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My first season living in snow

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Originally posted by: Old Hippie
hit an empty parking lot and do some donuts, floor the gas, and slam on the brakes. find out how you, and your car, act in the snow.
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Besides just plain fun, this is a great idea. Find a closed mall with a big parking lot, some fresh snow, and Go For It.
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Bonus points if you can write your name in the snow.

...

Using your car, not that. 😛

- M4H
 
I've never covered my central air unit before.

Taking an informal poll here at the office, so far 1 person covers his and 3 people do not.

Apparently covers are $20 at Canadian Tire. hmm.
 
Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Originally posted by: smack Down
Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Originally posted by: TripleAAA
What about salt on your driveway and if leaving for an extended period of time, don't you want to have your faucets drip water to keep them from freezing?
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If your driveway is sharply angled, you might need a little salt, but on a flatter one you shouldn't really need it.

LOL @ faucets question. If the water gets that cold in your house, you have serious plumbing problems.

Originally posted by: Iron Woode
its a good thing you didn't move to a northern state or to Canada.

😉
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Yeah, you'd have to write your driving test on a dogsled. :beer:😀

- M4H
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What the hell does pipes freezing have to do with plumbing problems? No matter what kind of pipe you use if it is below freezing in your house the pipes will burst.
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I don't know where you're at, but in Socialist Canada, where water freezes you, we have heated pipes to prevent this. They're only heated to a few degrees above freezing, but that's all that's needed.

We also have this nifty stuff called "insulation" - it helps keep the temperature in our houses above 0C/32F. We do this thing called "closing the door" and "shutting the windows" - that helps keep it a few degrees warmer. I hear there's this thing called a "furnace" but we don't have those yet - we still burn wood and fight polar bears for warmth up here.

- M4H
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LMAO!!! :beer:

I <3 you Canadians. And I'm so close to you guys. This time of year I can nearly walk across the Detroit River to your lovely country.


OP- Only time you have to worry about the faucets and/or pipes is if the insulation is shoddy in the house, or like my family has a second house in northwest michigan, since it's a summer house and we dont want to heat it when no one is there, we winterize the pipes. Cant remember the name of the stuff but if you were to use it, it's pretty much like anti-freeze for your house. However like M4H has pointed out, just good insulation and pipe warmers can make all the difference in the world.
 
FWD will be fine in the snow, as long as it's not a LOT of snow. To me, a lot of snow is anything over 6 inches on the ground. I live in MD, so we've had some bad snow storms. Just last year, I went out one winter night with a buddy in my FWD car and it started snowing cats and dogs. Maybe 6 inches were on the ground when we were returning home. The normal 30 minute trip took us 3.5 hours, but we were fine.

My advice, drive carefully, se your instincts, and have fun! Enjoy the snow!
 
Listen very carefully...

Kentuckians absolutely suck at driving in the snow. Stay off the road. There are idiots out there who might kill you. The Kentucky method of driving in snow is to stomp the gas and then stomp the brakes and often both at the same time. Fear them.
 
Originally posted by: TripleAAA
What about salt on your driveway and if leaving for an extended period of time, don't you want to have your faucets drip water to keep them from freezing?
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Michigan winters for 42 years ohhhh how I hate it.

Dont leave faucets dripping no need you will just waste water. Your house is heated so your fine. I was going to say if you have an auto trans shift into neutral when you slow. That way you will stop faster because wheels are not beening forced forward so there is less resistance on the brakes. Warm your car first before driving. At least a minute to get the oil flowing. At night all that oil sits in the oil pan and while it does not freeze it will get thicker and take a longer time and harder time when it starts flowing.

Tire pressure is is very important also in the snow and ice for traction. If your tires are old and tired buy all new all four tires. Not 2 now and two later and same tire tread. Good tire tread is a very important factor in winter driving.

Wash your car on any and all warm days, nothing will eat up your car faster then the road salt that they put the roads. This is some nasty sh!t and deadly for your car body. Pay particular attention to the wheel wells and under body.

If your house has older windows put up the window kits on the outside. May look like crap but it will work and your house will warmer. Put them up on the outside because once the cold gets past the window its already inside your walls if you put the plastic on the inside.

The electric switches and plugs you should put in the foam covers under the plates. On a cold windy day put a cigarette (if you smoke) or a candle next to your outlets. If it flutters then your losing heat in a big way.

Check for daylight around your storm doors if you have them. Same thing as windows once the clod air gets inside the door jam its in your walls. Check the seals on all doors and windows for that matter. Also check to make sure that windows and doors are caulked all the way around.

Look at your roof with snow on it. If its melting and/or you have icecycles (sp?) and your nieghors dont then your attic needs more insulation or better dispersed. A sign of a good insulated and ventilated attic is no melting snow on your roof unless of course the outside air is warm and such.

Have your furnace checked by a professional. They check the ignitor and pull out the burners and clean them and the combustion chamber if it is gas or propane. Complete wipe down or vacuum the inside and outside around furnace. Fill the blower motor with oil if it is not a sealed motor. Check the voltage on the motor and if it spins freely. Check for carbon monoxide. Wipe down or vacuum the intake vents. Check the gas pressure and the ignitor mode to see if shuts down when no gas is present. Check the voltage to mainboard. Electric furnaces they should as gas and check the voltages on the heating elements, beyond that I am not sure on electric as I have always used gas.

In the earl morning even if there is no snow, watch out for black ice. I cant explain good enough so here is what it is.


