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North Texas Winter Storm and Freezing Pipes

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February 15, 2021, 07:49 AM
RogueJSK
North Texas Winter Storm and Freezing Pipes
quote:
Originally posted by marksman41:
Rogue - what precautions have you taken to prevent frozen pipes?

I've got the styrofoam covers on the outside spigots but am not sure what more can be done.

Currently the heat pump is set for 70 inside but is struggling to maintain 65.


Not much. I've been dripping my faucets. And I did put a layer of mulch over the plastic manhole cover in the yard containing my water meter and shutoff valve, but those are about 3 feet underground so should be fine.

None of my pipes or fixtures are located along exterior walls, which is helpful. My outside spigots are freezeproof, so I'm not worried about those.

The neighborhood messageboard has already had one person report frozen intake pipes on their water heater, which was located in their garage without any sort of enclosure. Mine's in my garage too, but inside a closet.

My house is brand new, and well insulated. So my gas furnace is having no issues holding my usual 66 inside.

And I have the gas fireplace in the living room going currently. Smile
February 15, 2021, 07:52 AM
opticsguy
I'm in a new house with PEX running through the attic instead of copper under the slab like older houses in Dallas. Guess what? It's below freezing in the attic and the supply lines coming down exterior walls are all frozen. I have one sink, two outdoor "frost free" faucets, and a toilet supply all frozen.
February 15, 2021, 07:55 AM
lastmanstanding
I do feel for you guys because I know you are not acclimated to cold temps. But we are going into week 3 of these kinds of temps. We are finally going to get some relief starting tomorrow.




"Fixed fortifications are monuments to mans stupidity" - George S. Patton
February 15, 2021, 08:46 AM
RogueJSK
quote:
Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
I do feel for you guys because I know you are not acclimated to cold temps.


The issue isn't so much that folks aren't acclimated to it. The bigger issue is that the further south you go, the houses simply aren't built to handle such low temperatures for extended periods.

Northwest Arkansas is pretty far north in "The South", so our construction tends to account for it more than, say, houses built in central Texas.
February 15, 2021, 08:57 AM
gjgalligan
Prepping their houses for future weather might be a good thought. More insulation not only helps for cold weather but also in hot weather.
Fixing water lines to prevent future freezing might be cheaper then repairs.
Outside water lines should be able to be shut off and blown out for these type of events.

For folks out of power generators are a god send. Many folks here will spend thousands on gun/stuff but haven't thought to spend a few hundred on a generator.


Integrity is doing the right thing, even when nobody is looking.
February 15, 2021, 09:08 AM
old rugged cross
Yep, a $1100 Honda 2000 watt generator ran our Refer, Rinni propane furnace, tv/sat. system and a few lights, for almost 2 days none stop. Never a hicup. Just took a couple of good extension cords. Real ones. Not the ones like vacuum cleaner cords. Eek



"Practice like you want to play in the game"
February 15, 2021, 09:09 AM
dewhorse
I drove in from NW PA yesterday...I30 was not fun so I got off near Sulfer Springs and the roads were a solid sheet of ice...great Roll Eyes

I had to take my GTI(with all seasons HA HA) to PA since the wife cannot drive a 6sp. Got home just in time for the fun...rolling black outs and -15 (with wind chill) north of DFW.

Went out and shoveled the drive, that's a first here) thank got I actually had a show shovel.

Got the back up batteries and camping stove out....just in time for the power to come back on Big Grin

Going to the park with the power and will find a full propane tank and an adapter hose....should have done that before.

I love this shit Cool
February 15, 2021, 09:09 AM
gjgalligan
Another thought for you southern folks, septic lines & tanks can freeze too. Be very careful if your lines run an area where you drive as that can "push" the frost deeper.
Watch carefully for backups!


Integrity is doing the right thing, even when nobody is looking.
February 15, 2021, 09:10 AM
snoris
quote:
Originally posted by RogueJSK:

The issue isn't so much that folks aren't acclimated to it. The bigger issue is that the further south you go, the houses simply aren't built to handle such low temperatures for extended periods.



I'll second that. We're in the Dallas area where the temp got down to 4(F) early this morning, and while our 60-year-old house was built very well, it's not insulated the way homes are in Rogue's region.

The temperature in our house is about eight degrees lower than our thermostat setting.
February 15, 2021, 09:23 AM
NavyGuy
Pretty damn cold here in North Texas. Official Temp right now is 6 degrees, but my outside thermometer is showing 12. It's hanging on an outside wall under our pergola so there's a bit of protection there. I guess we've got about 4" of this white stuff on the ground. The cold water feed to our washer appears to be at least somewhat frozen, as the wash shut down saying it couldn't fill. The state as rolling black outs. Daughter number 1, who lives about 3 miles from us lost power at 8 am, and daughter number 2, who lives 80 miles north just now lost power. We still have juice.

Oh well, we'll get through this. Nothing like when we lived in the Chicago area. Only difference is houses there are built to hand extreme cold, whereas houses here in Texas are engineered for heat.



