How do you handle the cold? (foreclosure, house, camp)

[DESERTRYDER]

Tell us some secrets of comfort that only cold weather dwellers know .

What special precautions need to be taken for your well and house??
How about some " It was so cold and how I survived stories""

Isn't this stuff I should have already asked ?
The wood stove is lit so let er rip.....

We could be there very soon

[elousv]

I have this to share, don't let your house get too cold or you will be seeing this:



one of twenty or so holes in my walls repairing burst pipes!

[DESERTRYDER]

Now thats one of the secrets I'm talking about..
You mean you left the house and you forgot to leave the heat on just a little ???

Man that looks expensive..

[elousv]

No, the house was a foreclosure and the furnace failed so it went for weeks probably in deep cold. It was about $6K of damage, but we knew we were getting a nice property cheap. In the Sporty's catalog I just noticed a warning light that goes on if the temp dips to 45 degrees so the neighbors can see it and call you or whatever if you are away. Neat idea I thought. I grew up in Maine and really did not have much issue with the cold. I live in air conditioning now and my NID house doesn't even have one, ha!

[Clark Fork Fantast]

DR, come over to the NID Front Porch and learn about ice damming on the roof!

[Trace_Rinaldi]

The secret to staying warm...... MOVE!! or get under a blanket...

[DESERTRYDER]

I got under a blanket twice with my wife.
Now I got 2 ugly kids...

[Fisherman 100]

Always wear a hat and gloves. It is hard to get those fingers back from your pup when they fall off.

[Central Illinois 1]

I handle the cold about as well as I handle liquor, not so well....

[Toyman at Jewel Lake]

Sounds like you have it covered, but stock plenty of wood for the wood stove! Drain any waterlines that will be frozen (sprinlkers, anything in an unheated shop). Take hoses off frost-free spigots so they drain when you shut them off. Take a look at anything you're storing in an unheated area, make sure it tolerates freezing. Some paints, lawn chemicals and stuff like that say not to freeze.

Check the coolant in your vehicles, make sure it's good for the temps you see. Put fuel stabilizer in the stuff that's going to be parked over the winter.

Smart move is snow tires, preferrably studded, on your vehicles. Back roads in our area see as much ice as snow, the so-called studless snow tires are useless on ice. It would be smart to carry basic survival gear in the rig (extra cloths, boots and a sleeping bag). Having said this, I never seem to get around to packing the extra stuff.

Make sure you have a stock of the essentials if you're snowed in. Booze of choice comes to mind. We also bring the camp stove and lantern into the house in the winter, odds are good that power will be out for a day or two many winters.

Get out and play! Snowmobiles are a ball, and in many areas you can still mess around with an ATV. Helps break up that long winter. At least get into some winter sport. Winter days are too pretty to stay cooped up inside.