I'm not so sure using chemical is a show-stopper. Find out what covering system and paint you have and call the manufacturer. They probably will have a solid recommendation for you one way or the other.

Lots of ag airplanes have some fabric on them. They live in various chemicals.

gbflyer wrote:I'm not so sure using chemical is a show-stopper. Find out what covering system and paint you have and call the manufacturer. They probably will have a solid recommendation for you one way or the other.

Lots of ag airplanes have some fabric on them. They live in various chemicals.

And, every ag plane I've been around gets washed down pretty regularly.

But, contacting the manufacturer of the fabric process is a good idea. My guess is they'll tell you that if you put any chemicals on their fabric, you're on your own, though.

MTV

Fabric is flexible enough that I have been able to pop ice loose with a little bumping. Easier than getting it of aluminum, but still not something that you feel comfortable doing.

Sometimes even a hangar is not enough.

Condensation dripped from the roof and froze on the airplane.

Geoffrey Thorpe wrote:Fabric is flexible enough that I have been able to pop ice loose with a little bumping. Easier than getting it of aluminum, but still not something that you feel comfortable doing.

Sometimes even a hangar is not enough.

Condensation dripped from the roof and froze on the airplane.

Yow!! Looks like you'd need cleats just to pre flight.....

MTV

I am taking care of a friends Pacer, so purchasing better wing covers is not an option right now. Any other tricks for deicing fabric wings? I was out there with a heat lamp, credit card, and towel to get ice and frost off for about 2 hrs yesterday. This was because of the thaw/freeze cycles we’ve been seen increasingly more of, as well as rain then freeze, which soaks the basic polyester wing covers and then they don’t dry and they freeze to the airplane, then they leave ice and frost after you take them off. I’ve used a red dragon and scat tube on metal skin wings before, could that be used on fabric if used carefully? And not on inside of wing. I have to run a generator for a couple hours to warm up engine anyway, just don’t want to be scraping ice for an additional 2 hrs. His tail cover looks like canvas from Bruce’s Custom covers, and when you take that thing off, there is no frost or anything left! Could I put that kind of canvas under his wing covers? Where to get it?

Well..........since 2016. I’ve used Type 1 once or twice every year on our Cub (polyfiber). It gets the ice off that forms during the freeze/thaws under the mesh covers. After it’s been applied it seems to leave a film that makes it easier to shed subsequent ice ups under the mesh by either brooming or thumping your hand on fabric. Some thoughts if you try it:

It’s gotta be hot.....if it isn’t it will slush up and make things worse if it’s colder than 0 degrees OAT.
It’s messy and will be at your tiedown till spring.
Don’t get it on the windows it leaves streaks.
Definatly gets the attention of your tiedown neighbors.
Spraying hot liquid on cold fabric makes some areas on plane relax than shrink back to normal.

I never thought about using deice fluid but years ago at Reeve Airmotive they sold the sprayers and 5 gallon buckets of undiluted type 1. I assumed it was for metal planes but after hearing two longtime Cub owners discuss how they used it and swore by it I decided to give it a shot. Once I figured out a system and have a dedicated broom it works pretty slick. Paint is still shiny and not cracked or marred.

Disclaimer is we only use this method once or twice a year. Nothing beats a warm thaw out in a warm hangar.

If I couldn’t find “aircraft device fluid”, my next choice wipiuld be RV anti freeze. The stuff you find in WalMart, etc, pink in color. I ASSUME, since it’s approved for preventing freeze up in RV water systems, and can be put into sewage systems, that it’s probably as non toxic as most anything out there.

I’d mix it maybe 50/50 with HOT water, maybe even heated on the stove.....then sprayed on with a garden bug sprayer.

By the time you’re done, you might be better off buying good wing covers and sell later. Or send airplane owner a Bill.

