Winter storms suck
 

Hey All,

Hope everyone is ok with the storm that just went through. We have our power back on (hopefully for good this time) again and have done ok. We do have a generator that we ran the greenhouse with yesterday and again last night when the power cut around 3am. Fortunately everything worked well and our temps didn't get down below 58* in the gh. Some orchids get downright perturbed if they get chilly. Heat in the house is gas, no electric required, so that wasn't an issue. We stayed warm, the pups are just fine although the youngest has been a little miffed at being in 'jail'. Still hearing generators down the road from us, so we're fortunate to have the juice back on. The benefit of living at a main crossroads.

Rube, y'all ok? Did you get the ice or are you far enough south where it wasn't too bad?

I got like 6-8 inches of snow yesterday, and the roads are still covered in hard-pack in spots. Kinda messed up the plans I had to take my wife out to a movie, I went today, but the plans were all laid out for yesterday...

Hope you are all ok out there. I think Tennessee got hit hard w ice. I may try to call Rube tomorrow AM to check on him.

I found out while living in Wisconsin, it's all about the philosophy of maintaining the roads and having enough equipment to handle it. Sure a state like WI should and will have more plows, salt trucks, and the like. My point is, they do what's necessary to keep the main roads clear and do a decent job on the secondary roads.

That, and people knew how to drive in the snow. KEEP MOVING. Momentum is your friend...

Outside Pittsburgh where I live SUCKS even though the main highway is a US Highway (maybe that's the problem). I just don't get it. Whether it's 2 niches or 6, they just don't seem to have either enough equipment, don't know how to handle the logistics, or don't care.

Bonestock, I gather you live near the center of nowhere WV where many of the roads are rural (gravel, dirt) and therefore more difficult to plow. There is no excuse for hard pack buildup just b/c you're off the beaten path. You pay your taxes just like everyone else.

Yeah, Ginny, we're good. We didn't get snow the first go round, just ice. Got between 1/4 and 1/2 inch on the trees and power lines and on the cars. I spent most of the day yesterday clearing the cars and then my driveway. Last night we got about a half inch of snow, but it's no big deal now. I did manage to get to the grocery store yesterday and was amazed at how little meat I could find. Milk was almost all gone too and the bread isle was barren. Luckily, I didn't really need any of that. We were just about out of toilet paper! LOL I'm more towards the NW part of the state on the Tennessee River. Only about 40 miles from the KY border (as the crow flies).

glad you're ok Rube.

Never understood it.

If your power goes out, the fridge stops working unless you have a generator.
Sans generator, you have to put it outside to keep it from going bad --- where it gets coated with ice -- and freezes.

Bread. If my power was out for days, my bread would eventually get stale to the point that I couldn't chew it anymore. Unless i managed to wet it with some of the defrosted spoiled milk first.

Meat, I undersatand.

Hell, there are no incoming shipments of anything, but if little Johnny's gonna throw a spoiled brat tantrum because there's no milk for his lucky charms and no bread for his peanut butter and pickle sandwich, then this country is doomed worse than I thought

Actually, US 33/119 runs near me, and WV 4 is on the other end of my road. We are just nearly out of salt, so they salt the trouble areas(hills) and just plow/cinder the rest. I would actually prefer driving on hard pack, as opposed to ice or slush, because it's a consistent surface if parts of it don't melt, and there is a higher friction coefficient than ice, and not excessively difficult to drive on, just keep moving and don't ask for much grip, either lateral or longitudinal...

the lesser of many evils I do suppose. I thought you were implying they were half ass plowing and then ignoring and letting the cars do the rest of the work. Or maybe that IS what you're implynig

Yeah, it's down to a thin enough coating that they're wasting time plowing it, but still enough to make the road slick in places, I did have the car completely stuck today, when I pulled off and dropped into 10" of thick snow where they plowed it all off the road... Had to kick the snow our from in front/behind the tires and push while my weaker friend held the throttle flat, lol...

I have spent half of my life in snow storms such as those coming through the N.E. at the present and nailing the East Coast and still have one car left from that era. And it stays inside as it has been exposed to salt and the only way to keep it from morphing into a pile of rust dust, is to keep it from getting wet.

