Water jugs turned to bricks!

POSTON WIDEHEAD · January 07, 2014, 04:24:01 PM

IT got down to 8° last night and who knows what the wind chill factor was......but evidently I didn't have enough Wind Shield Fluid in my water jugs for the low Temp. My 2 tanks were bricks this morning.

Had to heat the connector to thaw it out to get the jugs to the shop to thaw them out,

Good thing I had taken my plastic filter off and drained the lines.
Gonna get down to 11° tonight.
I think I'll take the water jugs to the shop until this deep freeze passes. No harm was done to my jugs.

Magicman · January 07, 2014, 04:46:16 PM

You can also wrap one of those hand warmer thingies around the faucet and tape a hand towel over that to thaw it out. ;D

MSSawmill · January 07, 2014, 04:47:24 PM

Good thing they weren't full and had some room to expand!

Jim_Rogers · January 07, 2014, 05:03:35 PM

Don't you know you have to bring your jugs in at night?

:D

beenthere · January 07, 2014, 05:12:07 PM

Reminds me when a boy, had to heat water near every winter morning in the tea kettle on the stove and pour on the outside faucet to thaw it out for filling 5 gal pails to water the animals in the barn. Horses, cows, pigs, and then to the chicken house.
Not sure how that faucet withstood the continual freezing but don't recall it ever bursting a pipe.

Didn't have convenient gas torches in those old days. ;)

POSTON WIDEHEAD · January 07, 2014, 05:25:37 PM

Quote from: Jim_Rogers on January 07, 2014, 05:03:35 PM
Don't you know you have to bring your jugs in at night?

:D

Old Saying? :D :D :D :D :D

m wood · January 07, 2014, 05:26:36 PM

oops, yeah I left mine on top of the norwood too. It wasnt too smart but I work in a recycling plant and last summer I came up with 3 spares including the nozzle and all. I'm pretty sure I got one to return to recycling in the spring :D

Ga Mtn Man · January 07, 2014, 05:31:54 PM

Mine was in the back of my truck in a parking garage in the middle of Atlanta and it still froze!

POSTON WIDEHEAD · January 07, 2014, 05:40:58 PM

Quote from: Ga Mtn Man on January 07, 2014, 05:31:54 PM
Mine was in the back of my truck in a parking garage in the middle of Atlanta and it still froze!

What were you doing in the middle of Atlanta? :

Ga Mtn Man · January 07, 2014, 05:50:29 PM

I have asked myself that same question many times over that last couple of weeks. :-\

arkansas · January 07, 2014, 05:56:53 PM

It's has been cold in lots of places as of late. :D

red oaks lumber · January 07, 2014, 06:08:42 PM

david heres a safety tip for you..
dont come up north to visit in the winter, you will not survive

fyi. water freezes at 32 degrees. we even drive on frozen water. :D
you so wanted to post in the frozen log thread, alot of talk has been on using windshield washer fluid ;D

POSTON WIDEHEAD · January 07, 2014, 06:19:22 PM

Quote from: red oaks lumber on January 07, 2014, 06:08:42 PM
david heres a safety tip for you..
dont come up north to visit in the winter, you will not survive fyi. water freezes at 32 degrees. we even drive on frozen water. :D
you so wanted to post in the frozen log thread, alot of talk has been on using windshield washer fluid ;D

You are right Steve. I'm better off $$$$ wise to just take my jugs home and keep them warm. :D

Mountain Guardian · January 07, 2014, 11:31:26 PM

I had trouble with my jugs freezing last year, I too added windshield wiper fluid to my jugs, though only worked down to about 10 degrees overnight. I just started hauling mine into the house each night and set by the fireplace.

I also had some trouble with them slushing up while I was using the mill when it got down into the single digits and below zero. I just started adding a gallon jug of hot water every hour or two while running. I also noticed that the sap gets a lot stickier in those temps.

backwoods sawyer · January 08, 2014, 12:44:31 AM

Last winter I had the opportunity to cold weather test the mill on the high desert of the east side of the state it was a sunny -10 for the first week of the trip.
I had just brought the mill from the wet west side of the state. First thing was changing a frozen fuel filter and dumping the jelly out of the tank, scraping road spatter ice from the rails and chains and oiling all moving parts, and even though the water had been blown out droplets of water had froze in the lines, a large squirt bottle of deicer was my friend on that trip.
We ran straight hot water and any time the water was off the lines were blown out and a few squirts of deicer went into the lines and filter, water jugs were emptied before they went in for the night as 32* was not an easy temp to stay above. Never tried washer fluid but did keep a warming fire going near by.

red oaks lumber · January 08, 2014, 06:23:59 AM

they must have differant washer fluid for differant areas of the country. up here the fluid is rated to minus 20 deg. let me tell you at that temp, frozen lines is the least of your problems :D we drain and bring in the jugs when its below zero.

bandmiller2 · January 08, 2014, 06:31:35 AM

I've had enough of this global warming already. Frank C.

Brad_S. · January 08, 2014, 06:49:40 AM

Suddenly the logic us diesel users employ makes some sense, eh? :D ;)

JSwigga · January 08, 2014, 07:20:54 AM

Quote from: Jim_Rogers on January 07, 2014, 05:03:35 PM
Don't you know you have to bring your jugs in at night?

:D

I did that once and 9 months later we had twin boys. :D :D

WoodenHead · January 08, 2014, 07:55:23 AM

Quote from: red oaks lumber on January 08, 2014, 06:23:59 AM
they must have differant washer fluid for differant areas of the country. up here the fluid is rated to minus 20 deg. let me tell you at that temp, frozen lines is the least of your problems :D we drain and bring in the jugs when its below zero.

Around here our fluid is typically rated for -35 to -40 degrees C. Sometimes though, I think they just re-label some of the southern stuff.... :D

stanwelch · January 08, 2014, 07:57:22 AM

This winter even diesel not good enough. At -18 degrees F ??? tractor wouldn't fire -- diesel fuel turned to gel !!

petefrom bearswamp · January 08, 2014, 08:16:10 AM

Nice and warm here in the house.
Haven't a clue as to the temp at the mill as I havent been there for 3 weeks and don't plan to go until late march.
Got my lesson years ago regarding the fragility of the plastic sediment bowl on the lube mizer.
Tractor and RTV are safely garaged in my shop until warmer weather.
Being old and retired does have a FEW advantages.

justallan1 · January 08, 2014, 08:29:52 AM

I use WW fluid with pinesol and its fine in the jug, but will get slushy in the tube and on the blade when it's windy. I've since set the mill up in the barn and find something better to do on those days.

Allan

red oaks lumber · January 08, 2014, 10:50:54 AM

stanwelch
you need to run a winter blend of fuel, equal parts #1 & #2 fuel or go straight # 1 fuel and you should put in fuel conditioner as well to help with geling

beenthere · January 08, 2014, 11:06:45 AM

Keep in mind that Dave also just added WW fluid to the water, per his OP. If straight WW fluid rated to -20 F as we use in the north, likely would not have turned his jugs into bricks.

But sympathize with those in the south getting hit with this unusual cold weather. It is more "in stride" up here. But still is past the time to bring things like chemicals used in the summer that cannot freeze.