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#1
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Winter glider storage?
Anyone have thoughts on would would be a good way to store a glider
trailer outdoors in winter? Remove the battery or keep it on trickle charge? How about covering the trailer with a large tarp? Leaving a small electric heater on low (500 Watts) to keep it slightly warmer and drier? |
#2
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Winter glider storage?
On Nov 11, 11:39*am, soartech wrote:
Anyone have thoughts on would would be a good way to store a glider trailer outdoors in winter? Remove the battery or keep it on trickle charge? How about covering the trailer with a large tarp? Leaving a small electric heater on low (500 Watts) to keep it slightly warmer and drier? Drive it down to Arizona and keep flying in winter! Guaranteed warmer and dryer than Chicago. Seriously, I would remove batteries and keep them in a warm dry environment. Not sure if the tarp wouldn't trap more moisture than it would keep out. Years ago, I had to keep electronics dry in a small (4'x4'x4') metal enclosure in a very cold wet environment and found that using two 60-watt light bulbs in series worked quite well. 500 watts sounds a bit high. There are a number of heating products now that might work, including heating tape. Mike |
#3
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Winter glider storage?
the tarp is a really bad idea.Mold loves cold and damp!
tim "Mike the Strike" wrote in message ... On Nov 11, 11:39 am, soartech wrote: Anyone have thoughts on would would be a good way to store a glider trailer outdoors in winter? Remove the battery or keep it on trickle charge? How about covering the trailer with a large tarp? Leaving a small electric heater on low (500 Watts) to keep it slightly warmer and drier? Drive it down to Arizona and keep flying in winter! Guaranteed warmer and dryer than Chicago. Seriously, I would remove batteries and keep them in a warm dry environment. Not sure if the tarp wouldn't trap more moisture than it would keep out. Years ago, I had to keep electronics dry in a small (4'x4'x4') metal enclosure in a very cold wet environment and found that using two 60-watt light bulbs in series worked quite well. 500 watts sounds a bit high. There are a number of heating products now that might work, including heating tape. Mike __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6622 (20111111) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com __________ Information from ESET NOD32 Antivirus, version of virus signature database 6622 (20111111) __________ The message was checked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus. http://www.eset.com |
#4
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Winter glider storage?
On Nov 11, 10:39*am, soartech wrote:
Anyone have thoughts on would would be a good way to store a glider trailer outdoors in winter? Remove the battery or keep it on trickle charge? How about covering the trailer with a large tarp? Leaving a small electric heater on low (500 Watts) to keep it slightly warmer and drier? Where are you located? Here in the Pac NW at the very least put a bunch of Dri-Z-Air pots in the trailer, make sure you monitor them, and that is still no guarantee that your paint won't blister. At the very best store the trailer indoors with a small fan and a boat heater. There is no electricity available where I keep my trailer, I've had lot's of bubble problems with my finish, which is Prestec. Brad |
#5
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Winter glider storage?
I have used a room dehumidifier to dry out my trailer. Pulls a few hundred watts and only runs when needed. I live near the ocean and get condensation when I open the trailer to work on the glider. Once dry it stays dry for quite a while. I don't know about leaving it on unattended. Anything that draws hundreds of watts has the potential to burn stuff up. Some models are prone to icing up at low temperatures.
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#6
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Winter glider storage?
On Nov 11, 4:18*pm, Brad wrote:
On Nov 11, 10:39*am, soartech wrote: Anyone have thoughts on would would be a good way to store a glider trailer outdoors in winter? Remove the battery or keep it on trickle charge? How about covering the trailer with a large tarp? Leaving a small electric heater on low (500 Watts) to keep it slightly warmer and drier? Where are you located? Here in the Pac NW at the very least put a bunch of Dri-Z-Air pots in the trailer, make sure you monitor them, and that is still no guarantee that your paint won't blister. At the very best store the trailer indoors with a small fan and a boat heater. There is no electricity available where I keep my trailer, I've had lot's of bubble problems with my finish, which is Prestec. Brad My reasoning for using an electric heater is that if I can keep the inside temperature at least a few degrees above the outside temperature then it will always stay dry because the dew point can never be reached. I think the tarp can only help keep the moisture out and the heat in. Mike, thanks for the data point on the small enclosure and 30 Watts of heat. Based on trailer volume I would think that 500 Watts would be about right. 4x4x4 = 64 / 30 W. = 2.1 Watts per cu. ft 32 x 5 x 5 = 800 / 500 = 1.6 Watts per cu. ft. |
#7
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Winter glider storage?
