Big snow storm/freeze prep

Now that is a really great idea.

 

I put instant Coffee on the list just in case. We have a Propane stove so I can heat water. Have a French press in case. Will run generator if needed. But thebinsrant is the 3rd or 4th degree backup if you will.... And an 'easy button' to a degree.

We also have my dad here riding it out, so it's another option for him. We make full test stand up by itself Coffee, they used to make dirty water looking coffee....

 

How did you end up insulating your well?

 

If you end up losing power after the snow storm, don't waste your clean jug water on things like flushing the toilets, you have all the water you need in the snow. When it's the light, powdery snow, it takes a lot to eventually fill something like a stock pot with actual melted snow, but just keep a pot on the wood stove and refill it with snow and you'll have plenty of free water. If you're worried about possible contaminants in the melted snow water if using it for something like washing dishes or cooking pasta, just bring it to a boil for several minutes. Fresh snow gives you all the free water you need and allows you to keep the jug water for drinking.

 

Yessah. That would be the plan. Melted snow goes in the toilet. Water jugs for drinking.

Propane grill top can be used in addition to woodstove top.


There's also the yellow/mellow brown/down scenarios.

 

Today I filled the bathtub up so if power goes out at least we can flush the poop. We can always melt snow if needed.

 

Forgot to post. I got that done evening before last just st dark. Couldn't find Straw bales, so used some square bales out of the barn. Wrapped double layer of plastic over well and secured with old orange baling twine, stacked hay around and on top, and covered that with a tarp. More recycled baling twine pieces and big hunks of wood to hold down.



I'd been meaning to ask... What do people who don't have any orange baling twine do??

 

They use blue baling twine.

 

Ha! Don't know about the orange part, but twine in general...I guess they go to the hardware and spend a lot on rope!
Get to thinking about it, I do have some orange twine hanging out by the wood pile right now...I guess you can take the boy off the farm, but you can't take the farm outta the boy!
Twine, and empty large dog/cat food bags...so handy for so many things! Industrial strength trash bags, tractor seat covers...well, except for my neighbor, many of his tractor seat pads are so bad that he sits on empty pizza boxes stuffed with dog/cat food bags! Don't knock it til you try it...I borrowed his mini excavator a while back and it had a pizza box seat pad...it wasn't half bad either!

 

Ton of things get 'fixed' around here with the orange twine after it's cut off square or round bales. Gates/panels get tied shut, even fence gets emergency tied up with the orange. The sides of the tarp that I've got over the kubota utv are tied down to the frame bottom with the twine. I brought in a big handful and put in a box on the porch in case I need it during the storm.

 

Yep, there's enough of it off of round bales that we end up throwing a lot of it away, already having stashes of it in every conceivable place it might come in handy. And you definitely don't want to leave it in the field. Orange would be easier to see, but we've always used blue. It sure does come in handy, and you don't have to feel bad about cutting it up or using a lot of it for a job.

 

I think I got hay from someone a few years ago that used the blue, but usually see the orange around here. And you're right about not wanting to leave it in the field...its not fun to have to cut it from around mower shafts and axles etc.... But like you have it stashed all over for reuse, and throw tons of it away.

 

I'd usually use bungee cords. Not the ones that stretch a lot, but the ones that are more like hard rubber and just stretch a little. However, that only works if you have something to connect underneath. I also keep rope in the back of my Explorer in case I need to transport something too big and I have to leave the hatch open. I most likely have some in the basement too - but would have to hunt for that. Oh, and I also have tie downs from when I had a trailer.

I've used shrink wrap around the tarp over pallets of pellets before and still have a bunch that would wrap that right up.

6 tons of pellets tarped, bungeed and shrink wrapped:



I'm not a farmer, so don't usually have twine.

 

Hey y'all, not really prep related, but make sure that any exhaust vents are clear of snow and ice.

 

So this is going to sound silly to folks who've never used poly twine for a thousand things.... But I think it's so useful, that it would be worth someone who didn't have 'normal access' to it, buying a roll. A rol would last someone a looong time, and isn't that costly for how much it is and the uses.

 

Yup...lifetime supply!
CountyLine 16,000 ft. Brazilian Baler Twine, 2-Pack at Tractor Supply Co

 

Most of the baling twine I see is blue. The square bales of alfalfa I buy are wire tied.

 

Most of it around here is the orange, but I have seen a little blue...and maybe a greenish one...other than the old school tan sisal twine, still a good bit of that around on small square bales. See very little wire around here.

 

Wow, I assume you mean metal wire? Wonder why they use that over poly? While some metal wire like that would be ha dy to have around and reuse as well, seems like that be a pain and lot of waste of metal to deal with.