Moving to Finland | The Coldest Winter in 20 Years!
2024 ж. 11 Қаң.
173 598 Рет қаралды
With temperatures as low as -44°C recorded in Finland this week, and -26°C at my own house, we're experiencing the coldest winter in more than 20 years! Good news for me, a Brit, having moved to Finland from much warmer climes just 4 months ago. So, the question on everyone's frozen lips is... how am I coping?
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Thank you everyone for all the enthusiastic comments offering advice. Rest assured, I am now fully aware that no one in Finland ever pours water on a cold car. I will be trying liquid silicone for the door seals - thank you for that excellent tip - as well as continuing to use my block heater on a timer, which had already largely solved the problem. The period in the video was particularly challenging, because we had a thaw right before a deep freeze, so the partially melted snow froze solid overnight, especially on the car. The dry confetti-like snow which falls in sub-zero temperatures is very easy to manage by comparison, and I now have a very effective ploughing routine for doing so. As for clothing, the only part of my body which now suffers is my toes. Two pairs of merino wool socks, over-sized snow boots rated to -30° and after 30 minutes of no activity they still often go numb - I do have poor circulation to my feet, which may be the problem. Someone suggested wool and heated insoles, which I will also give a try! When filming it is sometimes necessary to take off one's hat and gloves in order to press buttons and hear audio, but be assured, no Englishmen were harmed in the making of this video. Expect another one in a week or two! :)
You are absolutely great to follow. Like Dallas in the 80´s. Can not wait to see the next episode. All the best to the family.
I suggest you experiment with different shoe types and wool sock combos. If your boots are rated for -30 they are high insulating, basically you are wearing plastic bags in higher temperatures and suffering the moisture build up, alternatively might have too stiff soles to activate your foots muscles - but as you say "no activity" that's also a factor, finns wiggle their toes and do a little bit of dancing to keep blood flowing even when they are still, it's allowed :) Technically you don't even need shoes, try wool sock running for fun, stack 3 wool socks on top, preferably somewhere around -5 and lower so the snow doesn't get wet (but not too cold without adding a 4th ) and head for a brisk walk/run near by so you can get indoors fast still if needed. Experiment with that to find the feel what is really needed for the weather. Yes, it's a real sport.
Thank you for making such interesting and entertaining videos! It's good to hear you guys are keeping (relatively) warm. One question I have in mind is, have you taken TBE vaccinations? Ticks are very common in Turku area... Once the snow melts they will emerge again. I suppose you are aware of this already!
There's an old Swedish saying that there are no cold days, only wrong clothes. I found this to be true when I lived in Idaho, where it could be -15 F for weeks in a row. Long underware, ski masks, gloves covered in insulated ski mittens, etc. made it so that you would walk outside without even feeling the cold. They also used timed heaters on the engine or a heated dipstick in the oil. One day a coworker had on so many layers of clothes, that when she took her coat off at work, she realized she'd forgotten her skirt!
If you have poor circulation to the feet, you can try adding more ginger to your diet (warm ginger tea) can help this.
I can only repeat what so many people have said: wipers up when parked, silicon spray to the door seals, and throw an old carpet to cover the wind shield if you have to leave it outside without cover. If you need to melt something, pour the hot water to a plastic bag or something and use the heat of that bag for melting, never ever just pour water on the car as the water will just freeze.
Also too hot water can break the windows. There are a lot of videos of people trying to defrost car windows with boiled water to find a lot of glass shards in their car afterwards.
Exactly.
-26 is a warm Canadian winter lol (wind is your worst enemy) your "snowball" is the dry snow kind (they're terrible for throwing) not like here in Ireland which turns to a ball of ice the second you touch it. Drafts are lifethreatening so batten down and cover broken Windows (which I'm sure you've been told already) Many layers of clothing and nice to see you have good winter boots and snowpants! Snow is also very insulating. If you build a snow fort (essentially an igloo) it'll be warm-ish in it... Protected from the wind. Have fun. Snow is amazing
Well done you for taking on other countries challenges so soon. It's fun learning. Good luck with the igloo, as it must bring fond memories back of your father.🙏
@@acornhomestead3575 we are in 2024 use some heating clothing 🤣 no need to walk around like the miochelin man on a moon mission
I've always found these cold weathers here (in Finland) something that makes me appreciate more the warmth we get after the cold. It's unique feeling sitting outside in the spring time, sun feels warm again and you can hear the snow melting away.
@@robertmoray988 Agreed, there definitely is that "winter wonderland" feeling you get more or less depending where you live during the wintertime. Walking in a forest full of snow and it crunching as you walk, sun shining through the snow coated trees, and all that in silence. For me atleast, it's those moments that make winter so special.
I agree.. right now we are soon phasing into the season when the sun soon starts to warm a bit and it's getting closer to the spring time! Can't wait.
My 17 yr Granddaughter said the same thing this yr. We don't live here in the states where it gets really cold, I'm even embarrassed to say it rarely gets 22*F here, and that's the nighttime temp. Since it's been so crazy cold there, hopefully your spring will come sooner to make up for it.
Finland is weird that way, everything is kinda balanced. I mean we always complain about the weather, but everything we face, the opposite always feels so much better. For example, after this experience Mossy Bottom had, I'm kinda looking forward to see him experience the 4-6am morning sun during early summer, that feels amazing after winter.
@@colrathfuriae Hello...curious to what time is sunset, I have morning sun by 6, setting around 9.
In my opinion, the reason why Finns might be even too eagerly ready to give advice is that before, not that long ago, failure could have easily meant death.
Tip for the freezing toes: make sure you have some space in your shoes even with several layers of socks. This way you will have some air there that will naturally heat up as you move and keep the toes warm 😊
I believe the rule of thumb is that in shoes, you should have about 1 - 1,5cm space, even with the double sock. And btw, it helps with fingers to have gloves and then mittens. When it's cold, gloves alone are more or less useless.
Might be a good idea to take thermal camera pictures from the outside, now that its cold outside. You can then use that for reference figuring out where it leaks heat most. Old houses like these have been upgraded with exterior and roof insulation. You might have time to upgrade either one before next winter. Good videos! Im also thinkning about moving back to Finland.
