This is not a good winter

madmax

F1nut wrote: »

More effing snow.....UGH!!!

Mid 50s all week and the sun is a blarin here in CO. Sometimes we get snow but its so lightweight you can clear the driveway with a leaf blower.

SCompRacer

Is that part of the road called Respectful Curve?

This winter, with all the snow and wind, has had me on the roof five times to clear our direct vent fireplace termination. Direct vent is a sealed fireplace with ceramic glass window that draws outside air to burn and vents exhaust to outside using a double wall pipe. Pipe is vertical, about 30 feet long. There is nothing to break the wind around the termination. A thin snow/ice cap forms over the center exhaust pipe. A propane torch with snap igniter is my weapon of choice. I'm guessing the wind swirls the snow in termination cap and it collects at the edges of exhaust pipe eventually choking it off. The flame just snuffs out after being lit. Majestic offers a high wind termination that I will have to purchase and install if these type winters persist. Getting on a snow and ice covered roof could make for a fast and wild exit ride with bad consequences upon landing.

exalted512

This was my road a couple days after the cement trucks poured my slab and it snowed

dromunds

From my little time living in the south, I found few people had tires that could handle snow. When you see video of cars spinning like crazy on an inch or two of snow, you know right away they don't have the right tires for snow. About fifteen years ago, I bought an old Saab from a guy I worked with and it had Haakapelitta snow tires all around. He told me they made a world of difference even over all-weather tires. He said although you had to swap them out spring and fall for your normal tires, if it saved you from one accident it was worth it. He was right, the traction you get from a real snow tire makes a world of difference from even all-weather. Those Haaki's wore out fast, but now I use Firestone WinterForce. They last real good and aren't that expensive. Blizzaks are another good tire but don't last as well as the Firestones. On a daily basis, we drive through lots of snow up north, many times I go to work or come from work when the roads aren't plowed yet, and I can't even tell you the times I wouldn't've been able to make it, or stop in time, or avoid an accident if it wasn't for the real snow tires. That being said, I wouldn't expect folks in the south to go buy snow tires when they rarely see snow, but if you don't have adequate tires for snow it merely emphasizes the quote from a previous post: stay home when its like this.

TNHNDYMAN

That's the thing about winter tires. When you have a lot of snow each year it makes sense to have a spare set of rims with snow tires available to switch out. Here we are lucky to get maybe 5 to 8 snows a year and only 1 or 2 may be anything over 4" that actually covers the roads. I'm driving on some Continental ProContact all weather tires that for an all season were rated quite highly by tire rack for snow traction. So far they have performed as well as I expected. Much better than a nice summer tire or even most all season radials. If I had the extra cash and expected snow more often, then I'd definitely have a set of Blizzaks or something similar.

treitz3

mrbiron

If you're timid behind the wheel in snow, then I suggest staying home. You'll only make it worse for people that CAN drive in it. Driving from Boston to home this afternoon, I can't tell you how many people were in ditches or facing the wrong way. Mostly women in large, luxury SUVs. Doltz!

George Grand

I had everything done by 2 this afternoon, and I'm talking the driveway entirely black. By this time it was raining. About 1/2 hour after I went in to shower, the township guys finally showed up to plow the street. About 4,000lbs of slush, ice and huge soaking wet snow chunks right at the end of the driveway. I got about halfway through it and the blower started shooting out the perfect, rectangular bricks of ice.

One of these days I'm going to build something with those bricks.

4-6 more inches coming tonight.

txcoastal1

treitz3 wrote: »

I know you guys like to make fun of us in the south, but the problem is our cities don't have all the trucks and plows to keep the roads safe because they sit for years and to expensive to maintain. So when crap hits the fan, we are caught with our pants down. Damned if we do damned if we don't scenario

Moose68Bash

George Grand wrote: »

I had everything done by 2 this afternoon, and I'm talking the driveway entirely black. By this time it was raining. About 1/2 hour after I went in to shower, the township guys finally showed up to plow the street. About 4,000lbs of slush, ice and huge soaking wet snow chunks right at the end of the driveway. I got about halfway through it and the blower started shooting out the perfect, rectangular bricks of ice.

One of these days I'm going to build something with those bricks.

4-6 more inches coming tonight.

One winter several years ago up here in New Hampshire, we had snow storm after snow storm.

I finally got out in my driveway with a shovel -- not a snow shovel, just a plain shovel -- and cut our "bricks" of compacted snow that I stacked around the edge of the pavement. by the time I got tired of this foolishness, I had built a wall about five fett high and about 20 feet long.

