Hangar Help

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I just got a hangar for my airplane. Great, except my aircraft is completly open and has a lot of avionics. I have a dirt floor and when it rains I get water and mud across the "floor" and water and condensation dripping from the frame of the building. It has a gap of 0 to 10 inches from the bottom of the hangar to the ground. I already have the metal sheeting on site to seal the bottom of the hangar. I am planning on 6 mil plastic underlayment and 4 inches of gravel for the floor. There is no power available; so, I have a small solar set to run a small air pump and battery maintainer. I know sealing up the hangar as best I can will help. I need to move the air, as well. I looked at solar roof vents; but, not much bang for the buck. Does anyone have any experience and/or ideas. Any help would be appreciated. I'm on a tight budget and only own the hangar not the property under it. I don't want to get too drastic; but, I need to protect the electronics.

How about one of those turbine roof vents?

I kept my plane in a canvas garage for awhile. I covered the floor with heavy black plastic, then laid wooden pallets over the plastic. I screwed cheap chipboard to the pallets to tie them together, creating a raised wood floor. It stays bone dry in there.

Wow, does that bring back memories. I had one of those Port-A-Port hangars for years. The quick fix to keep water leaks and condensation from dripping on the plane was to use a tarp strung overheard with bungy cords. Worked great. The floor in my hangar was mostly asphalt. Every few weeks I poured a 4'x'4 section of concrete by hand to finish it up. It wasn't that expensive and made a nice floor. Expanding foam in aerosol spray cans sealed most of the leaks. Eventually I covered most of the floor with OSB and it was always clean and dry inside after that. I used my portable welder to repair a number of issues then welded in supports for shelves, hooks, light hanging fixtures, electrical boxes, and wired it for a portable generator.

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Originally Posted by Chick

Attachment 1224


I just got a hangar for my airplane. Great, except my aircraft is completly open and has a lot of avionics. I have a dirt floor and when it rains I get water and mud across the "floor" and water and condensation dripping from the frame of the building. It has a gap of 0 to 10 inches from the bottom of the hangar to the ground. I already have the metal sheeting on site to seal the bottom of the hangar. I am planning on 6 mil plastic underlayment and 4 inches of gravel for the floor. There is no power available; so, I have a small solar set to run a small air pump and battery maintainer. I know sealing up the hangar as best I can will help. I need to move the air, as well. I looked at solar roof vents; but, not much bang for the buck. Does anyone have any experience and/or ideas. Any help would be appreciated. I'm on a tight budget and only own the hangar not the property under it. I don't want to get too drastic; but, I need to protect the electronics.

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Question for Marty....What is OSB?

A couple of screened air vents on opposite sides of the hangar -with overhanging covers to prevent rain entry- might be of assistance in preventing condensation.

Garth, I apologize. OSB = Oriented strand board, an engineered wood product.

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Originally Posted by Garth Elliot

Question for Marty....What is OSB?

A couple of screened air vents on opposite sides of the hangar -with overhanging covers to prevent rain entry- might be of assistance in preventing condensation.

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Thanks for all the help! I knew there were others that had dealt with this.

This might work for the floor. http://www.playmakercourts.com/

This stuff clicks together and should be able to stand up to the weight of a light aircraft. The holes would provide some drainage. There are many different companies that produce a similar product. It clicks together and can cut with a circular saw (usually).

An attic fan should move air pretty good. Home Depot sells Solar Powered attic fans in the 100-200 range.

I also saw this: http://www.dripstop.net/ They sell a product designed for that. HOWEVER - you might get away with a cheaper version of that by using vinyl siding hung about 1-2 inches below the metal as a waterproof ceiling. It would channel the water away and comes in long sections, clicks together, and is very flexible. Just an idea. :)

I also saw https://aviatech.com/en/ They serve similar services that you need. Aviatech offers hangar services all around the world.

Hey Chick, all the above was good input, but I think a quick one on one with your airport manager to see what improvements you can make and not get yourself cross ways. See your in Georgia...some local fire Marshall’s will bust your chops for flammable materials in your hangar. Years ago I had a dust up with a FM for having a wooden work bench and old lazy boy in my hangar with my airplane.

I have been off the board for a long time. I just drop in and read the threads on occasion. Thanks to all of you for your time and help. Unfortunately, the hangar is gone now. The airport was sold to a developer and is now a subdivision. I moved my little plane to a municipal airport about 45 minutes away from my house. The distance is a pain; but, the rent is very cheap. The hangar itself is amazing. I hope all is well with all of you.

Wow, a drive-by necropost spam to resurrect a 7-1/2 year old thread. Bravo.

Hey, Chick what field was that???

Mathis