This is a very good idea! I hope your comment gets lots of likes and rises to the top.
when i use pir camara on the outside shows 1/10 as if i go inside and look at the cold insted.. some times the draft can trick pir for example. and you also need some sort of temp variation, that can be hard to find in a old house with leaks everywhere.. (ofcourse you can heat up to 50c on a winterday, but that is expensive to do in a old house for a longer period) ofcourse you can spend 10.000 euro on a extreme sensetive pir cam, but for a private person that makes no sense pir is a good tool for a old house, but looking at the outside is more for when the job is done and you are selling.. it does not show the problems like if you use it inside. im fixing a floor/celling without insulation these days... and if i use the pir cam it is coldest in the middle of the house, far away from the problem... you need visble temp changes to spot anything, and in a house with a 1000 leaks, logic is sometimes better then pir.. to be onnest you have to insulate everything, not look for cracks.. those you can look for when you are done
I've actually done this already with the help of someone. We went round the whole house identifying the problem areas, which we then insulated. In part a temporary solution, but definitely why the house is warm inside despite the temperatures outside.
-39C this morning here on the Canadian prairies. You are so right about how shifting to survival needs really simplifies life and puts a clear focus on the things that matter. I'm glad you're coping with the shock, it will get easier. Blessings to you and your family.
I'm in upper-ish MB and the weather app says -40 to -50 windchill over the next few days!
It will be -37C for us tomorrow, also Canadian prairies. My car refused to start yesterday
-39c...ouch!, 🥶 visited Levi a week ago and there was only minus 28-32c (Levi = a ski resort located in Finland lapland)
Don't use warm water to get into your car. You already mentioned the main reason: the water will freeze solid soon. But the other reason is that you can very easily crack your windshield.
Never cracked in 50 years of winters 😂
Google and you find so many videos of people cracking their car glass with warm water in really cold temperature.
A garage, an internal heater, a silicon spray on door rubber gaskets and just scraping are the solution! Don't use warm water. It makes the things a lot worse.
I haven't ever seen or heard of anyone using warm water on their car here in Finland. I got reminded of the idea to pee in your pants to warm your legs up by that. Might work for few seconds but then what?
Water Never did any harm to my cars over many years
Indeed. I've been doing it for 20 years in the UK and Ireland without adverse consequence - of course I never use hot or boiling water, only warm water. In fact, I've never heard of anyone whose windscreen has actually cracked, nor could I find any accounts online. What I have discovered at temperatures below -10 is that water actually makes your life harder anyway because it refreezes so quickly, so we simply don't bother any more.
@@Nate1975 I do not know how far south you live but here few days ago people were boiling water and throwing it over their heads outside for fun as it instantly froze. Now though it's only -12C so it is quite warm for a moment but next week it's getting cold again. We have gotten snow here even in the mid summer and I've needed to scrape off the ice from my car windscreen before going to work.
@@MossyBottom Yeah, you want less water and ice, not replace it or add more. One thing you could build would be just a cold un-insulated roofed 3 walled building for your car. 4 pillars, one for each corner and the 3 walls between them don't even need to touch the ground. It would keep almost all elements off you car, clear windscreen etc and only thing you need to deal with is the cold. Autokatos in Finnish "Car Shelter" as a rough translation.
In Finland the general attitude is that there is no wrong kind of weather, only wrong kind of clothing. If you are planning to spend several winters here then a good set of merino wool garments is a great investment! Wool is the best insulator and merino wool is really easy to layer and not that scratchy against the skin. I personally find the winter easier to adjust since you can add layers to your clothing and heating to your house. The awful summer heat (+35°C and above, there's luckily not many of these days in Finland 😅) is worse, since you can't peel your skin off and trying to do anything outside just makes you sweat buckets 😂
Merino wool underwear are the best thing! Got some a few years back and I now swear by them!
My attitude exactly!
Having an open sided carport or tarp garage eliminates all the pain with car getting iced and snowed. Doesn't need to be fully enclosed like a garage, just something to block the sky. Frosting happens due radiative cooling when sky is clear, it makes surfaces colder than ambient air which causes moisture to condensate. And dew point is often just few degrees away in early/mid winter.
For optimally dry firewood, cut down the trees in February, when they have as little internal moisture as possible. Store the logs off the ground (with some thinner logs underneath), under a tarpaul roof and with only one or two walls, and cut them into smaller chunks the next spring.
Firewood should not exceed 20%. A moisture meter could be useful.
Depending on the winter it might be quite a bit of snow still on February making the process quite a bit more work than a bit later on spring. As long as the ground is still frozen the tree doesn't suck water in itself.. So early April might still be fine depending on conditions.
@@akse true. Our family has settled on February as a routine / tradition to travel to the summer cottage and cut down a couple of trees because of hiihtoloma (winter sports leave week) and because the soil is guaranteed to be frozen and the snow usually holds to walk on (hankikanto).
+17°C indoors while -22°C outdoors doesn't sound bad at all. Apparently your house is in better condition than it looks like. Fixing the windows will pretty much solve everything for good.
I would not let the house drop under 20c and 18c in the bedroom here in the southern Swedish high plateau.
@@erikempire318I think that +17 c is maximum indoor temperature for this old house for this winter. I do not think that they are *choosing* to keep it *only* on +17 😅
Yes, I agree. It is very good indoor temperature for an old house when outside is -22. If all the updates had been done it would be cosy now. But the time was just not on his side. Fixing the windows might be the only thing which needs doing to rise the temperature up to +20 inside while outside is that god damn cold -22 ❤❤❤ And every winter there will be a week or 2 that the temperatures drop down below -10. Even in South. When the house warms up, the surviving stops and enjoyment starts! Steady cold winter where it keeps the temperature steadily below -5 is the best winter! Driving stays safe and the weather feels pleasant as the moisture levels stay low.
Use the windows in the shed as your double glazing for the cold months
Covering your firewood with a tarp completely can be a bit troublesome once the ground starts to warm up. It captures all the moisture rising from the ground and your firewood might get damp and moldy during springtime. You will often see large piles of firewood stored with a tarp/sheet metal on top of the pile, but not on the sides, allowing wind and sun to remove the moisture. Those large plastic sleds are also a good option for moving firewood closer to your home. Best of luck with your new homestead!
We have heated my and my parents house with firewood since forever and we still do, and we go trough 12-14 pallets of firewood, and we have a solid rule for tarps and firewood: The minimum safe distance between a tarp and firewood is about 1 meter.
Firewood needs AIR to get dry - so no covering IT with anything IS a BAD IDEA ! You need to have an FRAME - that You lay all the firewood on... so that the moist goes with the breeze... THOSE buildings - are great... to have a roof on Your firewood... Snow IS water... when the sun comes out !
Please remember we arrived in mid-September and had intermittent rain for a month. The tarp was a temporary (and very quick) way to keep the rain off the wood. You'll notice all of it is stacked on corrugated metal roofing to keep it off the ground. We had to act quickly with what we had available. It's a temporary measure.
