer to record shows that I might be interested in. That was the only feature that I realistically can say Tivo has that my current box doesn't. Explain to me what else you think is missing in cable DVRs? I haven't really seen anyone sell it to me.

[Ksyrup]

I don't get the appeal of the "suggestions" feature, either. I've only had my DVR for a few weeks, and already I've got shows I wanted to record at the time piling up and will likely never be watched. Adding to that a bunch of shows I might be interested in would be overkill.

[lordscarlet]

Originally Posted by dangarion

Like I said I have had and have used a Tivo. I personally don't need a computer to record shows that I might be interested in. That was the only feature that I realistically can say Tivo has that my current box doesn't. Explain to me what else you think is missing in cable DVRs? I haven't really seen anyone sell it to me.

Do I have to do this every few days on this board?

Off the top of my head (and I don't think these are all of them):

a) Don't crash.
b) Automatic ffwd compensation.
c) Wish lists
d) For non-DirecTV people: web scheduling
e) For non-DirecTV people: synch with computer
f) Schedule based on show, not timeslot (I have only heard that many cable DVRs are VCR-like.. record the Simpsons @ 8:00pm on Sundays, and if a show moves timeslots it does not compensate)

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by lordscarlet

Do I have to do this every few days on this board?

Off the top of my head (and I don't think these are all of them):

a) Don't crash.
b) Automatic ffwd compensation.
c) Wish lists
d) For non-DirecTV people: web scheduling
e) For non-DirecTV people: synch with computer
f) Schedule based on show, not timeslot (I have only heard that many cable DVRs are VCR-like.. record the Simpsons @ 8:00pm on Sundays, and if a show moves timeslots it does not compensate)

Let's see.
a) seems to be a stereotype, my older SA (scientific atlantic box never crashed, and my new motorola box has yet to)
b) Not exactly sure what this is, would this be when you are fast forwarding and you stop it, the DVR backs up a bit?
c) I never used the Wish List option on my Tivo, so I guess I don't miss that one.
d) This wasn't available in my Tivo I used to have, but it's something I would have enjoyed. We are talking about what DirecTV offers though, so this is moot since a cable TV customer would have a Tivo box as well.
e) Another one not available on the older Tivo boxes. We are talking about what DirecTV offers though, so this is moot since a cable TV customer would have a Tivo box as well.
f) The SA boxes you could choose any channel or only a specific channel. On the Motorola box if will just look for the show name and not worry about the channel it is on. It does compensate on timeslots as well.