Cleaning the weeping wing edge

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BlueYonder
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Cleaning the weeping wing edge

Post by BlueYonder »

Any advice for the best way to clean bugs and dirt off the leading edge of the wing? I'm concerned about grinding stuff into the tiny pores and blocking the TKS flow.
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Chris
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Re: Cleaning the weeping wing edge

Post by Chris »

The CAV Ice Protection Systems folks have a PDF here.

Basically use dish soap, water, and a green scouring pad in a up/down motion. They say the bug bits won't clog the pores.
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photoSteveZ
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Re: Cleaning the weeping wing edge

Post by photoSteveZ »

I spray tap water on the leading edges, wait a minute, then use a scotch brite pad backed by a Clean Wing rubber handle gizmo (only on the TKS panels) to loosen the bugs. I follow up with a microfiber cloth to remove the debris.
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Ed McDonald
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Re: Cleaning the weeping wing edge

Post by Ed McDonald »

We experienced a healthy dose of bugs this summer and used the soapy water and microfibre technique.
When the annual came along in November a significant portion of the TKTS surface were plugged with bugs and it took a healthy amount of isopropyl alcohol to dislodge the bugs from the holes. My maintainer recommends using isopropyl for all cleaning of the leading edges.
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Re: Cleaning the weeping wing edge

Post by Bryce »

I use a mix of water and Dawn dish soap on my Bonanza G36. As Chris mentioned, up/down, not side to side, and you'll get the panels clean. One thing that CAV says to do (that I do, but none of my fiends do!) is to run the TKS system every 45 days or so. This will keep the panel membranes inside wet, but also helps push bug bits out!
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