@@MossyBottom I understand that. Just wanted to make sure no unfortunate surprises happen later on. You have plenty of time to sort them out.
This guy is right. This is important to handle asap, leave one side of the tarp just so that it covers the top. You will learn this by doing the mistakes. The ground moisture rises and it will wet all the wood, worse than snowing from the top side. And believe me when I say this, roughly 50% of Finns do this mistake and ruin the wood still. So it is not just a mistake a beginner or foreigner does! But once you get your chainsaw going with your own forest and have piled the first years harvest, you will start paying attention to this. Hopefully before you notice how the first batch god wet - from the ground moisture and your wife gives you the whipping for freezing house and sizzling firewood! :)
I’m Finnish (but moved away already 30 years ago). That’s how I remember the winters being in my childhood. Your videos make me miss my beautiful birth country. I wish you and your family all the very best. Good luck!
May I add, that although I live in Spain, and we don’t get snow where I am, my room temperature is 13c during winter months and I carry hot water bottles (from the UK) to keep myself warm. 😂
I lived in Spain for 1 year and we had 14 degrees in our flat...the winters there might not be that cold, but often there is no proper heating, so in the end you´re better off with colder weather and a proper wood stove ;-)@@anulaluna
@@inesrasem3308 haha! Yes! Totally agree. We are actually so much colder here!! 😂
Lol we are from the UK and used to live in Australia....we used to put 'winter woolies' on at 22 degrees! Now we are used to the cold again. Also we have spent time in Canada and it's funny but you get used to their extreme cold too. I think we all adjust given the time spent in a country and definitely if you prepare for it too!
Using silicon spray on the rubber is a great way to keep the doors from freezing. I guess you thought about this but, it's a good idea to keep lots of blankets in the car. A breakdown in a rural area can quickly become a life-threatening situation at these temperatures.
Leave the vipers up or get a cover for the windscreen/whole car. They really do work. The silver ones. Motonet/Biltema and others like those sell them for cheap. Be careful with warm water. I would never use it. Get silicone spray for the door and "lukkosula" for the lock.
Get liquid silicone to spread (thinly) on your car door and frame, especially the rubber part, that helps with opening the doors. Do NOT touch anything else if you get silicone on your hands, it is incredibly slippery - wash well with soap. Also, open the car doors at least once per day also on the days when you are not going anywhere. If possible, regularly drive somewhere where there is underground parking, and run errands in the vicinity for at least two hours to get the car to properly thaw. Remember to bring a brush and maybe also some cloth so you can get all the melting snow and ice off. I am glad that you have a heater now!
The liquid silicone is a great tip. I'd actually never heard of that, but will be buying some from my local Puuilo and giving it a try. Thank you (and to all the others who suggested it too). :)
@@MossyBottom Yeah they should sell these small sticks which has a sponge on the top so it is easy to spread on the rubber parts.. (door seals etc.) About that hot water to melt doors etc. some people say that filling a plastic bag or something similar (which doesn't leak) with hot water then holding it against that part you want to melt will prevent the refreezing again when you stop pouring the water. About garage yeah they are nice but even a shelter (roof and 3 walls maybe even a door) will help a lot. The moist in the air doesn't usually freeze on the car and the windscreen.. Also you can pre warm the car and it's more effective when there are no snow melting on the car etc.
@@MossyBottomJust a general reminder to not use it on the windscreen wipers... getting that stuff off anything is either painful or impossible. Also just a tarp tent/shelter (properly rigged) over your car will prevent it from becoming an igloo.
There are also silicone sticks with a spongy head so it's easy to apply without making a mess. Small ~10cm cans. You'll find them at basically any Tokmanni or motonet or a gas station
My parents usually put a old rag rug on the wind screen, doesn't really block the ice forming but the layer won't be so thick. At -20 C run the heater at least 45 min (+1h preferable) so your car battery and starter motor doesn't wear out too fast.
It's so wonderful having you back on KZhead, with a family now is even sweeter! Stay safe & warm, my friend!!! ❄️
For staying warm in the winter, we were always taught at school in Finland that a great part of the body heat escapes through your head. So definitely recommend a good winter hat! I personally like merino wool which is very warm but not itchy like some wools. Also a hat that has an upturned rim gives extra protection for ears even in the wind. Good luck for you and your family, the winter struggles in Finland are real! 🥲😁
i was thinking the same about the hat :D also, if you're wearing good winter shoes i don't think your toes should be freezing so easily. maybe your shoes are packed too tight with socks? the key thing about good layering is to keep the layers loose so the warmth can stay in
I like the wool hats with the fleece lining or a merino wool under cap. Always should ensure there is space around your toes in ones boots, too. I ensure my neck is covered with a snood or wool scarf - i find this helps also.
Reason for that is because head is usually to only "naked" body part.
You should lubricate the door seals before winter with a silicone-based anti-freeze substance. That helps but does not necessarily fully prevent the freezing of the seals. Pouring more water on a car to add to the freezing mass definitely does not help like you noticed. A lot of people in Finland use an old carpet or blanket they throw on the windscreen to prevent freezing.
+Don´t forget to recharge your car battery... if you get the chance.
BTW: there are car manufactures which warns not to use any silicone-based lubrication on the door seals...
This. 400ml can of silicon spray costs only around 4€ and one can of it lasts very long time. In Finland even the driving schools teach this because it is such a crucial thing to know here. Pouring water to car in winter is very bad idea and can even crack your car windows if you apply warm water to them.
@@ssc00p Honda makes grease specifically for rubber seals, part 08798-9013, otherwise known as Shin-Etsu Silicone. IRC it also comes in a stick.
To defrost the door-locks, fill a small plasticbag with hot water and put it over the lock and door handel untill it is defrosted. You may have to refill with warm water if it is very cold. Never pure water on the door or other places on the car when it is deep frozen 😬 And you need to buy a box of oil that is ment for locks. Fill the lock with the oil,, and it will not freeze so easily again. Best wishes from the north of Norway ❤
Hey there. As a first time car owner myself, my 2 cents about the car situation. Clear the snow as often as possible, don't let it build up, very important with fluctuant temperatures. Don't use water to heat away ice, use special alcohol sprays instead, oil your car lock and rub special rubber protection on your door and trunk seals. You'll most definitely get more tips and trick from others. Can't wait for your garden content, I live in pretty much the same weather conditions to you and am planning on making a garden soon too :) All the best, your Estonian neighbor
In fact best practices are don't use any additions for fuel and always fill up the fuel tank. Only ways to get water in fuel system is adding it when using additives or due to condensation when not filling tank when refueling. Locks are normally lubricated enough any extra will just do harm as it means dirt will accumulate in the excess lubricant and using deicing agents adds water in the lock so stay away from those.