Men fight for liberty and win it with hard knocks. Their children, brought up easy, let it slip away again, poor fools. And their grandchildren are once more slaves.

-D.H. Lawrence
February 15, 2021, 09:25 AM
tatortodd
quote:
Originally posted by RogueJSK:
quote:
Originally posted by lastmanstanding:
I do feel for you guys because I know you are not acclimated to cold temps.


The issue isn't so much that folks aren't acclimated to it. The bigger issue is that the further south you go, the houses simply aren't built to handle such low temperatures for extended periods.

Northwest Arkansas is pretty far north in "The South", so our construction tends to account for it more than, say, houses built in central Texas.
Houston is not built to handle it at all. For example, freeze proof faucets would've cost the builder $15 total to install at original construction in 2016 but instead there are regular faucets.

Our HVAC systems are set-up for air conditioning which means the vent is in the ceiling and the cold (actually warm) air vent is also in the ceiling.

They run uninsulated pex pipe through the attic on top of the joists and if any blown-in insulation gets on them it was purely by accident.

Most of my neighbors have dual water heaters in their attic. I'm fortunate that I have a tankless water heater between the studs in my garage wall.

Wind turbines account for some of Texas' electrical generation and they're dead in the water right now. They're doing rolling blackouts for load shedding but widespread posts that they're lying their asses off about only cycling you off for 30 to 45 minutes at a time. We've been without power since 2:30 AM so I'm suspecting a downed transmission line.



Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.
February 15, 2021, 09:36 AM
tatortodd
This is Galveston Beach which is a historic event




Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.
February 15, 2021, 09:37 AM
snoris
quote:
Originally posted by NavyGuy:
Pretty damn cold here in North Texas. Official Temp right now is 6 degrees, but my outside thermometer is showing 12. It's hanging on an outside wall under our pergola so there's a bit of protection there. I guess we've got about 4" of this white stuff on the ground. The cold water feed to our washer appears to be at least somewhat frozen, as the wash shut down saying it couldn't fill. The state as rolling black outs. Daughter number 1, who lives about 3 miles from us lost power at 8 am, and daughter number 2, who lives 80 miles north just now lost power. We still have juice.

Oh well, we'll get through this. Nothing like when we lived in the Chicago area. Only difference is houses there are built to hand extreme cold, whereas houses here in Texas are engineered for heat.


Where in the Chicago area did you live, and when? I was in Winfield (next to Wheaton) in the sixties. And yes, I was there for THAT blizzard.
February 15, 2021, 09:39 AM
ZSMICHAEL
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yeah. I grew up in the Midwest and was shocked that the water line was a half inch below the surface and insulation in the attic was limited. Same with the faucets. Small savings on things like that. I had 600 dollars worth of insulation blown into my attic it has really cut my electric bill. The code enforcement on the Gulf Coast did improve some after Katrina.
February 15, 2021, 09:44 AM
Prefontaine
Just shoo'd a coyote off my porch here in the burbs. He must have been the weak one of the pack. He pushed through the snow down into my mulch and was making a bed for himself. Cameras picked him up and I was able to get him off the property and call animal control.



What am I doing? I'm talking to an empty telephone
February 15, 2021, 09:50 AM
Flash-LB
Wait a minute.

All the progressives talk about is Global Warming so all this snow and ice is impossible, right?
February 15, 2021, 09:51 AM
tatortodd
quote:
Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yeah. I grew up in the Midwest and was shocked that the water line was a half inch below the surface and insulation in the attic was limited. Same with the faucets. Small savings on things like that. I had 600 dollars worth of insulation blown into my attic it has really cut my electric bill. The code enforcement on the Gulf Coast did improve some after Katrina.
I have a shit ton of insulation in my house and my peak air conditioning bill is only $150. The problem is none of the water is insulated.



Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.
February 15, 2021, 09:58 AM
TMats
I’ve been texting with a friend who lives in San Antonio. Their power was out all night. “It’s cold in here,” he said. He sent me a picture of their Jeep and truck, sitting there with a good 4” of snow on them.


_______________________________________________________
despite them
February 15, 2021, 10:15 AM
P250UA5
quote:
Originally posted by tatortodd:
quote:
Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yeah. I grew up in the Midwest and was shocked that the water line was a half inch below the surface and insulation in the attic was limited. Same with the faucets. Small savings on things like that. I had 600 dollars worth of insulation blown into my attic it has really cut my electric bill. The code enforcement on the Gulf Coast did improve some after Katrina.
I have a shit ton of insulation in my house and my peak air conditioning bill is only $150. The problem is none of the water is insulated.


Same here (same neighborhood), though our peak elec. bill is a bit higher (pool & a few more sq ft).
No interior water issues so far, we'll see how things are when it starts to defrost.




The Enemy's gate is down.
February 15, 2021, 10:16 AM
MikeinNC
Power went out around 0100....my house was built in 2018 and we have regular spigots not frost proof. My exterior spigots are frozen. I had my sprinkle riser wrapped and. Trouble light under it, but it’s frozen now. My MBR bathroom toilet is frozen as that line is against a exterior wall....these “rolling blackouts” suck



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