I have been traveling through the Mid Atlantic region this month and I can tell you that it has been very cold especially at night. I’m sure most of you are experiencing this weather and noting that it is the time of year for layers of clothing and the use of gloves. With the snowfall and some very low temperatures, it’s is hard to do mundane outside activities.

Most of my trips are on the Interstate and main highways with very little secondary roads to get where I am going, so I don’t experience the side streets and worry about getting stuck. For a technician, these roads can be very difficult or unuseable for a few days after a snow storm and make servicing customers almost impossible.

I personally had some struggle with the cold. For instance, as I was traveling, I had to fuel my car about three times. On one occasion it was 6 degrees Fahrenheit with a wind chill of -10 degrees near the mountains of Virginia. It was so cold…. (HOW COLD WAS IT?) … that the buttons on the gas pump refused to function, so I went inside to pay for the gas. In addition, with salty windows, my windshield washers froze and could not be used and, of course, the bucket and brush of water at the gas station that you use for cleaning your windshield was also frozen solid. The water bottles that I carry in the car overnight (and left there) were frozen solid and cracked. Cars were gray with salt deposits and cakes of snow around the bottom and wheel wells and some cars were stuck….what a mess. Thank God that winter only last a few months.

As always, this time of the year is challenging due to weather alone and I hope all of you are coping with it as best you can and with careful planning and preparation. With the weather the way it is heating service calls should be up. I can’t imagine how tough it must be for some of you HVAC techs out there trying to keep warm and getting to your customers residence to repair a furnace or non-functioning heating unit.

I can only hope that you are well prepared for the winter. Take care in these kinds of conditions and keep warm and safe, maybe next month will be milder.