Winter Checklist

Mineral Winter Checklist

Do you use a wood stove or fireplace?

Get flues and chimneys checked, cleaned and repaired now. Some service providers are listed on our website. Do you have enough firewood? If not, check for people offering to deliver dry firewood (cut last year) in the "Firewood" section of the Mineral Exchange binder at the post office. If you're really in a pinch, email us and let us know, as sometimes people have extra wood they are willing to share. Be sure to cover wood with thick tarps, if left outside.

Will you be staying in Mineral over the winter?

If not, ask John Frehse, General Manager of the Mineral County Water District, to help you drain your house and turn off the water at the District's curbstop. This free service will prevent the all-too-frequent occurrence of water freezing inside the pipes and bursting them during the winter, then leaking large volumes of water as the weather warms. Many homeowners here have had to pay high bills for both water consumption overages and repairs made necessary by extensive water damage that resulted from this needless disaster. Some prefer to use their personal shut-off valves instead, but please be warned: these have been known to fail.

Do you need propane or kerosene?

People who do not have regular monthly refills of their propane/kerosene tanks should ensure that they are topped off before mid-autumn, since providers may have difficulty accessing fuel tanks due to snow accumulation later in the season. If your home will be temporarily vacant during cold weather, you may wish to keep it warm enough to prevent water from freezing in the pipes. Setting the thermostat for a furnace/wall/free-standing heating unit to somewhere between 45 and 50 degrees should do the trick, as long as all pipes are properly insulated and there is enough fuel for the duration. Unfortunately, depending on the type of unit, a power outage may derail this plan. It is best to also have a friend or neighbor in town keep an eye on your house.

Do you have a car?

If you don't already have a garage, you may want to at least consider constructing a snow-load-bearing shelter for it. Another option is to ask a neighbor who is gone for the winter to use their shelter/garage.

People who have snow tires usually put them on their cars in late October/early November and have them removed by April. Snow tires can be very useful, especially in the turns below Mineral and on Morgan summit, for example. But they also come in handy for maneuvering ice-bound streets and slippery inclines around town. Some local tire shops will store your snow tires when you are not using them.

Will you need snow plowing?

Although Tehama County is tasked with plowing most streets in Mineral, your driveway or other areas may need additional plowing. Fortunately, local resident Barry Gravier provides this service. He can be reached at 530-595-3542.

Will you need someone to shovel snow?

One of the biggest challenges in winter is the ongoing need to shovel snow from key areas each time it falls. Consider how snow accumulation might affect your property: home entrances/exits and their walkways and/or decks; roof shed accumulation; windows low enough to be blocked; driveways and guest parking areas; garage doors, which may stick shut even if snow isn't blocking them due to ice jamming the track; foot-traffic areas where ice tends to accumulate, melt, and then re-freeze, creating a perpetually slippery surface; the trash pick-up spot; paths to outbuildings; dog-walking routes; gates/fencing; and common walkways with neighboring properties.

A special note about propane/kerosene tanks: the relatively fragile lines from propane/kerosene tanks may be broken when heavy snow settles on them, creating a leak, which may go undetected. Therefore, it is best to keep the area on top of and around propane/kerosene tanks clear. Whenever shovelling out a tank, use a plastic or aluminum shovel, since a steel shovel could create a spark that ignites any leaked fuel.

Sometimes neighbors are willing to help with shoveling and will post offers in the "Work Wanted" section of the Mineral Exchange binder at the post office. You can also email us with what you need in case someone lets us know or we see the notice at the post office.

In case of a medical emergency, do you have flight insurance?

In a medical emergency, time is of the essence. But Mineral's relative remoteness means that an ambulance may not get someone to the hospital in time for life-saving treatment. In that case, a helicopter is dispatched. If you are evacuated from Mineral by helicopter due to a medical emergency, it can cost tens of thousands of dollars, unless you have flight insurance. You can find emergency medical flight insurance providers listed on the Emergency page.

Will you be able to get groceries during the winter?

Raley's in Red Bluff has an order-and-pick-up service. Periodically Holiday Market in Chester offers this, too. If you are shut in for some reason, let us know and we'll see if we can find someone who is going to the grocery store and can pick up your pre-paid order.

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