Expert QA

Kevin Milne: TV Satellites

Should we clean our sky dish ourselves?

We have a Sky TV satellite dish which seems to get dirty quickly. As the householders, should we clean it ourselves? We are nervous to touch it in case we get an electric shock or put it out of alignment.

You should try and keep the dish in good condition from new with regular wipes. You can even hose it. Neither of those activities risk giving you an electric shock. The main concern is moving it during cleaning, so it’s no longer in alignment.

For this reason, Sky recommend you don’t vigorously scrub off any growth or marks. If you are getting a poor quality signal, call Sky’s 0800 number and order a technician.

Generally the service is free, but if the poor signal is due to your negligence, you may be charged a call-out fee of $90. If the dish is in a difficult spot, or if householders are elderly, they will understand if the dish doesn’t get regular attention.

They will clean or replace the dish for free. It can get out of alignment because of wind, roof expansion and contraction, or a shift in house foundations – none of which are the householder’s fault

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