[JeepHammer]

Spent most of the day today getting friends and family running.

3 dead batteries,
One battery just run down,
One froze up radiator, no antifreeze,
One 'Run Out Of Gas' waiting for the vehicle to warm up,
One door latch frozen 'OPEN' and wouldn't latch when the door was slammed...

Why do people INSIST on continuing to slam the door harder and harder when it doesn't latch?
Managed to knock the entire interior door panel loose and pulled the screws in the door handle pull out of the sheet metal they slammed it so hard!!

What part of, "IT'S NOT WORKING" don't people understand?

One home furnace that wouldn't kick on (spider web in one of the pressure lines)...

And one frozen up and busted outside water spigot...

AND THIS IS JUST THE FIRST REALLY HARD FREEZE, AND THE FIRST DAY OF WINTER!

Anyway, full day and I'm tired of being out in 10°F with 16 or 18 below wind chill most of the day...

REMEMBER PEOPLE...
Most of you aren't related to me,
SO WINTERIZE YOUR HOMES AND VEHICLES!
Anyone in the right mind would charge you a $75 service call fee and about $100 an hour to fix this stuff!

 

[MotherEarth]

hahaha,
I'm new here, and have only read a few threads, but Jeep, you are funny. You seem to constantly tell people here about how they should be prepared (preaching to the choir???) and your own family and friends are not prepared. Why should they be? They have you to bail them out!
On the other hand, many just cannot do the things you say they should when they live on close to minimum wage. Generators, wood stoves and necessary chimneys, changing to gas instead of electric cook stoves, etc. all cost money, and unfortunately, a lot just don't have it.
But I guess you get to rant through this forum.

 

[Magus]

I'm on a fixed income and I get by just fine.
I must be doing something right to live on 800$ a month,lol.

 

[SurvivalNut]

Spent most of the day today getting friends and family running.

Dear Uncle JeepHammer(STOP)

Hope you received my Christmas Card (STOP)

Don't need anything yet, but call you if I do(STOP)

Merry Christmas! (STOP)

//s// Long lost relatative (STOP)

 

[skip]

Due to health problems, I am not supposed to be outside exerting myself in temperatures of less than 40 degrees or more than 80 degrees. Therefore, when it gets as cold as it did last week, I stay in as much as possible. But I also prepare ahead of time.

 

[vikx]

Things happen. The other day my truck wouldn't start-battery too cold? Bad Starter? Corroded wiring? Who knows. Wasn't expecting it since the battery is newer and it's well maintained. I used the little farm vehicle to get to town; try to be flexible as well as prepared. VK

PS: Next morning got ready to work on the truck and it started right up-only 10 degrees warmer. Would have been fine if I hadn't gotten to town-I wanted to go.

 

[JeepHammer]

hahaha,
I'm new here, and have only read a few threads, but Jeep, you are funny. You seem to constantly tell people here about how they should be prepared (preaching to the choir???) and your own family and friends are not prepared. Why should they be? They have you to bail them out!
On the other hand, many just cannot do the things you say they should when they live on close to minimum wage. Generators, wood stoves and necessary chimneys, changing to gas instead of electric cook stoves, etc. all cost money, and unfortunately, a lot just don't have it.
But I guess you get to rant through this forum.

You can TRY to teach a pig to sing,
But it only wastes your time and annoys the pig.

My family won't learn until it smacks them in the face, and there is no one to bail them out...

In all actuality, they do a bunch of canning, and take care of themselves pretty good.
I help out the single females and older folks that don't get around so good anymore...
I complain, but it's actually considered an honor in country families to be the 'Go To' guy when something happens...

Anything from a tree down in the front yard to a dead hooker in the bedroom!
I'll help out without complaining until after the job is done, and I can keep my mouth shut afterwards if it's something that doesn't need to get out!
-----------------------------------

As for upgrade this or replace that...
Everything wears out sooner or later,
And if you pay closer attention, you will find out that I do a lot of scavenging and building my own stuff...

Recycle stuff makes you 'Greener' (I hate calling things 'Green') than buying new, and it makes you SMARTER too since you have to overcome all the little obstacles along the way!

Converted my own vehicle to 'Electric' drive with junk yard parts and 'Warranty' batteries...

Purchased my first solar panels used.

Purchased my second set of solar panels as 'Factory Seconds'...

Built my own windmill from a car alternator and an old bed frame, with some plastic pipe fitting thrown in for good measure...

Rebuilt a river shack that was left to rot and fall in!
Did most of the work with my own two hands and a hand full of tools!
(No better money spent than on quality, useful tools!)

I put out a large garden, and I can EVERYTHING we don't eat fresh!
That is NOTHING but elbow grease!

You don't have to buy into the 'Consumerism'...
But if you don't, you will have to work, and most people are just too lazy!

 

[WakingUp]

<<You don't have to buy into the 'Consumerism'...
But if you don't, you will have to work, and most people are just too lazy! >>

We're not all lazy. We work - but at the wrong things b/c we got trapped in that cattle chute we didn't recognize as such going in.

But we're trying - and god help us we're trying to learn. Have mercy on us. Educate us. We don't expect anyone to take care of us - but please just realize that we don't all know what you all know. But we're trying.

My car is not winterized (What is that? I live in North Carolina?)

My power is electric b/c that's the only option I had.

I live in an apartment and I cannot grow much except the tomatoes and herbs on my deck.

I can't store water b/c I am four stories up and the flimsy construction cannot hold the weight of a water barrel (though there is 50k sq. feet of roof line sending water into the ditch behind me everytime it rains.)

I put up. I have some supplies (but not everything I need.) Mostly I lack the knowledge.

But not the will. Not the desire. Not the ability. And not the work ethic.