MTV

mtv wrote:If I couldn’t find “aircraft device fluid”, my next choice wipiuld be RV anti freeze. The stuff you find in WalMart, etc, pink in color. I ASSUME, since it’s approved for preventing freeze up in RV water systems, and can be put into sewage systems, that it’s probably as non toxic as most anything out there.

I’d mix it maybe 50/50 with HOT water, maybe even heated on the stove.....then sprayed on with a garden bug sprayer.

By the time you’re done, you might be better off buying good wing covers and sell later. Or send airplane owner a Bill.

MTV

Heard of people using the RV anti freeze but never tried it myself. When ever I apply diluted type 1 deicing fluid I heat it up on a hot plate next to the plane. Even warm I’ve seen folks burn through a ton of fluid and get pissed ranting on how it does not work worth a sh$t. It’s gotta be HOT out of the spray nozzle. Even then if there is a ton of ice/snow built up finding a heated hanger thaw it is a better option.

Ive used mesh covers for years and have a love hate relationship with them. Every so often if I don’t fly regularly the frost/ice that eventually finds its way under the covers and welds itself to the wing in that cool looking mesh pattern comes off very quickly if you plan the whole liquid deice operation ahead of time.

Just bought a set of vented covers from Linda Drummond at Alaska Wing Covers and modifying them to fit over my vented fuel caps. They look great and seem to have good reviews. But I am still keeping a set of mesh ones.

TVATIVAK71 wrote:

mtv wrote:If I couldn’t find “aircraft device fluid”, my next choice wipiuld be RV anti freeze. The stuff you find in WalMart, etc, pink in color. I ASSUME, since it’s approved for preventing freeze up in RV water systems, and can be put into sewage systems, that it’s probably as non toxic as most anything out there.

I’d mix it maybe 50/50 with HOT water, maybe even heated on the stove.....then sprayed on with a garden bug sprayer.

By the time you’re done, you might be better off buying good wing covers and sell later. Or send airplane owner a Bill.

MTV

Heard of people using the RV anti freeze but never tried it myself. When ever I apply diluted type 1 deicing fluid I heat it up on a hot plate next to the plane. Even warm I’ve seen folks burn through a ton of fluid and get pissed ranting on how it does not work worth a sh$t. It’s gotta be HOT out of the spray nozzle. Even then if there is a ton of ice/snow built up finding a heated hanger thaw it is a better option.

Ive used mesh covers for years and have a love hate relationship with them. Every so often if I don’t fly regularly the frost/ice that eventually finds its way under the covers and welds itself to the wing in that cool looking mesh pattern comes off very quickly if you plan the whole liquid deice operation ahead of time.

Just bought a set of vented covers from Linda Drummond at Alaska Wing Covers and modifying them to fit over my vented fuel caps. They look great and seem to have good reviews. But I am still keeping a set of mesh ones.

Post a picture of those covers when you get them mounted...curious.

MTV

One method that worked for me down here in the Sierra Nevada (so maybe not up there in thirty below) is to fill a doubled large heavy duty (contractor clean up type) garbage bag with hot water and just dab it on the wings like a hot water bottle, then wipe up with a towel.

P

Pierre_R wrote:One method that worked for me down here in the Sierra Nevada (so maybe not up there in thirty below) is to fill a doubled large heavy duty (contractor clean up type) garbage bag with hot water and just dab it on the wings like a hot water bottle, then wipe up with a towel.

P

This works well for those of us who live a bit further north of you on what we call frost, I've witnessed this technique on a car windshield. Now ever I don't imagine it would be may very effective on accumulated ice.

In the interest of "creativity" how about piping warm air; not hot enough to risk doing damage, through an inspection holes. As long as there are a couple either side of the spar this might work well. It would only take a very small amount of "heating" under the ice to then allow the ice to slid off. I'm just "spit-balling" a little bit but as the saying goes "necessity is the Mother of invention"

I think a consideration with whatever method you use, is that you aren’t creating a solution that can get in the flight controls and refreeze in flight.