Preparing for Winter 2023/24

[Yorkshire Andy]

Well it's something daft like 12 weeks to Christmas

So after that sinks in how are people planning to withstand the winter????

Few weather sites hinting at El Niño upsetting the jet stream in various guises / predictions about cold / snow chances ... One to watch

The dark nights and mornings are setting in now good and proper and end of this month the clocks go back....



So what are your prepping plans for the run upto winter?

[Yorkshire Andy]

Well I'll start now I'm home...

Spare parts ordered for back up diesel heater nothing major but needs doing ,

Had the gas lanterns out tonight and test run them in the garden

Fans out away for the winter and the dehumidifier pulled out ready

Air vents cleaned out


Tumble drier stripping and hoovered out

Boiler serviced

[PreppingSu]

Heating oil tank was filled during the summer at the cheaper price. We are quite frugal with it so should last a year.
We have enough chopped wood for 3 years and once we start using the wood that is ready (we'll sèasoned) we have more to add to the pallets.
Dehumidifiers x2 run constantly as the house is quite damp and therefore filters get cleaned regularly.
Large snow shovels were bought last year.
No outside pipes to worry about.

But this reminds me to check the nearby salt/grit bin as the hill road we are on is treacherous in ice and snow.

Also need de-icer for the car.

[Yorkshire Andy]

But this reminds me to check the nearby salt/grit bin as the hill road we are on is treacherous in ice and snow.

Also need de-icer for the car.

I think the council must have got pis Ahem ... Annoyed by me constantly reporting the grit bin being empty when they stopped refilling I took it up with our local councillor who's our milk man who comes round at 3am and sided with me that the road gets lethal.. past couple of years they started gritting the whole road I still bang a few "it's empty" reports in to keep them on their toes over winter so they don't forget me I don't late on now having got no end of abuse for doing it from teenagers to adults the bus drivers seem to appreciate it usually get a thumbs up. One hung back the other year In the snow to keep me safe and told me to use plenty the council can afford it

Watch the deicer was in B&M and the like spotted the price of the stuff £4.00 a blooming can for 600ml penistone and halts stuff... Local Wilco motorsave £2.99 for penistone Holt's £2.50 .. I'm fast falling out of love with the "bargain" chain stores unless your very careful your getting your leg lifted on most stuff vs the supermarkets / specific shops.

Not that I'm flapping too much I've got a good stock in a Hessian bag for life in the shed usually bought cheap in the spring when the supermarkets have a clear out and about 15 litres of winter -20 screenwash I bought a 20 litre jerry can 2 years ago from our local trade factors using a bit of cheek got it at trade price via our works account and paid cash

[deckard]

I've been sorting out some cctv cameras, one at the back of the house, and I've another to put up at the front. It's a bit of a pain routing the cables to them, so I've decided to put them at just above ground floor ceiling height, ideally I'd have them up on the gable end of the wall. Still something is better than nothing, hopefully a bit of a deterrent on the darker evenings. I may get some wifi ones later to go higher up later

I've been making sure we've batteries charged, the solar in the shed still doing that fine this time of year along with a couple of kettle boils a week now I added another panel on the roof.

Replenished the small stock of bistro gas cannisters, as we used up our stock camping in the summer. Also rotated out some of the canned food and stored water.

When I look at those preps, they seem weedy and futile, but better than nothing I guess.

Took the wifes car for an MOT at Kwik Fit, gasp, I know, but we left it too late and were in a bind; needed an arb droplink replacing, they quoted £166 something or other, 68 of which was for allignment. I would have let them do it as well as to be honest I just couldn't be arsed, but once they started telling me the alignment was "compulsory" told them to spin on it. Arb link should make little difference. £13.99 for the pattern part, bit of petrol for the trip to eurocarparts and 45 minutes of grumbling and it was done. Took it back and they waved the retest fee. Still lesson reinforced to avoid those gits.

[deckard]

I like this thread, its a good reminder I need to pick up some screenwash and salt for the drive.

