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Plugging in the Car

February 4, 2013 By 10 Comments

It all started with a tweet:

The back story has to do with a recent post about my backyard: Winter Wonderland.  Brad took on the role of my mom and was giving me grief about not dressing properly for the weather.  Soon after, others joined in and so when a cold-front moved in here in Grande Prairie, Alberta, I made sure to let Brad know I was wearing proper winter gear.

Little did I know life in Northern Canada would be so intriguing to so many people.  Soon I was responding to tweets from people all over the warmer parts of the world about living in a land of winter.  Looking back I could have told some astronomical lies but the truth to these folks was much stranger than fiction.

Most fascinating of all was the fact that on cold winter days I have to plug in my car.  To satisfy curiosity and provide some clarity, I took some pictures.

Canadian vehicles come equipped with electrical block heaters.  The cord for the heater just hangs out of the front of the vehicle.  On very cold days (-25 or colder) the fluids get very thick and the engine can freeze up .  The block heater keeps things loose enough for the engine to start.  Once the vehicle starts it takes anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to warm up enough for you to drive without doing any damage to the vehicle.  Running a vehicle too cold isn’t good for it and it isn’t safe because the brakes don’t work as well.

All staff parking lots, hotel parking lots, and even some restaurants have places to plug in.  I took a picture of the row of electrical posts in my staff parking lot (below).  The bushes make them a little hard to see but if you look close you’ll see.  Some lots have a sort of fence with an outlet for every parking stall.  Yes, these are expensive to install.  Yes, it is expensive for employers and businesses to provide electricity but if you can’t plug in, your vehicle won’t start.

I have a garage for my vehicles so I don’t have to plug in at home.  For those without garages, there are outlets on the outside of homes and if you don’t have a driveway, you have to run a long extension cord out to your vehicle on the street.

So now you know.

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I didn’t really think plugging in the car for winter was weird because it’s all I’ve ever known.  Is there anything else you’re wondering about Northern Life?

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About James Hudyma

Dad. Husband. Teacher. Minivan. Some hair. Some gut. Strong coffee. Guitars. Songwriter.

  • James Hudyma

    Just so you know, taking these pictures was quite the adventure. The windchill was -45 that day.

    • http://twitter.com/GinaValley Gina Valley (@GinaValley)

      I’ve said it before. I’ll say it again. You are a giver.

      • James Hudyma

        Thanks Gina. A little frostbite is a small sacrifice to bring such important visual information to my readers.

  • http://twitter.com/GinaValley Gina Valley (@GinaValley)

    Yet another reminder of why I am too wussy to live in a place with true winter weather. I shake my head about it every winter I take my kids to visit their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. They all plug their vehicles in, too.

    • James Hudyma

      I’ve never lived somewhere warm but I’m sure I would get used to it very quickly.

  • Robert Loftus

    That’s awesome, I too was very confused by your plug in my car tweet. I love the cold, but probably not that cold. I remember waiting for the bus as a kid in -7*F & my nose hairs immediately froze up. What’s your heating bill like during the winter? Very intrigued about our neighbors in the cold North .

    • James Hudyma

      Our furnace uses natural gas and is high efficiency and our heating bill is still nearly $400/month for the coldest months of winter.

  • DisastroDad

    Don’t forget to tell them that when it gets really cold you have to take the dogsled to work.

    • James Hudyma

      On the really, really cold days I have to ride the polar bear to work.

  • http://www.readbradthedad.com Brad the Dad

    You explained the mail thing to me with the centralized boxes, so thanks for that, because it’s hard to imagine the mailman going from house to house in such weather.

    Pets? My dog would be pissed. Right now in our 20 degree weather (um, that’s a positive number and it’s in Fahrenheit by the way), she is outside for barely 30 seconds before barking to be let back in.

    Backyard ice rink – As mine went from puddle to rink to puddle to rink to puddle again and now almost back to rink, part of me is very jealous of your freakishly cold temps.

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