Extreme Cold
Extreme Cold is here. The warnings are in place and it just seems to creep right into you bones. One of the headlines on the weather network’s website was “At Sea: It’s so cold, sharks are washing up and freezing”. Extreme cold affects everyone and everything.
Starting with your home. This kind of plummeting temperatures can wreak havoc on an unprepared home. Just last weekend I was helping a client at their cottage. They had a new faucet installed in the kitchen and we couldn’t figure out why there wasn’t water coming from the tap. We double checked every valve in the house. Eventually I said “maybe it’s frozen.” They said they would tinker with it and that they could handle it. I got a call in the morning saying that the pipe had burst in the middle of the night. This is a modern home but one pipe was a little too close to the outer wall, and in such extreme cold temperatures in locked up and popped Your home can take a beating in weather like this. Everything shrinks and cold air finds its way in. Your furnace (or other heat source) is working overtime causing extra stress on the whole system. Keep an eye on your water systems and heat sources. When the temperature drops and stays this low, the last thing you need is a catastrophic system failure. If you are away, employ someone to do regular checks of your property. Even condensation build up on your windows can lead to major issues.
Moving outdoors, items like your car, your snow blower, and other stored power equipment takes a beating. Adding a little SeaFoam to your gas tank will help the engine turn over and keep condensation out despite the extreme cold. Consider every rubber piece that any machine has, and keep in mind how brittle they can become when it’s 20 below outside. Make sure you are letting these machines warm up slowly before putting them to use. Including your car! Starting them up and putting them to work before they warm up is like you jumping straight out of bed and sprinting full speed. Expect a breakdown and make preparations. Having an Emergency Kit stored and ready in your car is invaluable.
Now what does this extreme cold do to your body? In short, it kills. On a small scale it dehydrates you faster and if you are breathing heavily it can lead to fluid buildup in the lungs. It extreme cases it can even freeze your eyes (corneas). Just like your snow blower, when you’re outside in dangerous sub-zero temperatures your body needs to work much harder to keep pace. When your core temperature drops, your blood moves away from your extremities to keep your essentials warm. Often people think their gloves or boots aren’t warm enough, but the truth is their core is dropping. Wear your toque, dress in layers, stay warm. We all know about frost bite, and if you don’t, just google it and you’ll make sure you dress for success.
Don’t let these drops in temperature creep up on you, and keep an eye on the wind-chill. The wind doesn’t actually drop the temperature (this is a myth), but it does make it feel much colder. Even if it’s only a few degrees below zero a strong wind can drop it down to 20 below. Stay warm this winter.