Preparing for winter II

Carolyntia

rising_from_the_ashes wrote: »

Pretty good list & depending on where you live it could be fine left at that .... My winter car kit is everything on your list, plus:

De-icer
Concentrated screen wash & funnel
Pump for tyres
Wellies & thick socks
Sleeping bag & several blankets
Carpet squares (use as mats but handy to put under wheels if you get stuck)
Torch & batteries
Couple of old mags
Box of tissues (& now a loo roll;))
Antibacterial hand wipes
Rope
Emergency whistle
Size larger than I need - thin waterproof jacket & trousers (easy to put on over whatever you've got on, even if you look like the michelin man!)
Walking stick (can be very hard going in deep snow/ice)
Huge bag of sand

Some of these may seem excessive but I mainly travel on very rural (often single track) roads so if I did get stuck, I'd likely be stuck for a while - not always able to get a mobile signal to get help either:(.

If I have to do a journey and it's really bad, I also take:

flask with hot drink
Camping stove & gas
Pan with lid
snacks/food for 24 hours (packets of pasta-n-sauce, flavoured rice etc as easily cooked on stove as well as biccies etc)
lots of bottled water
extra jumpers, change of trousers & socks etc
Spare pair of boots

If the dog's with me, I take some of his meal as well as making sure his water bottle's full (lives in car as does a bowl).

HTH

Great lists - I'd add just one thing more and that's some jump leads. Mine came in handy last year for getting people started in the staff car park. It might be worth getting your battery checked before we go into winter too

FairyPrincessk

pennib wrote: »

Did your room get frost on the inside of the windows FairypricessK? What would be the minimum temp? I use my machine on the end bedroom which is quite cold and can get damp if I let down my guard. Never had a problem with it...so far!

It did get frost sometimes, and my flat is very poorly insulated so within 2 hours of the heat going off it can be pretty uncomfortably cold. I think mine used to go into defrost mode for longer periods when it was between 16 and 17 in the flat, and it would really struggle below that. While most people keep their living space a little above that, unheated areas could easily be below that. Its possible that different ones are rated to work colder--but it should say on the box/description. The process many dehumidifiers use (condensing on coils) means they will be less effective the colder it is, so its something to look out for if your shopping/researching them.

Carolyntia

Afternoon preppers :wave:

Well due to the amber alert for windy weather in Scotland I've been out in the garden moving the furniture into a safe place and putting all the other stuff in the garage. I've also turned off the outside tap and drained it down - with the torrential rain we've got at the moment I doubt if I'll need it again this year.

I also nipped into Asda this morning and finished off my winter stocks....yes more toilet roll :rotfl:The freezer is stuffed too

Still haven't found any decent priced de-icer :mad:

Hopefully my flight to Bristol won't be cancelled on Monday....I'll see if I can find some in the south

Pips_Mum

I travel 80 miles a day for work so a car kit will be essesntial this year, thanks for the lists :-)

I just ordered 3 of these wind up radios with Torch from Mr Ts, figured they would be handy if I break down or am stuck in snow traffic. Also be good for powercuts in the house.

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.100-1369.aspx

They were only £3 but I used clubcard vouchers so got them for nothing:money: One will go in my car and one in OHs, 3rd I will pop into the Winter car kit I am doing my Uncle as a Christmas pressie.

Confuzzled

Rummer wrote: »

What items should I have in my car? Last year a few people were snowed in at my work and I was thinking the following would be useful to have ready either to get my car out or to make sure I am prepared to walk home :eek:. If you can think of other things or good suppliers please let me know:

• First aid kit - already in the car
• Folding snow shovel
• Spare hat, scarf and gloves
• Waterproof trousers
  
• Water
• Drink
• Snack bar
• Change for bus
• Scraper
• Blanket - foil/woolen or both?

I always have with me a fully charged mobile phone and in the winter I wear snow boots (proper not fashionable :rotfl:) and a waterproof ski jacket.

if you're worried you might get stuck at work might i add a pillow to the list? if you never need it at work you can bury your hands inside it for extra warmth whilst waiting to be rescued if you break down/get stuck in a snowstorm, or sit on it as most car interiors get really cold quickly.

for those that travel a lot i'd suggest one of those mini kettles with the car lighter attachment (well if your car still has one) you could boil up some of the water you keep with the kit and have a cuppa to soothe nerves and warm the core, maybe include a cuppa soup mix too

and very importantly something to urinate into, you do NOT want to get out in the worst of it, expose your body, let all the cold air into the car and undo all the warmth you've built up just cuz you need a wee, and yes ladies, this applies to you too, you CAN go into something smaller than a toilet, it may need to be bigger than a milk jug opening though (men, so lucky in the regard!) :eek::rotfl:

lickylonglips

does anyone know where the cheapest place to get traditional "sausage-type" draught excluders is, please? i am in blackpool btw

darkrev

I have just bought 5 car sun screens as radiator reflectors. the outside is foil and the other side is like a foam ( the kind you wrap fragile china in ) I just wanted to ask was this safe as radiators are a heat sourse( although I presume as they were originally to reflect the heat of the sun that they are ok ????? any thots


PS : thanks for all the inspiration every one xxx

bonnie_bumpkins

miss_corerupted wrote: »

my thermal lining curtains have arrived and my twin sided draft excluders (£1.99 ebay) these look very cheap but if they work who cares!! Just got to cut them to length now.

Hi - can I ask, did your ebay draft excluders come in a brown satin-type material?? And were there two inner tubes in the pouch? If so, I think I ordered the same and I'm not overly happy. Are you going to cut draft excluders to length? Mine are 3inches too long but I can't see anywhere on the seller's info that it is safe to cut (ie, won't shred or fray). My email enquiry has not yet been answered

Thanks!

CH27

We've put everything away from the garden so it doesn't blow away if we do get the hurricane winds.

annie123

bonnie_bumpkins wrote: »

Hi - can I ask, did your ebay draft excluders come in a brown satin-type material?? And were there two inner tubes in the pouch? If so, I think I ordered the same and I'm not overly happy. Are you going to cut draft excluders to length? Mine are 3inches too long but I can't see anywhere on the seller's info that it is safe to cut (ie, won't shred or fray). My email enquiry has not yet been answered

Thanks!

I posted the original link to them and cut mine down to fit with no problems.
remove a piece of foam from each side, chopped off 2" with a knife and put back, didn't need to alter the velcro as it's adjustable.
On my sons victorian doors they are just long enough, but as modern doors are narrower they need to be trimmed.