We have RUGS - that are for cars rear windows... Those are called RÄSYMATTO - of recycled material...
Yeah, warm water is a really bad idea, it'll also harm the paint and can even crack windows.
Living here in Canada, you're preaching to the choir :) Like the others below, do not pour warm water on your car. Buy a silicone lubricant to rub on the door seals and you won't have that problem. Buy yourself lock deicer for the car locks, and I would think the Finns have what we call a block heater. Get one installed & use it when it's this cold, it makes starting the car so much easier in really cold weather. You're doing well, spring is coming :)
In the video you see he has a blockheater
OMG, don't pour warm water on your car. You'll only crack the windows and get it even more icy. Common mistake foreigners make they have too small boots. Feet should have lots of room for insulating air there. Wool (or any other fiber) doesn't help if it hasn't any air in. :-)
Snow does not become ice unless it thaws a bit at zero degrees and then re-freezes. 15 cm of powdery snow on your car is no problem to brush away if it has been -10C all the time. It's when the weather fluctuates around zero when you start to get problems with everything freezing shut and the snow drifts being rock hard, due to the melting and re-freezing. And don't pour water on your car! No-one does it in Finland, you will only make a giant icicle of your car. To get rid of the ice, drive into some indoor/underground public car park that is warm so that your car will thaw/melt and dry out.
Indeed. Unfortunately what you describe in that first sentence is exactly what happened here. It snowed heavily through December, we had a thaw around Christmas (see my last two videos) then a deep freeze immediately after that in which that partially melted snow (slush) refroze. The powdery snow which falls when it's below 0 is like confetti and so much easier to deal with.
@@MossyBottom You should deal with the snow while it's in the confetti form, because you just know how your car will be if you let the confetti melt and freeze again (disaster).
@@MossyBottomWhere do you go to have a shower surely you don’t do body washes in a bowl of hot water from the kettle ?
You can probably tell that us Finns are great at giving unsolicited advice and solving other people's problems haha. LOVE your channel and I've been binge watching your videos ever since I discovered you few weeks ago. Thanks for sharing your journey! PS. Some of my family has been in UK for a while now and I always find the British traffic far more scary than Finnish despite ice and snow haha. I can't imagine driving 50mph in the city like taxis do in Glasgow!
Haha, I really appreciate the unsolicited advice, though I fear some of the British tongue-in-cheek humour and things I do for entertainment value are a tad lost at times!
@@MossyBottom Am i correct to assume that your eagerness to repeatedly douse the car with water should be seen as a humor? Best way to de-ice car is to drive car into warm parking garage and wait it out. Big supermarket (like Prisma) with underground parking is a good bet. Couple hours there and cleaning snow/ice is way easier, usually having a slow buffet lunch and getting basic groceries is enough. Before leaving, get rid of excess snow, dry the door frames and seals. Also the silicone-spray to help Building some kind of carport would be a good idea for the future. It does not need anything special, just enough to limit snow builup.
Humour, no, but entertainment, yes. Few people have experienced, or seen, the rapidity with which water refreezes at those temperatures, and the point of the video, as all content on KZhead, is to entertain.
@@MossyBottom Ok, I was going to warn that dousing the car with water does make things worse. Especially when door locks and seals freeze or windscreen cracks. Living in Finnland during winter has it's own tricks and there are a lot of knowledge that's passed on generations. Like warming houses with wood stoves, stayng warm and preserving energy. One word of spring. Finnish spring can be amazingly rapid, it takes some experience to get the timing right for gardening.
@MossyBottom It was awesome to see it freeze so fast. I was smiling the whole video because of the way you handle the different situations with your refined sense of humour. It's great to see you're still able to find fun in simple things despite the "struggle" for survival. Thanks for another entertaining video and greetings from even more western Ireland!
I am from Latvia, we had -24 so far. I like gardening and all, but I love winters, because I can just sit, do my art, eat yummy preserves from cellar and freezer, go to sauna and not worry about anything outside because nature is on pause. Just take vitamin D, install cozy lighting and prepare well for your next winter.
You are right, a Finnish mom screaming at the screen here: Wear a warm scarf, hat and mittens for heavens sake! :D You'll freeze your bits off! And I feel the urge to come and zip your jacket up and ask if you have secured your "belly button lock" and "sock lock" (wearing overlapping layers like sticking your shirt into pants) like we do to our kids.. Also while I understand why you have used hot water to melt your car, it excarbates the problem as you have experienced. I'm sure you have already been told to use a tarp or a heavy duty carpet to keep snow off the car (and especially the windshield) in the first place, and only use the indoor heater AFTER you have cleaned to snow off. Needs preparation - you need to clean the car well in advance before going anywhere, for the heaters to have enough time to warm the car. Most people keep the motor running while you scraping the windows (turn the heaters and air blow on max blast), even though it causes extra carbon emissions. But you can't drive if you can't see through the windows! Sometimes the car does turn into a giant ice ball and then, if possible, you might have to resort into visiting the closest town with a heated parking area and let ice cover melt there for a few hours... For freezing toes, it can be a major problem and one solution that does work is to buy 1-2 sizes bigger shoes than you usually would. This ensures that you have enough space for the at least two layers of socks and there still is some air to insulate feet further. Enjoying your videos and following with interest - best of luck for the future!
Yeah, the first things I start wearing in colder weather is warm hat/beanie and wool gloves if it is too warm to wear a jacket. Specially keeping the head warm is important. You covered most of the important things in your comment but one more is to not dress up so warmly that you sweat and then that makes you cold. I've been cycling around the year my entire life here in central Finland and also worked outside on construction sites at winter.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! Do not pour water on the car. When you park your car. lift the windshield wipers up right position. Get a car cover blanket, or put a heater in your car. Best is to have a garage or a tent. If you really have to pour something on your windshield, make a mixture of (väkiviinaetikka) white vinegar( 3 parts) and water (1 part) in to a spray bottle, and spray when needed. Should help to stop ice forming for about a 1-2 weeks.
Good to see you are doing so well! Your car de-icing procedures are not optimal but you have already got a lot of good advice about that. I’d look into the shoe situation. Especially if you are moving you should definitely manage more than 30 minutes at -20. Ideally you should be able to wear thin merino wool socks against the skin with thicker wool socks on top and still be able to comfortably wiggle your toes in the shoes. That air layer inside shoes is critical for insulation. Too small shoes could be reason for freezing toes.