Text



 
Originally posted by: Old Hippie
hit an empty parking lot and do some donuts, floor the gas, and slam on the brakes. find out how you, and your car, act in the snow.
Click to expand...
Besides just plain fun, this is a great idea. Find a closed mall with a big parking lot, some fresh snow, and Go For It.
Click to expand...

Just make sure you know where the concrete curbs are hiding under that blanket of white snow. It can ruin your day to take out a rim and breaking some suspension parts when you broadside a curb in the middle of your four wheel drift. 😉
 
Originally posted by: smack Down
Originally posted by: MercenaryForHire
Originally posted by: TripleAAA
What about salt on your driveway and if leaving for an extended period of time, don't you want to have your faucets drip water to keep them from freezing?
Click to expand...

If your driveway is sharply angled, you might need a little salt, but on a flatter one you shouldn't really need it.

LOL @ faucets question. If the water gets that cold in your house, you have serious plumbing problems.

Originally posted by: Iron Woode
its a good thing you didn't move to a northern state or to Canada.

😉
Click to expand...

Yeah, you'd have to write your driving test on a dogsled. :beer:😀

- M4H
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What the hell does pipes freezing have to do with plumbing problems? No matter what kind of pipe you use if it is below freezing in your house the pipes will burst.
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Which is why you set your thermostat to 45-50 F if you go away for a few days or longer.
 
Originally posted by: TripleAAA
Originally posted by: Marinski
If you have an air conditioning unit outside you may want to put a tarp or cover on it.
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That's one thing I was wondering about. Can anyone else confirm this, because I've heard that you want to keep it open. I have a heat pump and as of right now, the outdoor unit is exposed.
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Those things are made for the outdoors. You shouldn't have to worry about it. My Folks' AC unit has survived a least dozen Wisconsin winters without being damaged.

edit: I'm talking central AC, not a window unit. Naturally, this is all assuming you're not using the AC unit during the winter.
 
Originally posted by: dirtylimey
If someone starts to tailgate you, just get into another lane. Not worth screwing around in slippery weather. With luck, they will pass you, skid off of the road, flip over into a ditch and burst into flames. Then you can laugh as you drive by.
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My ROFLCOPTER is out of control!1!!1! :thumbsup:
 
Originally posted by: DeathBUA
I <3 you Canadians. And I'm so close to you guys. This time of year I can nearly walk across the Detroit River to your lovely country.
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That's if you can get past the snipers...

BOOOM! HEADSHOT!

😀


 
I haven't read every post, but DO NOT cover up your heat pump. Your winters are mild in temperature and your heat pump will heat your home down to a certain temperature. Up here in Michigan, with the unit I have, that temperature is 32 degrees.

Probably the same for you, as at a certain break-point, it is more cost effective to heat using your furnace.

Don't cover it whatever you do.
 
I looked around at my neighbors backyards and none of them have a cover on their AC unit.

I do need to wash my car more often anyways, so the salt issue should encourage me to get off my ass and do it.
 
Originally posted by: TripleAAA
I looked around at my neighbors backyards and none of them have a cover on their AC unit.

I do need to wash my car more often anyways, so the salt issue should encourage me to get off my ass and do it.
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Those units have covers already. If they're ok in the rain, I don't see any reason to worry about snow. Might want to remove the snow, but other than that I wouldn't worry about it.
 
Originally posted by: eos
Originally posted by: oldsmoboat
Don't pour hot water on your frozen car window to thaw it out.
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True. Cold water works just fine as long it's over 32 degrees.
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Don't pour any water just use an ice scrapper 100 times faster then dealing with water.
 
Are very small cracks in my driveway ok or do they need to be sealed? I'm talking like you'd be lucky to squeeze a dime in there.
 
Never go outside while it's snowing, it could turn into a blizzard and all hell will break loose. STAY INSIDE.

In reality, the only thing that snow really changes is commute time (plan on longer commutes), the clothes you wear, and that you turn the heat on. Other then that, it's pretty much no different then regular sunny weather.
 
Originally posted by: TripleAAA
Are very small cracks in my driveway ok or do they need to be sealed? I'm talking like you'd be lucky to squeeze a dime in there.
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You can but as my friend who pours concrete said "It's not if the concrete cracks but when" Because of the freeze thaw cycle and the pressure of the vehicles driving over on the concrete it will happen.

This is a good place to go for information Do it yourself forums
 
Originally posted by: QurazyQuisp
Never go outside while it's snowing, it could turn into a blizzard and all hell will break loose. STAY INSIDE.

In reality, the only thing that snow really changes is commute time (plan on longer commutes), the clothes you wear, and that you turn the heat on. Other then that, it's pretty much no different then regular sunny weather.
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LOL no difference other then you freeze your butt off. Bulk up on the clothing if you stay outside for extended periods of time. I rather sit on the beach fishing then huddled around a hole in the ice while frost forms on my butt cheeks waiting for the fish bite before the frost does.

If you get a chance travel to PA and do some skiing. For all the complaining I do about winter I do quite active. Sledding with my son and ice skating. Plus I have to admit that a new snowfall on the pine trees in the rising/setting sun is a sight to behold

Actually you might like the winters as the KY winters are more tempered then Michigan winters. I used to love winter but I tolerate them now. The summers in Michigan are great but way too short. The summers in KY you are going to be rocked the humidity.
 
Make sure you get most of the water out of any hoses your might have in the garage, they will burst if you don't.
Also definitely remove the snow from your driveway while its fresh - if that crap goes thru a couple of melt-freeze cycles, it's a pita to get off.
 
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