quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Have you tested it without power?

The reason I ask is that the builder for my neighborhood (2015-2018 homes) installed gas fireplaces with some sort of safety valve that needs two D size batteries. It wasn’t just to get it started either as people who pulled their batteries to share with a neighbor had their fireplace shutoff.

That would seem to defeat one of the main things that attracts folks to gas fireplaces...

Mine requires zero external power. It uses a push-button piezo igniter to light the pilot (like on a gas grill). Once lit, the heat from the pilot works a thermocouple that generates millivolts sufficient to work the gas valve.

Exactly. I could understand it if it was for the remote control or for the electronic ignition, but it sucks that you need it both to start it and to keep it going.

Lots of scrambling for D batteries yesterday as the gas fireplace was many neighbors' sole source of heat for 33 hours.

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Have you tested it without power?

The reason I ask is that the builder for my neighborhood (2015-2018 homes) installed gas fireplaces with some sort of safety valve that needs two D size batteries. It wasn’t just to get it started either as people who pulled their batteries to share with a neighbor had their fireplace shutoff.

That would seem to defeat one of the main things that attracts folks to gas fireplaces...

Mine requires zero external power. It uses a push-button piezo igniter to light the pilot (like on a gas grill). Once lit, the heat from the pilot works a thermocouple that generates millivolts sufficient to work the gas valve.

Exactly. I could understand it if it was for the remote control or for the electronic ignition, but it sucks that you need it both to start it and to keep it going.

Lots of scrambling for D batteries yesterday as the gas fireplace was many neighbors' sole source of heat for 33 hours.

Our builder (2013) must've been different, as our gas fireplace is manually lit with no override.
Hoping we don't need to resort to that tonight.

In the summer of 2008 the power went out due to a storm and I was studying for the Missouri bar exam in St Louis in the basement of our townhome because it was the coolest area there. In the winter of 2009 the power went out due to an ice storm and I was studying for the Illinois bar exam a foot away from gas fireplace. They don't put out much heat without the blowers. Also, I quit taking bar exams.

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:

quote:

Originally posted by tatortodd:
Have you tested it without power?

The reason I ask is that the builder for my neighborhood (2015-2018 homes) installed gas fireplaces with some sort of safety valve that needs two D size batteries. It wasn’t just to get it started either as people who pulled their batteries to share with a neighbor had their fireplace shutoff.

That would seem to defeat one of the main things that attracts folks to gas fireplaces...

Yup. My gas fireplace is about as simple as it gets. Open a valve and light with a match.

Mine is the same, it doesn't kick out heat very well though.

We have been getting 1-1.5 hrs of power every 4-6 hours.....less than ideal but better than some have it.

Found an adapter to run my camp stove off 20lb propane canisters..

Score! Now I need to find propane still have enough 1lb canisters to last until this weekend.

Thawed the kitchen pipes yea! And a pleasant surprise has been the wife's X3 is damned good in the snow....surprising as the OEM run flats suck otherwise.

Got another 3-4" last night....going sledding

Woke up at 5am Monday morning with no power, immediately got dressed and pulled drain plugs on all of my pool equipment and got wood in the fireplace cranked up. Didn't get power back until 4:45pm for a whole hour, off again at 5:45pm, on again at 1am for 30 minutes. Burned through a 1/4 cord of pecan from a tree I had cut down (I was planning on using it for my smoker but heating my home seemed way more important). Rolling blackouts haven't been too bad since 9am 2/16. Have some wood left, hopefully enough to get us through if we have another long power outage. Coldest it got was 52 inside my house, I feel lucky so far compared to some.

Going on 2 1/2 days no power at least the water is starting to flow again.

We've had intermittent power since Monday, water has been ok most the time so far.

We bought a huge Champion portable generator and had an inlet and lockout installed in our panel. Our house has natural gas so keeping the temperature reasonable inside hasn't been a challenge apart from having to disconnect and reconnect the generator occasionally. No frozen pipes either.

We bought the setup for hurricane season. Never expected it's first use would be for snow and ice.

We are relieved to feel as prepared as we are. Many in our area are not so fortunate.

