Staying warm this winter 2022

[Straight Shooter]

Yes I get it MB ! ……I bang on about harvesting trees and processing them for firewood , it’s become integral to our way of life , the same go's for growing our own vegetables and fruit amongst other small game , BUT fear not mate
I have been slowing up over the past few years and fast reaching a time where I will be asking you to move over and make room for me ! After all that’s the natural progression for all of us ! ……the motivation is still strong ! However the body is slow and tired and the addition of medical complications thrown into the mix ! So we do what we do and do what we can for as long as we can ! …..the day we fail to do that is the day we move on …….but we will not go quietly will we ! .

[Straight Shooter]

Been splitting logs this morning just about a cords worth , topped up more lpg bottles this week so we are ready for what ever winter throws our way ….. going colder these past few days , I renewed the seals on the wood burning stove ……it’s much more efficient and running great ! Thinking about buying one of those diesel heaters after reading up reports on the net ……anyone on here have one ? .

[Mortblanc]

I just looked out the window and saw a huge flight of geese, a half dozen V formations, circling low looking for open water. That is scarce right now, anything liquid is frozen.

The temp got up to -13c a few minutes ago and I had to turn the heat down. Yesterday I woke to see -27c on the gauge and 50mph wind gusts to give a wind chill of -60c. The temp never go above -25c all day and the wind remained at 20mph for the entire day. I never got the inside temp up to 15 all day.

At that temperature the laws of physics and the nature of home heating advertisement changes. It is almost impossible to generate enough heat to overcome the outside temp intrusion even with good insulation and a powerful furnace. You often crank everything you have to full up and still watch the inside temp fall while you stand there helplessly.

It does not matter what kind of heat, backup heat, or emergency heat you have, you simply can not keep the temp up to comfort level and barely up to survival level and that is with all utilities in place and working.

Over heating chimney pipes, flue liners and shorting out electrical cords for small heaters is common at these temps and houses burn down in a snap. The fire brigade could not even reach my place if needed, the roads are impassable.

Above -27c, our 0 F, you can keep things going well enough. Below -27 you are fighting things you never visualized.

I am fully insulated, sealed, wrapped and physically protected. My water system is protected, wrapped and "winter proof". However! When the temp is low enough that one can throw a pot of boiling water into the air and have it freeze before it touches the ground imagine sewage running through a sewer pipe at that same temp. If the trip from appliance to underground is more than 2-3 meters that sewage is going to freeze in the pipe before it dives underground. An ice plug is forming with each use.

Crawl spaces that usually are protected are vulnerable in this weather. Most people have sewer lines that run under the floor for several meters before connecting to the main. Ask me how I know!

The one thing I failed to check was the sewer, heating lines. No shower for me until the thaw arrives.

[Straight Shooter]

We have started the year catching up with close friends , some we have not seen in a while , most of our friends come from a middle class background , a range of business types , lecturers , farmers , scientists , solicitors, factory floor workers, computer programmers , plumbers , electricians , carpenters , plasterers , welders , and labourers ….not least ! …..in most all cases the pandemic that lasted a couple of years and now inflation along with price increases have taken their toll on life styles of the majority ….all have had to make some adjustments and are starting to cut back in some shape or form and for the most part they no longer go out to eat ….or drink that much these days ..there again their age group is confined from 64 to 89 years old .

Case 1 …..mid class
We do not use the gas central heating much , we use just one bar on the gas fire to heat up the lounge for about two hours , we turn on ( the one radiator in the hallway from 5pm till 8pm most nights ) all other radiators are turned off ! We have bought an electric blanket to heat up the bed and warm our jim jams and turn it off just before we get into bed …..hearing this we were shocked to the core ! .

Case 2 mid class
We just put the oil central heating on low , just to take the chill off ! We put on a few layers it’s not that bad , anyway you get used to it after a while ! After a few hours we turn it off ……of a evening we burn some logs in the open fire or we will use the infrared radiant heater for a bit !

I could go on , but you get the picture ! …….All are unsure and worried where all this is leading and uncertainty is creeping in everywhere , most all are keeping a close eye on events here in the UK , and unfolding global events , and ALL are waking up to the fact that we have been had ! .

Some actually think we will pull out of all this crap by summer and things will be back to normal soon after, F M and they are serious !

Some are in denial , there’s nothing wrong they are doing great ! Thank you very much .

So what are your friends saying to you ! .

[bigpaul]

We dont really have much to do with other people apart from family, other people really have nothing in common with us, they are all snowflake sheeple and dont have a clue.
anyone who thinks things will get back to normal are stupid. things havent been normal since before the pandemic and never will be the same again.
most institutions and companies seem to have gone the woke and trans route and you have to be careful what you say, in public at least. the world has gone nuts but they havent realised it yet.