Winterization

I lease a hangar at KOLM. This is in the Pacific Northwest and hence is very damp in the winter. I don't think that I can modify the hangar to make it more weatherproof and so I wonder what you all recommend as far as further protection of the airplane engine and interior. I've installed one of those marine fans to keep air circulating inside the plane. I've heard that some people recommend an engine dehumidifier be used as well if you are not flying very often (sounds like a gizmo that you insert into the oil filler that blows in dry air to prevent corrosion). Any thoughts? Any other advice on keeping your plane free of mildew and rust during the rainy season?

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Originally Posted by olympiashorts

I lease a hangar at KOLM. This is in the Pacific Northwest and hence is very damp in the winter. I don't think that I can modify the hangar to make it more weatherproof and so I wonder what you all recommend as far as further protection of the airplane engine and interior. I've installed one of those marine fans to keep air circulating inside the plane. I've heard that some people recommend an engine dehumidifier be used as well if you are not flying very often (sounds like a gizmo that you insert into the oil filler that blows in dry air to prevent corrosion). Any thoughts? Any other advice on keeping your plane free of mildew and rust during the rainy season?

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I'm based out of Auburn, just a few dozen miles from you. Don't do anything special in the winter. The rain never really closes in THAT much that you can't fly every week or so to warm things up and purge the moisture.

Some of my closed-cockpit friends use the Dry-Z-Air system to help purge the moisture from the cockpit. Make sure not to spill it.

Years ago, I was in an open hangar with a badly-leaky roof. Then I had the cockpit cover on and what blue tarps were necessary.

Ron Wanttaja