[Yorkshire Andy]

Me and dad know a chap who was a branch manager at poofit ... he was told by higher powers to find £300 of chargeable repairs on any car through the door.. he resigned shortly after....


I had them fit the wrong size tyre years ago then accused me of telling them the wrong size... Now at this point I went from the polite please and thank you to the snarling mechanical engineer in a blink banging the same bit of paper on the counter that I went in with with the correct size clearly written on it ... The manager backed away from the counter .. I'll tolerate a mistake but to be blamed for their incompetence well I wasn't having that I stood over them the second time as he refitted the wheel the stern 85nm don't you dare just blast it on with the windy gun . Took him a few minutes to find a torque wrench ... Had a Saturday job at my uncles tyre firm as a teenager I know the game ..

I now use a independent mobile man he's spot on

[Medusa]

Oil tank filled, wood, kindling and firelighters stocked up, large and small battery banks charged, stocks of de-icer and screen wash, OTC meds stocked up, batteries and re-chargeable batteries stocked up. We have extra quilts, hot water bottles and woollen blankets. Have about 3 months worth of food stored, extra water, candles, lamp oil and lamps/battery powered lanterns and additional ways of cooking should we need it. New fire extinguisher and fire blanket, CCTV recorder recently replaced and security alarm serviced. Topping up the jerry cans of diesel tomorrow. More prepared than some and much less than others

[Yorkshire Andy]

Oil tank filled, wood, kindling and firelighters stocked up, large and small battery banks charged, stocks of de-icer and screen wash, OTC meds stocked up, batteries and re-chargeable batteries stocked up. We have extra quilts, hot water bottles and woollen blankets. Have about 3 months worth of food stored, extra water, candles, lamp oil and lamps/battery powered lanterns and additional ways of cooking should we need it. New fire extinguisher and fire blanket, CCTV recorder recently replaced and security alarm serviced. Topping up the jerry cans of diesel tomorrow. More prepared than some and much less than others

I've lost my snuckpak jungle blanket my little lad jas decided it's his now and refuses to use his duvet

Check the extinguisher and blanket is kitemarked if not return them

Tomorrow I'll replenish my stocked water in the 20l ibc jerry cans ..

And need some more cold and flu tablets

[deckard]

Me and dad know a chap who was a branch manager at poofit ... he was told by higher powers to find £300 of chargeable repairs on any car through the door.. he resigned shortly after....


I had them fit the wrong size tyre years ago then accused me of telling them the wrong size... Now at this point I went from the polite please and thank you to the snarling mechanical engineer in a blink banging the same bit of paper on the counter that I went in with with the correct size clearly written on it ... The manager backed away from the counter .. I'll tolerate a mistake but to be blamed for their incompetence well I wasn't having that I stood over them the second time as he refitted the wheel the stern 85nm don't you dare just blast it on with the windy gun . Took him a few minutes to find a torque wrench ... Had a Saturday job at my uncles tyre firm as a teenager I know the game ..

I now use a independent mobile man he's spot on

I'm no mechanical engineer, I'm a database administrator - and I look like it, but I've grown up taking things apart, and doing work myself, these days it's time I do not possess - I'd happily pay for someones time, but I hate being hoodwinked.

I think theres a lot of them at it, to be honest, things are getting tighter and they try it on. I've strugged to find a decent local independent too, last one I took it in for a replacement caliper, and he added a charge for cleaning all my brake calipers up, but blatently hadn't touched them, challenged him and he took the charges off. It was a similar scenario tbh, in a rush because we were off on holiday. Once the work had been done we set off, but stopped for lunch half way and one of my back wheels was boiling. I ended up in a Sainsbury's car park stripping them down and cleaning them up, they were filthy and both rears dragging. Will try another local indy mext time, im sure there's some good ones.

I'm in half a mind to think sh*tfit split the gators on the ball joints on purpose to fail it. Alas I neglected to inspect them beforehand. Oh and they managed to pop the bonnet release catch out of its socket too, just left it hanging. Tw*ts.