Talking by candle light is magic. 🕯🕯
I now see why there is such a huge Finnish population here in Minnesota, US. This looks like a normal Minnesota winter! If you're able to get an auto-start for your vehicle, it is such a luxury and makes scraping ice off your windshield a breeze! Of course always have blankets and a survival kit in your car just in case you get stuck on the road! Chilly greetings from Minnesota!
That's illegal here.
@@jooger69 Pretty sure it isn't
@@cassu6 running the englne while stationary for more than a few minutes is illegal.
@@jooger69 Yes, but never heard anyone getting a ticket for that in the city, and this here is rural area, so
@@postoffice146If you rob the bank but wasnt caught, does that make it legal?
we live in a 120yr old house and thick (oriental) wool carpets have been a life saver this winter. So cold! Our sewer/waste pipe froze in the beginning of january and I was so happy that we had a functioning outhouse too 😂Good luck!
Remember, the wipers won't freeze to the windscreen, if you lift them up after you get home. Also, fold the sun shade things inside the car down just enough, that it directs the airflow from the interior heater to the windscreen. It (surprisingly) helps a bit to defreeze it.
I ve done several winters in Bulgaria down to -30 not so frequent now and the best advice is dont fight it, be well prepared, and just feed the fire, never leave snow on your car, and keep it dowsed with anti frost, lift your wipers off the windscreen, rub a rag with defrost around the door rubbers and spray in the locks. Get some plastic sheeting and a staple gun amazing results on doors and windows
Finland throwing a real curveball for your first winter here! Talk about a test of resolve. Well done taking this record winter in your stride. :D
One good thing we can expect after this winter is a reduction in the number of ticks and thus hopefully also tick-borne illnesses.
Just what I thought about ticks which are pretty common in that region. Also rodents have harsh time.
Nice that you seem to be keeping your spirits up. In Sweden, we call cold weather "mosquito-free". You'll understand why when you've experienced a summer. We had -36.3c where I live. It was 46 years ago that it was this cold here last.
My brother-in-law says: Nice weather - less mosquitos!
we do have snow mosquitoes that will start to emerge soon! 😅
@@neulasia They have at least they never bothered me ...if it wasn't one that bit me when I was sunbathing once in April when there was still snow on the ground? Still, it was one that bit me, not 10, it happened once and it wasn't weather we would have called "mosquito free" either 😉
This is more a scary movie to me. I have second thoughts about moving to Finland. Ok... back to investigating Portugal 😅 😂❤
Great job! I totaly agree with you. Winter survival makes one feel alive. Our family of 6 heates our 80 year old home with wood only and in the mornigs we might have +13 inside, but no one complained.
Aiyup I’m in uk with central heating and my bungalow is 13c in the morning before the heating goes on. Next week it’ll be lower as your cold is coming over here😳
@@franklin23stthat's horrible😂
i wonder if thats too low for the house and it will get damp and rot. oh well@@franklin23st
It's probably nicer to sleep in +13 than if it were hotter.
I find it so funny that you guys are now living in the Turku region, basically my home city. The world is small indeed. 😊 getting huge David Attenborough vibes as you're describing the Turku-animal's (currently uncharacteristically cold) habitat so vividly
We are expecting -33C today… -43 in the windchill here in west central Saskatchewan in Canada. Up until now it was an unusual warm and dry winter!
I’m sure I’ll know a lot more about how to deal with the cold once I’ve Finnish this video. Thanks!
You should put on a woolly hat. Makes me chilly just to watch a person outside without a hat and mittens in wintertime.
❤ love the song at the end. 🥰
The winters are truly not alike nowadays in Southern Finland. This winter is, as you mentioned, the coldest in around 20 years. Few years back we had however the first recorded winter ever in Southern Finland with no snowfall at all. It was genuinely just like the Irish winters with temperatures higher than +10 C during Christmas time and January, constant rain and high winds. Funnily, the temperature in Christmas ended up being higher than during the Midsummer holidays in late June as the early summer was unexpectedly cold. In the recent years (in south) the permanent snow has fallen typically around New Year's, maybe early January. And melted away sometime around late February or early March. This ongoing winter, where snow is expected to stay on the ground from November to April, really makes me miss my childhood winters that we old folks still remember.
I discovered your channel just as you moved to Finland and it has been really interesting to watch your videos to see how you view life in Finland as a newcomer to the area. I am a Finn myself and together with my British husband we bought our first house in Finland last year, it has been a wild ride of learning many new skills which we never needed when living in apartments! Our house is over 70 years old, so not quite as old as yours but still has stood the test of time (and that's how you know they've been built well, seeing as they are still standing, as long as they've been taken care of). Your car problems made me appreciate our garage SO much, even though ours is not even heated as it's located in an outdoor building - but it keeps the snow off the car! I look forward to following your journey and hope you have many wonderful years to come in Finland! This winter sure has been exceptional in many ways, and definitely has been an experience for us living in a house for the first time - I just keep thinking that in the future we will look back to this year fondly thinking "do you remember the first winter? JEEZ!" so let's take the hardships as an opportunity to make memories :)
The thing that keeps you warm about layers is the air in between. If your socks are packed on too tight inside your shoes, your feet will get cold no matter what- this is why many Finns will size up their winter shoes from their "actual" shoe size! This way, wool socks will actually keep your feet warmer, thanks to there being space for the air as well as just wool and toes.
Just put some blankets on to windshield. Helps a lot because no need for scratching! Also I guarantee you, if you put three woolen sockpairs on your foot, you would keep your foot warm even it's -30c and you are outside for whole day.
Traditional self knitted wool socks suck tbh, merino wool socks like JahtiJakt Merino Extreme are far superior and only 15€ a pair
@@DuBstep115 Merino for the first sock on your skin and then self knitted thick woolen sock on top of it. That's the best combo.
@@hextatik_sound Then you need to have shoes 1 number too big, if the shoe is too tight because you are wearing 2-3 pairs of socks your feet are getting cold again
@@DuBstep115 I have many winter shoes. Some goes with one sock, some with two or more. No problem. I prefer two socks, even three, if I'm for example hiking in very low temperatures.
@@hextatik_sound I wear my adidas superstars till -20c then I swap out to my studded winter shoes. Unless I drive my snowmobile, I have overalls and snowmobile boots
I have 2023 Volvo XC60 and we had -20 - -25 for a week. I have a carport built as an extension of the house (roof, one wall being the house's outer wall and one wall built as closed as well, no insulation or heating a all) where my car is, so the what ever speed wind will dry up the car from any moisture and also protect the "ice layering" or snow falling on top of the car/windshield. I drove every day without any unusual activity required - since no moisture existed, there was no ice to scrape from any of the windows and no moisture to freeze the doors or locks. If one builds a garage, the temperature distance between inside the garage and outside will cause the windows to freeze quickly when driving out, so over all the carport built as an extension of the house is better option than the garage.