We have done ok so far with limited rolling blackouts on power. Water has been on until earlier today and the whole area is down and with be in a boil water until further notice if and when it comes back on.
People on the community FB page have been complaining about everything under the sun. No mail, no trash pickup, no power, no water and can’t get out cause of the roads. Man are they in for it when everything thaws out and the water comes back on. The water leaks and damage from the water will be the next issue for them.
We just don't see these cold freezing temps for this long and most homes aren't built for the freezing temps.
Seen long cold temps several times before in this home and the only issues were a bathroom since with plumbing on the outside wall froze and stopped flowing but never broke any pipes. Just opened the cabinet doors to allow heat to the fixture and wall and all was good.
This time we just opened the doors and left it running.

Just say a report on the national news showing some of the frozen water pipes with water coming thru the ceilings of some high end commercial buildings and the Governor of Texas is pleading for out of state plumbers to come and help with the repairs. Where are these people supposed to come from when they have their own areas to take care of ??? ...................... drill sgt.

Water here has been just a trickle for two days and now not even that. Luckily we have some bottled water.

SIL works for AA @ DFW and he said its getting bad water leaks everywhere and sewers backing up. They are swamped. Said it smells like the zoo in the summertime.

quote:

Originally posted by drill sgt:
Just say a report on the national news showing some of the frozen water pipes with water coming thru the ceilings of some high end commercial buildings and the Governor of Texas is pleading for out of state plumbers to come and help with the repairs. Where are these people supposed to come from when they have their own areas to take care of ??? ...................... drill sgt.

States that typically experience below freezing temperatures in the winter and therefore have homes and businesses with waterlines buried below the frostline (ours are 6’), have frost free hose bibs and adequate insulation to protect waterlines in the house.

quote:

Originally posted by Mustang-PaPa:

We just don't see these cold freezing temps for this long and most homes aren't built for the freezing temps.

You've got that right, and it's no doubt the correct route to take as to building houses down here. If they built them to handle the summer heat as well as handle winters like they have in northern Minnesota, add $50,000 to $100,000 for new construction. Guessing there of course.

This is a 25 year storm. We've not had any measurable snow in DFW for at least 5 years if memory serves and having lived here for 30+ consecutive years, I've never seen winter to this extent. So, we'll solder through. Spend some money for necessary repairs and get ready for 100 degree summer which is just around the corner.

Had a pipe burst yesterday over my master bedroom, it feeds an outside spigot. This pipe is the only one I can find that is above the blown insulation level. It burst where the pipe insulation left open.
I have been turning off the water and draining the lines but not this outside spigot.
Today we lost power so it getting real cold inside with the luxury of no water. Using pool water to flush toilets periodically.
Reading that the Texas power grid has added wind turbines that are frozen and their side effect from wind subsidies is to drive thermal electric suppliers out of the market.
Something we need to fix this Texas legislative session.
I hate winter and cold, heat I can deal with.
HK Ag

quote:

Where are these people supposed to come from when they have their own areas to take care of ??? ...................... drill sgt.

^^^^^^^^^
Deep South Texas if you catch my drift.

Speaking of burst pipes. Brief story from 1988. Pipes froze in office two doors down from mine. The doc there asked if the water was off, I told him no and he went about his day. Three hours later his office staff ran into the parking lot screaming that there was water coming from the celing. To make matters worse the shut off valve was inaccesible, the builder having poured a cement slab over it. I suggested call the Fire Department and they cut if off at the street. Things were pretty wet for awhile.

We just got power back after three days.
It was rough when the internal temp got down to low forties.
Wife and I went to a friends house for a shower/change of clothes.
We still have no water because we had to turn it off with a burst pipe.
Waiting until our plumber calls us back or it warms up enough to start on it myself.

quote:

Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:

quote:

Where are these people supposed to come from when they have their own areas to take care of ??? ...................... drill sgt.

^^^^^^^^^
Deep South Texas if you catch my drift.

My nephew in Arizona says they are warm there.

flashguy

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:
.....We still have no water because we had to turn it off with a burst pipe.
Waiting until our plumber calls us back or it warms up enough to start on it myself.

I bet plumbers in Texas are swamped!