Suggestions for Hangar Snow Removal

Chilito

Chilito

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Chilito
Hi, everyone.

I am located in MN where we've got quite a bit of snow piling up. At my rented T-hangar, the airport authority will plow to within a few feet of the hangar door, but not up to it. This is my first winter in this hangar and it's a heavy mix of ice and snow against the sliding door that I can't get open more than a few feet.

Looking for suggestions on how to proceed and remove this snow when the hangar owner says it's not his job to ensure the airplane can come out.

*Edit*: Yes, I have a snow blower. Yes, I have a shovel. Neither are any match for the frozen precipitation that has amassed itself against the hangar door.
 
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Chilito said:
At my rented T-hangar, the airport authority will plow to within a few feet of the hangar door, but not up to it. This is my first winter in this hangar and it's a heavy mix of ice and snow against the sliding door that I can't get open more than a few feet.
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??? If the snow is against the sliding door, shovel it away? If the snow is on top the hangar and the weight is bending the overhead down or the ground has swelled up and binding the doors from below, wait for spring?
 
Do you have Snow shovel/blower?
What do you do with snow at your house/garage?
 
I have the same problem...the airport only plows within 2 feet of the door. Fortunately, I’ve only been stuck twice (in 20,yrs) when the door was locked down by ice. I’ve learned to get out to the airport ASAP even if not planning to fly, open the door (if possible) then shovel 6 inches next to the door. If I’m out there when a friend is running his snow blower, he’ll come by after he finishes his bank of 6 hangars (i’m in a county hangar, he’s in a group that own their hangars and does the snow removal for them). Otherwise I have to wait for the Chicago Snow Plow. (if you don’t understand the reference...google 1979 snow storm mayor election)

Fortunately, our storms only last a couple days out here in Denver. Altho the hills are getting dumped on all season, in town we’ve only had 3 days of snow.

You can’t wait for the snowfall to end. It may need to go out there everyday to keep the snow from piling up, melting, freezing, repeat. It’s like clearing the driveway at home. You don’t wait for the storm to end, otherwise there’s too much to easily deal with.
 
The trouble can often be associated with what direction the hangar door faces and the slope/pitch of the roof. I had a hangar (KMNM) that faced north with a roof that sloped toward the door. Whenever it warmed up enough to melt snow, it would slide off the roof and accumulate in front of the door. If I didn’t get out there to clear it right away, it would re-freeze into a chunk of ice as hard as granite.

My current hangar has a gabled roof and faces south, so the sun melts anything in front of the door, within reason.

Since you are iced in, it’s going to be tough. A propane fired wand/torch comes to mind to melt it enough to chip ice out of there. Then you will need to be diligent to get out there to clear your door out after they plow. Letting a snow berm sit there for a length of time will put you right back to square one.

On an extreme example of a long term fix, a few pilot across the isle from me, who’s hangar faces south, actually had the area just in front of his hangar door, where the problem occurs, dug out and he installed heating coils. Flick of the switch and voila.
 
Same issue. I got a flat square point shovel from HD to scrape through the icy snow, then one of those plow shovels to push it away. Some times, I just scrape where the tires roll. I also have some of those spiked boot add-ons so I can push/pull my plane on the ice.
 
I use a toro electric shovel... chews right through the dense snow pack from the plow and flings it further than my two stage blower at home. If possible I like get there before they plow and clear it away from the door a bit- but if not the electric really eats through the plow turds piled up..
 
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The airport folks might not like it....
 
My north facing hangar in Michigan gets iced up quite a bit. For removal, I use a flat spade plus a pick axe. I don't have to deal with a sliding door though, just a bi-fold.
 
wait until spring :)
 
Chilito said:
Yes, I have a snow blower. Yes, I have a shovel. Neither are any match for the frozen precipitation that has amassed itself against the hangar door.
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Those tools are no match for the snow/ice when you wait. However, if you come out to the airport right after the snow has subsided it will often clear just like any other snow does.

In the decade I’ve been doing snow removal at the airport for the city I can only think of a few people who clear their area immediately following a snowstorm. Their areas are usually just fine while those who wait often struggle all winter and often give up on flying until we get a few warm days so the snow can be chiseled away.
 
Zeldman said:
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The airport folks might not like it....
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I bought one of these for what the guy in the picture appears to be using it for (weeding). It's also handy for lighting off the pig cooker. However, it sucks at melting snow in general. I tried it. Doesn't work with any amount of accumulation.

I either used a shovel or I paid a enterprising young man who was offering to clear it to do it for me.
 
I have a South facing hangar here in WI, helps with some sun or heat. I use an ‘ice chipper’ when required, to get chunks & ridges of ice loose. I have a few shovels in the hangar.

I have some ‘kitty litter’ and sand for traction. For additional backup I have ‘ice cleats’ for my boots. The cleats are more for extreme conditions.

When I have two people, me & someone else I can get the plane back O.K.. This year I also got a tire chain for the gas tug.

After a storm I may make my way over to shovel out the door with the above methods. I sometimes do it about the time I want to plug the engine heat in for the next day’s flight.
 
This is not going to help you ... BUT

Just went to the hangar to plug the plane in, the door is frozen to the ground. Called the FBO and told them to figure that sh$t out before my flight tomorrow AM .
They will come with a gigantic blower that blows enormous amount of hot air to melt the ice, then they will scrape it clean. I have a N facing hangar.