I've been working in Finland some 45 years ago on a farm. And I really enjoyed winter and sauna culture. 45 degrees feeled much better than -1 with moisture and rain in Germany. I'll never forget that time and this year I'll come back to visit my friends.
Liked your reference to the 80's being in the UK with the power cuts! and yes, living in Finland and going through the seasons brings you closer to your inherent survival skills and the well repeated verse "Dress for the weather".
I love how Daniel takes life's challenges and makes them fun adventures!
I recognize those shots at 5:30, you chose a great place to move to this is a very nice part of Finland. Nice to see you are settling in well. I can offer a bit of advice on firewood storage, you are better off not covering it totally to not trap moisture when it becomes warmer again (like the last few days this week) better off having structure with 1 or more walls missing to allow wind to ventilate the firewood. Best of luck to your efforts!
I'm a Finn living in Ireland I just had to show 12:25 to my colleague! I've been saying that Irish winter is far more colder than Finnish because of the wind and moisture. I would be glad to exchange the wind to any other weather element :) I'm enjoying your videos a lot as I have the both perspectives now.
Its not REAL cold but its a damp cold lol....its american humor...
Irish by birth now living in the US. I can attest to the fact that it is the wind and rain that make the Irish climate difficult.
I recommend the Bosch air heat pump 9100i. I live in the same kinf of a house as you. The air source heat pump has kept my house warm. The worst frost has been over -28C. To my surprise, the air heat pump heated the house even then.
The weather is giving you proper Finnish welcome it seems haha!
I love your indominable cheerfulness!! It's so inspiring. This challenge is definitely a eustress for you rather than a stress, best of luck in your new home and keep these great videos coming!
Icicles on your roof means your house is losing heat like crazy through the roof or the eaves.
Not easy to produce content in these conditions. Well done. I'm so looking forward to springtime and seeing your surroundings burst into life. Until then, may you, Angela and Juno stay cosy, warm and healthy. Blessings from Ireland. ❤❤❤
I like to use a good quality silicone spray to treat the rubber door seals with. This helps a lot with the doors getting frozen shut. Another problem you might (but hopefully won't) encounter, is the door mechanism freezing. either making it so the door doesn't want to open, or worse, won't close. for that you'll want to treat it with gun oil. there are sprays that are made for unzfreesing locks (lukkosula). For those you'll want to avoid ones with high alcohol content because they'll dissolve and wash the oil away, drying the lock out further and making the issue worse over time.
I prefere the two step systems, first the alcohol cleaner and then a lubricating and moisture repellant spray to stop it from happening agian.
I suggest using warm water inside ziplock bag (or couple, one inside of another to avoid leaks) and thaw those car locks with it. Water inside bags doesn't need to be super hot to work in -20⁰ 😊 If you pour water on your car it only get the problem worse when freezing again as you allready noticed...
I have driven for almost 30 years in Finland, and I don't think I have ever used warm water to de-freeze my car except maybe once or twice to get the gas cap open at a gas station... And I don't have a garage. Typically the door opens with no problems, and then you start the engine and scrape the windows while the engine is warming up. What helps with the doors is applying silicone spray to seals. I think the water probably only makes things worse for you.. Top tip: it is useful to take advantage of public, heated garages (in shopping malls etc.) to totally de-freeze your car sometimes.
There's another school I belong to, who scrape the windows first, and start the engine only when you're done. Idling in the cold warms up the engine slower than driving, so letting it warm up by idling will cause it to run cold for longer, which means more engine wear and pollution. Of course you have to take it easy when diving with a cold engine.
@ I'm not so sure about that logic... But the point was to get the windows free of ice and frost, and it helps that the AC starts blowing some warm air little by little. Obviously you should use an interior car heater beforehand when possible, but it is not always possible or you might forget. And of course a motor heater helps with the motor and prevents unnecessary wear and tear.
@@joojoojeejee6058 Not a logic I've come up with, but one that I go by. 🙂
So nice to hear that you guys are doing fine 🤗 ! It has definitely surprised us how cold it has been, here in Central Finland down to -36°C. But when it's this cold it's just so beautiful outside that I can nothing but admire it (and carry wood and keep on surviving of course 😂). Wish you a happy rest of the winter!
Oh my God! The beauty of powercuts of 70's and 80's😂☘️
I miss those.
I'm from Finland, but have been living abroad for some years now. Watching this video brought nice winter memories. Especially the sound of walking on snow when it's really cold. It's completely different from when it's just a bit below zero.
4:09 I don't suggest that kind of tarp after the winter is over because it also traps the moisture what rises from the ground. That's why you only cover the top and leave sides open. (You propably don't need these advices but YT comments are cheap, you are doing great 😎)
Finland is amazing for appreciating Spring and Summer... Winter is but a state of temporary being, and yes, it is pretty cold, but then you feel alive!
A temporary halfyear...
Winter is amazing in Finland.
This actually gives me a lot of hope 😇
@@Tsuchimursu😂😂 Exactly
❤❤I just love your videos! You truly have that famous Finnish SISU and the spirit of the Winter War❤. No water. pls! Just a simple tarp could help at least with the snow. Use Silicon spray for the doors, the insulation rubber. Open the doors like daily and try to find a shopping center or some other place with underground parking to really "melt" your car once and a while. You could also contact like the Ducia owners club for tips. And there are lots of videos here also in English how to tackle the Winter. All the best and love❤❤❤
Tips from a finn who grew up in an old farm house: When it got really cold, we always hung a thick blanket in front of frontdoor to avoid cold seeping in. May look ugly but works miracles. If you don't feel like hanging up a blanket, simply fold one under the door, it helps too 👍 If you have old double windows, fit cotton wool between the glasses and put a full opened matchbox on top. Cotton wool insulates and the matches suck out the moisture so your windows won't freeze. May sound silly but it actually works 😁 ...and most of all, keep in mind winters in southern finland are NOT usually this cold! Later you'll be remembering "that crazy first winter in Finland"... Cheers from South Karelia!
100% agree. Spent loads of time in Arctic and still remember Winters in Scotland as far more uncomfortable.
-10c is nice -20c is manageable but once you get to -30c and have even 5m/s of wind it becomes unbearable to move outside more than 15mins
Haha no mould! Fab!