And, oh, by the way, it was 85 today. Which is why I moved here. And the A.C still works in my SC2 but I need to replace the lift motor in the passenger side window now that I am caught up with some things.


My list of projects keeps vacillating up and down, but the Isky cam came for my 232 cu in I-6 so I can start re-assembling that one.

<THREADJACK>
Unc/Anyone-- What's your stance on A/C stop leak? (I think I've asked before)

my 95 A/C can be vacuumed down and slightly overcharged (professionally, not me in the driveway), and will last about 9 months. I've been told that 90% of s cars develop pinhole leaks in the evaporators under the dash and that it is such a pain in the ass to replace that it isn't worth doing unless you REALLY want to do it --- and then you have to find parts.

I read somewhere that it might also be a worn compressor(leaky internal seal). Only way to test that is to buy another compressor.


So my 95 a/c system is full of air for about 1/12 years as I have not had it filled since I left Jersey. It was a slow downhill slide once the problem began, and here we are.

I've dyed the hell out of the system and cannot find anything under the hood except my glowing fingerprints.

Do I add stop leak and risk nucking up the system forever? Do I buy a junkyard compressor condition unknown (add one addl variable) and install it and have it vac'd charged , and not know for 9 months?

Do I pay to have them do a partial charge and use a sniffer to find the leak (or possibly not find it if it is internal to the compressor or too far under the dash??
</THREADJACK>

Unc, I grew up in MN, moved to TN to escape the horrible winters, and it's followed us south now. DSisIL and her DH are in AZ about an hour away from Phoenix, wishing we were there right now! We would LOVE to be in 85*.

Derf, not much help on AC as when mine quits I usually just disconnect and use the 4-60 air. I never understood the milk thing either, but I didn't grow up here. Bread, well, that's negligible, and DH will eat it regardless. He eats my cooking, so a little chewy bread is nothin'!!

Rube, running low on TP would NOT be a good thing. Glad y'all are ok and didn't have damage from this mess. The tree here I expected to nosedive didn't budge. Don't think it even dropped a big limb. It's a maple, and you know how they are! Next round of weather crap starts for us tomorrow afternoon, but it will morph into rain overnight. I just will get to drive home in the icky part of rain/freezing rain if the model holds.

Bonestock, Glad y'all didn't have too much trouble with this. They used to plow pretty sucky here, but I think there are some northern transplants on the road crews now. Our county may even have it's own plow now too. Used to be it seemed we'd share a plow truck with the surrounding counties. They spray our roads here with a brine to help with icing up before the crap hits, but pretty much all our roads are paved.