On 11/11/2011 10:39 AM, soartech wrote:
Anyone have thoughts on would would be a good way to store a glider trailer outdoors in winter? Remove the battery or keep it on trickle charge? How about covering the trailer with a large tarp? Leaving a small electric heater on low (500 Watts) to keep it slightly warmer and drier? There is no need to remove the battery. As long as it's fully charged at the beginning of storage, it will lose only 1% - 2% of it's charge per month during cold weather, meaning 40 deg F or less. I don't think a tarp will help any, but just having it under a roof of some sort, like a car port, will keep it from cooling less than in the open. -- Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me) - "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl |
#8
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Winter glider storage?
On Nov 11, 1:51*pm, soartech wrote:
On Nov 11, 4:18*pm, Brad wrote: On Nov 11, 10:39*am, soartech wrote: Anyone have thoughts on would would be a good way to store a glider trailer outdoors in winter? Remove the battery or keep it on trickle charge? How about covering the trailer with a large tarp? Leaving a small electric heater on low (500 Watts) to keep it slightly warmer and drier? Where are you located? Here in the Pac NW at the very least put a bunch of Dri-Z-Air pots in the trailer, make sure you monitor them, and that is still no guarantee that your paint won't blister. At the very best store the trailer indoors with a small fan and a boat heater. There is no electricity available where I keep my trailer, I've had lot's of bubble problems with my finish, which is Prestec. Brad My reasoning for using an electric heater is that if I can keep the inside temperature at least a few degrees above the outside temperature then it will always stay dry because the dew point can never be reached. I think the tarp can only help keep the moisture out and the heat in. Mike, thanks for the data point on the small enclosure and 30 Watts of heat. Based on trailer volume I would think that 500 Watts would be about right. 4x4x4 = 64 / 30 W. = 2.1 Watts per cu. ft 32 x 5 x 5 = 800 / 500 = 1.6 Watts per cu. ft. A dehumidifier works for me - maintains humidity in the mid-20's and keeps corrosion way down. Of course, I don't have to deal with freezing temperatures. http://tinyurl.com/7ykc5qp 9B |
#9
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Winter glider storage?
I've wintered my glider outside in the PNW, but it is NOT preferred. Of course, it is best to put your trailer under a carport or, if possible, in a garage (which is where I store mine now and would never go back outside).
Gently heating the inside of the trailer is a essential. Be careful with all heat sources. Electric heaters should have auto off in case they tip over for some reason. They should have some type of insulation from direct contact with the trailer (bricks work nice). Light bulbs have been known to cause fires, so I would avoid them. My preference is a chick incubator available at your local rural hardware store. It is low voltage and usually insulated. Air flow is essential. Don't plug up the vent sources. Dri-z-aire needs regular attendance. Follow the instructions provided. Good luck. |
#10
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Winter glider storage?
On Nov 11, 3:51*pm, soartech wrote:
On Nov 11, 4:18*pm, Brad wrote: On Nov 11, 10:39*am, soartech wrote: Anyone have thoughts on would would be a good way to store a glider trailer outdoors in winter? Remove the battery or keep it on trickle charge? How about covering the trailer with a large tarp? Leaving a small electric heater on low (500 Watts) to keep it slightly warmer and drier? Where are you located? Here in the Pac NW at the very least put a bunch of Dri-Z-Air pots in the trailer, make sure you monitor them, and that is still no guarantee that your paint won't blister. At the very best store the trailer indoors with a small fan and a boat heater. There is no electricity available where I keep my trailer, I've had lot's of bubble problems with my finish, which is Prestec. Brad My reasoning for using an electric heater is that if I can keep the inside temperature at least a few degrees above the outside temperature then it will always stay dry because the dew point can never be reached. I think the tarp can only help keep the moisture out and the heat in. Mike, thanks for the data point on the small enclosure and 30 Watts of heat. Based on trailer volume I would think that 500 Watts would be about right. 4x4x4 = 64 / 30 W. = 2.1 Watts per cu. ft 32 x 5 x 5 = 800 / 500 = 1.6 Watts per cu. ft. If it's going to freeze, an unattended dehumidifier isn't a great idea. Alas. Inside, heated, dry storage is best of course. Most hangars are not well sealed, and your solar dryer doesn't work anymore. I picked up a lot of corrosion over a winter from a glider in our club hangar. Hangars also have a really cold slab of concrete under them. When spring comes, this means everything is cold and dripping wet inside the hangar. worse than outside, where the morning condensation will at least eventually dry out. Small heaters are a great idea. I got a "air dryer" from iboats.com (run by Bruno Vassel, glider pilot). It's 100 watts, designed to be left alone, and won't bust like a light bulb. Over several winters this has helped condensation a lot. The daily condensation and hopefully drying out is a big problem for glider storage alas. John Cochrane |
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