1. Do my dogs need them little boot things in the winter?

2. Anything special with the car?
I’m getting AT 3 peak tires. I’ll use antifreeze instead of 50/50 water like back home. And I’ll go back to a thin 5/30 motor oil rather than the thicker stuff I used down south.

3. Anything with the home? Do I need to clear the roof at a certain point or is it built for it?

4. I’ll check exterior pipes but shouldn’t they be made for the winters up here?

5. I’ve got a natural gas furnace so anything recommendations for avoiding a mid-winter crash on that unit would be good.

How far north are you talking?

I live in the Chicago area and while we get some cold winters, I know folks who live in Minn and the UP. It's a whole nuther ball game up there.

The standard mixture of coolant/antifreeze should be fine and probably has a lower freezing point than straight antifreeze. Check your owners manual.

The owners manual will also have a chart of recommended oil viscosity for winter, I’d probably adhere to that specification.

If you have an in ground lawn sprinkler system, have it blown out before the first freeze.

1. Not generally, unless they have to be out and about on ice (which can have sharp points) or salted roads, either of which can be harmful to their paws. Or if they find that they just really hate the snow and cold ground, to the point that they don't want to go outside.

2. Sounds like you got this one covered. You might check the heater to be sure it's working good.

3. Depends on the roof. Some are steeper or slipperier than others, those will shed snow faster. Some roofing materials are more "sticky" and will hold onto heavier snow longer. Hopefully somebody who knows more about roofing than I do will come along. Also, ask some of the locals (like, roofing contractors) about ice dams. As with the car, make sure the furnace is working.

4. Yeah, I'd expect that the pipes are buried far enough down to stay below the frost level. If you have pipes in unheated areas (an uninsulated garage for example, if your laundry facilties are there, or a separate workshop), be sure they have some insulation or heat tape on them.

5. Not much you can do since you're dependent on a public gas supply. Do have an HVAC outfit come and inspect it before winter hits, though. Just to be sure.

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:
4. I’ll check exterior pipes but shouldn’t they be made for the winters up here?

Where is "up here" ??

Prepare for hot cocoa. Lots of hot cocoa.

IT’s sprinkler system blow-out may be the best tip you get in this thread.

Depending on the age of the natural gas furnace,
newer ones can use and annual or at least every few years inspection and cleaning.

The new high efficiency ones have sensors that need cleaning and anti acid effluent filters than need to be changed.

The old ones just ran.

Kenosha, Wisconsin
Summer High: the July high is around 80.3 degrees
Winter Low: the January low is 15
Rain: averages 35.3 inches of rain a year
Snow: averages 39 inches of snow a year

You get less rain, more snow and less heat but more cold compared to Chicago.

A good shovel and snowblower as well as a furnace and A/C check will help greatly. You will only need to shovel the roof (or use a roof rake) if the snow all comes at one time. You will however, be prone to what we call 'Lake Effect' snow, which means you get an extra dose by being closer to Lake Michigan.

As to driving, I've never needed to change fluids beyond what the manufacturer recommends. Good tires are a must.

The pups should be good but in really frigid weather, the boots as well as a blanket (I have horses so no namby pamby sweaters here) for them to wear will help.

Farm and Fleet, Fleet Farm, etc. are your friends.

Welcome to the midwest, lots of outdoor things to do year round.

A good snow shovel, you’ll set yourself on fire by over dressing. Hat gloves hoody and carhart bibs, no one will suspect your from the south.

Mid weight merino wool hiking socks, enough for a week, wear them all year.

Get a sand tube and a bag of ice melt. Park with your windshield in the sun. Buy a good snow brush and scraper, a pushbroom type won’t make you mad. Be careful about entering parking lots too hot, it’s liable to be slicker. It’s a judgement call but many times releasing the brakes lets the car turn instead of plowing forward.

I would work under the assumption your house is built to withstand winter as is. Now is the time to introduce yourself to the neighborhood. There is a decent chance the guy next door would help with his snowblower if he knows you are a decent person. When he does show some gratitude his way.

If you haven’t encountered Charlie Behrens he will get you squared away. Lots of humor but it’s only because it’s true.

I grew up in the Upper Midwest, I've lived in Alaska, and I've lived in Canada. Comments in red.

quote:

Originally posted by OttoSig:

2. Anything special with the car?
I’m getting AT 3 peak tires. I’ll use antifreeze instead of 50/50 water like back home. Use the standard premix purchased at stores or buy straight antifreeze and mix 50/50 with water. Even the north slope of Alaska (i.e. Arctic Circle) doesn't need pure antifreeze. We used 60% antifreeze and 40% water because it's good for -62F. Regular 50/50 is good for -34F And I’ll go back to a thin 5/30 motor oil rather than the thicker stuff I used down south.

