Deep snow - a couple of household safety tips

Shari said:

He's a couple of household tips from a Wisconsinite who has dealt with deep snow:

1. If you or anyone you know has one of those 'high efficiency' forced air furnaces, make sure to shovel out around the exhaust pipes if the pipe exits the side of the home.

2. Also shovel out around the vent of a clothes dryer vent if the snow is that deep.

You don't want the snow to block these vents.

Stay safe, everyone!

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I have both. The furnace pipe vent is high enough up that if it is covered in snow a new Ice Age has hit and I have bigger problems than the pipe vent. Already checked the dryer vent. Thanks, though!

Shari said:

He's a couple of household tips from a Wisconsinite who has dealt with deep snow:

1. If you or anyone you know has one of those 'high efficiency' forced air furnaces, make sure to shovel out around the exhaust pipes if the pipe exits the side of the home.

2. Also shovel out around the vent of a clothes dryer vent if the snow is that deep.

You don't want the snow to block these vents.

Stay safe, everyone!

Click to expand...

Thanks
Good tips.
Also the kitchen fan vent on the roof, specially the wet heavy snows, if you have one

How deep is your snow....
another tip for cleaning the snow off your NG meter....
http://www.xcelenergy.com/Minnesota...smetersclearoficeandsnow,XcelEnergyurges.aspx

Shari said:

He's a couple of household tips from a Wisconsinite who has dealt with deep snow:

1. If you or anyone you know has one of those 'high efficiency' forced air furnaces, make sure to shovel out around the exhaust pipes if the pipe exits the side of the home.

2. Also shovel out around the vent of a clothes dryer vent if the snow is that deep.

You don't want the snow to block these vents.

Stay safe, everyone!

Click to expand...

Great reminders Shari. Also applies to any roof vents now that many of us have 3ft. or more of snow on our roofs. Of course also applies to car exhaust pipes when people get stuck for hours in snow and the fumes get inside the vehicle. Be safe.
Ed

Second that on the roof vents.....folks here helped me figure out I had one blocked when all three toilets we have in the house wouldn't flush.

Thanks! Heading out soon to split some of my bigger pieces of wood down to size, will check the dryer vent. I KNOW it's probably burried.

Also one needs to be more careful when peeing outdoors in deep snow!

Thanks for this post. Just checked mine, which was fine, but discovered the dryer vent end was blocked with fuzz. Think I need to get one of those dryer vent snakes. Go through a lot of laundry with a 2 year old.

Yes dryer fires are always serious. I'm always surprised on the number of folks that start their dryers and just leave the house. It's like playing Russian roulette, most times no problem but...Be safe.
Ed

I am glad someone mentioned the roof vents too - as this can cause problems.

I remember a big storm we had back in 1977 and 79, & 83. My family managed a MH community with alot of seniors. Alot of the homes the snow went over the heat stack. This caused the pilot lights to snuff out and the homes went cold. Pipes froze and the snow was so deep, many could not get out their front doors due to drifts. I had so many service calls that day that required me to clean off the roof and get the pilots lit and heaters up and running again.

Last years big storm, my brother had to climb out a window to shovel out his front door. (Storm door opens out).

Anybody had to climb out a window this year?

No but I had to call into work a while back and let the the boss know someone had to come get me or I wasn't going to be able to make it. Told me just to stay home, no one wanted to drive 40 miles to my house.

Both cars parked in the garage, 4ft snow drift across the driveway a few feet from the door so no way in hell I was getting out. Truck was parked on the side of the garage and it wouldn't start, battery was dead. Jeep battery was dead as well. I didn't even dare pop the hood with the 70mph winds cause I'm pretty sure it would have flew off and never been seen again.

NATE379 said:

No but I had to call into work a while back and let the the boss know someone had to come get me or I wasn't going to be able to make it. Told me just to stay home, no one wanted to drive 40 miles to my house.

Both cars parked in the garage, 4ft snow drift across the driveway a few feet from the door so no way in hell I was getting out. Truck was parked on the side of the garage and it wouldn't start, battery was dead. Jeep battery was dead as well. I didn't even dare pop the hood with the 70mph winds cause I'm pretty sure it would have flew off and never been seen again.

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Dog sled? Snowmobile? Jeezh - that sounds wicked.

Great Tips. Thanks, Ill go home and check, I think mine are high enough where it should clear it. Great Tips nonetheless.

Yes - thanks for the thought. All my exit vents are high, but I have an OAK installed for my oil burner that just might be low enough to be of concern... going to go check after work. They way it is installed it would still run the oil burner I'm sure, but I don't know as it would be a very good idea.

Although I don't need that oil burned for heat, it is running for our hot water. Hate to have a cold shower you know

Backwoods Savage said:

Also one needs to be more careful when peeing outdoors in deep snow!

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Although it is easier to write your name!

-PB- said:

Backwoods Savage said:

Also one needs to be more careful when peeing outdoors in deep snow!

Click to expand...

Although it is easier to write your name!

Click to expand...

It all depends on the temperature & location:

One time, on a real cold day,
a guy peed off the back of the train going to Whitier, AK
it was so cold when the pee hit the ground,
it instantly froze
& jerked him right off the train. ;-P

bogydave said:

-PB- said:

Backwoods Savage said:

Also one needs to be more careful when peeing outdoors in deep snow!

Click to expand...

Although it is easier to write your name!

Click to expand...

It all depends on the temperature & location:

One time, on a real cold day,
a guy peed off the back of the train going to Whitier, AK
it was so cold when the pee hit the ground,
it instantly froze
& jerked him right off the train. ;-P

Click to expand...

now thats funny.

Yeah, I know that Whitier track

They can't use diesel locs because the diesel freezes up and when they tried to use electric locs instead the aboveground electric lines constantly collapsed because of the snowloads.

So then they borrowed an idea from the NY subway and put in a middle electric rail.

That's what really happened when that guy got jerked off the train with his fly open......

Don't believe all that nonsense about pee freezing that fast!!

I would love to see pics of all that snow. Az boy here I didn't see snow fall from the sky until i was 18 years old . I now have a place in central Az that see's snow a fair amount of time in the winter . Believe it or not I am jealous of all the snow . I love snow

PyMS said:

Yeah, I know that Whitier track

They can't use diesel locs because the diesel freezes up and when they tried to use electric locs instead the aboveground electric lines constantly collapsed because of the snowloads.

So then they borrowed an idea from the NY subway and put in a middle electric rail.

That's what really happened when that guy got jerked off the train with his fly open......

Don't believe all that nonsense about pee freezing that fast!!

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It's #1 diesel, could you imagine him peeing on an electric rail, getting jerked off then electrocuted
Talk about a good/bad day, eh?

FYI
2 or 3 short tunnels thru the Mts, , it was built in WWII, Secret sub fueling/supply base, with a fuel pipeline.
Now paved road goes thru, open certain times to vehicles, certain times for trains (toll $20 or so, boat & trailers extra)
Access to Prince William sound.

We got two messages from the Town Alert system. They were automated messages stating exactly what the OP said. Let's hope people pay attention because it can be deadly.

the old Frank Zappa classic comes to mind..........

Dreamed I was an eskimo
Frozen wind began to blow
Under my boots and around my toes
The frost that bit the ground below
It was a hundred degrees below zero...

And my mama cried
And my mama cried
Nanook, a-no-no
Nanook, a-no-no
Don't be a naughty eskimo
Save your money, don't go to the show

Well I turned around and I said oh, oh oh
Well I turned around and I said oh, oh oh
Well I turned around and I said ho, ho
And the northern lights commenced to glow
And she said, with a tear in her eye
Watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow
Watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow