What do people that are for the first time moving to a place where is snows need to know?
What do people that are for the first time moving to a place where is snows need to know?
If you never lived where it snows and were moving North to where it does snow, what would you have liked to have known? What would you do to prepare?
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Clothing
- Make sure to have a good winter coat, neck gaiter, hat, gloves and boots. Staying warm and dry is important.
- Hand warmers can be handy if you expect to be outside for a while. There are several variants (chemical, reusable, rechargeable)
Driving
- Winter tires. It may seems like an extra expense, but it will make your summer/all-season tires lasts longer. In some provinces, they are mandatory for residents (ex: Quebec)
- Make sure to clear the snow from the car, INCLUDING the roof (aka don't leave a snowhawk). Keep that snow brush in the trunk.
- Make sure to keep your windshield washer fuild filled.
- Have a small snow shovel just in case you get stuck in snow.
- Keep one of those metallic safety blanket, and those emergency candle in case you get in an emergency.
- A car battery booster might come in handy. A drained battery isn't fun.
- Drice defensively, it's easier to lose control of the vehicle.
Homeowner
- A good shovel to clear out the driveway isn't a luxury
- Some sand in a bucket with a lid, to put over ice patches when it gets slippery. You don't need to put a lot, just enough to not fall.
- Be sure to keep the temperature above 18°C. If the temp inside the building drops too low, ice can form in water pipes, and you can imagine the mess it can make when a pipe bursts.
Make sure to keep your windshield washer fluid filled.
and make sure it's winter grade fluid (rated for freezing temps)!
I once had summer stuff in there (doesn't smell as bad because no anti-freeze) and as soon as I turned the wiper spray on the whole window froze over and I couldn't see shit while I was driving.
scary shit!We had to make an emergency trip to Quebec in January 2022 because of health issues with the in-laws. Father-in-law advised to get the stuff rated to -20°F, but it wasn’t available where we live and I’d gotten the car serviced before we hit the road and they filled the washer fluid with what they had, I’m guessing 0°F. I bought some -20°F in Buffalo but didn’t have room to add any. The temperature was rapidly dropping as we headed farther north and as we neared Watertown, NY the fluid wasn’t spraying well. I tried adding what I could of the -20°F but by the time we stopped east of Montreal that night it was -45°F and the whole system had frozen solid. Tried using a hairdryer at the hotel, but we couldn’t melt it until we got it in the in-laws garage. Without fluid running the wipers can mean just smearing crud across your windshield, making it impossible to see.
Now I always make sure whenever we leave Quebec that I have a bottle of -49°F rated fluid and fill the reservoir at home before heading up in the winter. If there’s a lot of warmer-rated fluid in the car I’ll actually siphon it out.
good advice! I didn't even think about the whole system freezing.
and if you're going a place that cold also get a (fresh) heavy duty battery. ours had trouble starting the car when it was -35F also in Montreal
18°c is uncalled for though? Above 12 should be fine
I'd go somewhere in-between to keep things dry.
Condensation around windows and outer walls make great growing grounds for mold. 15°C is the recommendation here.
Shit can happen. Boilers break. Leave your faucets dripping and run your circulation pump off of a battery and inverter to save your pipes.
18°C is recommended, especially for uninsulated pipes and where the ambient heat may have trouble reaching, as these spots may get colder.
More importantly, check your home insurance coverage policy, some will set a minimum temperature to maintain to be covered, with some exemptions in case of a power outage and other things outside of your control.
Look at Dr Money over here, anything above 0°C will keep the pipes from freezing and is technically survivable
Before it gets cold, turn off your outdoor spigots from the inside. If you have ducted air, change the filter every few months. If you have a furnace or boiler, be sure to have a carbon monoxide detector in addition to regular smoke detectors.
It's four wheel drive not four wheel stop.
- I would add keeping a jug of sand or cat litter along with a couple 12"+ 2x4s in the vehicle to help with getting some traction if you or someone else ends up stuck.
- i dunno about EVs but if you've got an ICE vehicle give it a minute or two of just idling and warming up before going anywhere
- When I start driving on snow I tap the brakes a couple times if nobody's around just to get a feel for how good my traction is. Am I sliding a little bit? A lot? Not at all? That helps set the tone for what to expect on the roads.
- Don't accelerate through turns if you've already got momentum, and if the weather's REALLY suspect I prefer to coast on overpasses as well since those ice over first.
- Respect the possibility of black ice. If you live in a mountainous area then assume anywhere in the shade is black ice
- If the house is on a crawlspace make sure any ductwork and copper piping are properly Insulated, keep the crawlspace vents closed during the cold months.
- Use ice melt sparingly if you have to use it at all (sand is preferable) because it's caustic to concrete.
- if you're somewhere that gets an absolutely stupid amount of snow, follow your neighbors' lead if you see them shoveling snow off their roofs. I saw a lot of roof collapses in a luxury mountain town where rich people's second (third? Fourth? Ninth?) homes were left vacant during a pretty nasty snowstorm
Yeah this is a great guide, especially for clothing.