Went out this morning and it was mostly clear so I managed to gather provisions but even here it is -3C. The snow has now started here in East Devon on the south coast and everything in town had closed down by 12p.m. - including the boiler people when my boiler has broken! Agggghhhhhhh..........
Just had a storm warning from local Police that Emma is due to hit us with high winds and freezing rain this evening so even the Emergency GP staff and Doctors have been sent home. Met Office are putting up all their staff at local hotel as they don't expect to be able to get home tonight.
Hope you all stay home warm and safe.
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CDreamer
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Cripes, we have only got a slight dusting of snow here in Leicester, but temp is -6 and with the wind chill it's -12.
I went for a walk at lunch time and only managed a mile instead of my usual 2 or 3. Way too cold to be out there.
Birmingham also not too badly off (at the moment), light dusting blowing around, wrapped up well & went to hospital for bloods, not too long a wait as usual, 10 minutes instead of 60 minutes, guess the cold put a lot off.
White out conditions now. Couldn’t go anywhere even if I wanted to - but does mean boiler man probably won’t get to us. We have a fire in the living room but getting cold elsewhere.
Hi CDreamer. I am definitely not an engineer, but I saw online that a lot of broken boilers are simply down to the condensation outlet pipe freezing and that pouring boiling water over it may help. Please do not hold me to that though!! I hope you have got it fixed already!
Thnx Rachel - yep was that - we were told that 1st thing yesterday by boiler man but we tried to thaw the wrong pipe. It’s NOT the one which puts out steam - it’s the one that goes downward to to the drain! Now thawed & insulates!
Now if anyone has any tips for removing freezing rain which has frozen back wall with a sheet of ice as well as all of the windows which have a sheet of ice about quarter inch thick so that you can’t see out of them.
My cousin’s husband repairs boilers. He lives near Ivybridge if that’s any help
Here in Hampshire on the coast the snow has just started. Part of me is pleased as yesterday I promised my great grandson there would be enough snow for him to make a snowman when he woke up!!
Here , 5 miles north west of Okehampton we have -5c and near whiteout . Ewes with lambs in the field sheltering as best they can . Landscape fast disappearing , stay safe everyone xx
There is an interesting post on Facebook today from our Town Council. They have had numerous reports of boiler breakdowns apparently being caused by the white condensation pipes from the boilers being frozen. They recommend poring a kettle full of boiling water over them. These pipes are outside and positioned over a drain.
Exactly what our man said - so 84 yr old Hubbie out in a blizzard with a hairdryer trying to thaw it. WHO designed these things! It was only -3C last night!
Yes this was on local radio, one or two people had heard this 'gas shortage' scare and thought it had happened and their boiler fault was due to the supply going. A gas man rang in and advised it was probably due to this pipe freezing up. Common issue this weather it appears.
Red weather warning in South Wales and the first time I have seen snow here in Llantwit major although I used to live on the Pennines so am used to it.
Time to batton down the hatches. Oh and my cooker broke down yesterday.....not good timing.
The snow was pretty in the sunshine yesterday here in Cumbria but it is uninviting today.
White out blizzard here on north coast of N Ireland (we are up at 650 ft). Windchill factor is bad and the poor sheep are trying to scrape the snow off the grass to eat.
The birds are hanging around in the trees waiting for the next batch of birdfood to appear. Not a pretty winter scene at all.
Brrr... stay safe, CDreamer, and all of you who are caught up in this.
(It’s nothing here in my part of Hertfordshire ... the kids are gutted that it’s not bad enough for school closures!)
Really hope your husband can unfreeze the boiler ... Though you may need to warm HIM up with the hairdryer by the time he’s back inside?? (And a medicinal whiskey?!)
Hi Bud - sad thing is that there isn’t really that much snow compared to your part of the world - but somehow we as a nation can’t cope with extreme weather - everything stops working - no-one puts winter tyres on their car because we get it so rarely. CD x
CDreamer
Good for you, the Bulldog spirit of the ocean going yachtswoman to the fore again. But as you know lots of layers needed to combat the cold effectively. I have three on the legs, four on top plus woolly hat, and I haven't any plans to go out! I blame the beta blocker.
Up here in East Yorkshire, the thermometer shows -3 degrees C which is ok but 40 mph winds must make it feel much worse. Traffic was stationary yesterday and the secondary schools are closed, as we struggle in this very flat area to cope with 2 inches of snow! None of this of course will impress our North American members. 🙂
Forecast is +4 and +6 for the weekend in Exeter. Hopefully you won't have to venture out again before then. Stay well CD.
Glad you sorted the boiler CD - I am a Exeter girl but live in Cambridgeshire now. We have had snow, since Tuesday but still just about able to get about but it was -4 mid-day and high winds, so feeling colder. Will be ringing my sister tomorrow to see how they are fairing in Exeter.
It’s stopped snowing now here in Exmouth but the weather is often very different up river. Winds are picking up but we are now cozy & snuggled up ready to settle down for the night.
Have spent many hours on Exmouth beach in my childhood but always preferred Dawlish Warren. Living in Exeter it was about the same journey for both, The Warren usually won but now unrecognisable , the sand dunes gone. It was so wild and only one shop and no holiday park when we were young talking 1950's. WE are warm and cozy here too but our boiler is quite old and I am hoping it will keep going through this, fingers crossed.
Dawlish Warren we avoid but we sometimes take the boat to the river beach which is still quite wild and only really accessible by boat - which is where the locals go to avoid the holidaymakers!
Keep safe and warm everyone. I'm not sure about you but anxiety about whether or not to go to work has kick started my heart beat and we haven't had much snow! Have packed and unpacked my overnight bag 3 times so far this week just in case I get stuck at work!
My boiler broke yesterday too but a very kind local plumber ( who had obviously got fed up with so many phone calls) posted one solution. On condensing boilers the water outlet pipe leading from the bottom of the boiler to outside, gets frozen. Wrap up warm and pour boiling water slowly on the outside pipe. After three kettles I reset the boiler - success!! I know this site is about our AF but broken boilers in freezing conditions can certainty be a trigger. I hope you are warm soon.
Repetition is no bad thing! Interesting that everyone is highlighting the same problem so it's an important thing to bear in mind during future winters.
We seem to have had a lucky escape here in North East Wales. And thank goodness we haven't had a power cut. Thankfully the forecast is for 3*C on Sunday.
Leicestershire isn’t too bad but getting cabin fever now! Going to attempt to defrost my washing machine outlet now as the outgoing water has just poured all over the floor! More kettles! At least the boilers working!
Yep it’s cold! Went for my 4 month check with my EP the other night in Coventry travelling from Sutton Coldfield. Snow started then over here & everyone held up in resulting traffic. Had to go to Solihull for a check on something else last night. Picked a good time for hospital appointments! Took 20 mins to slide back to the main road &1 1/2 hours to get home. Take care everyone!!!
We are snowed in (Shropshire Hills) so far we have enough provisions but are very likely to run out before we can get anywhere near the road. We are warm as we stay in one room mostly which is heated by a coal-burning stove. We have night storage heaters in other rooms but they are certainly not adequate in these extreme temperatures. The real worry is if necessary we can't get to hospital. My husband is losing his sight and is expecting another Lucentis injection next Thursday so I'm praying that the roads will be clear by then. Our local council decided several years ago that they would not be gritting rural roads.
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