Winter Driving Tips
November 5, 2008
Before Heading to Snow Country
When you’re heading towards Truckee, winter driving on roads and highways in the mountains of California can be a great adventure or it can be frustrating and even dangerous. Following are a few tips to help make your winter driving safe and pleasant.
- Check your systems. Make sure brakes, windshield wipers, defroster, heater and exhaust systems are all in top working condition.
- Check your antifreeze. You may want to add special solvent to your windshield washer reservoir to prevent ice from forming.
- Check your tires. It important that your tires have good tread and that they are properly inflated. Make sure you carry chains and also make sure they fit your tires! Chains must always be installed on drive wheels so make sure you know if your car is front or rear wheel drive!
- Bring along a few necessities. It is a good idea to take along water, food, blankets and extra clothing. If you get stuck in a long delay, you will be happy to have a few of the necessities with you.
- Weather can change your route. In case you find yourself in an unexpected detour, bring along updated maps of the areas you are traveling. If you have a cell phone, pre-load the Cal Trans Highway Information Network number for road updates. The CHIN number is 1-800-427-7623.
- Have a spare key. It is surprising how many people lock themselves out of their cars when they are putting on chains. Have a spare key in your pocket or hidden in a safe place on your car.
- Allow enough time. Get an early start and allow plenty of time to get where you are going. Mountain driving, in the winter, can take more time than other times of the year.
- Keep your gas tank full. You never know when you might get caught in a traffic delay, change routes or turn back during a storm. Make sure you have plenty of gas.
- Keep windows and windshield clear. Use the car defroster and a clean cloth to keep the windows free of moisture. You should pull over, at a safe rest stop, to brush snow from your car or scrape the windows with an ice scraper.
A Quick Course-Chains 101
- Chain requirements.
*R1: Chains, traction devices or snow tires are required on drive axle of all vehicles except four wheel or all wheel drives.
*R2: Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles except four wheel or all wheel drive vehicles with snow tires on all four wheels.
*R3: Chains or traction devices are required on all vehicles, no exceptions.
- Chain controls. You must stop and put on chains when highway signs indicate that chains are required. You can be cited by the CHP and fined if you don’t.
- Control areas. You will usually have about a mile between the “Chains Required” sign and the checkpoint to install your chains. Always pull completely off the roadway to the right. Do not stop in a traffic lane where you will endanger yourself and block traffic.
- Chain installers. If you use a chain installer, be sure to get a receipt and jot down the installer’s badge number. Chain installers cannot sell or rent chains.
- Removing chains. When removing chains, drive beyond the signs reading “End of Chain Controls”. Drive to a pull over area where you can safely remove your chains.
How to stop skidding. Slamming on brakes during a skid locks the wheels, causes loss of traction and increases the skid. Steer in the direction of the rear end of the car. As the car begins to straighten, straighten the front wheels too. When you are headed in the right direction, either lightly pump your brakes or gently accelerate.
- Avoid over steering. Turning the wheel too far whips the rear end into a skid in the opposite direction. Keep car in gear. This helps reduce speed and provides maximum control.
- Don’t use cruise control or get over confident with 4 x 4 vehicles. Your four wheel drive may get you going quicker but it won’t stop any faster. Because of their weight, 4 x 4’s usually take longer to stop. A 4 x 4 can loose traction as easily as a two wheel drive car.
- Don’t pump anti-lock brakes. If your car is equipped with anti-lock brakes, do not pump the brakes while stopping. The right way is to “brake and steer”.
Don’t hurry. In dry weather 65 mph might seem safe but in snow and ice it is an invitation for trouble. Snow and ice make stopping distances much longer, so leave more distance between you and the other car. Avoid sudden stops and quick turns. Wear your seatbelt!
Winterization Tips
October 4, 2008
EACH WINTER HAVE A SAFETY TALK WITH YOUR CHILDREN. Make sure your kids play in safe areas. Caution them to stay away from areas where snow sheds from the roof. Sledding is fun but it is unsafe when the sled run empties into the street. Dress warm.
