2020-21 Winter weather; bring it on

[dcar00 14,210]

1 minute ago, Okie State said:

Why not put the food in a cooler outside?

that was my next move if the generator couldn't handle the power from the fridge.

[Anastasis 23,474]

4 minutes ago, Royal With Cheese said:

Best of luck getting Austin Energy to pay for that hotel room.

But easy to slide in some swings for the park while the power down. 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Anastasis

[Royal With Cheese 3]

Just now, Anastasis said:

But easy to slide in some swings for the park while the power down. 

Ain't that the truth.

[Anastasis 23,474]

Or some aerobics subsidies. 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Anastasis

[dcar00 14,210]

72 hours of sub 30 degree weather and 48 of that close to 15-20 is going to pressure test some 70's and 80's building codes.

[clapclapclap 9,000]

Now the local TV weather idiot is needlessly broadcasting all bundled up and snot nosed from his back patio. 

Wish I was his neighbor, with an airhorn.

Edited February 13, 2021 by clapclapclap
Gooooooooooo Raiderzzzzz

[Hate 20,108]

20 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah, nearly the same for my parents. The only time they were someplace with power was when they went to my moms rescheduled chemo appointment today.

They’re fine, they’re warm - their fireplaces really work. But they’re bored, they’re losing the food in their fridge. Just had the boy take them two fully charged power banks so they can keep their phones charged. They don’t want to come over or go to a hotel.


EDIT: their power just came back on.

Old people are stubborn AF!  My MIL lives about 10 minutes from us.  I called to make sure she was preparing and offered our house to ride this out as she has no source of heat if she loses power.  She won't budge for anything.  She has an old cat that prevents her from leaving her house for more than an hour or two at a time.  She has good neighbors that will have fireplaces or alternative heat so I told her to talk to them about coming over if it gets really bad. 

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2,652]

23 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah, nearly the same for my parents. The only time they were someplace with power was when they went to my moms rescheduled chemo appointment today.

They’re fine, they’re warm - their fireplaces really work. But they’re bored, they’re losing the food in their fridge. Just had the boy take them two fully charged power banks so they can keep their phones charged. They don’t want to come over or go to a hotel.


EDIT: their power just came back on.

Just put the food outside in a container.   When i used to live in Upper michigan we used the outdoors as a second fridge all the time 

[Al_4_ISU 12,464]

WUnderground forecast for Woodway/Waco from Sun-Wed.  Showing nearly 16 inches of snow now.   This is going to be an absolute shitshow around here.  
 
 

I don’t mean to pile on, but I’ve lived on the northern plains my entire life, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen 16” of snow in one shot.

That’s nuts for us. It’s like the end of days for y’all.

[Stunns38 3,500]

Now the local TV weather idiot is needlessly broadcasting all bundled up and snot nosed from his back patio. 
Wish I was his neighbor, with an airhorn.

Or sports idiot

[Hate 20,108]

DP.

Edited February 13, 2021 by Hate

[Trey3216 15,346]

7 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I don’t mean to pile on, but I’ve lived on the northern plains my entire life, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen 16” of snow in one shot.

That’s nuts for us. It’s like the end of days for y’all.

I mean, it is over a period of 4 days, but that shit ain’t melting when it’s 16-23 degrees outside.   
 

I lived in New Jersey when we got 44 inches of snow in 30 hours.   That’s the most I’ve seen aside from skiing in Vermont, PA, or Colorado.  
 

but 16 inches here would be crippling.  

[Al_4_ISU 12,464]

I mean, it is over a period of 4 days, but that shit ain’t melting when it’s 16-23 degrees outside.   
 
I lived in New Jersey when we got 44 inches of snow in 30 hours.   That’s the most I’ve seen aside from skiing in Vermont, PA, or Colorado.  
 
but 16 inches here would be crippling.  

I get it. 16 inches here would be a fucking mess. Probably not crippling, but a huge headache, especially for rural folks

[TexEx15 17,538]

We are selling our home and have already moved out.  Since we are out of the house I’m thinking I may as well go ahead and close the main in the yard and drain the water out of the lines via the indoor faucets.  Will keep outdoor spigots wrapped but feel like there is no reason to keep water in the pipes since we are not there.  Will probably top the pool off tomorrow and then rewrap the spigot.  RE: the pool, freeze protection is on and I wrapped above ground pipes and tented a tarp over the equipment pad.  Thoughts?

[Post Oak 20,231]

Accuweather just dropper the high on Thursday from 34 to 26. 

We're in this for another 6 days boys.  Buckle up buttercup

[Updawg 2,267]

We are selling our home and have already moved out.  Since we are out of the house I’m thinking I may as well go ahead and close the main in the yard and drain the water out of the lines via the indoor faucets.  Will keep outdoor spigots wrapped but feel like there is no reason to keep water in the pipes since we are not there.  Will probably top the pool off tomorrow and then rewrap the spigot.  RE: the pool, freeze protection is on and I wrapped above ground pipes and tented a tarp over the equipment pad.  Thoughts?

