2020-21 Winter weather; bring it on

[Native Horn 3476]

7 minutes ago, South Austin said:

Yeah, I've had a tub filled since Monday night and won't be draining that anytime soon. 

No shit, that seems like the ultimate way to jinx yourself.

[Homercles 10205]

2 hours ago, burntorangebongos said:

I picked what they had at the neighborhood store and they didn't have much. They had Italian meatballs in the meat section, ragu but not spaghetti so I bought Fideo(vermaceli) and will give it a go. I might like it better to be honest. 

[phdhorn 6224]

Update:  About to see if my life will go well (pun intended) or suck over the next hour or two... about to try and re-pressureize house water from the well.

Why do I feel like Evel Knievel before his Snake Canyon jump (or that "earth is flat" guy)?

Spigots I think are more or less clear, but hard to say... water came out of a few, but drips (the south bib trickeled, then ran good for about 30 seconds, then stopped... but again, I have no house pressure, so not sure if it did it due to an ice clog or just losing all the pressure).

I will report back hopefully with good news.

 

Weather Update:

STFU!!!! No one wants to hear jack shit about the weather.  Yep, neither do I.  So here's the forecast:

Melting continues until about 7 tonight.  Stops, light freeze, then tomorrow starts AND DOESN'T FUCKING STOP, NIGHT OR DAY, UNTIL WE'RE DRY AS  A PANHANDLE COUNTY 'S LIQUOR LAWS.

Good enough.  Good luck, we're all counting on me (and you!).

[burntorangebongos 10681]

Had my first hot shower from in my house since I cut the water off. Everything is fine, I can't believe it. I just need to re-wrap all the outside faucets and drip them for tonight like normal times.  What an ordeal. Maybe my HEB will have food tomorrow when I go and check. 

[Rip76 4902]

If anyone is in the (League City/Friendswood/Pearland) area, HEB off of Sunset had plenty of bottled water at 1pm.  And we’re bringing in more.  

[Player 4575]

Update:  About to see if my life will go well (pun intended) or suck over the next hour or two... about to try and re-pressureize house water from the well.

Why do I feel like Evel Knievel before his Snake Canyon jump (or that "earth is flat" guy)?

Spigots I think are more or less clear, but hard to say... water came out of a few, but drips (the south bib trickeled, then ran good for about 30 seconds, then stopped... but again, I have no house pressure, so not sure if it did it due to an ice clog or just losing all the pressure).

I will report back hopefully with good news.
 
Weather Update:
STFU!!!! No one wants to hear jack shit about the weather.  Yep, neither do I.  So here's the forecast:
Melting continues until about 7 tonight.  Stops, light freeze, then tomorrow starts AND DOESN'T FUCKING STOP, NIGHT OR DAY, UNTIL WE'RE DRY AS  A PANHANDLE COUNTY 'S LIQUOR LAWS.

Good enough.  Good luck, we're all counting on me (and you!).

Hope it goes well for you. I’m in the same boat, and honestly a bit nervous about whether my repair on a 1/2” cpvc line is going to hold under pressure. I’m waiting until tomorrow though when danger of another freeze has passed.

[SubliminalHorn 6622]

Power back on. 109 hours. I almost want to cry a little 

[Pato del Muerto 52236]

If local places and Amazon start running out of plumbing supplies, joint glue, caps, sleeves, whatever, I’d be happy to see what’s in-store up here and mail it out.  If that helps anyone. Would be cheaper if I could send a box of shit to one place and it gets distributed from there, I’m sure. 

[South Austin 51976]

9 minutes ago, SubliminalHorn said:

Power back on. 109 hours. I almost want to cry a little 

Glad you caught a break before the weekend. 

[phdhorn 6224]

16 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

If local places and Amazon start running out of plumbing supplies, joint glue, caps, sleeves, whatever, I’d be happy to see what’s in-store up here and mail it out.  If that helps anyone. Would be cheaper if I could send a box of shit to one place and it gets distributed from there, I’m sure. 

I would like 3 of these:

Even if my house blows up, I'll go out a happy man.
(haven't gone out yet to re-pressurize well, waiting for wife to get off work phone - sound familiar?)

[MNLonghornFUKM 8795]

Power back on. 109 hours. I almost want to cry a little 

Fucking A. What does that even equate to? Sunday at 11pm?

[FizzleFish 137]

2 hours ago, 4th&Five said:

Folks are still without power on Westlake Drive. 60 hours and counting. 

yeah my son is in a student apartment in san marcos.  Their power went out monday morning and stayed out until thursday around noon. then quickly off and been off since. When the power came back on it broke something. What? We don't know. Can't get any information. They're nice new apartments so the lowest temp indoors was around 46. I was going to go pick him up yesterday but he assured me he's fine and didn't want to chance it. He's tired of the dark (no candles) and cold food.  I found an asian place that was open and they delivered he and his roommates dinner wednesday and yesterday. Hoping tonight is the tonight they fix the problem.

[SubliminalHorn 6622]

4 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Fucking A. What does that even equate to? Sunday at 11pm?

