First winter for a southern family (Pittsburgh, Harrisburg: wood floors, how much, house)

[Ztwenty4door]

okay well we made it up here from TX to Dover,PA and love the area so far! Our new concern is snow and how to deal with it. Here is a list of question I have.

1. Salt on drive way....when does this get put out?

2. Tires: I have a 95 Rodeo thats 4x4 with new AT tires, and a 04 Corolla with new all seasonal tires....will these be okay for driving 15miles to work?

3. Shovel, I bought a snow shovel but think a snow blower would be better. I have to leave at 6am for work and dont want to be late due to snow...... would a snow blower be a good investment for a drive way thats 30x80 ????

I will always park the cars in the heated garage so being covered in snow is not a big deal.

ANY tips would be great!

[Dawne]

1. Usually salt goes out after the snow is cleared to keep ice from forming on the skim layer of snow that is left behind. You could also salt the driveway before the snow begins to make removal easier. Be careful, though, because actual rock salt is very damaging to grass and shrubs. There are other alternatives, such as "Quick Joe".

2. Your Corolla's new all season tires should be fine. I'm not sure about AT (all terrain?). You don't need special snow tires, although some people do like to have them. Some people even keep chains handy, but unless you're in the middle of nowhere I doubt you'd need them. School buses have to run (unless it's a complete snow day) so the roads are usually kept pretty well plowed, especially along school bus routes. Just don't make the mistake of thinking that just because your Rodeo is 4x4 that you can go anywhere. They slip off icy roads just like any other vehicle.

3. Your driveway would certainly be fine for a snow blower. The better ones are two stage. We use a snowblower on our driveway and it's smaller than yours.

Enjoy your first winter here in PA. Hopefully your first snowfall will be light and fluffy for easy shoveling/snowblowing.

[Ztwenty4door]

Thanks for the response.......... now I have another question, is all rock salt the same? like is one brand better than the other?

[Dawne]

I think rock salt is rock salt. It may be that one brand puts something else in with it, but you'd have to read the labels to be sure.

You may notice wet-looking lines on the road in the direction of travel when you're driving around when a winter storm is forecast. This is a brine solution that the state puts down to help them remove the snow better. It's basically saltwater. It works really well but is hard on vehicles.

When you wash the winter gunk off your vehicles be sure to spray up underneath. That brine solution can do a number on the underside of a vehicle.

[ki0eh]

There are a number of bagged ice melting products. If your driveway is concrete the ones that have calcium chloride in them (usually whitish balls) are better than the ones with sodium chloride or halite (ordinary table salt, usually translucent cubes).

In southern PA I don't think a single-stage snowblower is worth bothering with - it's better for light puffy snow on a paved driveway. Usually we either get a little bit of snow that's faster cleared with a shovel than a single-stage, or a big dump from a nor'easter that the single-stage can't handle. In a typical year a two-stage would stay in the garage but last years ours was used several times including at the neighbors'.

It is very important to use fuel preserver in yard/garden equipment that sits for weeks, months, or years. The stuff to work should be mixed with the gas when you buy it and not in the tank after it's been in there for months.

[SorryIMovedBack]

In my experience with my 4WD pickups, AT tires work pretty well. It's M&S tires that I've had trouble with. Go slowly and see what problems you encounter. Most people up here in NW PA / NE OH run ATs in the winter, and we get bog snows compared to what Pittsburgh gets. I don't know anyone here who runs actual snow tires. I'm going to get a set of chains for my truck, just for backup, I think.

[teachbeach]

Your tires should be good, just keep a good distance between you and the car in front of you and watch for the "black ice" which looks like water but is actually very dangerous and difficult to drive.
The snowblower would be a great idea~ask your neighbors what they use.

The salt can be very hard on driveways and concrete, so be careful about what and how much you use. Often new driveways should not be salted for at least a year. Also, the salt on your boots, tracked in to the house can do a number on wood floors (think little sharp rocks) so have a good area to remove snow boots or wipe the bottoms well before wearing shoes indoors during the winter. Some of the salt actually flakes concrete/cement areas to the point that they crumble and must be replaced, so use sparingly and only when you have large areas of ice. If your driveway gets a good dose of sun during the day, a good shoveling will allow the sun to evaporate the rest of the water and dry the area.

Listen to the radio (especially if you have school aged children). Dover is one of the first school districts to close in snow, and also to dismiss students early if there is prediction for dangerous conditions for the afternoon commute. Lots of rural areas for the bus routes, so they err on the side of caution.

[fisheye]

Ztwenty4door,

Last winter was an exception to the rule. Southern areas received more snow than some northern sections on the east coast. Baltimore and Washington really got hammered.

Normally, the higher your elevation; the more winter driving conditions you will experience. Route I 83, between Harrisburg and York can get slick. Generally (when the roads are slick); most of us will pick up some speed just before we start to climb our hills - then back off as we approach the summit. The reason being is that it is hard to stop going downhill - even with 4WD. With our first snow there is always a fair share of 4WD accidents (drivers cannot stop any better than 2WD). As a newbie; watch your downhill slopes (proceed with extreme caution).

Also; be observant - look for others that are in trouble. If you see multiple accidents; it probably means that the roads are very slippery. If you see ice fly, off the roof of a truck; give yourself more distance. Look for ice forming on you windshield or mirrors - it could mean that your road is about to freeze.

Black ice is extremely slippery. I have also witnessed more than a fair share of accidents caused by slush. Give yourself plenty of time to get to work. Sometimes our multiple lane roads will be down to one open lane. There is always going to be somebody that cannot wait and has to pass. Snow, mixed with salt or warmer temperatures; can turn to slush. A few inches of slush will cause most of the smaller vehicles to hydroplane - you loose all control (steering and braking). If you decide to pass and hit slush you can get in trouble.

One hint on snow shovels or any snow equipment; spray it with spray silicon lubricant. Snow, sticking to your snow shovel, will make the job twice as heavy. Wet snow can also foul the shoot of snow throwers.

Staying on top of snow removal might make the job easier. If you wait too long, with our major storms, your equipment might not be able to do the job.

STA-BIL is the one recommended product for storing lawn/snow equipment till the next season.

[wanneroo]

Originally Posted by fisheye

One hint on snow shovels or any snow equipment; spray it with spray silicon lubricant. Snow, sticking to your snow shovel, will make the job twice as heavy. Wet snow can also foul the shoot of snow throwers.

Staying on top of snow removal might make the job easier. If you wait too long, with our major storms, your equipment might not be able to do the job.

STA-BIL is the one recommended product for storing lawn/snow equipment till the next season.

Hadn't thought of the silicon spray on the snow blower and shovel. Good idea.

I also use Sta bil in the mowers and it seems to work well.

Last year was weird as the southern half of the state got clobbered by 2 big storms in Feb. and it looked like Siberia and when I head back home out of all that mess up in the northern tier in Tioga County the ground was bare. We had almost no snow in the northern part of the state last year while the southern half got clobbered.

[Ztwenty4door]

Great tips people!

I forgot about prepping the gas.... back in TX you only didnt mow in late Jan-Feb, so leaving it sitting wasnt a problem.

I'll ask my neighbors what they use for snow removal, they would know best I would assume.