What to do with an old DIRECTV dish?

Here are some common and creative uses that people use for an old directv dish:

If you have recently cancelled your DIRECTV service, you may be wondering what you are going to do with the satellite dish. A huge eyesore on the side of the house might be something that you planned on throwing away, but it may be useful in other ways. Here are some creative ways that you can reuse an old DIRECTV dish instead of taking it to a scrap yard.

Transform it into a Birdbath or a Planter Another use of a used DIRECTV dish that a lot of people prefer is to transform it into a birdbath or a planter. It already looks like a basin that may contain water or soil. One only needs to wipe it down and maybe place some ornaments on it, if one so wishes. When refilling a birdbath, the holes could be blocked with silicone caulk while the interior could be repainted with waterproof paint if necessary. Place couple of rocks or sculptures and then pour water to let the birds to play in it. For a planter, space the bottom with rocks or wood chips to ensure that the water can drain before filling with potting soil. Some of the things that you can do are planting small plants, herbs or even succulents directly in the ground or introducing pots.

Create a Wall Hanging If you eliminate the arm and hardware out of your previous satellite dish, you’ll have the ideal body to construct a decorative wall item. Wash the dish properly and repaint it with a new color of your choice such as metallic for shiny look or textured paint for an appealing look. After it dries up, turn it over and weave loops of rope, chain, macrame, or metal wire on the back for hanging. You can leave the front simple or add objects such as sea shells, fake plants and flowers, swinging crystals and photos. You can use it to decorate your home or patio and get an art piece instantly.

Make It a TABLE That concave satellite dish is perfect for shaping into a small table that is perfect for use both inside the house as well as on the lawn. First, the DIRECTV branding stickers should be peeled off and the dish washed both internally and externally. Turn it over and position the concave side of the plate at the bottom. For that, you can screw short table legs, for example, from wooden crates or glue the trim pieces of suitable length. You can also put support brackets or another small plate, which has to be glued in the reverse position to the main one. Choose a paint or stain that complements the rest of your furniture and paint or stain the table base accordingly. Place another round piece of tempered glass cut to the size of the tabletop on top of the wooden piece. There you have it – instant table on a shoestring!

Build a Fire Pit on the Lawn DIRECTV dishes are made of aluminum so one can easily convert them into backyard fire pits. The process of removing the arm can be initiated by using an angle grinder equipped with a cut off wheel in order to cut through the arm without damaging the dish shape. Just place some bricks, stone or concrete pavers on a flat surface to make the foundation of your fire pit. Turn the satellite dish on its head, so that the curved side forms the inside of the hole you’re digging. Pour sand into the dish up to three-fourth of its capacity. This will raise your firewood while at the same time shielding the aluminum beneath it from heat that is too much for it at some point. Enclose with rock or add more pavers. All that is needed for the use is to put wood inside and ignite as you would do with any other fire pit. The reflective interior will reflect warmth and glow for improved lighting condition.

Create Covered Shelving Here is another idea on how to recycle the used satellite dish not changing its shape thus not requiring further uses. Regardless of the need for yard or shed, it seems that DIRECTV dishes can be effectively used as covered shelving. You can easily reconnect a shorter portion of the original arm or any other strong pole to the dish. Secure the other end to your garage wall, fence post or wherever you like the shelf to be positioned. Make sure that it is tightly fixed if it has to bear heavy objects. Paint the case with waterproof paint and attach hooks if you wish. Try to use the dish itself as the sheltered shelf, the bottom of which will be inclined to drain the moisture. Or slot weather resistant boards across the underside to create tiered shelving that is enclosed at the top.

Turn it into a pet house This is another interesting idea, and your pets will enjoy and appreciate an old satellite dish being turned into their new home. Select a dish size appropriate to your pet, a big dog house or a small shelter for cats. Prepare the dish properly to ensure that any unsafe hardware and accessory are first removed and the dish is thoroughly washed. Place the dish slightly higher from ground and put a wooden frame about several inches high under it to avoid getting in contact with water. Saw a small door appropriate to your pet at the bottom end of the slanted wall through which the pet can freely move in and out. Provide a soft bedding, a door flap of reasonable size for seclusion and several of their favorite toys. Paint and decorate the exterior of the dog house to complement the yard and allow your pet to have their individual house.

Form a Decorative Fountain By the same token, instead of disposing of that old DIRECTV equipment, why not incorporate it into a beautiful fountain in your compound? Begin by stripping off all logos and hardware from the target until what remains is the basic SS dish like structure. Coat the dish in a preferred color to match the apparels and other items around it, or metallic copper, bronze or a mosaic design. Fill inside the well with water and use silicon caulk to seal the cracks or joints that may allow water in. Turn the dish over and raise it slightly on concrete blocks, bricks or any other sturdy stands that are preferred. Put a small submersible fountain pump in a basin tub or pot underneath that is directly aligned with the dish’s lowest point. Pipe water to the bottom of the dish so that it can flow out of the sides in thin streams as a waterfall with appeal downwards in a pleasing manner. Display it at night for more appeal.

As you can see, that old, broken satellite dish does not have to end up as part of the rubbish. It can be given a new lease of life by some basic cleaning and do-it-yourself carpentry. The next time you change your dish from one television provider to the other, do not see that old dish as something to be discarded as garbage but as something that can be reused for another purpose. Sharpen your scissors, glue, and paint to recycle while you beautify your home and give some purpose to your DIRECTV dish with one of these creative ideas.