If you still own it probably a good idea

[MNLonghornFUKM 8,817]

I mean, it is over a period of 4 days, but that shit ain’t melting when it’s 16-23 degrees outside.   
 
I lived in New Jersey when we got 44 inches of snow in 30 hours.   That’s the most I’ve seen aside from skiing in Vermont, PA, or Colorado.  
 
but 16 inches here would be crippling.  

I venture to accuweather for my snow totals...they’re saying 2-4” total for the storm.


I do see .16 precip on Sunday in ice form...the more precip that falls in liquid content the lower your snow totals will be. Rule of thumb is 10 inches of snow = one tenth of liquid precip

[washparkhorn 9,939]

52 minutes ago, Anastasis said:

My inlaws have one with all the pex lines going everywhere. Still not sure I trust that pex shit to be honest, but the set up is nice. Figure someone could do the same with copper.  Don't even need a central distribution hub, just shut offs for the exterior and wall lines. 

It is so cheap at the build stage. Frost-proof outside faucets are cheap. Putting the water in accessible + drainable space within the heat envelope is so cheap. 

Penny wise - Pound foolish silliness. 

 

[dcar00 14,210]

5 minutes ago, TexEx15 said:

We are selling our home and have already moved out.  Since we are out of the house I’m thinking I may as well go ahead and close the main in the yard and drain the water out of the lines via the indoor faucets.  Will keep outdoor spigots wrapped but feel like there is no reason to keep water in the pipes since we are not there.  Will probably top the pool off tomorrow and then rewrap the spigot.  RE: the pool, freeze protection is on and I wrapped above ground pipes and tented a tarp over the equipment pad.  Thoughts?

if the pump is 40 degree set for freeze its should run 24/7.  above ground pipes aren't going to be an issue.  

[TexEx15 17,538]

11 minutes ago, Updawg said:

If you still own it probably a good idea

Since I will be turning off the water do I need to do anything to the water heater?  Edit: reading online and it looks like I should go ahead and shut off gas, water supply and drain the water heater just to be safe.

we closed on the house today but it will not fund until next week so I’m still responsible.  Figure if I shut off water and water heater the buyer can turn it all on when they take possession.  Limits my risk during this hard freeze.

Edited February 13, 2021 by TexEx15

[Stringer 1,439]

I have 3 large live oaks surrounding my house in Highland Park West.  I don't see any chance of the trees themselves toppling, but I'd say one has a material amount of branches over the house.  

How fucked am I?  Is it worth trying to trim some of the ends to lower the weight or will that cause rot issues right now?  Or do I just need to cross my fingers and hope for the best?

[JerrysJheriCurl 977]

Anyone have any advice on sprinkler backflow preventer/lines/valves for this upcoming freeze? 

Edited February 13, 2021 by JerrysJheriCurl

[Pato del Muerto 52,507]

Is Pex small diameter black tubing?  That’s what I have. 

[Updawg 2,267]

Since I will be turning off the water do I need to do anything to the water heater?  Edit: reading online and it looks like I should go ahead and shut off gas, water supply and drain the water heater just to be safe.
we closed on the house today but it will not fund until next week so I’m still responsible.  Figure if I shut off water and water heater the buyer can turn it all on when they take possession.  Limits my risk during this hard freeze.

You sound responsible to me. I’m sure they will appreciate

[Updawg 2,267]

If you can communicate with them I’d let them know

[bolverk 29,683]

When I went up to Big Spring out in West Texas to help out my mom and bury my dad about a month and a half ago, there was a huge snow storm on New Year's Eve where the range of the snow depth was between 12 to 18". We got 15" in that one storm at my parents' house. It was a pain in the ass but not the end of the world. They actually were able to clear all the main roads in a day or two.

[NIUHuskies 504]

9 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah, if you're pinched, grab some pool noodles - you can use those to make layers of insulation.

That's what I did

[Helobious 9,454]

My friend’s friend here in SA that works in a hospital is telling him that the state & national governments are expecting the death toll in CenTex from this cold snap to be in the tens of thousands, primarily from people freezing to death in the power outages. I said that sounded pretty far-fetched and he was probably fucking with him.
 

Right?

[Hate 20,108]

Yes.  There will not be tens of thousands of people die from this storm. The number will be greater than zero, but it will not be measured in the thousands.

[Hook1997 5,367]

4 minutes ago, Helobious said:

My friend’s friend here in SA that works in a hospital is telling him that the state & national governments are expecting the death toll in CenTex from this cold snap to be in the tens of thousands, primarily from people freezing to death in the power outages. I said that sounded pretty far-fetched and he was probably fucking with him.
 

Right?

Seems a bit much.  Cant people just stay inside, put coats and blankets on and live.

[bolverk 29,683]

3 minutes ago, Hook1997 said:

Seems a bit much.  Cant people just stay inside, put coats and blankets on and live.

