Terryl
10-12-2013, 06:15 PM
Well Guys and Gals, it's getting that time of year again.
Time to check all that hardware on the roof or out on the lawn (where ever you have it mounted) this summer was hot (in most places) this means that all that metal up there has expanded and contracted many times due to the heat of the day and those cool nights.
This means that some of the mounting bolts and screws could loosen up when it gets real cold, if this happens you could loose a bit of "Q" on some of those hard to get satellites, the dish may droop or swing one way in the wind, or rattle around.
Connectors may have loosened up a tad bit and could leak, it's best to check everything before that snow piles up or the wind gets too bad.
Things to check:
Any connections at or close to ground level, any connections at or near the roof valleys or anywhere the snow can pile up on top of them.
Mounting bolts or lag screws at the antennas base, if lagged to the roof then check to make sure it not going to leak, a little tube of roofing tar can seal things up at the roof, bolts can be tightened and a drop of thread sealant can be used to keep them from backing off, at some locations a second nut can be added and tightened to the first one, this keeps the first one from backing up.
Coax connectors and the PVC jacket on the coax should be checked for rust inside the connectors (power off the receivers with the switch in back first) and cracks in the PVC jacket, water over time can FUBAR a system and if there is water inside the connectors and coax it will freeze up and bust the connectors and split the PVC jacket.
If water is found (rusted center conductor or connector) it will do some dammage, these should be replaced and if it looks like the PVC jacket is cracked or split then a new run of coax is needed, just taping it up will not help.
If you can't replace the coax for some reason then they make a heat shrink tubing that has a tar inside it, when heated with a heat gun it will melt into the cracked coax and seal it up, this stuff may be hard to find but a good internet search may come up with some.
Switches, if outside should be checked for corrosion at the ground point and connections, if it looks like the connections are rusted then a new switch may be needed, connectors can be further water proofed by using dab of Dielectric grease inside the connection, this Dielectric grease must be the stuff rated for coax, there is stuff that is named the same but will eat up the internal insulation causing a failure over time of the coax, the correct stuff can be found in the link below, use this stuff ONLY....
Grounds, all ground connections should be cleaned, and a small dab of liquid tape should be used to keep them clean.
Well this is where the coffee runs out, anyone have anything to add feel free.
Time to check all that hardware on the roof or out on the lawn (where ever you have it mounted) this summer was hot (in most places) this means that all that metal up there has expanded and contracted many times due to the heat of the day and those cool nights.
This means that some of the mounting bolts and screws could loosen up when it gets real cold, if this happens you could loose a bit of "Q" on some of those hard to get satellites, the dish may droop or swing one way in the wind, or rattle around.
Connectors may have loosened up a tad bit and could leak, it's best to check everything before that snow piles up or the wind gets too bad.
Things to check:
Any connections at or close to ground level, any connections at or near the roof valleys or anywhere the snow can pile up on top of them.
Mounting bolts or lag screws at the antennas base, if lagged to the roof then check to make sure it not going to leak, a little tube of roofing tar can seal things up at the roof, bolts can be tightened and a drop of thread sealant can be used to keep them from backing off, at some locations a second nut can be added and tightened to the first one, this keeps the first one from backing up.
Coax connectors and the PVC jacket on the coax should be checked for rust inside the connectors (power off the receivers with the switch in back first) and cracks in the PVC jacket, water over time can FUBAR a system and if there is water inside the connectors and coax it will freeze up and bust the connectors and split the PVC jacket.
If water is found (rusted center conductor or connector) it will do some dammage, these should be replaced and if it looks like the PVC jacket is cracked or split then a new run of coax is needed, just taping it up will not help.
If you can't replace the coax for some reason then they make a heat shrink tubing that has a tar inside it, when heated with a heat gun it will melt into the cracked coax and seal it up, this stuff may be hard to find but a good internet search may come up with some.
Switches, if outside should be checked for corrosion at the ground point and connections, if it looks like the connections are rusted then a new switch may be needed, connectors can be further water proofed by using dab of Dielectric grease inside the connection, this Dielectric grease must be the stuff rated for coax, there is stuff that is named the same but will eat up the internal insulation causing a failure over time of the coax, the correct stuff can be found in the link below, use this stuff ONLY....
Grounds, all ground connections should be cleaned, and a small dab of liquid tape should be used to keep them clean.
Well this is where the coffee runs out, anyone have anything to add feel free.