On A/C (just what is needed in sub zero weather, but plan ahead.
I forget whether my Saturn is R134 or not. I'll have to check to see if the adapters are on it. Or maybe it came that way I think.
Some where around 2002 when Freon became worth it's weight in Gold, the situation got more than freaky around here for the most part, we (as stated often) get 1/3 of the year over 100 degrees and the rest of the year is just plain hot I changed everything I had over to 134.
1st of all I am not an A/C man, I am a back yard or shade tree mechanic keeping my things running. A very good friend of mine was a diagnostic trouble shooter and when it came to A/C on older cars and Arizona does not have rust so older cars exist in spades, found a way to change things over that did not cost a ton and worked.
Simply?
Evacuate the Freon and add 134!
This could be done by purchasing three cans of 134 and a hose for the can's with a gauge on it and it goes on the high side I think (I'd have to check for sure).
Bottom line,
If it is a working system, clear out the Freon. However that is done. A method was to crack a low side fitting and once it stopped hissing, at that point purge the line with a can of 134 and when empty tighten the line up and fill per gauge on the can while running engine with A/C on. Usually takes about 3 cans. Once done it works.
On something with a slow leak and it is empty already and remember the newer A/C cars are going to have a low pressure signal from the compressor so it will not turn on if the pressure is low so don't worry about it.
Crack a fitting, purge the lines and tighten and fill.
If it has let sit because of a slow leak, this is a home repair, keep a can of 134 and the gauge in the garage on the shelf and add as needed when pressure gets low where A/C no longer is cold enough.
How well does it work?
For me just fine.
Pretty much everything I have with A/C now is newer and already 134. The really old the 40 year old stuff, if it starts to leak and I do not have a clue where but it is slow, a can of stop leak with 134 used as needed, you don't need this often but once every other year or so. Used to often it plugs up the shrader valve (ask me how I know) and keep on top of things.
The A/C guys go paranoid about this, but the hoses are so soaked and impregnated with Freon and lubricant they do not become a problem, on the old York compressor with an oil reservoir and a mans to check the oil, don't change the oil and everything else seems to work.
How well?
When coming to a stop light the A/C will get warm to feel it change in temperature, but as soon as the car moves it starts cooling back down and for some strange reason unexplained every one of them deal with 100+ degree better with 134 installed vs the old Freon.
Driving with out A/C is NOT an option.
Of course in 2002, a can of 134 was about $2.00, now it is pushing a $10.00 bill, but it is what it is and it worked for me and still does.
Bad leaks historically are some junction near the compressor caused by age and vibration as the engine runs.
Others?
I have not had to deal with yet.
Although the Hornet I am building uses a GM "Muffin" R4 compressor due to the source of the engine used was a Mercury Marine stern drive motor that they purchased from GM, and GM used it as a 350 Chevy engine, I am going to have to fill with the proper oil through the high pressure port when I put it together, and then using adapters purchased from Vintage Air to mate the compressor to the 197X vintage dealer installed under dash unit with flared fittings, fill the whole thing up with 134 and call it good.

A/C? What's that? I don't think I have ever owned a vehicle in which it worked. It does work in my wife's Cruze, but I don't drive it but maybe 2-3% of the time... In warm weather, I go with the windows down...

Seriously though, how did you guys do the past couple days? It got down to -15 at work last night, coldest I've ever seen, as a WV native and only having been around since '93...

We didn't get too cold here but had another round of snow/sleet/ice crap. I think it hovered in the upper 20s overnight, so just bad enough to make the roads suck. I stayed in town with a friend last night and drove home around 9 this morning. Glad I did too, out there (I work 30 mi away from home) the roads weren't too horrible, but driving home this morning showed it would have been a crapshoot for me to make it home if I'd have tried. DH and the girls were happy to see me this morning, got the 3rd degree from the girls about who I saw last night (friend has a couple pups who thought I was an ok human to pet them) and then I crashed out in my own bed! Still tired, contemplating if we really want to go dancing tonight (only rain here and no freezing tonight). Probably won't go.

Bonestock, -15* sucks. I remember those temps from MN. One of the many reasons why we left there! Big difference in having that kind of cold up north vs WV though, up there the houses etc. are made to withstand it. The coldest it's gotten here was last year we hit -2* I think. We've been here 23 years.

Hope everyone is staying warm and safe!

Yeah, it sucked, for sure. I work in a plastic plant, where we extrude pipe of all different sizes, from 3/4in. to 12in... It is usually warmer in there than outside, if it's 30* outside I work in short sleeves and carry a jacket for going out to the car afterward... But, with it being -15, and people couldn't keep the doors shut, it was seriously cold...

I went food shopping that night @ 3AM. -10 deg. No lines at checkout.

Lived in Wisconsin for seven years. Love the dry cold without the wind. But -15 is about my cutoff.

I suppose that leaving a window open last night because the house was warm isn't exactly the most diplomatic thing to compliment on at the moment.
So the best I can say is it went down to about 65 last night.
Dang I hate it when it is cold.

I think I can speak for most of us, Unc, when I say bite us! LOL

I'll second Rube's 'bite us'. Can we get a show of hands to see if the measure passes?

65* sheesh, I wish!

think of my two hands making a field goal post that looks the same when reflected in a mirror :snort :snort

I agree on the measure. All current AZ residents can BITE US!

Dang! I missed you guys. Where else can you find such a comforting total lack of respect?

Nowhere else, only here can you find such a lack of respect, lol...

