Black ice - whoooa

[BJan 10]

Clearing the ice from the windscreen:

 

On a day like today, forget the de-icer, that actually makes it worse. Start your car and let the demisters start to warm the car up slowly. After a few minutes when the warm air begins to blow from the demisters, take your ice scraper and instead of attacking it like wallpaper, make "cutting" motions across the ice with it.

 

Once you've made a few "cuts", if you haven't used de-icer which turns everything into a clingy horrible mush, you will find that you can push the ice off in great big A4-size "sheets" when the warmth of the glass starts to create water between.

 

Less hassle and cheaper than squirting a full can of de-icer around. which stinks, makes a mess and ends up freezing back up again half the time.

 

I did this and it came off pretty quickly I've heard de-icer isn't very good for the rubber either, not sure if that is true?

[LibertyBell 10]

I couldnt get the ice off the car even with the scraper...it was the thickest i have ever seen

 

same here. the de-icer was useless

[Miss_S_83 10]

Any signs of any side roads being any clearer? Are we due more of the same tomorrow? Not forecast on Met Office website for any rain or snow in the night but presuming the freezing temperatures will mean it's still rubbish in the morning???

[berties_ears 10]

It certainly has been a nasty day. Mine started badly when I took one step out of my back door this morning and sliped.... falling down a set of steps head first. I am lucky I didn't break anything. The ice today has been far more dangerous than the snow last week.

 

I was quite annoyed watching Look North tonight where everyone seemed to be just complaining about the gritting situation. I think that the gritters in sheffield have done a fantastic job recently. Afterall there are a limited number of workers/grit lorries to cover a big city and the snowfall has been persistent for 4 weeks now. There was no way at all that anyone could have known what would face us this morning and gritting the roads more last night would not have saved most of us from sliding on our own footpaths and the pavements.

 

The forecasters say that black-ice will be an issue again tomorrow so please everybody take extra care from the minute you open your door in the morning..... and please, if you can, check on your elderly neigbours!

[jaycee331 10]

Incredible conditions this morning, the glass ice was something else.

 

100% agree best technique is to let the car warm itself up a bit, blowers on full heat at windscreen, get the rear screen heater on. Leave whilst shovelling the snow for 10 minutes or just sit there (never leave car unattended and running with keys in, if it's taken your insurance will run a mile). Then finish off with the scraper.

 

Another helpful tip is to get those airvents at either side of the dash pointed at passenger and drive windows. Worked for me this morning, just warm enough that the leccy window would work, as it went down I smashed through my new second ice window and it was kinda real fun, apart from all the wet bits where it fell back in a bit

[blades360 10]

what are side roads/path like in town?

 

east parade, campo lane, north church street, figtree lane, paradise street areas

 

:suspect::suspect:

 

:help::help:

[phil_si 10]

Clearing the ice from the windscreen:

 

On a day like today, forget the de-icer, that actually makes it worse. Start your car and let the demisters start to warm the car up slowly. After a few minutes when the warm air begins to blow from the demisters, take your ice scraper and instead of attacking it like wallpaper, make "cutting" motions across the ice with it.

 

Once you've made a few "cuts", if you haven't used de-icer which turns everything into a clingy horrible mush, you will find that you can push the ice off in great big A4-size "sheets" when the warmth of the glass starts to create water between.

 

Less hassle and cheaper than squirting a full can of de-icer around. which stinks, makes a mess and ends up freezing back up again half the time.

 

 

Good tip!

 

I also found it worked today by letting the car heat up a little. The ice was too tough to try to scrape. Plus when you do bet back in the car it is nice and toasty

[slick rick73 10]

what are side roads/path like in town?

 

east parade, campo lane, north church street, figtree lane, paradise street areas

 

:suspect::suspect:

 

:help::help:

 

There were no problems around there when I left Queen St at 5.15. Everything had melted.

 

That's not say they're not frozen up again now. they were pretty bad this morning.

[Cat86 10]

Not impressed with the black ice.

 

Partners brother went flying into the lampost this morning..I went out to check if he was ok..and now have a purple back, and my hands all cut..

 

luckily they refilled the grit bin tonight

[Padster89 10]

I got out of the car to go to the post box on the other side of the road and walked straight onto the black ice (on the road) and I felt both my feet start slipping (felt like the 2 geezers on Home Alone slipping all over the place). There were 2 people in a van that I knew were watching so there was no way I was going down.

[bslbabe 10]

Sausage dog .... I SALUTE TOUR SENTIMENTS. The conditions are dreadful, but please lets spare a thought for Haiti. Nature can be so cruel, maybe we all ought to listen to it a bit more. I have spent the day watching the forums comments and watching the news (and yes I do work and yes I battled my way there and back) and right now I am sitting here feeling rather humbled !!

[honeyb35 10]

I heard an almighty crash whilst trying to de-ice the car this morning... that's what it must have been Wouldn't have taken the car out but one of my staff was stranded in Chapeltown when the buses stopped coming up to High Green.

 

Main roads are ok at the moment and the gritter has just gone past, but if this light snow/ rain freezes again tonight it's going to be just as bad

 

Blimey thats the top of my road, I knew it was bad but haven't actually left the house to see just how bad!