Safety Tips for Shoveling Snow

Every year that we get heavy snow I am reminded of all of the heart attacks that occur from snow shoveling. I personally know two families that have lost a love one, who appeared in good health, to a heart attack while shoveling. I always worry about my dad, though I'm very glad his new place has a short drive! Why is shoveling snow so dangerous? Simple, because of the cold temperatures, your blood vessels shrink restricting blood flow. This causes your heart to have to work harder than usual. Next add in some extremely strenuous exercise like shoveling heavy snow. Persons with blood pressure issues or known heart issues should use extreme caution when shoveling. You may not feel as tired or sore when you are shoveling because the cold becomes a constant irritant, so take lots of breaks. Get a shovel that is made for a person your size. Don't race or attempt to shovel too much snow. Put your hands at least 10-12 inches apart to get better leverage. Spray your snow shovel with some lubricant to help the snow slide off easier. If you feel week or tired, stop, get warmed up and rest until you are sure that you are alright. Also, never turn down help! If your kids want to help, let them!

Keep Snow Off Your Satellite Dish and TV

There is nothing more annoying than when the Satellite goes out. It always seems to happen when I am really getting into a show, right at the best part. Having your Satellite dish aligned correctly can usually keep a strong signal except during the strongest of storms.  Snow on your satellite dish will almost always drop the signal. If you let it go too long it can quickly turn into ice and that can be very hard to get off of the satellite dish. I think the worst is when snow collects on the dish, you have to go out into the cold to clean it off, if you can even get to it.  Your best bet is to use preventive measures to keep the snow off the satellite dish.

Use a Little Grease To keep Snow and Ice Off Satellite Dish


I have found that spraying cooking spray like Pam or WD-40 over the entire dish will keep snow and ice from sticking to the satellite dish. A good coating usually lasts all winter for me, unless we get a few heavy rains on the warmer days. Be careful with WD-40 as it may damage or discolor plastic satellite dishes or components and it is really flammable. I usually use cooking spray, but have used WD-40 in a pinch. It works great and will keep your TV snow free during the next snow storm.

Turn up the Heat On Your Satellite Dish

If you happen to live in a very cold climate or your dish is way up on your roof you can also try one of the commercially available satellite dish heaters.  Dish heaters don't work very well on plastic dishes and will cost about $100 plus installation.  If you receive losts of snow and have a metal dish this may be your best option.

Cover Your Dish

Another technique I have used is a good old trash bag.  This works really well if you are expecting a big snow storm and have time to prepare.  Just take a large trash bag, one with draw strings works best, and place it over the receiver and around the front edges of the dish.  Use the draw strings or some zip ties to secure the bag to the dish.  My friends and I have had some succuess with this method, so if it works in your circumstances you may want to look into a commercial satellite dish cover.  You can get one for around $40 and can be used year round.

Enjoy your snow free dish TV.