I am guessing around 2 AM Monday morning is when it went out

[Biff Tannen 45439]

5 minutes ago, SubliminalHorn said:

I am guessing around 2 AM Monday morning is when it went out

That's about where my sister is.  2222 and Mt Bonnell.  Four crews out working on it since yesterday and still haven't gotten it fixed.  Pure chaos.

[Pato del Muerto 52236]

6 minutes ago, SubliminalHorn said:

I am guessing around 2 AM Monday morning is when it went out

Jesus. You really took it in the ass. 

[SubliminalHorn 6622]

2 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Jesus. You really took it in the ass. 

Yeah, with like the driest dick ever

[South Austin 51976]

12 minutes ago, SubliminalHorn said:

I am guessing around 2 AM Monday morning is when it went out

 

6 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

That's about where my sister is.  2222 and Mt Bonnell.  Four crews out working on it since yesterday and still haven't gotten it fixed.  Pure chaos.

I have two friends who live off Crestway and they've been in the same boat.  Weird little pocket of Austin that got the worst of it.

[utee94 15733]

5 hours ago, hookemATL said:

Where can I find pho in the Parmer/Dessau area?  Or a place open in Cedar park?  My brother is being stubborn as fuck telling us to stay away, says he has plenty of (cold) food and (stored) water, but no power now going on 110 hours. I just want to do something and I’m hoping to make a drive over to him today to lift him up a bit. Apartment complex management is about as worthless as they always are, and they are getting reamed on Facebook for not responding to tenants. Fucking infuriating, all this bullshit. 

 

It's not Parmer/Dessau or Cedar Park and I have no idea whether or not they're open, but the best pho in Austin is at Tan My right at the Ohlen/Peyton Gin fork just east of 183.  Which is at least Northish.  And I desperately wish I were eating some right now!

 

Hope your stubborn bro is okay.

 

 

[atomheartbevo 89304]

6 hours ago, horn4life said:

I sure wish I would have showered, on Tuesday when I had a chance of both water pressure and heat for a couple hours.  

Same here.  Wife said I smell like I've been on a fishing trip.

It's all of the melting of the toilet snow, and filling the toilet tank, the bathtub, etc.

Edited February 19, 2021 by atomheartbevo

[Red Five 40574]

8 minutes ago, utee94 said:

 

It's not Parmer/Dessau or Cedar Park and I have no idea whether or not they're open, but the best pho in Austin is at Tan My right at the Ohlen/Peyton Gin fork just east of 183.  Which is at least Northish.  And I desperately wish I were eating some right now!

 

Hope your stubborn bro is okay.

 

 

I was robbed at gunpoint at the salon in that strip center in 1984. Carry on. 

 

[Message Board User 12388]

1 hour ago, Pato del Muerto said:

If local places and Amazon start running out of plumbing supplies, joint glue, caps, sleeves, whatever, I’d be happy to see what’s in-store up here and mail it out.  If that helps anyone. Would be cheaper if I could send a box of shit to one place and it gets distributed from there, I’m sure. 

Just send me this and I promise to put it to good use:

Men's Figaro Link Necklace 10K Yellow Gold 24" Length | Kay

[phdhorn 6224]

Update:
(Never out of the woods, esp. the next 12-24 hours, but...)

WATER!!!
Did the 4-step process to re-pressurize the house.  All the spigots (even the IceMan Otzi northern bib!) are working full gush!  Interior pressured up, no leaks (yet!).

However my pipes are old (copper, 1990's) and we've planned all along anyway to do a total replumb of our house, but I've had 3 leaks as it is, and hopefully they weren't further weakened by cold).

For now, I'm golden.  TBTG.
======

The only lesson I guess I've learned is that I'm still adamantly #teamwrap.  Yes they froze, but it's apparent now that they only froze a few inches into the pipe from the spigots.  And they survived the worst icy outbreak since Marie Antionette Let 'em eat cake!  I'll stick with that plan.  Only thing is I'm not gonna wrap them in any kind of rag or towel (even if sealed), it can condense and put an ice blanket over pipe.  Insulation always now.

Questions, let me know, I think... hope... we're good.

I cannot believe my house survived this storm intact (so far, not gonna jinx shit now).

 

[atomheartbevo 89304]

2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

I'm in your area, south of you, and we still don't have water, but streets within 5 blocks do.  I'm guessing you are good to go, but I'd keep a bathtub filled just in case.  Or something.  Just don't let the little kids play around with it.

Just took a quick jog around the neighborhood.  We have people less than a block away who have water.  

On the flip side, ton of people on Nextdoor and FB are offering to boil water for those who don't have water.

I am so looking forward to a luxurious 10-minute shower when this shitshow is finished.

[Anastasis 23329]

Still haven't turned the water back on.  Gonna just wait until the morning at this point. Still no propane in the community tank, but commandeered a few more space heaters for tonight.  By an act of God never lost power throughout.  Can't even fathom some of the stints some folks here did without power. 

