· Get a Cloudy Nights T-Shirt · Submit a Review / Article Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums Privacy Policy | Please read our Terms of Service | Signup and Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu… uh, User You are not logged in. [Login] Entrance · Main Index · Search · New user · Who's Online FAQ · Calendar Equipment Discussions >> Observatories Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Pages: 1 Escher scholastic sledgehammer Reged: 08/30/07 Loc: Fenton, MI POD and snow removal       #5540023 - 11/26/12 10:15 AM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Just got our first bit of snow and it has me wondering... What do you other POD owners use to remove snow from your domes before an observing session? Just a large broom? What about frozen bits on the lip areas? Post Extras:       Startraffic sage Reged: 02/12/06 Loc: Lat. 39.143345, Long. -77.1748... Re: POD and snow removal [Re: Escher]       #5540465 - 11/26/12 02:56 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Escher, A push broom works for me. The path to the dome I use a 50" Snow blower on the back of my tractor though. LOL Clear Dark Skies Startraffic 39.138274 -77.168898 518ft ASL Post Extras:       mclewis1 Thread Killer Reged: 02/25/06 Loc: New Brunswick, Canada Re: POD and snow removal [Re: Startraffic]       #5540484 - 11/26/12 03:12 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Yes, I usually use just a medium wide push broom too. I will however sometimes use a shovel (turned upside down) to gently remove any built up ice on the edge or lip. Watch out when you are removing larger amounts of built up snow, it will sometimes suddenly come down off of the upper part of the dome as you clean away the lower part (go figure). The results when a bunch of snow suddenly slides down and hits the lip and then goes sideways is um ... eye opening, especially when the POD is on a 3' platform and the lip is just above eye level ... can you say snow shower?. Post Extras:       Bob Griffiths Getting Grouchy Reged: 10/10/05 Loc: Frederick Maryland Re: POD and snow removal [Re: mclewis1]       #5542650 - 11/27/12 07:09 PM Attachment (19 downloads) Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   I do NOT have a Pod...I have an Exploradome.. The only thing I do like the others is just pull the snow off the top (my domes top is 16 foot off the ground so I use a Pool brush with a telescoping pole)... BUT what I want to tell you is to remove the snow as soon as possible...I learned the hard way not to wait a few days.. The snow melts during the day BUT refreezes at night.. My shutter was frozen in ice and the base of the dome was locked in place so I would not rotate after the first substantial snowstorm we had after I built the observatory..... Now I just brush it off ASAP... never had a problem again... Bob G. Post Extras:       MHamburg professor emeritus Reged: 06/21/06 Loc: Brooklyn, NY/Berkshires, MA Re: POD and snow removal [Re: Bob Griffiths]       #5544226 - 11/28/12 05:03 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Because my primary home is far from my observatory, I don't have the advantage of instant snow removal. I use a roof rake with two pole extensions to scrape what has frozen. It is far from elegant but with some sweat, does the job. I thought about attaching some type of heater cables, but am a little leery about fire safety when I'm not there. Michael Post Extras:       bogg member Reged: 11/17/09 Loc: Bruce County Ontario Re: POD and snow removal [Re: MHamburg]       #5544675 - 11/28/12 10:13 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   To clean off my POD, I use a broom or a long telescopic brush for cleaning off a car. Both work well. Edited by bogg (11/28/12 10:14 PM) Post Extras:       Startraffic sage Reged: 02/12/06 Loc: Lat. 39.143345, Long. -77.1748... Re: POD and snow removal [Re: mclewis1]       #5545444 - 11/29/12 12:20 PM Edit   Reply   Quote Quick Reply   Mark, I'm not very tall (5'7") so I'll clean a path to my POD with my tractor/snowblower then climb into the loader & have my son lift me up so I can hit the top 1st. I ate an avalanche during "Snowamgeddon" I was NOT amused. LOL Clear Dark Skies Startraffic 39.138274 -77.168898 518ft ASL Post Extras:       Pages: 1 Previous   Index   Next   Threaded   Extra information 10 registered and 11 anonymous users are browsing this forum. 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