How do you deal with winters in Chicago? (HOA, camp)

[AAVC]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

One major consideration will be how your dwelling is heated. High-rises can come with a variety of different HVAC systems. I am not a fan of two pipe systems common in Chicago high-rises constructed in the '90s and '00s.

I have my eyes set on a high rise built in the early 80s, just waiting for the right unit for us. Which type of system do you recommend?

[ChiGuy2.5]

Originally Posted by AAVC

I have my eyes set on a high rise built in the early 80s, just waiting for the right unit for us. Which type of system do you recommend?

The type of system you don't have to pay for is always nice!

I had radiator heating in my condo. It was great at getting the unit spicy hot if I wanted. The problem with it was that it was too hot at times so I had to open the window. That mostly happened when it was between seasons. Keep in mind that with radiant heat, the system needs time to switch between hot and cold. Generally the maintenance team will error on the side of too hot because it's a legal requirement (cold is not legally required).

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by AAVC

I have my eyes set on a high rise built in the early 80s, just waiting for the right unit for us. Which type of system do you recommend?

I cannot say that I recommend a particular type of HVAC system. However, I know that a complete lack of control over my own heating a cooling would be frustrating especially when living in a potentially 60 story building. I know property managers in those buildings often experience an earful several times per year during the should seasons when the weather is marginal and either the building's system is stuck on heat or stuck on cool. People on some floors are frying and others are freezing and vice versa depending on the time of year. No thank you! I would rather have my own furnace and condenser! Even a wall or window unit!

[AAVC]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

I cannot say that I recommend a particular type of HVAC system. However, I know that a complete lack of control over my own heating a cooling would be frustrating especially when living in a potentially 60 story building. I know property managers in those buildings often experience an earful several times per year during the should seasons when the weather is marginal and either the building's system is stuck on heat or stuck on cool. People on some floors are frying and others are freezing and vice versa depending on the time of year. No thank you! I would rather have my own furnace and condenser! Even a wall or window unit!

So I take it you don't live in a high rise then? Single family property?

[MarianRavenwood]

Great winter wear is a must. Get a coat and some accessories that you love, so when it gets super cold, you think 'ooh, I get to pull out my special scarf' or something close too that.

Embrace hygge. Don't try to fight mother nature. The summers are gorgeous here, but winters are half the year (statistically, 50% chance of snow after April 1, 25% after April 15) and you don't want to waste half your life. So be intentional about how you want to spend the time (learning to bake bread, take an art class, indoor DIY projects, whatever).


And recognize that it's not just the cold. We will typically have a stretch of ~20 days without sunshine. Not just overcast but dark. Dark enough the streetlights stay on all day. Seasonal depression is more common here, so have a plan to compensate (light therapy, extra time with friends or family, or whatever works for you). Even on sunny days, the day may be shorter than wherever you are used to. On the winter solstice, Chicago has 30 minutes less daylight than St. Louis or Memphis. An hour less than San Diego or Dallas. Between the solstices and equinoxes, the difference in daylight shrinks and then grows again--but point is, most of the year Chicago has less daylight and fewer days of sunshine. Accept it and embrace it.

[CBOTfan]

^^^^^

Extreme Exaggeration!

Please pull data showing NO SUN in Chicago for a stretch of 20 days.

[MarianRavenwood]

Originally Posted by CBOTfan

^^^^^

Extreme Exaggeration!

Please pull data showing NO SUN in Chicago for a stretch of 20 days.

Not even a little exaggeration.


https://www.wunderground.com/calenda...l/chicago/KMDW


https://blockclubchicago.org/2022/05...-past-42-days/


https://wgntv.com/tom-skilling-2/jan...ut-sun-so-far/


https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2017...er-this-month/


https://www.wunderground.com/article...s-january-2017


Brian B.'s Climate Blog: Average Cloudiness

[Hiruko]

Originally Posted by AAVC

So I take it you don't live in a high rise then? Single family property?

I live in the suburbs in a single-family home, yes. When I had a home in the city, it was a mid-rise condominium with forced air heat and central air conditioning. The main benefit to two-pipe buildings and buildings with radiant heat is that those are master-metered systems. That means that the entire building shares the expense of that utility. The downside is that those systems have reduced individual control. One of my parents lives in a high-rise downtown with a two-pipe system. I had to take them two space heaters this week because the place was freezing even with the heat cranked up.

[CBOTfan]

[quote=MarianRavenwood;66317556]Not even a little exaggeration.


Per you: "We will typically have a stretch of ~20 days without sunshine. Not just overcast but dark. Dark enough the streetlights stay on all day."

I checked all of your links. "Typically"? No. "Stretch of around 20 days"? No. They refer to chunks of the month or a month with a day of sun here and a day of sun there among a mostly cloudy time span.

Per Tom Skilling in your WGN link: "To date this January (2023), and the month’s not yet over, we’ve logged 14 days with no sun. That’s not a record but it’s not far from it. The record for most cloudy January days occurred back in 1998 when 20 days passed with a ray of sun."

"Streetlights stay on all day"? No link has discussed that and the idea of round-the-clock streetlights for a stretch of around 20 days defies belief.

Not very "typical" to me.

[fusillirob1983]

Originally Posted by AAVC

So I take it you don't live in a high rise then? Single family property?

When I lived in the city, I spent 6 years in a 3-story walkup (first floor and basement duplex down) and another 2 years in a 2-story walkup on the second floor. We had our own thermostat in both instances, but things can get annoying if your neighbors aren't smart. One winter in the duplex down, it got pretty cold and we took the necessary precautions (set thermostat high enough, ran faucets for pipes on the outside walls, opened the cabinets w/pipes, etc.). Our upstairs neighbor didn't, so their pipe burst and created a hole in our ceiling. It was patched up the next day. We obviously didn't have such an issue when we were on the top floor of the 2-story walkup.

Aside from that, just reiterating what others said, wear a layer or two and get a decent winter coat, hat, and gloves and you should be fine. Also a bonus if you have a landlord that shovels the snow timely.