Playing CHUTES AND LADDERS to shovel snow on your West Lafayette Capilano By The Lake driveway.
How to shovel WET snow safely and with least amount of resistence in West Lafayette, Indiana!
We are getting nailed with around seven inches of WET and HEAVY snow in the West Lafayette area today. You know the kind of snow I am talking about-too wet and heavy to shovel and too wet and heavy for a snow blower.
Want to know how to move wet and heavy snow with the least amount of resistence? Read below, my friends!
Playing CHUTES AND LADDERS to shovel snow on your West Lafayette Capilano By The Lake driveway.
This winter has been absolutely beautiful in West Lafayette's Capilano By The Lake Subdivision!
It has been truly a winter wonderland with all the snow glistening on the trees and looking at the ankle to knee deep snow on the ground!
All that beauty does come at a price as we have had about two and a half times more snow than normal with several snowfalls of more than eight inches at a time!
Living in Indiana presents problems for foundations with our drastic changes in winter weather all season long.
It can be rainy and 50 degrees one day, and a week later below zero with ten inches of snow!
Freeze and thaw; freeze and thaw!
It is important to get snow away from your foundation before the next round of thaw and freeze as that continuous cycle can lead to moisture in the crawl space or basement.
Homes in the shape of an "L" with 3 car garages are a special challenge as the snow beside the home must be shoveled more than 40 feet to take it away from the foundation as the continuous freeze and thaw of the snow and water is hard on a foundation.
Playing Chutes and Ladders to remove snow away from your foundation.
Do you remember playing Chutes and Ladders with your children as they delighted in advancing their token up the board or became upset when they slid down the chute back toward the start area?
I play a version of this game but the chute is used to remove heavy, or deep snow away from our home's foundation.
I create a single chute and funnel all the rest of the snow through that chute with very little effort!
Let your legs do the work and keep funneling all the snow into your original chute!
By funneling all the snow through the single chute you do NOT have to continuously fight through the heavy or wet snow and push it across the driveway!
When the mouth of the funnel becomes too wide it is time to create a new chute!
When you make a new chute it creates a ladder, or island.
Keep shoveling the snow closest to the foundation of the home into the new chute that will merge into the original chute.
Keep alternating shovels of snow and the ladder(island) will soon disappear!
When it does, the funnel becomes even larger and it is time to create a new chute and ladder.
Keep funneling all the snow into the new chute from both sides.
All the snow to the left by the garage soon dissappeared as well as the snow from the ladder to the right.
By using your chute the plastic shovel blade glides along the drive and traps twice the amount of snow to be carried away from the house.
Don't forget to create a chute at the end of your driveway at the lowest point to create a pathway for the melting snow to leave your driveway!
Now I know what some of you are going to say.
-- " Why don't you use a snow blower?"
-- " Why don't you have your drive plowed with that much snow?"
I do not like the noise or pollution associated with a snow blower or snow plow.
I love the sound of the winter wind howling and the stabbing cold, and welcome the exercise that playing chutes and ladders to remove snow on our driveway affords.
"The legs feed the wolf, boys!"
Work smart and use your legs; I've still got 'em!
Disclaimer: Removing snow by this method is great exercise and it may not be for everyone. Check with your physician, accountant, lawyer, clergy, etc. before attempting!
Me, what could be a better way to go than expiring with your snowboots on? (actually I wear tennis shoes with heavy wool socks-works great!!!)
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