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