Somehow the Indians survived all those years on the plains with buffalo hides and teepees.

[Updawg 2,267]

They trained their wives and lives better

[Paper_jam 831]

Thousands of bodies in the icy, snow-covered trees 

 

[perfectchaos007 6,662]

2 hours ago, Hate said:

Yes.  There will not be tens of thousands of people die from this storm. The number will be greater than zero, but it will not be measured in the thousands.

Real question will be whether or not the winter storm takes more Texan lives from Sunday -> Tuesday than Covid19 in the same time period. gun to my head I'm taking covid19 in this one

[Kyrie Eleison 9,312]

Thousands of bodies in the icy, snow-covered trees 
 

[MaybeACoordinator 8,349]

4 hours ago, Paper_jam said:

Thousands of bodies in the icy, snow-covered trees 

 

Causing more limbs to snap, bringing down more power lines, causing more bodies to rise into the icy, snow-covered trees as the corpses rise up on giant mounds of snow.

 

[CleverNickname 1,315]

Was hoping it gets above freezing Saturday. Forecast now making that iffy (NW Austin). That's gonna be a long time bow freezing + the super chill Monday. Ugh. 

[ChickenSandwich 9,841]

Debating the drive to the arbor Home Depot. Not really a way in without an overpass. 

[GhostOfTomJoad 9,327]

I'm gonna make a run to CP Costco this morning since I can do that without having to get on an overpass. I expect it to be similar to Thanksgiving week insanity there so plan on getting there first thing they open & try to get out before the hordes overrun the store.

[Bevo 13,577]

6 hours ago, bolverk said:

Somehow the Indians survived all those years on the plains with buffalo hides and teepees.

The women were fat and they snuggled a lot.

[Armybrat 40,850]

6 hours ago, Helobious said:

My friend’s friend here in SA that works in a hospital is telling him that the state & national governments are expecting the death toll in CenTex from this cold snap to be in the tens of thousands, primarily from people freezing to death in the power outages. I said that sounded pretty far-fetched and he was probably fucking with him.
 

Right?

Hope not, as the trees are already loaded with ice.

[Armybrat 40,850]

6 hours ago, Paper_jam said:

Thousands of bodies in the icy, snow-covered trees 

 

Oops, beat me to it! 😄

[Guest Lobo]

6 hours ago, Helobious said:

My friend’s friend here in SA that works in a hospital is telling him that the state & national governments are expecting the death toll in CenTex from this cold snap to be in the tens of thousands, primarily from people freezing to death in the power outages. I said that sounded pretty far-fetched and he was probably fucking with him.
 

Right?

So just in Central Texas...20,000+ dead people freezing to death?  He said this?  In real life?  And this person is allowed to be around sick people and prescription drugs? 

[TwiceHorn 31,489]

Well, central Dallas seems to have evaded the patchy freezing drizzle overnight.  And the state's radar is pretty clear this morning.

[South Austin 52,515]

6 hours ago, Hate said:

Yes.  There will not be tens of thousands of people die from this storm. The number will be greater than zero, but it will not be measured in the thousands.

Would you say a plethora?

[RamjetFDO 10,577]

Pippa almost wiped out on the stone walkway in the backyard this morning running back into the house. We must've got a little precipitation overnight.

[RamjetFDO 10,577]

Would you say a plethora?

[Knoxtnhorn 5,991]

Spigot talk not going away, so I'll add my own dumb question.

One of mine has a plastic handle which, for a few weeks now, has dripped ever so slowly.  I've covered all 3 with a wrapped towel, hand warmer (switching out every 8 hours), and a styrofoam cover.  The dripping one is starting to build up a little ice around and below it on the brick wall.  Should I continue as is and try to chip away at the ice buildup inside the foam cover each time OR continue to wrap it but leave a small space below the faucet for the drip?  The way I have it currently wrapped seems counter-productive as the dripping water has nowhere to go.  I'm just making a giant ball of ice in and around the wrap.  Consequently, if I leave just a little of the pipe (for the drip) exposed, aren't I making the wrapping obselete?

 

[Bevo&Pevo 5,173]

vTexas Temperature Map - Air Sports Net (usairnet.com)

quick way to check area temps.  

Any of you guys think to buy charcoal (for cooking not warming the haus) or camp stove fuel?  If ya' lose power at least you eat some thing warm.  In a pinch taping(several layers) a nickel over both terminals of a 9v battery will warm it up.  I've never done that with a new one, but used "dead" ones with success for hunting/fishing trips for a pocket warmer.

I'd also recommend that if you decide to try to get out to the local hardware store to pick up insulation add to the basket some items to make temp repairs for when the that comes.  PVC glue, caps, plugs, PEX connectors, cutters things to stop a leak or fix as you find it.

 

Edited February 13, 2021 by Bevo&Pevo

[Bevo&Pevo 5,173]

^^ thaw comes  stupid fingers made a typo