What Are Your Annual Winter Preparations in Your Area?

hearlady

hearlady

Homebody
Location
N Carolina
In this part of NC our winter is from about late Dec to mid Feb so not much prep besides disconnecting hoses. Some garden prep.
I grew up in New England where we definitely prepped for long winters.
I noticed, I think, @Jules , was getting winter tires (chains?). Never heard of that.
I'm curious what kinds of things you do in your areas to get ready for winter.
 

Mostly for me, it's blizzard and/or power outage prep. That would include making sure there are things in the pantry that could be eaten without power, and extra water on hand. Check supply of candles. I just bought a portable propane heater after last year's 18 hour outage, so I made sure there are some canisters for it. Service snow blower.
 
I disconnect the hose and drain it, but leave one length available for washing cars through the winter. As long as the hose is well drained, it can stay out.

Get the window AC units out. (Today?)

Put up panels and clear vinyl in the 2-season porch (done).

Firewood for next year (done)

Finish insulating around the 4x8 window unit I put in this summer. And finish with drywall and trim. (Work on today)
 
Window screen and window cleaning, blow out water lines for garden irrigation, drain outdoor hose bibs, blow water out of pressure washer pump and lawn sprayer, fill a couple of pails with sand, make sure the snowblower is up to snuff, prep lawn equipment for storage, plant flower bulbs, til some mulch into flower bed soil, dethatch and overseed lawn, clean clothes dryer duct, put out driveway markers, check water pressure tank diaphragm pressure, pump up tires on the bicycles that are on trainers. That is some of my list. Not in order, just the way it popped into my head.
Today I will vacuum the leaves and cut down the overgrowth on the edges of my property. I have spring bulbs and wild roses that grow on the edges.
I'll also put up Christmas lights while the weather is still warm. I hate putting up lights when it is freezing cold.
 
Get patio stuff brought in or covered. Lay in some small firewood and kindling in a plastic lawn barrel because sometimes I'll go out and make a small metal "firepit" fire when winds aren't bitter.

Tire studs and chains are pretty restricted here because of the damage they do. Some people will mount snow tires, most most get by on all-season tires today. This varies with the expected levels of snow and ice which tend to have different extremes in different parts of the State.

I get the snowblower and shovels ready for deployment, spraying some surfaces with anti-cling silicone spray. Make sure I have some ice-melt salt and fill a plastic coffee can up halfway with a plastic cup as scoop inside, seal with the lid. I use the salt sparingly, and doling it out of the coffee can helps me meter it.

Make sure I have a blanket and extra hat and gloves and "rug" in the car after checking my emergency lights/flashlights for good batteries and operation. The rug is handy if you end up with a flat! Put my universal (I use it for leaf handling in the fall as well as winter snow) D-handle plastic scoop shovel in the back of the car (hatchback).
 
We get out the socks and perhaps move the flip-flops down to the second level of the shoe rack, where they'll still be easy to find.

The jeans will be moved to a more accessible drawer in the dresser and half of the shorts will be stored on a shelf in the closet.

One swimsuit will be kept out for the monthly trip to the beach.

The fall wreath will be hung on the door, provided it hasn't melted in the garage over the summer.

There will be some elbow-length t-shirts hanging in the closets along with the short-sleeved ones along with a couple of hooded sweatshirt jackets in case the windchill factor gets below 65.

The Christmas ornaments will come out of storage, in wait for the day after Thanksgiving and the hunt for the "perfect" Christmas card will begin.

Floridians start saying, "Cold enough for ya?" as soon as the thermometer reaches 67.
 
Last edited:
Book an appointment at the GM dealership to swap the summer tires and rims, for the winter tires and rims. Buy a 4 liter jug of windshield anti freeze, swap the summer wiper blades for the winter rubber coated blades and wiper arms. Put scraper and snow brush in trunk. Have the service man swap the central air conditioning system to the gas furnace, and fire it up and check the thermostat settings. Bring out the winter boots and coats, and pack away the summer clothes.

Pick up some big brown paper bags to put the garden flowers and cuttings in, for pick up by the city trucks in November. Put snow shovels at front porch and side door. Place ice melter in bags next to snow shovels. Take down patio umbrella, stack and cover outdoor chairs and table. Put winter over coat on outside air conditioner unit. Wash ground floor windows and glass entrance door windows.

Have a coffee. JIM.
 
Living in an apartment I don't have much to do. But I cover my air conditioner and as much of the other windows as I can because that is where cold air comes in. I have canned foods that do not have to be cooked. I also have a Hydro Heat cooker if I had to cook or heat water (for coffee) or something.
 
The outside ornaments come in and chairs are stacked on the porch.
Window cleaned and screens come off most windows. It makes the rooms so much brighter.
Outside water lines have been blown and lines drained.
The AC unit is covered.
Things like snow shovels are on their hooks in the garage already.
Snow brush will go in car trunk and emergency kit reviewed. Antifreeze, etc checked.
Heavier weight clothes are already in rotation.
Boots are waterproofed. Heaviest coats, scarves are ready to go.
The furnace is inspected on the third or fourth year. The screens are inspected regularly since the AC blows through the central system.
The air vents are vacuumed.
Gutters will be cleaned in the spring.
They’re probably other little things that DH has on his spreadsheet.
Final thing is to put the heavy mats down inside the floor to catch the snow or wet from outside when we step in. It’s the definite sign that the warm season is over.
 
People take a lot of preparatory measures here because the winters are so brutal. The only thing I can remember from back when I was in a house was that we had to make sure the snow blower was prepped and ready to go and that we had the lawn sprinklers blown out before the first freeze.

Now that I'm in an apartment, most of my prep involves the car, such as ensuring the battery is new enough to survive the extremely low temperatures. And I make sure my car has supplies for travel, which means a complete car kit that includes jumper cables, flares, reflective triangles, etc. I also have a collabsible shovel, road salt, and blankets. Winters are not something to mess with up here; a breakdown on the highway could be fatal. The highways are desolate—it's not like in more urban areas, where there is an exit every mile or so. Most of the interstate exits here say "No Services."

When my kids got their cars I made sure they have all of the necessary winter items as well.
 

You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top