TKS atomizer/sprayer for on-ground deicing

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ememic99
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TKS atomizer/sprayer for on-ground deicing

Post by ememic99 »

What do you do if you leave your aircraft outside and find it covered with snow and/or ice? How do you get rid of it with least effort?

I use TKS liquid that I spray on all affected surfaces, wait for it to dissolve ice/snow and then remove slush with cloth, repeating the procedure as long as necessary without scratching airframe surfaces. However, the tricky part is spraying. I used to use old insect remover bottle like the one at the picture below filled with TKS liquid.
TKS.jpg
However, few days ago when returning from skiing weekend, I had to spray a gallon of TKS with this thingy and my fingers got cramped for hours doing it for 30 minutes at -6 degrees.

A friend of mine uses orchard sprayer but I find it too big to carry around. Does anyone have something good to recommend?
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photoSteveZ
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Re: TKS atomizer/sprayer for on-ground deicing

Post by photoSteveZ »

Interesting subject. I have seen orchard sprayers in use at FBOs to remove frost from aircraft surfaces, but you're right: they're too big to carry along. Those smaller hand sprayers you mention are tricky, too: pressure changes with altitude present the risk of pumping fluid overboard inside your baggage compartment.
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ememic99
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Re: TKS atomizer/sprayer for on-ground deicing

Post by ememic99 »

photoSteveZ wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 6:46 pm Those smaller hand sprayers you mention are tricky, too: pressure changes with altitude present the risk of pumping fluid overboard inside your baggage compartment.
That happened to me once :roll: luckily only cloths, ropes and oil were at that side.
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Charles
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Re: TKS atomizer/sprayer for on-ground deicing

Post by Charles »

I always keep a 2-gallon garden sprayer half-full with a 60% solution of antifreeze (ehtanediol/ethylene glycol) in the plane when traveling in the winter. No issues with pressure changes because they are intended to be pressurized.

I apply liberally over frost and I don't bother wiping it off before take off. TKS fluid is antifreeze with a very small fraction of methanol https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-jifykod ... 156398.pdf so I figure what I use is just as good.

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ememic99
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Re: TKS atomizer/sprayer for on-ground deicing

Post by ememic99 »

Charles wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 7:00 pm I apply liberally over frost and I don't bother wiping it off before take off. TKS fluid is antifreeze with a very small fraction of methanol so I figure what I use is just as good.
TKS fluid is safe for the airframe since it's used for in-air deicing. How about the fluid you use, can it cause some corrosion?
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Charles
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Re: TKS atomizer/sprayer for on-ground deicing

Post by Charles »

ememic99 wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 7:09 pm
Charles wrote: Thu Jan 20, 2022 7:00 pm I apply liberally over frost and I don't bother wiping it off before take off. TKS fluid is antifreeze with a very small fraction of methanol so I figure what I use is just as good.
TKS fluid is safe for the airframe since it's used for in-air deicing. How about the fluid you use, can it cause some corrosion?
I don't think so, car antifreeze has corrosion inhibitors. Don't know about TKS. If there are any, the MSDS makes no mention of them.
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Johnrschaefer
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Re: TKS atomizer/sprayer for on-ground deicing

Post by Johnrschaefer »

I use the pink RV antifreeze (propylene glycol) and a garden sprayer.
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mhoran
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Re: TKS atomizer/sprayer for on-ground deicing

Post by mhoran »

Thanks for the tip on the garden sprayer. I picked one up today and had the frost off my plane in the shortest amount of time ever. Ended up using _way_ too much TKS fluid as previously I'd just been spraying it on with a horribly inefficient spray bottle. I've never been able to simply wipe off the frost even with TKS, but this did the trick.
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Re: TKS atomizer/sprayer for on-ground deicing

Post by Charles »

As a follow up to my previous post, the thread got me to wonder about the environment effects of releasing ethylene glycol in the environment. Turns out it is highly biodegradable and has little to no impact.

https://www.who.int/ipcs/publications/c ... icad22.pdf
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11302583/

Of course propylene glycol is a better option as it is non-toxic and has similar de-icing capabilities as ethylene glycol, but it can be much more expensive and harder to find.
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