A FOKKER 100 INCURRED AN EXCESSIVE DELAY DUE TO THE APU NOT STARTING AFTER SHUTDOWN FOR DEICING PROC. BORROWED GPU'S ALSO FAILED.

Narrative

WE GOT THE ACFT LATE; BECAUSE THE ACFT HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE ACFT Y GATE X. THE GATE DID NOT HAVE GND PWR; SO THE CREW HAD TO GET A GND ELECTRIC UNIT SO WE COULD SHUT DOWN THE APU FOR DEICING -- THIS TOOK A FEW MINS. WE SHUT DOWN THE APU FOR DEICING; BUT THE APU WOULD NOT START. WE TRIED 2 STARTS WITHOUT SUCCESS. THE GND CREW HAD TO GO GET AN AIR START UNIT. THE STARTING UNIT DID NOT WORK. THE GND CREW THEN WENT TO ACR Y AIRLINES TO USE THEIR STARTING UNIT; BUT IT DID NOT WORK. I HAD WRITTEN UP THE APU IN THE LOG. THIS WAS THE THIRD OR FOURTH WRITE-UP ON THE APU. WHEN THE GND CREW TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE GOING TO TRY A STARTING UNIT FROM ACR Z AIRLINES AND IT WOULD BE ANOTHER DELAY; WE TRIED THE APU AGAIN. THIS TIME IT STARTED. IF WE COULD HAVE LEFT THE APU RUNNING IN THE FIRST PLACE; WE WOULD HAVE HAD A CHANCE TO BE ON TIME. I KNOW IF THE APU HAS ANTI-ICING FLUID SPRAYED DIRECTLY INTO THE AIR INTAKE; THE APU WILL HAVE PROBS. WELL; WE HAD PROBS JUST GETTING OFF THE GATE. IT MIGHT BE BETTER TO LEAVE THE APU RUNNING DURING DEICING; AND NOT SPRAY FLUID INTO THE INTAKE OF THE APU. GND CREW SHOULD BE INSTRUCTED TO STAY AWAY FROM THE APU INTAKE WITH ANY TYPE OF FLUID.