Melting Ice

[Jim Collins]

Hi All,
I am sure this has been discussed before but I did not find the subject when I searched.

Are there any ice melters that are safe around our aluminum airplanes?

I heard magnesium chloride and beet juice was okay in small amounts but I am not so sure and I had seen a few products listed on Aircraft Spruce but I could not find the active ingredients to know for sure.

Thanks

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

This website compares salt. urea, calcium chloride and potassium acetate. If this was an area that the melt would be sprayed on or into the airframe, I'd be careful and choose urea or calcium chloride.

https://www.bostonbuildingresources.com ... ce-melters

[GAHorn]

This website compares salt. urea, calcium chloride and potassium acetate. If this was an area that the melt would be sprayed on or into the airframe, I'd be careful and choose urea or calcium chloride.

https://www.bostonbuildingresources.com ... ce-melters

Well …that site says calcium chloride is “noncorrosive”…and EVERY farmer knows better! That’s what they fill tractor tires with and it’s EXTREMELY CORROSIVE. it often rots-out wheel/rims and kills grass.

Jim, are you trying to de-ice the taxiway/runway..??? or the airplane..??

[Jim Collins]

Bruce & George,
I should have given more information in my post. I have no plans on putting anything on the airplane, I just wanted to remove an ice dam by my hangar door. But even though I would not be putting anything directly on the plane, I am cautious because I know some would eventually get on the plane one way or another.
Right now I thinking of using nothing but manual labor. After a little research I found a corrosive effect/potential on any of the solid form de-icer's I looked up.
Thanks
Jim Collins

[Bruce Fenstermacher]

Well …that site says calcium chloride is “noncorrosive”…and EVERY farmer knows better! That’s what they fill tractor tires with and it’s EXTREMELY CORROSIVE. it often rots-out wheel/rims and kills grass.

George is right and I know first hand the corrosive effects as I have it loaded in my tractor tires. It will over years rot through a steel rim. I can't say how much faster it would rot a steel rim than plan water continually seeping out of a tube on the the same rim. Water on steel also causes corrosion.

Funny thing is that I was reading this site I linked I was coming from an airplane forum and though I knew better did not correlate the calcium chloride mentioned in this site as being the same as that in tractor tires. But it is.

BTW Urea is what most of the companies I worked for specified for helipads.

[n3833v]

How big a dam? Use a turbo heater.

[GAHorn]

Well …that site says calcium chloride is “noncorrosive”…and EVERY farmer knows better! That’s what they fill tractor tires with and it’s EXTREMELY CORROSIVE. it often rots-out wheel/rims and kills grass.

George is right and I know first hand the corrosive effects as I have it loaded in my tractor tires. It will over years rot through a steel rim. I can't say how much faster it would rot a steel rim than plan water continually seeping out of a tube on the the same rim. Water on steel also causes corrosion.

Funny thing is that I was reading this site I linked I was coming from an airplane forum and though I knew better did not correlate the calcium chloride mentioned in this site as being the same as that in tractor tires. But it is.

BTW Urea is what most of the companies I worked for specified for helipads.

.
It’s strange how we can know something…yet not catch the same info when we read it. Just recently I posted info on show to position the crankcae-breather and both knew from experience AND read the strong statement in the info I posted that the lower end should not extend below the cowling lip. The direct-link I posted was SPECIFIC and yet I stated the opposite in my post. Doh. Don’t know why/how that happened.
Fortunately Gary caught it and brought me back to Earth.

[cessna170bdriver]

Just spitballing here (never tried it), but how about some form of automotive antifreeze? If you have concerns about the toxicity of ethylene glycol, there are some that use propylene glycol (the active ingredient in many colonoscopy prep solutions ).

[daedaluscan]

I know and old Alaskan pilot who has a spray bottle filled with car antifreeze. He flys a ragwing bushmaster. YMMV.

[ghostflyer]

This is something I do not have any experience with but I saw my uncle many years ago spray his garage rollers door wheels and surrounding area with denatured alcohol and sugar. The snow and ice disappeared then he sprayed the wheels and tracks with WD40. It appeared to fix the problem.

[GAHorn]

Just spitballing here (never tried it), but how about some form of automotive antifreeze? If you have concerns about the toxicity of ethylene glycol, there are some that use propylene glycol (the active ingredient in many colonoscopy prep solutions ).

Did it reduce the cost of your colonoscopy, Miles..? …

[hilltop170]

I would not use any ice melt chemicals around an airplane. My suggestion would be a propane radiant heater. The heat is localized and can be directed where needed. They come in any number of sizes depending on the size of the job.

[N8293A]

Try this Jim

[Jim Collins]

Steve,
I think if the Schaumburg Airport manager found me using that in front of our expensive hangars, he'd faint. But otherwise that would be a workable idea.
Thanks
Jim Collins