Prop Sox

If you live near the coast where it is humid and the air is salty, you have probably opened your hangar door early in the morning and discovered beads of moisture on the leading edge of your prop. If you see this often enough, you will probably also see growing salt crystals on those expensive blades. Those crystals are eating your prop!

An airport neighbor of mine by the name of Glenn Jones came up with a nifty little solution that he calls the "Prop Sox"....which are pretty much exactly what they sound like! They are made of quilted material and slip over your blades so that they are protected from the morning dew. You wouldn't want to use them on a plane stored outside(as they'd absorb rain), but they seem to work great in the hangar.



They have the added benefit of protecting your skull from a nice laceration when you stand up under the stationary prop, especially on a taildragger! (Glenn has a beautiful Skybolt, and that nose sits much higher than that of an RV - a definite noggin-knocker in the hangar!)

I've been using them for about four moinths now, and they really seem to work - if you're interested, don't call me, check out Glenn's web site at August and Associates

(posting approved by dr)

Does that work?

Seems like it would hold the moisture in.

I've been using spray-on grease after every flight, just a little on the leading edges. It seems to control it pretty well.

I know exactly what you're talking about. If I forget and don't fly for a couple weeks, the leading edges will have a dusting of white powder, anywhere the paint has worn off. And I'm 50 miles from the coast on the other side of town!

jonbakerok said:

Seems like it would hold the moisture in.

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I wondered about that as well Jon - I think Glenn is using a very breathable fabric. All I know is htat the blades have ben dry when I took the sox off - even when the wings were covered in dew.

Paul

Dehumidifier

I used to have a very serious problem with moisture in my hanger (probably about 150 yards from Iron Flight's hanger). The floor would be soaking wet. The steel beams would be dripping on the plane. My engine was even dripping wet when I looked inside the cowl openings.

I used to keep a restored Norton motorcycle in the hanger, it would be dripping wet. All the chrome and polished aluminum on it were rusting and corroding.

I finally went to Sears and bought a dehumidifier. I ran a hose from the catch pan out thru the side of the building to drain the water. My hanger is now totally dry 24/7/365. It does exhaust heat which is a bad thing in Houston when your trying to work in the hanger. I sometimes have to unplug it while I work and then plug it back in when I leave. Best investment I ever made.

Karl

ps: This is not to discount the value of Glen's prop covers. If you are unable to use a dehumidifier, the covers would be a great investment. Also consider the value of protecting your prop from other types of abuse, especially in a large common hanger.

Makes you wonder

if these kind of conditions leads to higher rates of camshaft rusting failures?

You can bet money on it. If there's moisture (condensate) on the outside of the engine, its on the inside also. I recommend you do whatever is needed to protect your investment.

Karl

Ceiling fan

I found that the cure for all the drippy dew on everything was a simple ceiling fan. I keep it running on low 24x7. That's all it took. I haven't seen dew dripping from the rafters since I started using it.

I finally went to Sears and bought a dehumidifier.

Karl, this intrests me. What model and brand did you get at Sears?

Warm Socks

Here's some "wild" socks I saw at OshKosh

Russ McCutcheon said:

Karl, this intrests me. What model and brand did you get at Sears?

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I got the Kenmore 53701. Its a 70 pint/24 hrs. unit. Largest sold at Sears. I think it was on sale for $199 but when the brought the unit out to me, the box had been opened. I pointed it out and they dropped the price even more. Here is the link:

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/prod...&subcat=Dehumidifiers&vertical=APPL&ihtoken=1

I don't know if that is going to come thru but if your go to sears.com and search kenmore dehumidifier, you will find it.

I just remembered that some friends take a different approach for condensation. They are partners on a Pitts S2B. They roll up towels and stuff them in the cowling intakes, then place a mechanics drop light inside the cowl from the exhaust ramp. The heat rises into the bottom of the engine and raises the temperature enough to prevent condensation. They also put a drop light in the cockpit to keep mildew from forming.

I know this won't keep moisture off your prop but thought it might help someone.

Karl

Engines vs. moisture

http://www.aviationconsumer.com/issues/36_9/maintenancematters/5585-1.html

I recommend the Engine Saver. I have one for the RV and for my C-150, too.
I saw proof it worked. My Superior IO-360 came with the upper plug holes installed with dessicant holders filled with blue indicator beads that turn pink when they get moist. After a few months I started to see a little color change. I started using the Engine Saver and the indicators in the plug holes turned back to the bright, deep blue they should be. I am flying now, so no more plug hole dessicant, but after each flight I vent the fumes from the oil filler, close it up and hook up the ES before I leave. When I check the oil the next flight there is a slight release of pressure that came from the ES. That means the ES is keeping positive pressure inside the engine of all dry air. I maintain the dessicant in the ES by baking the beads at 250 deg. F for as long as it takes and then sealing them up back in the "bottle".

It won't help with props but it must be helping with the engine and my peace of mind.

btw - the engine makes huge amounts of moist air as the normal byproduct of combustion. The hot air in the engine holds more moisture than cool air. So when your engine cools, it becomes, internally, a virtual rainforest. That's why I vent it after flight and why the ES is so important even in a dry climate. There are other kinds of corrosion from used oil that this won't help, but at least it helps with ordinary rust.

dehumidifier?

Hi Karl,

Is you hanger just a basic metal T hanger, with no insulation, and plenty of gaps to let air flow through? If so, I'll be at Sears in a flash, because my hanger is rust city. I've always joked that if you asked scientists to develop the perfect environment for condensation, they would just point at my hanger

Do you put the dehumidifier right under the plane, or just anywhere in the hanger?

Thanks,
Rusty (hoping I didn't just fiberglass my canopy shut permanently)

13brv3 said:

Hi Karl,

Is you hanger just a basic metal T hanger, with no insulation, and plenty of gaps to let air flow through? If so, I'll be at Sears in a flash, because my hanger is rust city.

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It's not totally rusted out but it is around 30 years old. Typical T hanger for that era: corregated metal with two sliding doors. There are gaps around the doors and some rusted areas at the top and bottom of the walls.

13brv3 said:

Do you put the dehumidifier right under the plane, or just anywhere in the hanger?

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I have it sitting in the convex corner nearest the plane and run a piece of hose along the wall to the back corner, where it goes thru one of the rust holes. I don't think placement is that critical. It is on a 3 hrs on/off cycle. Keeps mosture really low even after rain when water runs under the door. I can have puddles near the door but no condensation. The puddles dry up on their own in about 2 days.

Karl

Boy I went to Sears page and the feed back on this unit is terible! Have you had trouble with your unit, seems like alot of problems with it. I might have to looke further for one but the idea is great.

Thanks for the info Karl. Sounds like your hanger is about like mine as far as construction, though mine is essentially new thanks to a couple recent hurricanes. There's no doubt in my mind that a dehumidifier would help, but I'm still a bit amazed at how well you say it works. I guess I'd have to try it to find out.

Cheers,
Rusty (within a couple weeks of moving to the airport)

Russ McCutcheon said:

Boy I went to Sears page and the feed back on this unit is terible! Have you had trouble with your unit, seems like alot of problems with it. I might have to looke further for one but the idea is great.

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No problems at all. It just runs like its supposed to.