Seriously though, the cold here is pretty harsh. I have noticed a 35% drop in fuel economy in my car, a perplexing condition since my truck has maybe seen a 5-10% drop...

Looks like the measure passed. We are officially bitten.

Had some snow come through yesterday evening/night. The wet, heavy stuff. Of course TDOT didn't treat the roads first, so the drive home kinda sucked, and then I got to the big/steep hill. Dumb and Dumber were playing wipe out and retrieval. Some idiot in an S10 ditched his truck, then his buddy in a Suzuki Somethingorother 4WD little jeepie looking thing was trying the rescue. Naturally, they had the hill blocked. Suzukiman actually strapped the 4WD to the guardrail and was I guess using that as an anchor for pulling S10 out. Didn't work. So, there I am, around 12:30am, trying to decide what direction I want to go when the TDOT salt truck (sans plow) comes along to treat the hill. Did I mention by this time I had to pee? One of the TDOT guys walks up the hill to see what D & D are up to. Meanwhile, TDOT driver said they were going to make 2 passes on the hill, then in about 10 minutes it should be ok for me to go. BTW, I did have the foresight to drive the Exploder last night, standard tranny and really good tires even if it's only 2WD. D & D finally get S10 out of ditch and it slowly drives down the hill. D commences to WALK UP the hill, gets into 4WD and they drive back DOWN the hill. WTF??? TDOT makes first run up hill while 4WD gets in behind me. Guess 4WD couldn't make it up the hill w/o the salt but had to wait for his buddy to walk up and try before coming down and making a fresh run. Sheesh. Dude, it's ice now courtesy of your dumb @ss, you should have just followed your buddy to start with and the salt truck would have gotten through like, say, 15 minutes sooner and I HAVE TO PEE!! Well, TDOT finishes 2 passes and stops by me, lets me know to wait for them to turn back around and they'll make sure I get up the hill. D & D don't wait, they just run up the freshly salted hill and disappear from my sight. Good thing. I waited for TDOT, dropped the Exploder into 1st and got rolling without sliding, caught 2nd and talked her up the hill without further drama. I got home last night @ 1:30. Some people are just STOOPID.

You've been in Tennessee long enough to expect that kind of crap out of idiots, Ginny. You shouldn't be surprised. Did your back teeth start to float? LOL

Rube, I expect idiocity, but this went above and beyond the call of duty. If you're going to attempt a rescue with a 4WD, at least make it bigger than the vehicle you're trying to pull out. I thought that was a rule even the stupider than average redneck dumbass learned.

Back teeth were still ok, but it was getting close!

I've seen some pretty successful rescues done by tiny rescue vehicles... My Taurus was saved from red clay by a geo tracker... I'll save that story for later though...

And look at the weather, on Thursday (unless it's changed) we're supposed to be on the bottom edge of MORE crap! Yay. NOT.

Oh yeah, it's supposed to get nasty around here tomorrow... The governor called a state of emergency(I think)... It's rained all day, (creeks are flooding) and it's supposed to snow like 8" sometime between now and tomorrow...

We're getting sleet as I type. Fortunately the drive home tonight was cake. Sleet/freezing rain/snow until late morning. May not go to work, we'll see what the roads look like. With the drive I have to make, I won't risk it if it's bad.

About the last year I lived in upstate NY around the finger lakes area I drove home in a horrible snow storm through an officially closed road (I found out later) with door open on my pick up truck looking down at the road lines to make sure I was on the road. Could not see past the front of the thing out the windshield.
Don't miss those days at all.
And If I want snow, I can drive to see it.
But few places are as pretty as the finger lakes area of NY state.

Personally, I'm tired of looking at snow...

We got lucky here in MI cause it only got real cold and not too much snow,oops I used a four letter swear word again. Soon it will be warm and all will be forgotten

Ok, spring is Friday. The last couple days have been gorgeous. So long as this is the trend, I'm done bitchin' for a while...at least until next winter!

Oh, and the first day of spring also coincides with the anniversary of my birth. I'll officially be an antique!0

Yeah, it was beautiful the last few days, and I've been cooped up in a factory... Was sorely tempting to call in sick since it's supposed to be cold and rainy on my days off...