3. Anything with the home? Do I need to clear the roof at a certain point or is it built for it? Very unlikely you'll get snow in the fall and keep it all winter. Buy a "roof rake" which allows you to stand on the ground and pull snow off the roof. It's much safer, and one of your biggest concerns is forming an ice dam at the gutter and it backing up under your shingles. Get that snow thin so it melts easily.

Additionally, it reduces total load on roof.

Unless the house is really old, a roof rake is only really necessary after a blizzard. However, you need to own it before the storm warning comes out because the stores will be emptied of snowblowers, shovels, and roof rakes after the first forecast for big snowfall.

4. I’ll check exterior pipes but shouldn’t they be made for the winters up here? Unhook garden hoses, put RV antifreeze in any outdoor kitchen water pipe and in the drain p-trap. Also, check your attic to see if any jackwad did a home plumbing job and had water running above the insulation (only need to do that once).

5. I’ve got a natural gas furnace so anything recommendations for avoiding a mid-winter crash on that unit would be good. Have an HVAC tech clean the furnace coils in the fall. It'll save money and he'll do an inspection looking for things like cracked heating coil. Much better to find it in the fall before you find out the hard way when it's cold outside.

Thanks guys.

My attire will mainly be dictated by my 6-day a week schedule in uniform. And ain’t nothing warm about Navy uniforms lol. I have to bank my life on a turtleneck addiction lol.

All the other stuff is good to know. I run hot so I think I’ll be good for the weather as far as attire goes when I am off.

I don’t have a snow shovel so that’s something I didn’t think of. I’ll have an HVAC guy come out and look at my unit.

I’m really looking forward to a winter. That lake-effect snow is no joke though. I’ve seen and heard stories from boot camp (I was there Jul-Sep) so I got great weather).

Any other purchases I should have BEFORE I need them?

quote:

I don’t have a snow shovel so that’s something I didn’t think of.

Buy two shovels.

A push shovel. Good for light snowfalls. Get the snow off before driving or walking on it. This prevents it from getting packed down to form ice.

A big metal scoop shovel. This is what you'll need for the end of the driveway when the evil snowplow driver pushes a pile of snow into the end of your driveway (typically minutes after you get indoors from shoveling). The snowplowing makes the snow change from a light fluffy snow to a thick heavy snow. A push shovel will break trying to move this sludge so you need the big metal scoop shovel.

Push shovel:


Big metal scoop shovel:

Humidifier to keep your nasal passages from drying out and protecting your furniture. Go buy some chapstick otherwise your lips will crack and that really hurts. Also don't stick your lips on a metal pole.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
Also don't stick your lips on a metal pole.

and don't eat yellow snow

Only thing I'd add is check for outdoor faucets around the house.

They should be "frost proof sillcocks". They're designed with the handle on the outside, but the actual valve and seat is well inside the heated area and "tilted" so that after you shut them off, any remaining water drains to the outside.

If you want to be doubly sure, they make styrofoam "hats" that fasten over the outside hardware to add protection.

I missed your replies before my post, but thank you tatortodd.

Jelly has only ever seen snow twice, but she gets frisky as can be and loves it! I just wanna make sure she’s good for a 30 minute play in the snow. Hence question number 1. The ice response makes sense for dogs. And I’m sure she’ll let me know when she wants to come in.

Her with me tonight, little warm right now for her with no central AC!



And the annoying doofus Bella, so she doesn’t feel left out. This will be her first time seeing snow as she’s only 9~mos old.

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
The standard mixture of coolant/antifreeze should be fine and probably has a lower freezing point than straight antifreeze. Check your owners manual.

The owners manual will also have a chart of recommended oil viscosity for winter, I’d probably adhere to that specification.

Straight antifreeze is not good, it's bad in fact. It's easy to look up.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:

quote:

Originally posted by arfmel:
The standard mixture of coolant/antifreeze should be fine and probably has a lower freezing point than straight antifreeze. Check your owners manual.

The owners manual will also have a chart of recommended oil viscosity for winter, I’d probably adhere to that specification.

Straight antifreeze is not good, it's bad in fact. It's easy to look up.

Good to know. Based off previous posts I’ll keep my 50/50 mixture.