GET TO KNOW YOUR PLUMBING. Each year a few people find themselves without water because of frozen water pipes. Prevent this by draining your pipes and by keeping the heat on, at a level where pipes won’t freeze, even when you are away. Although you cannot always predict the wrath of winter, there are a few things you can do to avoid frozen pipes.
DRAIN YOUR PIPES. If you are planning to be away from your home for a length of time, it could be a good idea to drain your pipes to prevent them from freezing.
KNOW WHERE THE PIPES AND WATER SHUTOFF ARE LOCATED. If your pipes do freeze, time is of the essence. The quicker you shut the water off, the less internal damage you will have if the pipes do burst.
INSULATE PIPES OR FAUCETS IN UNHEATED AREAS. If you have pipes in an unheated garage, attic or crawl space, wrap the pipes before temperatures plummet. Heat tape may also be applied to the pipes.
SEAL OFF ACCESS DOORS, AIR VENTS, CRAWL SPACE VENTS AND CRACKS. Don’t let the wind whistle through overlooked openings. This cold air can quickly freeze exposed water pipes.
OUTDOOR PIPES AND FAUCETS. Disconnect and drain outdoor hoses.
NECESSARY HOUSEHOLD MAINTENANCE. Considering the large sum of money that is invested in a home, it is certainly worth it to keep it in tip top shape!
MAKE SURE STEPS AND HANDRAILS ARE IN GOOD SHAPE. Broken stairs and railings can become dangerous when covered with snow and ice.
SWEEP DECKS AND REMOVE ANY LOOSE NAILS OR SCREWS. Remove loose nails or screws and replace with new ones. This will save you a lot of headaches when you can smoothly run your shovel across your deck!
TRIM TREES AND REMOVE OLD BRANCHES. Ice, snow and wind can cause weak trees or branches to break, damaging your home or your car or even injuring someone walking on your property.
PUT YOUR SUMMER TOYS IN STORAGE. Winter can sneak up unexpectedly. Make sure you have your deck furniture, bikes, etc. put way before they get covered with snow.
PREVENT SNOW DAMAGE TO DECKS AND RAILINGS. Some home designs facilitate snow accumulation and damage where we do not want it! If snow shedding from your roof could possible break windows-protect them with coverings.
IS YOUR FURNACE IN GOOD WORKING ORDER? In addition to keeping your pipes from freezing, winter also puts demands on personal comfort.
FURNACE CHECK-UP. Ensure that the thermostat and pilot lights are working properly. The pilot light should be blue. Replace the filters in your furnace each fall.
HAVE YOUR HEATING DUCTS BEEN CLEANED? This is recommended every 5 years. Why pay a higher heating bill if you don’t have to?
CHECK CAULKING AROUND DOORS AND WINDOWS TO MAKE SURE YOUR WARM AIR ISN’T GETTING OUT AND VICE VERSA! Cracked and peeling caulking should be removed completely and the area cleaned & dried thoroughly. Then apply new caulking.
SWEEP THE CHIMNEY. Call a reputable Chimney Sweep to inspect your chimney and flue and to remove any creosote that has accumulated.
LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW! Keep snow and ice from building up around the bottom of the garage door so it closes completely.
HAVE THE RIGHT TOOLS. Make sure you are prepared for winter with plenty of good shovels. They need to be sturdy enough that they don’t break yet not too heavy! If you have a snow blower, make sure it is in good repair when the first storm hits.
SNOW REMOVAL SERVICES WILL KEEP YOUR DRIVEWAY PLOWED DURING THE WINTER. Snow removal is a great convenience when you arrive later at night. Remember, you cannot park in the streets during the winter. To help facilitate timely plowing, find out which plow service has the most contracts in your neighborhood.
