Just some timely winter checks

[Retired Member southey]

Just some things to check before we get the good stuff from the coming autumn\winter season,

Run up your central heating(if you having it) it will be easier to get it fixed now rather than when it cold and the engineers are busy already,

check your transport is prepared for cold\wet\frozen\stuck in a snow drift\recovery(towing eyes, tow ropes and jump leads) serviced and fluids good for lower temps, tyres correct pressure and road worthy, snow socks and or chains servicable, bag of warm things should you have to sit it out in your car for an hour or a day or two, motorbikes protected against the grit and salt, same for push bikes and boots

buy or make you sledge now,

get your winter drinks in order,

check out your winter camping gear, get your cold sleeping bag out and check it over for cuts, snags, loss of loft, zip operation, same goes for cold weather clothes, keep an eye on store that may have last season kit that didn't go in the January sales,

make you cards to send to those you cant or wont be able to talk to over the period, just to say HI in the darker colder days,


please add things that jump to mind


Cheers!

Southey

 

[Paul72]

Good thinking and sound advice. I came across my thermals in the wardrobe yesterday and thought something similar!

 

[Shewie]

My favourite 3 months are coming up, bring on the autumn

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Stock up on Fray Bentos, UHT and part baked bread (in a sealed plastic wrapper)

Slightest sniff of ice/snow and supermarket bread/milk vanishes!

Windscreen de-icer is also handy to go in the boot, after getting through two credit cards and a security pass last year

I'm with you Rich, bring on autumn! Might do a 5 day hike up the Wye with some holidays left over when the leaves start to drop.

al.

 

[Bushwhacker]

I'm buying my heating oil this week before they hike up the price when it does get cold.

 

[Paul_B]

Check out the following link if your sleeping bag needs more loft or a re-furb. I've never used them but heard good things about them and they are not far from me too so I believe in supporting small local businesses.

http://www.mountaineering-designs.co.uk/

I believe they make specialist kit for BAS and others plus repair bags and other down kit for general public too. Just thought I would mention them in light of you bringing up winter prep matters.

Personally I don't prepare for winter as I have nothing needing preparation. I use antifreeze in my washers year round only switching to the extreme stuff if needed. All my winter kit is put away in a ready to use condition which I think is important. Everything is to hand when it is needed. I am in my first year with central heating so, touch wood, it should have no problems. If it does it is under warranty for at least a year and the boiler for 5 years. Service is due in February.

I have never felt winter needed any different approach to that I take all year round. What I mean is I take what I need for the conditions and time of year I'm in. It is part of my approach to life to have what I need when I need it. I also modify my actions to the situation. If there is bad snow forecast I won't make that journey by car I might take train into work instead. It is why I live where I do, it has given me options.

Having said that it is not really the likes of people on here who need the tip off for preparedness it is local governments and people other than the sorts who come on this site. Most on here are already pretty clued up and prepared for whatever. It is the muppets who drive on their normal commute despite bad forecast then get stuck not the guys who have the snow chains and winter tyres and sleeping bags, etc. Not those who take alternative arrangements to get on with their life as normally as winter conditions allow. I mean you don't hear of Scandinvaian countries shutting down at the first sight of snow cover so why should we? That is down partly to local and national government I reckon. We can only do so much to cope.

Sorry ramblings of a nutter perhaps.

 

[Paul_B]

I'm off to Scotland in Autumn then Lakes or Northumbria when leaves turn there. Follow the autumn change over. Hopefully anyway. Noticed some cobbnuts on the floor on a walk recently and looked at the tree they came from and some of the leaves were turning yellow a bit. It is summer and August ***!! What is happening to the climate?

 

[outpost31]

Good thinking and sound advice. I came across my thermals in the wardrobe yesterday and thought something similar!

you can get that off easy with some washing up liquid (Sorry I couldn't resist)

 

[shaggystu]

thanks for that southey. not much there relevant to me personally but it has inspired me to have a look at the calender and think about how long i've got to go before i (most likely) get snowed in for the winter, if it's half as bad as last year i expect to be pretty much stuck for a couple of weeks, so a little thought about what's in the pantry wouldn't be a bad idea.

it's also made me think (again) about cooking/heating this winter, i rely on gas these days, which is new for me, and i'm not too sure what i'd do if it got cut off for whatever reason. time to stock up on petrol for the coleman stove and start making friends with coal burning neighbours i think!

stuart

 

[Paul72]

you can get that off easy with some washing up liquid (Sorry I couldn't resist)

Oohh err missus!!

They'd be going in the washing machine in any case!

 

[Retired Member southey]

Every ones prep well under way? my biggest preps so far has been to service the Jeep,rotated the tires, flush the radiator and fill with winter coolant, same with the washer bottle, though i need to strip down the washer pump and repair it and will rainex the winscreen and cut a new frost screen to cover the windscreen at night, I also make pockets to go over the side windows for the same effect, we have a sledge, and I'm making another, I have repaired my Tele skis after a trip down a gravel forest track last year that scratched the base when the snow thinned out a bit DOH!, have unpacked my winter clothes to give them an airing and let them recover from being vac packed,

 

[brickie]

I've brought winter tyres for my van, although they were a pain to get in July but i left it until October last year and every where was sold out ,anyway i got them fitted the other day , plus i've just been and got some antifreeze,screenwash and some de-icer ,i'm also airing my winter clothes off .But i'm hoping winter's is not as bad this year

 

[Pandabean]

Does anyone know if halfords still do the 5l bottles of double concentrate screen washer, goes down to -15 degC? I can't seem to see it in our local halfords.

Its funny when I go into Tesco and see screenwash rated to -5 degC on sale in the winter when temperatures up here dropped to -20 last year.

Winter clothing is being sorted, with the Mastino bushshirt coming soon, a nice merino wool and possum fur hat and merino wool blend Arktis Arctic shirt that is nice and warm.

Hopefully I will get a chance to try out the snowshoes I have and see how bad they are.

 

[CBJ]

Remember to clean any snow of your shed roof.

Last year I forgot to do it and :

 

[Retired Member southey]

Holy poop dude!

 

[Pandabean]

Craig, stop trying to blame your shed collapsing on the snow, it was clearly all the fire extinguishers that you like to set off.

 

[Welshwizard]

I'm buying my heating oil this week before they hike up the price when it does get cold.

I just had 500lts of it and it was nearly double last years price !

 

[Pandabean]

Yeh the heating oil has certainly gone up. When we moved in to our house 2 years ago wit was 38p/l, now it is at 59p/l and that was last week.
Only filled half the tank so looking to fill the same again in November and hope it will see us through the winter.

I found this website: http://www.boilerjuice.com/heatingOilPrices.php
Shows you the chart of the price over the last 2 years. Big scary jump at the end of last November.

 

[MartiniDave]

It's a good time to re-nikwax your waterproof coats to, especially with this nice spell we're having at the moment.

A nice big bag of rice and some packs of pasta ain't a bad idea either, and plenty of spices.

 

[Retired Member southey]

Check your foot wear, not just your boots\shoes but your socks too, did you have cold feet last year, do you need to change\repair your thick socks, do you need some ice cleet things that fit on the sole of any shoe!