As a finn its fun to watch this becouse all that you said is complitely normal and finns dont even realize there can be something strange in it. I have lived abroad in warmer countries also and for me that was like a nice shock that in those warmer countries there is always like a summer compared to finland. By the way we never pour water on frozen doors or things like that. It eventually makes the situation even worse. Usually you can open the doors if you scratch some of the ice of. Thank you and have a good day
😄 This is almost hilarious! 😅 Some Finnish tips here: -No warm water on the car! Ever! That's disasterous! It will sip everywhere and freeze everything! The "benefit" of cold temps is that everything is dry! When you don't melt the snow/ice it's easy to remove. If you melt it, it will freeze and cause all kind of problems. Warming up the car from the inside is the way to go. When it gets warm enough, the snow and ice will actually evaporate because the air is so dry! Removing the snow around the door seals is good thing to do so that when car warms up they won't melt up. -Keep things dry when it's cold! Coldness can be tolerated if you're in dry clothes. That's why it's important to use breathable clothes so moisture you emit can evaporate to that cold, dry air! If you get wet, you _will_ freeze! (same thing with the car!) And finally, wear a hat! 😁
Greeting from Saskatchewan, Canada! We are also having cold snaps (but we always have). The temperature is between -38 to -48°C. During the 4 winters spent in and around Helsinki in the '90's I enjoyed the balmy winters. I did however miss the sunshine. Here in Saskatchewan, we get a lot of sunshine in spite of cold winters. This year winter came late. Not even 2 weeks ago we had weather hovering around 0°C.
There is certainly something calming in the extremely cold weather, it makes the tempo of life slower. You don't go out that much, just sitting inside and throwing more logs in your fireplace. Life returns to simple basic things, just trying to stay warm. It's nice, but still after a while you start hoping for warmer weather, so that you can go skiing or doing other things outside. The snow is not turning into ice just because of the very cold weather. That is because earlier the weather was warmer, around 0°C or even warmer, and that made the snow wet. After that the snow turns into ice, if the weather gets colder. But if it's all the time just -20°C, then the snow doesn't turn into ice, it just stays soft and fluffy. In Lapland, where the temperature is colder and rarely above 0°C in winter time, the snow is usually fluffy all winter until the warmer spring weather comes. With car it's a really nice thing to have a carport, so that the snow don't fall on the car. That also mostly prevents the air moisture freezing to the car windows, so you don't need to scrape the windows each time you want to drive your car. You really don't need a warm garage for that, just some kind of roof above your car is enough. You shouldn't pour warm water on your car. That will just make the car wet and that turns into ice. That reminds me of a well known Finnish saying about peeing in your pants in cold weather, it doesn't keep you warm for very long. 😅 If too much ice accumulates on the car, you might want to every now and then get it in a warm parking hall or garage for a few hours to melt it.
Be careful with that hot water mate! you can easily get your windscreen crack. In fact, the cover wich you said isn't a good solution, may well work, I use it here in Sweden and we have temperatures dropped even lower than in your region. I guess the cover gets a little frozen to the car but it is still easier to remove it than to scrap this thick layer of ice. Any ways it works for me, the only truble is that you have to take extra effort to put it on every time and then take it off again ))
Agreed, i would give the cover another try!
My grandmother's house had windows like yours. In the summer she had double glazing just like you. But in the fall, we'd place an additional window frame complete with a window inside the summer window frame, thus achieving triple glazing. All the window frames would be sealed using cotton in the seams and and white paper tape made for the purpose. An open box of matches would be left inside the window to drain moisture. Grandma's house was pretty warm in the winter too. In your second video you pointed out some used window frames in one of the outbuildings. I trust you've checked that they aren't your house's missing triple glazing? Your house has an expensive mansard roof. I'd be surprised if the original occupants sat there freezing in the winter.
There seems to be such a thing as "enjoyable hardship" - and I hope you're going to have this all through the coming year!
We don't have a garage but have been doing fine with the car in these temperatures. Lift the windwipers up off the glass when the car is parked so they don't freeze on the glass. There are windshield covers you can buy that prevent snow coming into direct touch with windshield and therefore no longer need to do big scraping operations just to see through the windshield. Very good practice to maintain in the winter times when the car is parked at home. Guessing you already have windshield washing liquids (whatever that's called in English) that are meant for freezing temperatures. The doors do sometimes get frozen, but we have been able to open them using force gradually. Just keep the handle extended so it doesn't get damaged. In the worst scenarios the rest of the doors can be opened from the inside as you have been doing. Also being parked next to a building or any structure keeps that side bit warmer so the doors open bit easier. Clearing ice with hot water is bad in the long run. As it can be seen on the video, the water doesn't dry up but freezes which means it eventually builds up in places making it even icier the next time. You can go to a warmed car park and go shopping for couple of hours for the car to properly melt and you can start fresh with melted car.
Love your enthusiasm. Lots of big changes for you, but you're embracing them. Can't wait to see how you develop your new home (sympathetically, I'm sure). Stay warm and safe, all of you.
BEAUTIFUL home! I love older homes, but they're tough to heat. No worries with a little insulation and an upgrade to windows. Reminds me of growing up in Michigan which is cold and dreary all the way through May! Don't miss it now that I'm down in the south, but do enjoy the 1-2 snow days we get from time to time.
Please do not use warm water like that for your car not good. If the door is truly frozen put hot water in a bag and use that for the seals, takes longer but much better. It's good to have a towel to dry the seals after as well. For the windows, direct the heat to the window and just let your car idle for a while and it's easier to scrape the window. For the wood pile it's better to build a platform from wood where to stack it. Wood piles need air so they stay dry. It's better to get them off the ground. Best solution would be to build a wood shed and keeping in mind fire safety regulations regarding distance from house etc. It takes a bit of time to learn different tricks. :)
Haha. I'm an expat from Oxford now living on the Canadian prairies in Alberta. I just woke up, checked my phone and saw the notification of your post on my screen right under the temperature here this morning. I had to laugh as it's -37 now going down to -42 tonight with a wind chill of -50 expected tomorrow morning. Makes you wonder why we ever leave the rain and damp of blighty eh? Keep warm my friend!
My advice to windscreen freezing is just heat the car for hour or two before you leave with the heater it should heat it enough to get anything left off the windscreen quite easily. Then every time you stop after driving keep the door open for half a minute so the warm moist air leaves the car. This will prevent the moist air condensing to the inside side of the windscreen as that is not fun to try to scrape off and it also quite easily prevents the other freezing problems like locks and door freezing as those are also caused by moisture inside the car. Still covering the windscreen with something is very good method as long as you keep the snow off the car. Even a old carpet can work and the tarps specially made for to be windscreen covers don't usually freeze to the windscreen as long as you keep it dry and not let it get wet. If it gets wet you need to bring it in and let it dry up again. Cars are like greenhouses there is different climate in your car than outside but you can regulate it by minor things to come to the outcome you want like not having frozen windscreen or doors.
