November 2000
For WinterStorage
or theweather during the winter is too miserable to fly there are
several things to keep in mind.
1. Keep the tanks separate from the balloon. The best place
tostore themwouldbe inashedawayfromanypossible
ignition source.
2.Thebasketshouldbe raised upon blocks,2x4’swould
makea good platform. By raising the basket it will allow the air
to circulate and help to prevent dry rot.
3. Coverthe basket and cap the fuelhoses. Store the burner
in sack if one is available in a dry place.
4. The envelope also needs to be stored in a dry place and
away from items that if spilled could harm it, such as solvents,
gasoline and chemicals. Raise the envelope bagoff the floor,
used pallets makean excellent storage platform. You want air
to be able to circulate around the bag.
5.Sincetheyoccupyasmallamountofspace,bring your
instruments inside the houseand store them in asafe, dry
space.
6. Your inflator fan should beemptiedof gas and rundry. If you
have a wooden prop be sure that it is in a horizontalposition
(this prevents fluids in the wood from settling to one end and
causing an out of balance vibration).
7. Coat the metal surfaces of the fan with a light coat of oil to
guard against rust.
8. Check to see if your insurance company will allow you alay-
up(ground coverage) only policy for the winter, thus reducing
yourcost.
O-rings
Many pilots are still using burners that require O-rings. The
newer burner designs have eliminated these rubber gasketsthat
causedthe space shuttleChallengertoexplode.Take a lesson
from NASA andacceptthat anO-ring leak is a disaster waiting
tohappen.
O-ring leaks are caused by the different rates of contraction
of the metalhousingandtherubberO-ringsintheblast valve.
Generallythesewilldisappearasthevalveisactuatedand
thereby warmed. If O-ringleakswere a problemlast year,you
willlikelysee themagainthis year. Itis wise tohavetheblast
valve serviced by your repair station at the start of the season and
the O-rings checkedandreplacedif needed.
Cold weatherwill cause fuel lines to become brittle. This can
leadtocracksandleaks.Checkingyour system withthe “sniff
andsmell”methodmaynotbesatisfactoryinwinterasyour
senses are less responsive in cold weather. Such things as winter
coldsandnasalcongestionalsointerferewithyoursenseof
smell.Coldtemperaturesslow therateofvaporizationfroma
propane leak so always do a thorough pre-flight check using soap
bubbles.
A super-coldmorningwillcausecontractionleaksatthe
hose fittings and tank connections. Be sure tocheck andtighten
thesebeforeeachflight,eventhoughyoumayhaveflown
yesterday and everythingwasOK.
methanol
Winter is a good time to think about adding methanol to your
tanks toprotectagainstwater contamination. Many authorities
feel that the potential for internal tank condensation is greater in
the winter due to the great range of heating and cooling from heat
tapesandvaporization cool downduring flight.
tapesand propane tanks
Give your tapes a good eyeball inspection. Particularly if the
tapes haven’t been used since last winter, check for loose wires,
bad plugs and insulation wear. Bare wires and electrical current
do not mix and when you add 15 or 20 gallons of propane you’ll
have a recipe for disaster.
Alwaysheatandstoreyour tanksoutsideandawayfrom
other flammable materials. A special ventilated storage space is
best. Don’toverfill thetanksafter acoldmorningflightsince
colder temperatures allow you to pack more compressed propane
into a tank. When storing propane tanks, be aware that as a cold
morningheatsupduringtheday,tankpressuregoesup.An
overfilledtankandincreasingpressurecancausethesafety
valves to open, venting propane into your storage area. One loose
sparkor other source of ignitionandyou’ve got a fire.
Countoncoldertemperaturestohaveaneffectonthe
performance ofyour balloonandthe burner. Because the cold
causes low vaporization, when you first open the blast valve and
runpropanethroughthecoldpre-heatcoilsthefuelwillnot
means youwill beburningliquidpropane. You
canrecognizewhenthishappensbecause liquidpropanewill
burn as a yellow fire ball rather than the thin blue flame that you
areaccustomedtoseeing.Oncethecoilswarm,thefuelwill
vaporize better andthe burner works more efficiently.
The danger is that the yellow fireball can resultina “flame
thrower effect,” completely filling the mouthof the balloonfor
theunsuspectingpilotreadytostarta hotinflation.Anycrew
membersholdingopentheskirtand/orthroatoftheenvelope
itself couldbe burned!
To minimize this danger, first test your burner and warm the
coils prior tolayingthe basketover andconnectingthe cables.
Then, make your first inflation burns short and perform test burns
toagain warm the coilsfor best performance.
landings
When landing, remember that the ground is probably frozen
and it will be like landing on concrete. You may want to consider
padding the basket floor to help absorb impact. Keep in mind that
anystubbleleftstanding ina fieldmayalsobe frozen andcan
damage the envelope or possibly injure a passenger.Whenever
possible, try to land as close as possible to the recovery access and
if separatedfromyour crew, land near a house, shedor natural
outcroppingwhereyouandyourpassengerscanseekshelter
fromthe elements if need be.
