Frigid!

[altivo]

Yes, I know, a few of you survive worse on a regular basis, but even for one who grew up in Michigan, this is too cold. Especially so this early in the winter. Normally we descend to these depths or below only in January or February. It was 3°F when I got up this morning, and continued to drop until it reached zero. By sunset it was all the way up to 9°F but immediately started dropping again. Wind chills bottomed out at around -15.

The horses are amazingly tolerant. They act as if it were perfectly normal, more or less. Of course they've grown pretty fuzzy by now and will get even furrier over the next few weeks as a result of these cold levels. The sheep are well-protected now, though I'd think their skinny little legs would get frostbit.

Came home from lunch and a little shopping to find that the geothermal heat pump was "stuck". Gary keeps notes, and this seems to happen every year on the first really cold day. The loop that circulates to bring up heat (or dump it, in summer) from 100 feet down seems to lose pressure and the pumps shut down. We have auxiliary electric heat which kicks on in that event, and a warning light on the thermostat announces the fact. Takes a couple of resets to kick the pumps into action again, which involves shutting off all the power to the heat pump system for ten minutes, then starting it up again. As usual, the second try restarted it and it's running normally now.

I had built up the woodstove fire just in case we couldn't restart the pumps, and was prepared to spend the night in the living room to keep the fire fed so the pipes wouldn't freeze. Looks like that won't be needed though.

Gary's homemade chicken soup for dinner, with rice and veggies in it. Home baked cornbread too. I just need to do some last minute online shopping and I can go to bed.

Comments

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

I'm surprised how well our goats are taking the cold. I was worried they'd freeze to death because they looked so skinny, but in the cold, their fur really fluffs out and they look twice as big as they used to.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Sheep and goats are very adaptable, and if you think of the broad range of environments in which they live or are found wild, this makes sense. Everything from desert to tundra is within their scope. Goats are smarter and probably tougher in most cases, unless they have been overly inbred by humans to trade off intelligence for other traits.

[captpackrat.livejournal.com]

These particular goats have shown themselves to be remarkably clever. They've learned how to climb onto the garage roof and they accepted a leash after just a couple tries. Whenever they see or hear me outside, they come running over as fast as they can; they've learned how to work me for treats.

[mondhasen.livejournal.com]

I remember the barn in winter. We'd stuff empty feed bags (the burlap ones) into the cracks and crevices around the windows, and hang them like curtains where there wasn't glass. The temp would be tolerable (a four stall, center aisle barn with three horses at the time) and the water buckets would rarely get too icy, though occasionally the hydrant would freeze up outside. The horses with those furry coats and blankets were quite warm and happy standing in their straw beds.

We don't usually get the really cold weather until the end of January, either. Currently it's hovering around 25 degrees but with a biting wind blowing.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, our normal cold snap is at the end of January here too. This is unusual.

Horses make a space warmer. The two boys are in a small barn about 25 x 40 feet with just their two stalls and hay storage. They put off enough heat to keep it pretty tolerable even in zero degree weather as long as the wind isn't too bad. The barn is wood construction and we've done a moderate amount of draft-stopping on it where there were chinks and such in the siding, but it has no insulation. I'd like to insulate the loft, but we haven't yet.

Tess and the sheep are in a pole barn with metal sides and roof, and it's 60 x 80 feet, so it definitely gets cold out there. Sheep are well insulated, of course. Tess seems to manage well enough, and I'd be afraid to blanket her indoors because she lies down and even rolls in her stall. She has a blanket for outdoors though, and if you saw that photo of her pasture on Wednesday, you know why.

[bladehorse.livejournal.com]

Im curious on your heat pump system if its a water based system, or a refridgerant one.(If its water based, perhaps the makeup water valve is sticking, or the expansion tank is full to the top with water)Very common on boiler systems anyways.
On other notes I feel for ya, as its been damn cold here too. (I almost blew out my knee when I slipped on the ice in the tub) it was 30 in the house. 22 outside, and nothing wants to run. Car, and truck batteries are very old, but at 70$ each, Im not getting one till I can afford one. I think they all froze, as they wernt holding a charge too great. Now they barely hold one at all.

Our malamut(yes a mut!) is looking like her nick name inplies, a complete Fuzball. And is completely happy being a draft dogger for our heated bedroom.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

The heat pump uses some kind of "non-toxic" antifreeze liquid. It is a sealed loop with a heat exchanger in a closed box outside the house and a second, separate loop that runs between the pump box and the furnace and water heater in the house. I'm pretty sure the maker is ClimateMaster. It's ten years old now, but similar to their present "Genesis" split line.

Automotive batteries puzzle me. Everyone complains a lot about needing a new battery in the winter, and some folks replace them every 3 or 4 years. I think in my entire life I've only ever replaced one. I generally keep a vehicle for about ten years, and have never had winter starting issues. I guess I'm lucky.

[avon-deer.livejournal.com]

IT was -3 today in Dewsbury. Someone fell flat on their arse when getting off the bus this morning. So yes, Winter is here too. Will be lighting the fire too this weekend.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I assume that's -3C as opposed to the -20C temps we've been having at night. But yeah, winter is here for the duration. I'm restarting the wood fire morning and evening. When it gets to where I get up in the middle of the night to add wood, we'll be headed into spring.

[schnee.livejournal.com]

Fuzzy horses are cute. I always like it when a horse has actual fur.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I'll try to get some photos once they've really fuzzed out. ;p

[schnee.livejournal.com]

Yay, thanks. ^^

[nrasser.livejournal.com]

Its -9F back home today, -4 here in Minneapolis this morning. It's been as low as -15 up north already, but that's more or less normal for MN, where i've personally witnessed (and played outside in) -60...that's cold enough to do neat stuff with boiling mugs of water and super soakers. ^_^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Super soakers are outside my experience, but we've definitely had fun with bubble soap at -20F.

Our friends back in Chicago used to full ordinary squirt guns with food coloring and make "creative" icicles around their porch this time of year.

[nrasser.livejournal.com]

I've never tried the soap bubble thing, will have to do that this year. :)

Around -40 and down, squirt gun streams freeze on the way to the target. At -60 it happens in about ten feet. ^^ You can also connect a garden hose to an indoor spigot and have fun with that too, entombing stuff in ice and making pretty ice fountains. :)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid at -60F I'm not going outdoors unless I absolutely have to. ;p

I remember Jack London's "To Build a Fire" all too well, I guess.

Starting at around -15F the soap bubbles will form and then freeze as they float in the air. You can see it happening, then they will burst or sometimes stay intact until they settle or touch something solid, when they break up into little shards or "rags,"

[chris-sawyer.livejournal.com]

I hope you are staying warm over there!

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Lots of blankets and sweaters! Of course, a visit from Shelton would always help. Ponies are warm. ;D

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Kitty no like that kind of weather, too cold...toooooo cold.

Mmm corn bread. I wonder why the pump sticks so...does it lose its prime?

[altivo.livejournal.com]

The technician who checked it thinks it's related to fluid pressure in the loop, but he's not sure. Because the pump is reversible, there are some oddities about it.

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

You make me feel guilty for shivering as our temps have bottomed out in the 7-9 degree range the past week or so.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

That's cold enough, I'm sure. Anything that has only one digit or a minus in front of it is too cold.

[chibiabos.livejournal.com]

Its cold enough that Hood Canal, which is part of Puget Sound (despite the name, its not an artificial canal, its a natural part of Puget Sound) is actually icing over!

http://www.king5.com/video/featured-videos/Watch-Ice-on-Hood-Canal-78998807.html