Extreme Cold and the problems that come with it!

We are sitting here in -38ºC or -36.4ºF with a wind chill of -49ºC or -56.2ºF for the past 2 days and the problems that occur are vehicle won't start. I started working a job and preventative measure that I usually would do have been pushed aside like starting all the engines of the generator and ATC every week and letting them run for 30 minutes. With working a job close to home means short runs to and from work which is hard on a vehicle. Yesterday the truck would not start, I went to pull the generator over to the truck to plug it in and the generator would not start because I haven't started it in a month. Door to the shed area were frozen closed, Thank god I made the door out of a thinner wood so they bent a bit to allow me to get in.
Foolish me going out side to start the truck did were a hat and by the time I got the long extension cord out of the shed and the truck plugged in my ears were so cold they burnt from the cold coming in from outside. I was lucky they didn't get frost bitten. This cold snap was a surprise and came on with very little notice plus working I wasn't following the weather as I normally do.
talk about getting caught out in the cold. In the coming year when spring hit i think we need to relocate to some were that we can add an extension to the 5th wheel so we can have the wood stove up and running it would save a lot on propane and electricity for heat. Plus you don't need to be concerned if the power goes out for a period of time. The only power you need to run a wood stove if man power to get the wood and stoke the fire. Plus we need to remember t plug the vehicles in when the cold weather starts to appear. It may cost a little more for electricity but it's better than not having a vehicle that doesn't run. Will also have to if the doors of the shed put a higher threshold and doors that don't go down to close to the ground. Lessons we learn as we go along, could have been worse and thank god they weren't.
Weather man says it is supposed to start warming up -21ºC or -5.8ºF today and tomorrow -9ºC or 15ºF and Tuesday -1ºC or 30.2ºF relief for a couple day. Bring on the heat wave we can use some bathing suit weather!

I will add my side to this

I have started 2 new jobs, the first one is an hour away and on the highway long drives in the bitter cold and dark. I need to get an emergency bag put in to the jeep, but again as above time is a factor. One day at the morning job I was asked along with my crew trainer to go move some snow, I was not equipped but did so anyways, in a matter of a few minutes my fingers were frozen, we did go back in and warm up and then back out(another crew member offer me their warmer gloves) always in colder weather carry a thick pair of skido gloves, you never know when you will need them. I have been fortunate the nothing has really happen along the bare stretch of road I have to drive and I find many other vehicles along that part of the highway in the morning, so in an emergency I am sure someone would stop, I know I would stop to help someone.
We are both tired with the extra hours and such we have been putting in to these jobs, our survival skills and preps for shtf have been literally put on hold.

I am cutting back on hours from the first job, I was offered full time but I find the drive to long, and I leave the first job and drive the hour back to go to the second job. Not much sleep and this ole body keeps screaming at me.

We will try and up date as we go forward

Sounds like your plan just needs a little fine tuning.

Perhaps you might consider a heated oil dipstick and/or a magnetic oil pan heater for the generator and ATC as well ?

I realize that it's not really a great idea to leave those heaters plugged in much of the time - and it can be a pain in the neck to remember to plug them in when extreme cold weather is coming. However, I'm pretty sure you could find some sort of 'low temperature sensor switch' that automatically turns the power on when the temperature drops below a certain setting ... think along the lines of the temp sensor switch used in "plumbing heat tape" or something similar (maybe some sort of industrial-type thermostat could be adapted?).

Here's something else to consider ... Ice Storm scenario.
We had a nasty overnight winter storm here in 2008, covering everything with a layer of ice two inches thick. One of my elderly neighbors was literally trapped inside his mobile home. I had to use an axe to chop through the ice in order to get a door open for him so he could stay with us for a while. Due to road conditions, there was no way any emergency services could have gotten to our location easily ... and power was out for 14 days. We were okay though, having natural gas for heating and cooking and a dual-fuel generator for power to pump water.



Kelee - When you make that emergency bag, be sure to include a few extra blankets. Although you're probably prepared well enough for cold weather travel, many people simply are not. They go from their warm houses ... to their warm vehicles .. to their warm inside jobs wearing inadequate "cool weather" jackets or coats. Then, when they have a problem on the road, they soon find out how unprepared they really are.

Ozark right now my jeep is filled with daughters stuff, and yup lots of blankets and sheets...