Whatever they do to clean it and get the door unfrozen, ain’t my problem
 
B/w there is a remedy for bifold door not getting stuck that people here if fargo do, when closing the door, put a 2/4 under the door and let the door just sit on it, you can’t completely shut the door but it works and the door doesn’t freeze to the ground. I don’t cuz again I am lazy
 
Snow - shovel, rest, then repeat.

Ice - go home & wait until it melts.

If you don’t go home, hopefully you won’t fall on the ice in your hangar, as I did last winter. It hurt like he!!
 
1. Ice chipper, heavy. Not those dinky things that look like a straightened out hoe. Sharpen it, and bring a file for resharpening.
2. Tomorrow’s Saturday. Make a day of it.
 
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WannFly said:
This is not going to help you ... BUT

Just went to the hangar to plug the plane in, the door is frozen to the ground. Called the FBO and told them to figure that sh$t out before my flight tomorrow AM .
They will come with a gigantic blower that blows enormous amount of hot air to melt the ice, then they will scrape it clean. I have a N facing hangar.

Whatever they do to clean it and get the door unfrozen, ain’t my problem
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nice service. At my airport, I’m lucky if the snow gets plowed within 3 ft of the door a day or two after the storm. :eek:
 
WannFly said:
B/w there is a remedy for bifold door not getting stuck that people here if fargo do, when closing the door, put a 2/4 under the door and let the door just sit on it, you can’t completely shut the door but it works and the door doesn’t freeze to the ground. I don’t cuz again I am lazy
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I wouldn't recommend that method. When the door stops on the 2x4, the motor will continue running until it hits the limits. This will allow excess slack into the cables, which can cause them to jump position on the drum and bind up next time. Trust me, I've spent a lot of time fixing t-hangar doors over the last decade. If you want the door up out of the ice, just stop it before it is all the way down.

At our airport, airport maintenance will come down and assist with opening frozen down doors. We own them, and its a lot cheaper for us to help pop them open than to have to repair cables, pulleys, and motors when someone continues to try to power them out of the ice. Or replacing frame members rusted out by pilots putting salt under the door.
 
Toss some ice melt on it and a couple of hours later use a chipping bar and shovel to move the debris. Living In The North 101.
 
Yep, throw gobs of salt on it. Do the labor thing where the wheels go across, use chemicals for the rest.
 
Stewartb said:
Toss some ice melt on it and a couple of hours later use a chipping bar and shovel to move the debris. Living In The North 101.
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455 Bravo Uniform said:
Yep, throw gobs of salt on it. Do the labor thing where the wheels go across, use chemicals for the rest.
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Read my post above both of yours. We prohibit the use of salt and ice melt products under our hangar doors because of the damage it causes to the door. It's not cheap replacing doors and door frames eaten away by the use of salt.
 
midwestpa24 said:
Read my post above both of yours. We prohibit the use of salt and ice melt products under our hangar doors because of the damage it causes to the door. It's not cheap replacing doors and door frames eaten away by the use of salt.
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Buy better doors.
 
I guess the owner should show up after a snow and shovel? Some guys park outdoors. They have to sweep wings AND shovel snow.
 
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NoHeat said:
I'm not sure if you care whether salt gets on your airframe, but if I were your neighbor I surely wouldn't want it on mine.
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That’s why I said to use labor where the wheels go, no salt.

My doors are bi-fold. I only chip away three 1 ft wide paths for my wheels to clear. I don’t use salt. If I had sliding doors, I might.
 
midwestpa24 said:
I wouldn't recommend that method. When the door stops on the 2x4, the motor will continue running until it hits the limits. This will allow excess slack into the cables, which can cause them to jump position on the drum and bind up next time. Trust me, I've spent a lot of time fixing t-hangar doors over the last decade. If you want the door up out of the ice, just stop it before it is all the way down.

At our airport, airport maintenance will come down and assist with opening frozen down doors. We own them, and its a lot cheaper for us to help pop them open than to have to repair cables, pulleys, and motors when someone continues to try to power them out of the ice. Or replacing frame members rusted out by pilots putting salt under the door.
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That’s what they do, stop it as soon as the door hits the 2x4
 
My bifold (or at least, the bifold on the hangar I rent) has a big rubber "U" shape on the bottom. When it freezes to the pavement, I work along it with a pry bar and am able to get it loose.
The big thing is to clear the snow out from in front of the hanger before it hardens into an wall of ice (snow on the roof melts, water drips, freezes (north facing door) in any existing snow, game over.)

 
My hangar door this morning. I’ll probably fire up the tractor to plow the area. A hand shovel will pull out the snow from under the stiffener truss. Easy peasy now that the temps are above zero and the winds have calmed to 10. Even if I don’t plow I’ll pull the snow out from the door edge. Southern exposure will easily melt any minor snow and ice near the door, even in mid winter. And don’t underestimate the value of a leaf blower for moving snow before it sets up. Blowing off wings, too.

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warm rain, gets rid of snow :)

45 degrees in Oak Harbor now.
 
A hay wagon! Park it close in front of the doors, let the plows sweep up close to or even under it then turn the tongue and drag the thing to some other place — done! :)
 
My "condo" hangar doors are sliders with corrugated steel panels. As several OPs said above, when snow melts and drips down in front of the doors then freezes it forms a great lock. So I took a "SawzAll" and cut about 4 inches off the bottoms of the sheet metal panels so they don't get locked into the ice. But I own the hangar so don't need anyone's permission!
 
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