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Lessons you will learn living in a snowy place

eukaryotewritesblog.com

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Re: Lessons you will learn living in a snowy place

#41

> In the first really heavy winter storm of the year, your power might go off. This is understandable Having lived in Norway most of my 40+ years on this earth, I can with some confidence say that this is not an universal truth. I don’t think I’ve experienced any power interruption of over 1 hour in winter ever, and it’s been at least 5 years since the last time. Yes it snows here. A lot.

Those of us with above ground power lines especially not in cities experience power outages. Particularly when it's near freezing and there's significant ice accumulation.

We have above ground power lines in the nordics too. They are just built to handle our climate.

Re: Lessons you will learn living in a snowy place

#42

> In the first really heavy winter storm of the year, your power might go off. This is understandable Having lived in Norway most of my 40+ years on this earth, I can with some confidence say that this is not an universal truth. I don’t think I’ve experienced any power interruption of over 1 hour in winter ever, and it’s been at least 5 years since the last time. Yes it snows here. A lot.

Those of us with above ground power lines especially not in cities experience power outages. Particularly when it's near freezing and there's significant ice accumulation.

In the Nordics it's very rare. There were power outages this year that lasted for more than 24h for some customers. So naturally there was a public inquiry into how the power companies let that happen.

Re: Lessons you will learn living in a snowy place

#43
24. Check your attic. If snow blows in there because your roof is damaged then it will melt and slowly turn your entire house into fungi. The damage to your roof can be so tiny you wouldn't spot it and your attic could still fill up during a snow storm.

It should frankly be nr 1. At least if you ask any Scandinavian dad.

Re: Lessons you will learn living in a snowy place

#44
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trees fall down due to combination of heavy snow and wind. They probably don't cut sufficiently around power lines. It is extra bad if the ground hasn't frozen properly yet. In some places it may be cheaper to dig down the cable than facing storms.

But why are power lines above ground in the first place?

Just to add, a lot of the midwestern USA is very swampy.

Re: Lessons you will learn living in a snowy place

#45
post #22

Something about the tone of the article just makes me want to write a retort / criticism instead of praising the advice. Maybe it’s because it feels like an incomplete list or that it’s too generalized but written like the author has learned it all. For example, no mention of learning when and what to do to avoid frozen pipes. Or how to fix things when it happens. Also, shoveling snow isn’t that hard if you have the…

It's not really meant to be advice. It's the author's own experience, ironically written as if it were advice.

For example:

"You did bleach ten gallons of well water for long-term storage already earlier in the year, right? Good."

This is sarcasm, because the author did not do that.

Re: Lessons you will learn living in a snowy place

#46
post #5

A lot of this seems to deal with unreliable electricity infrastructure and effects thereof. Is it just normal in the US and people in warmer places don't mind so much, or does it somehow correlate with snow?

I grew up in Canadian snowbelt (Great Lakes) and never lost power. If there is an ice storm - then we all freak out. I'm not saying it can't happen if a lot of snow falls and then there is wind but we lose power in summer more often from squirrels trying to nest in transformers. The biggest blackout I experienced was in Toronto in a summer heatwave.

Re: Lessons you will learn living in a snowy place

#47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it's icy there's no difference at all. The only tyres that do anything on ice are the ones with spikes or chains. If it's snowy a good modern all weather tyre can hold its own, but will brake a few feet later than a good winter tyre. In all other conditions a good all weather is a lot better than winter tyres, and pretty close to a good summer tyre.

You must live in Florida or be a terrible driver. The difference between winter and all seasons is very apparent.

Just pointing out - a lot of snowy areas are very aggressive about plowing (and salting). For most people this is probably like "don't drive tomorrow" and not some need for knobby snow tires.

Re: Lessons you will learn living in a snowy place

#48
I've spent the past month in the mountains in Ukraine, and it's been as low as -18ºC at times. Terrorists from russia have repeatedly knocked out power generation, and so on many days we have very little access to electricity in the house. Today we have 15.5 hours without power.

During the day, we'll be somewhere where they have a generator. At night, it's cold. But you can somewhat prepare for this. Two or three layers of duvets and blankets, paired with a hot water bottle somewhere in the middle of the bed under the covers will get you through the night.

Re: Lessons you will learn living in a snowy place

#49
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those of us with above ground power lines especially not in cities experience power outages. Particularly when it's near freezing and there's significant ice accumulation.

We have above ground power lines in the nordics too. They are just built to handle our climate.

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