I tell you, winters in the great northeast can do strange thing to the brain. But, I guess we're better off than Finland and the like where they don't see the sun for many weeks during the winter months.

treitz3

txcoastal1 wrote: »

I know you guys like to make fun of us in the south, but the problem is our cities don't have all the trucks and plows to keep the roads safe because they sit for years and to expensive to maintain. So when crap hits the fan, we are caught with our pants down. Damned if we do damned if we don't scenario

Hehe, we are South. You are much closer to the equator. Big difference. In your case, I can see why you said what you stated....and you are right.

Charlotte all the way down to Atlanta, possibly further South, are prepared for all winters. It's not so much the snow, it's the ice or the combination thereof.

Tom

txcoastal1

Yeah my buddy lives in Winston-Salem which takes him 1.5hrs on a good day....4.5 hours yesterday

He got home and hit the liquor cabinet for a stress reliever

He's from TX but has learned how to drive it especially since his son goes to school up in Boone

pumpkinman

I have 150' driveway plus I have a lot of elderly neighbors that I help. (I'm real close to elderly myself LOL)
So I spent about 4 hours cleaning up after the snow stopped today.
Well I thought it was done

nooshinjohn

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Woodland+Hills+CA+91367:4:US

treitz3

Please don't be "that guy", John. Many folks throughout the East coast are without power in sub freezing temperatures tonight with a family to keep warm.

Tom

txcoastal1

nooshinjohn wrote: »

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/Woodland+Hills+CA+91367:4:US

Yeah Yeah John but I don't see much hope for rain either, you'll unfortunately and probably be seeing the cloudy days of summer under a plume of smoke when the Santa Anna winds come barreling through...

nooshinjohn

treitz3 wrote: »

Please don't be "that guy", John. Many folks throughout the East coast are without power in sub freezing temperatures tonight with a family to keep warm.

Tom

Good points Tom... I am thinking about all of those affected by this mess, and praying for them all that it ends soon. I grew up in the Twin Cities and have seen my fair share of snow and cold. My sympathies to all.

nooshinjohn

txcoastal1 wrote: »

Yeah Yeah John but I don't see much hope for rain either, you'll unfortunately and probably be seeing the cloudy days of summer under a plume of smoke when the Santa Anna winds come barreling through...

I fear that as well. We live awfully close areas that just walking on the brush right now is enough to scare people. Too bad we can't have some of that snow...

I lived out here during the Northridge quake and it's aftermath. I have not felt the earth twitch since we have been back in Cali. God knows when, but we are LONG past due for a major roller out here.

wz2p7j

nooshinjohn wrote: »

To say that mankind is responsible for global warming is the height of arrogance IMHO, especially because the warming observed for 3o years or so just happens to coincide with increased output from the Sun. That is the source of global warming... always has been, and until it becomes a burnt out cinder in 5 Billion years, it always will be...

Well, first of all the sun HASN'T been warming for the past 30 years. In fact, total solar irradiance (TSI) has been flat from about 1950 until 2000 (Wang et al 2005). There is some evidence TSI has actually declined since the year 2000. Other near term climate factors such as volcanism were also flat during the same time period, a period in which global surface temps rose in near lock step with rising atmospheric CO2 levels.

"To say that mankind is responsible for global warming is the height of arrogance" - Really? To ignore the fact we're pumping about 38 billion metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually while the data screams at us the world is heating up is the true "height of arrogance."

Chris

F1nut

Clueless as usual.

nooshinjohn

wz2p7j wrote: »

Well, first of all the sun HASN'T been warming for the past 30 years.
Chris

Really? guess that explains all the snow.

tonyb

wz2p7j wrote: »

Well, first of all the sun HASN'T been warming for the past 30 years. In fact, total solar irradiance (TSI) has been flat from about 1950 until 2000 (Wang et al 2005). There is some evidence TSI has actually declined since the year 2000. Other near term climate factors such as volcanism were also flat during the same time period, a period in which global surface temps rose in near lock step with rising atmospheric CO2 levels.

"To say that mankind is responsible for global warming is the height of arrogance" - Really? To ignore the fact we're pumping about 38 billion metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere annually while the data screams at us the world is heating up is the true "height of arrogance."

Chris

Who's "we" ? You do realize we need CO2. Doesn't matter what we do, China and India and a few others account for more than the whole rest of the world. But "we" need to change ?