Coming from Canada these are all normal problems part of life every winter. It was interesting to hear about it from the perspective of someone’s first cold winter. It has been minus 40’s in areas of Canada the last few days. Leather mittens with wool fleece lining will keep hands warmer.
Hi Daniel, Good to see another video from the snowy wilds of Finland. Now you know why animals hibernate through the long winter periods! You have taken on quite a challenge with your move to Finland. However, I have no doubt that you will rise to it and make a wonderful new life for Angela, Juno and yourself. Its good to know that your neighbours are being so warm, welcoming and helpful as they are undoubtedly your best resource. I look forward to watching your progress over the coming vlogs and reading the comments of some of your Nordic neighbours which are incredibly interesting. Good luck with it all. Blessings to you and your family. Debs x
What a nice response. I'm sitting here wondering why move to a place like this to finish a doctorate? I'm assuming that's why they need to use the car so often. Otherwise, when it's that cold, keep the fire going and stay inside!! PS I spent 58 years in zone 5 so I know extreme cold.
Hi @juantiachistner5009 thanks for your response. Its their intrepid spirit I admire and good on them they are young and highly motivated to succeed. I am far more interested in the watching these days than the doing. It is interesting though to see how people who cope with extremes of weather manage their travel and lives. I am sitting here in a cold and grey UK where we are paralysed by even the slightest amount of snow and are currently awash with flood water due to far too much rain in too short a period causing our rivers to break their banks and flood our homes. I guess it doesnt matter where we live. Nature will get us if we arent careful!! Thankfully we can also rely on having kind neighbours who only want to help. Debs x
Silicone and "lukkosula" for the doors and the key lock hole is a great solution. Never poor water directly onto the car. Especially the glass which can rapidly warp and shatter or break the glue seal from the frame. By popping off the frame completely. If you have to use water, fill a grocery plastic bag(or a hefty bag for a bigger mass) with hot water and seal the opening with a knot. Then push the "water balloon" which is hot, to the lock of the car. It will transfer the heat locally via the metals. This also in combination with "lukkosula" into the key hole will NOT add water into the lock and keep the lock from freezing. The main thing thou is to keep the door frame seals and the lock "lubricated" before the deep freeze. Once it is frozen, things are a lot harder.
Also remeber to use lock oil every time after lukkosula. Usually lukkosula is never needed if lock is properly lubricated with lock oil, also gun oil is really good in winter for locks. Of course locks are not the issue in cars from this millenium because lock is under some plastic cover anyway.
We just came back from Finland - Helsinki, Rovaniemi, Levi, Inari, Äkäslompolo - Swedish Lappland - we expereinced - 40 degrees 1 day and mostly -30 and with skiing equipment it was ok, the cold in Finland is different from the swiss climate because it's dry
Just having a roof over your car helps ALOT! No need for a warm garage. :)
Studless winter tyres (not all seasons) are also allowed, but the studded ones are definitely the way to go
Especially for someone who is not used to winter driving.
Kofi Annan, the former secretary general of the United Nations, attended Macalester college in St. Paul, Minnesota. One year he came back to give the graduation speech and I was there to hear him. He told a story of his first winter at the college. When the sun came out, he assumed it would not be so cold (the opposite is true, as I'm sure you now know…) and ignored his fellow students’ advice to cover his ears and his face when he walked across campus. He said his ears and nose almost froze off! And from that he said he learned the lesson that you should always listen to the advice of locals and not assume you know better. 👍
Dispite that he then moved to his wife in south eastern Sweden (very similar to st: Paul.
@@erikempire318 He must have learned to enjoy it!
I don't know, the sun definitely makes it a lot warmer
@@sarahnd or the wife :)
i recommend buying ash vacuum cleaner. makes it a lot easier to clean ashes. And of course ash can be used as a fertilizer at summer. But storing it might be a problem :)
Pffft. Right now in Clive Alberta it’s minus 35 with a windchill of minus 46. Tomorrow night is forecast of minus 47 with a windchill of minus 58. Thank God for Natural Gas ! I went to town for groceries today. It’s how we live. I’m 25 minutes out of town I’ve been a schoolbus driver for 37 years. I’d never pour hot water on my car !
I love your attitude! And you are right, the cold is more of a inconvenience than a real problem. Sounds like you have a good grip on things and you are making the best with what you have at the moment. The only thing that made me grimace was when you said that you pour hot water on your car. If your problem is door handles freezing, then I would put the water into hotwater bottle if you have one, or a blastic bottle. And try to melt the handles by pressing the hot bottle on the locks.
I live in Ontario and started working at a forest school last year where we are outside all day no matter the weather…so I quickly discovered that I needed warmer boots! I asked my friend who lives in the Yukon and she told me about Steger Mukluks….I got a pair and LOVE them. They are not the best for the wet in between times, but are wonderfully good at keeping toes warm - without being heavy or clunky!
As I understand you can overheat the cores of those stoves if you heat them too much, so careful. You can ask your neighbors they likely knows about those stoves. We are approaching now a period called "kevättalvi" and the weather can (and probably will) be all around before it finally get warm.
Embers don't have to be out. Just make sure there are no flames anymore. The last ones to go out are almost invisible blue. If there is a small layer of ash on top, then it's safe. But of course it's good to have that co monitor close.
I am delighted to see you happy in Finland. I'm sure you are inundated with "good advice", but I feel like adding to it. To keep your fingers warm and relatively nimble, try three layers of hand knitted woolen mittens. When you wear mittens in damp snow, they get a bit wet while you work. As a result, they become slightly felted, which improves them in the long run. Similarly with toes, try to keep to the wool and leather. I wore felt boots in the heavy frost when I was a child. Rubber and -25ºC is a painful combination. I wish you continuing health and happiness!
Your feet probably get cold so soon because the boots just aren't good. They might be officially cleared for -30 degree, but that doesn't mean much. The type of boots are popular right now, but also very much overrated. Essentially, they are just glorified rubber boots. One problem with them is that the rubber does not breathe at all, so your feet gradually become wet and thus also cold.
Well Finland your not alone, right now here in Montana USA is -12 degrees but with windchill it feels like -36, by the weekend it’s going to drop to -26/windchill -47🥶. I definitely don’t like it that cold, but what keeps my spirits warm is that it will only last for just a couple of days and a cup of hot chocolate ☕️then our temperatures will go back to the high 30’s🏖️🫠