Water in LNBF arm.

wejones · #1 (**permalink**) 11-17-2006, 04:23 PM

While outside today, looking at my dish, I noticed that when I installed my little 90CM dish, that I forgot to put the little plastic cap on top of the LNBF arm. It just occurred to me that it was pointing up, so that rain would go down into the lnbf arm. Once down there, when it freezes in winter, that could crack the lnbf arm. This happened to the ribs in my 7' dish, which is now warped out of shape, ie the ribs filled with water, and cracked in the winter.

Anyway, I got a piece of plastic tubing, took off the lnbf, and ran the tubing down the arm, and sucked out the water using a laboratory bulb. There wasn't as much in there as I thought, but there were a couple spoon fulls at least.

I also noticed that I put the water covers that go over the coax where it connects to the motor on backward, so they aren't sealing the coax at all. Dumb. I didn't fix that. I'll do that when I re-align the thing (not really needed, even after having the dish off today, but I can't wait to play with my new signal meter).

Anyway, if you live in cold latitudes, you might check to make sure you didn't forget the plastic cap like I did. I think I'm lucky I caught it before I had enough water to completely fill the arm at the bottom, because we've had a lot of freezing nights for the last couple months.

rainman · #2 (**permalink**) 11-17-2006, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wejones

While outside today, looking at my dish, I noticed that when I installed my little 90CM dish, that I forgot to put the little plastic cap on top of the LNBF arm. It just occurred to me that it was pointing up, so that rain would go down into the lnbf arm. Once down there, when it freezes in winter, that could crack the lnbf arm. This happened to the ribs in my 7' dish, which is now warped out of shape, ie the ribs filled with water, and cracked in the winter.

Anyway, I got a piece of plastic tubing, took off the lnbf, and ran the tubing down the arm, and sucked out the water using a laboratory bulb. There wasn't as much in there as I thought, but there were a couple spoon fulls at least.

I also noticed that I put the water covers that go over the coax where it connects to the motor on backward, so they aren't sealing the coax at all. Dumb. I didn't fix that. I'll do that when I re-align the thing (not really needed, even after having the dish off today, but I can't wait to play with my new signal meter).

Anyway, if you live in cold latitudes, you might check to make sure you didn't forget the plastic cap like I did. I think I'm lucky I caught it before I had enough water to completely fill the arm at the bottom, because we've had a lot of freezing nights for the last couple months.

you could always drill a small hole at the bottom Bill and let it drain out.

wejones · #3 (**permalink**) 11-17-2006, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rainman

you could always drill a small hole at the bottom Bill and let it drain out.

I thought of that AFTER I spend 15 minutes sucking out the water. Walked past my cordless drill 3 times too.

I guess someone named "Rainman" should be an expert at keeping rain out.

rainman · #4 (**permalink**) 11-17-2006, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wejones

I thought of that AFTER I spend 15 minutes sucking out the water. Walked past my cordless drill 3 times too.

I guess someone named "Rainman" should be an expert at keeping rain out.

the way I got that name was back when I was a weblo leader for cub scouts got to take the group out with the local boy scout group for a weekend camp out.it rain so hard the first night we got washed out of our tent.had to cancel the camp out (first time for the scout group) so the name rainman just got stucked on me.LOL

bobkat · #5 (**permalink**) 11-17-2006, 10:35 PM

Hmmm.....

kat

rainman · #6 (**permalink**) 11-18-2006, 07:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobkat

Hmmm.....

kat

kat I expected more than this.LOL

wejones · #7 (**permalink**) 11-18-2006, 07:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rainman

the way I got that name was back when I was a weblo leader for cub scouts got to take the group out with the local boy scout group for a weekend camp out.it rain so hard the first night we got washed out of our tent.had to cancel the camp out (first time for the scout group) so the name rainman just got stucked on me.LOL

I just assumed that it had something to do with whatever kind of car they drove in the rainman movie or something. Neat. I flunked out of boy scouts, when I wasn't able to light a fire with 3 matches. I did become an honorary girl scout leader though, when my cousin's mother died. That didn't work out very well. I had them trying to make crystal radios, which none of them were interested in, and none of the radios worked, not even the one I made myself. So I was not asked back for a 2nd term.

rainman · #8 (**permalink**) 11-18-2006, 06:48 PM

I was a cub scout leader untill my 2 boys moved on to boy scouts great organization. I thing I enjoyed it more than the boy's.LOL

Sadoun · #9 (**permalink**) 11-20-2006, 08:33 PM

Good suggestion Rainman. I think the LNBF arm on the Fortec dishes has a hole at the button to drain the water.

wejones · #10 (**permalink**) 11-21-2006, 08:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sadoun

Good suggestion Rainman. I think the LNBF arm on the Fortec dishes has a hole at the button to drain the water.

I'll have to take my mirror out and look up from underneath I guess. Mine seemed to collect a good deal of water, but it may have been at an angle where it didn't reach a hole. Maybe it wouldn't have collected enough to do damage on freezing. I'll have to look closer I guess. Thanks.