Lets look at this another way. A perfect example is the Sahara desert. You do realize at one time it was as lush as other parts of Africa. What changed to turn the whole northern part into sand ? Man ? CO2 emissions ? Obviously not, neither was around. A slight tilt of the earth's axis, and a slight orbital change around the Sun. Which again, no amount of CO2 reduction or money sent to bureaucrats could change any of that. The planets orbital path, it's axis, and it's relationship to the sun have a much higher degree of impact for climate change...and are way more powerful than anything man can do.

If everything you said is true, then we would not have record polar ice. Planetary climate goes in patterns of change, this is historically proven over time....and proven without man's involvement. Man-made global warming comes down to nothing more than a scare tactic to convince people something needs to be done. Which in turn takes your money and redistributes it.

There has been no global warming in the last 15 years, so that throws out your co2 theory. The Sun however runs in cycles and we are in a period of least solar activity. Bottom line is, the weather patterns we are accustomed to will not always be the same. Climate by nature doesn't stay the same forever, and no amount of carbon reduction or money will change that. That leaves 2 choices. Adapt or die....or find another planetary rock to live on. I don't see too much effort going into space exploration, so I guess it's adapt or die.

You can only adapt so much though. If it wasn't for a few caves in southern Africa during the last ice age, humans would have been gone for good. No co2 involved with covering almost the whole planet in a ball of ice either. We as a country spend money like water on all the wrong things except what we should be focused on. Staying on one planet makes us a galactic shooting duck gallery. Eventually something will hit the bullseye. If perpetuating the species of man is the priority, we need another rock to live on. Anything else is just B.S.

tonyb

The flip side of that is, if no other rock to live on is attainable, then some suggest we need to kill off 5 billion of the 6 billion people on the planet. Not kidding here, that's a real prospect being thrown around. Which 5 billion, who gets to choose ? The elderly are useless and a drain on society so they claim, so I'd imagine they would be first. Wars are started by rich men and fought by poor men, so I guess keeping wars going is a way to eradicate a lot of poor people. Still need something bigger.....something that would work faster, kill more. Can't have those pesky poor people fornicating, reproducing in such numbers that it has an adverse reaction to the planet.

That's real thought processes going on within your United nations. Scary huh ? Their "Global initiative" is to control every human and their behavior, land use, and of course...Global control of Healthcare. So they will get to choose who lives or dies. Climate change is one area that can accomplish a lot with one scare tactic. There's many more btw. The whole process is designed to keep you afraid of something to the point you demand governing bodies do something. Even though it's those governing bodies creating the fear. Then you are more easily willing to give up any freedoms, any amount of money to make that fear go away. That process has been played out all threw history and continues today. Have we not learned anything from history ?

All these scare tactics tie into each other with a purpose. Your benefit, your freedoms, your wallet, not being one of their concerns. If the planet warms up, we will invade Canada, if it gets colder, we'll migrate to the southern hemisphere. If a meteor the size of New York hits us....that's the end for all of us. No where to run...and that's the point, we need a place to run to if we want to continue the human species. If not, we'll just bide our time like all other extinct species.

tonyb

exalted512 wrote: »

This was my road a couple days after the cement trucks poured my slab and it snowed

Cool pic, but I want you to take note of some things as this is a good time to do so. Notice the ruts are bigger on the right side than the left. Water is sitting there and not running down hill with the slope. Aside from the aspect of the road itself being lower than the surrounding ground, you don't want water to sit under a road that will be eventually asphalted. Unless you want to continuously redo it.

Now is a good time to visually take note of water flow and all your trouble spots. Mark it off if you have to, in dry weather it won't be as noticeable obviously. Soft spots will have to be dug down and removed, then filled with some good rock topped with compactable material. Always lay subgrade stone wider than your planned road so the water can easily travel out from under the road and down hill. Subgrade stone is usually a bigger rock with no fines in it. The fines obstruct the water flow. Stones with fines then go on top to make a compactable base for the asphalt.

Just some thoughts to ponder for summer time when you may think about paving that road.

pumpkinman

Looks like 18" total so with what's on the ground we have 2' now. This sucks.

tonyb

The good thing about all this snow....it's gonna melt gents. Flowers will come up, the sun will shine, birds will chirp, and all will be right with the world again.....until next winter anyway.

westmassguy

We got about 10" yesterday on top of the 8" that was on the ground. Overnight, a nice 1/2" layer of ice, with an additional 2" of fresh, heavy, heat attack snow. Another typical New England winter morning

dromunds

I just saw we might get another six inches on Sunday night into Monday morning mixed with sleet.....

tonyb

Key West anyone ?

westmassguy

Great Idea Tony. Let's have a Polkfest. Margaritas and Pina Coladas