A FEW WORDS OF CAUTION… Purchase smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors for every floor of your house. These should be replaced every three to five years depending on the model. Replace batteries in your alarms at least once a year.
ENJOY YOUR WINTER SEASON!
Take the Recycling Challenge!
August 27, 2008
Keep it Green.
Here you’ll find all the information you need so that you can participate in North Lake Tahoe’s and Truckee’s Curbside recycling solution. Challenge your household to reduce waste as much as possible and recycle everything you can. Chances are you’ll have a much greater volume of recyclables than trash.
Use your BLUE BAGS to recycle all of the following:
Mixed paper: Office paper, catalogues, magazines, junk mail. Virtually all mixed paper types can be recycled!
Paper board: Paper board includes such as cereal & food boxes (remove plastic liners), paper towel and toilet paper roles.
Glass bottles and jars: All colors are okay.
Plastics numbered 1-7. Check the bottom of the container for the recycling symbol and number 1-7. Plastic bags and Styrofoam are the exceptions. Plastic bags can be dropped off at local grocery stores for recycling. Styrofoam is not recycled in Truckee, please avoid Styrofoam when possible. Mixed rigid plastics (these are generally non-food plastics, some do not have a number 1-7. Examples include old laundry baskets, children’s toys, snow disc.)
Aluminum, tin (steel) and bimetal cans.
Aluminum foil.
Cardboard: Cut it up to make it fit in the blue bag. Drop-off large quantities of cardboard at the fire station. Please do not place loose cardboard at the curb. Loose cardboard will be contaminated in the collection truck and charged as trash.
The Blue Bag Process: What happens to your BLUE BAG after it leaves your curb? What should you know in order to effectively participate in the blue bag program?
When your blue bag is picked up at the curb it is tossed in a small trash truck right along side your bag of garbage. When the small trash truck is filled it returns to a staging area where the big compacting trucks await. The load from the smaller truck is then transferred into the compactor. All the bags, both blue and black are compacted and driven to the Eastern Regional Landfill on Cabin Creek Road off HWY 89 south for processing. Truck loads of garbage and blue bags are dumped onto a floor, pushed around by heavy equipment and fed onto a conveyer belt. Two employees spend their day picking the blue bags out of the waste stream and setting them aside. Trash is then sent up a conveyer belt where 15 people pick recyclables from garbage. Depending on the time of year, the transfer station receives on average 100-250 tons of trash and recyclables from residential routes every day. Due to the high volume of trash, the conveyer belt must move quickly in order for all the trash to be processed. The 15 workers do an excellent job picking recyclables out of the trash and are able to recover 17-18% of recyclables from trash. Towards the end of the day the operation converts to processing blue bags. Blue bags are opened and the contents are sent up the conveyer for sorting, the blue bag itself is also bailed and sent to a plastic recycler. Keep in mind that recyclables in blue bags are much cleaner and easier to sort than picking recyclables from trash (we all know what we toss away). In order to assist in sorting recyclables, by material type, the conveyer belt is slowed way down when blue bags are processed. Workers are able to recover over 90% of the recyclables contained in blue bags. Using blue bags significantly increases the amount of recyclables recovered. In order to work effectively, your blue bags must hold up in the trash collection process so durability matters. When purchasing blue bags pay attention to the strength (the higher the millimeters (mil) on the package the better). Place your recyclables in your bags being mindful to not over stuff the bags and tie your blue bags securely to ensure that your recyclables will remained contained in the bag. If you have an excess amount of glass (which is heavy and could potentially tear the bag), consider using the Nex Cycle recycling facility behind Safeway or the recycling facility at the Eastern Regional Landfill. Cardboard should be cut into smaller pieces and placed in blue bags. If you have more cardboard than can easily be cut up and placed in a blue bag please utilize one of the free cardboard collection dumpsters at the Fire Station on Donner Pass Road or at the elementary school in Glenshire. Loose cardboard left beside your garbage can will be mixed with the trash, contaminated and not recycled.