So please... don't judge us all so harshly.

 

[Washkeeton]

We are still kicking here with temps ranging down to around 20 below and winds whipping at around 50 plus mph... Cold.... that is an understatement.. it is worse. Wind chills are at 60 plus below. Now the cars react to the wind chill too when the wind blows continuously.... it is like starting a car in 30 or 40 below weather some times... We are going on our second week of this. If it isnt 20 below with the wind it is 30 to 35 below with out... My work week so I have to be out in it every day traveling to and from work as well as back and forth building to building... I have to walk to one of the buildings that is almost 1/8th mile apart. I also have to be out in it about an hour every evening watering and feeding the critters. This all started the week before I went to work. I spent all but one day digging drifts with both my chickens and dogs so I could get into gates to feed and water them.

I spent the day before I went to work out putting on a batterie blanket... it was 20 below that day. Chilly but no wind. Light jacket weather. At the begining of this my heater in my house started crapping out on me. Im lucky if it keeps the house at 60 while Im at work... been building a nice big fire and burning wood every evening till bed time. I then build up a very nice fire and shut down the vents and let it slowely burn.. I have gotten up every morning so far with a warm wood stove.

Tonight on my way home from work.. temps ranging down to -20 in places and winds whipping constantly at 50mph gusting to 70 or so... someone hit a moose. They were ok... the moose wasnt and their car didnt work very well. The sad part of this is if they wernt dressed for the weather or their car wouldnt work they could be in a world of hurt reallllllly quickly. Normally I dont take any extra clothing along with me where ever I go but I have been taking the bunny boots and my artic body suit... I have yet to do anything but sweat in that in the worst weather.

 

[WakingUp]

Washkeeton,

I cannot imagine... And... I can't imagine why anyone would live in a climate like that. I would not last long.

 

[Washkeeton]

God created beauty when he created Alaska and Canada...

they are both just beautilful summer or winter... You just have to love the cold and be able to tolerate 6 to 9 months of yucky weather to be able to thrive in the 3 months of summer. Winters are a test... when up in fairbanks I was tested with the weather at 70 below (no wind, fairbanks never had any wind). Here Im tested with the wind and 30 or so below... what is funny is after it has been to the extremes with the temps it is sooooo nice to have it come up to 20 below with out the wind... that is like a 40 or so degree weather difference. When you finally acclimate you can go out in a light jacket at those temps and feel hot.

Last winter we had a lot of cold but not a bunch of wind. I was going out at 20 below in a light jacket and a tee shirt.

After the 3 weeks of 70 below in fairbanks my first winter up there it went to 20 above and we were using airconditioners at 20 above to cool off.

 

[AgentFlounder]

My car is not winterized (What is that? I live in North Carolina?)

I grew up in the southwest so I didn't even know what "winter" meant. Now I do...

It's basically just preventative maintenance to make it easier to get through winter. This isn't an exhaustive list but it'll give you the idea.

They sell these things called Winter Blades -- a window wiper blade that is all covered in a thin skin of rubber. The reason which I learned the hard way is that when it snows and the snow melts and freezes onto the articulating points of a wiper, it renders it nearly useless. So these help the wipers work right during snow/ice.

Then there's washer fluid. Down to about... oh... maybe 20° or so, wiper fluid works pretty good and won't freeze onto the windshield. Below that it starts to get increasingly dicey and at some point you need wiper fluid that is formulated to work at lower temps. So you might put that stuff in the car come Oct or Nov.

Usually it's a good idea to flush out the antifreeze/water mix and replce with new (on older cars that use old school antifreeze). Antifreeze does lose some of its anti corrosion properties and emulsifies a bunch of crap over time, so changing it twice a year or at least yearly is probably a good idea. Also, if you live in a real cold climate, you might choose a different mixture to handle a colder range of weather.

By that same token, maybe your car can take a lower viscosity oil that will work better when very cold.

My old Jeep has a carburetor so back in the olden days before fuel injection you'd want to adjust the choke to help with cold startups. I just had to do that with mine. Cold air is more dense so it will tend to cause the air fuel mixture to run lean especially when cold because there isn't enough heat to help atomize the fuel. Most oldie cars have a "heat riser" that allows the air intake to draw air across the exhaust manifold. That helps get the car warmed up a little faster, more or less. With EFI none of this is applicable. The computer figures it out and you don't have to sweat.

Battery condition -- worth checking to ensure serviceable batteries have enough fluid. And make sure the charging system and battery are top notch. Through a series of mishaps I had to put a 400 CCA battery in my subaru. When it is cold, batteries work less effectively ... the little battery could barely turn over the motor when it was warm. It simply wouldn't turn it over in the cold. So I got a much more powerful battery. Works great.

If you need to switch to snow tires -- or studded snow tires -- that is another thing to do while winterizing. I use all seasons but... the subie tires are getting a bit worn... so Oct/Nov would've been the time to get new. We did that on my wife's car. The Jeep has new tires, so I'll just use that if the snow is bad.

And just any basic preventative maintenance that will help to ensure your car survives (belts, hoses, oil change, tranny fluid change etc) You don't want to be stranded by the roadside if you can help it.

You might throw in your winter survival kit -- blankets, extra food, water, etc. (there are other threads on here about that).

Anyway that hopefully gives you (and others) an idea.

Basically it's just getting ready for the worst winter is likely to throw at you and your car. Here in CO that'd be a blizzard on the order of 3' every few years and temps always going into single digits and below at some point during the season.

The whole point of this forum is for us to learn from each other.

Michael

 

[BurtB]

You can TRY to teach a pig to sing,

Anything from a tree down in the front yard to a dead hooker in the bedroom!
!

HAHAHAHAHA I needed that laugh today!