[Pancho 44183]

11 year old boy froze to death

 

[atomheartbevo 89304]

2 hours ago, horngrad03 said:

Is this from the current PC?

 

[phdhorn 6224]

Cross Posting in the 3 weather/damage related threads:

I got a bunch of water (96 16 oz. bottles) from a guy who's going around today donating them to people.  Was going to give it to my neighbors, they're on a MUD that lost water this a.m. due to a main rupture, but they got it back this afternoon.  I clearly don't want most of it (save maybe 5-6 bottles for wife/me).

I'd like to start with the Surlys here and say if anyone needs some, let me know and I can meet or deliver some to you.  If not I'll give it to Bee Cave to use, all of those guys are on another water system and they're like Austin and much of Texas - no water(?).

I can get it out to you tomorrow, all the roads are now dry.  Travel not an issue more or less.  Thanks.

[atomheartbevo 89304]

25 minutes ago, phdhorn said:

The only lesson I guess I've learned is that I'm still adamantly #teamwrap.  Yes they froze, but it's apparent now that they only froze a few inches into the pipe from the spigots.  And they survived the worst icy outbreak since Marie Antionette Let 'em eat cake!  I'll stick with that plan.  Only thing is I'm not gonna wrap them in any kind of rag or towel (even if sealed), it can condense and put an ice blanket over pipe.  Insulation always now.

I am firmly #teamwrap, but will definitely be doing actual insulation in the future.  my towels got damp from the rain we had that one night, plus some condensation from a window above them, and that could have been bad, even with a box mostly containing them

If we made it through the fucking worst of it at the start of this week, we are golden.

Now if I was on team #PierAndBeam or team #PipesRunningAlongExteriorWalls, I might have them flowing heavier than Carrie on prom night.  It seems like most of our friends with pier and beam had issues of one sort or another.  One is already getting things lined up to get their pipes seriously/better insulated, and to get water cutoffs for certain pipes running under the house.

[atomheartbevo 89304]

6 hours ago, ztejas said:

2021: where 4g cell service is more essential than power and water.

How else are people going to learn to melt fucking snow for their toilets, unless they have internet access?

That is actually the one thing I've been disappointed in - the number of people who didn't know how to flush their toilets when they lost water.  It makes me wonder if these people would die of thirst if they were stuck in the wilderness.

[atomheartbevo 89304]

Fuck somebody registered toiletsnow.com and are selling it for $2500.

Of course, they are after "toilets now" not "toilet snow"

[Anastasis 23329]

So apparently to turn the gas back on, the gas company has to send two techs to EACH house to do a safety inspection.  You dumb shit motherfuckers I don't want your asses in my house, and I don't need your ass in my house.  Turn on my meter and send a checklist if needed. This is going to take them a week to check all the houses in the neighborhood. 

[Neonmoon 38127]

1 hour ago, Biff Tannen said:

That's about where my sister is.  2222 and Mt Bonnell.  Four crews out working on it since yesterday and still haven't gotten it fixed.  Pure chaos.

Have family there as well. They are beyond mad at this point. 

[Brisketexan 104234]

I have some repair supplies incoming via FedEx. I won’t need them....and they wouldn’t have done me any good anyway....we have a plumber family friend who made it out here.

We’re on leak #4. Garage line had three separate leaks, so that Sheetrock is trashed, all the way into the laundry room. But that line is now secure.

Then we found another leak, over a craft room and downstairs bath.....lots of water came in. Mopped most of it with towels. Going to run fans, try to dry the carpet at the edge. Will have a lot of Sheetrock and insulation repair.

Probably up to a few thousand dollars so far. Still not sure if we’ve found them all....sigh.

[MoJames 8240]

2 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Probably up to a few thousand dollars so far. Still not sure if we’ve found them all....sigh.

You should have prepared better <NAAL>

[Okie State 3747]

Someone in my neighborhood on Nextdoor told me all these pipe breaks were due to so many snowflakes moving here from the NE and California. So there's that.

[Brisketexan 104234]

You should have prepared better

My bootstraps broke. Oops.

[dcar00 14003]

2 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

If local places and Amazon start running out of plumbing supplies, joint glue, caps, sleeves, whatever, I’d be happy to see what’s in-store up here and mail it out.  If that helps anyone. Would be cheaper if I could send a box of shit to one place and it gets distributed from there, I’m sure. 

the copper caps were all gone at HD and Lowes i went to.   not much in the way of sharkbites but I did find some sharkbites that were 1/2 inch and 3/4 inch with a ball valve.  got 2 of each.  very pricey but I figured if I need to cap off a line to wait for a plumber I can use these in a pinch.  if I have more than 4 leaks its time to turn off the water and beg a plumber to come anyway.

I'm thinking about calling a plumber before I open up my street valve and tell him $300 to watch as I open it up(and direct me) and check for leaks for 30 minutes.  

[ztejas 43194]

37 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Fuck somebody registered toiletsnow.com and are selling it for $2500.

Of course, they are after "toilets now" not "toilet snow"

What about toiletsnownow.com?

[Guest Lobo]

what about the West Sixth crowd who needs snowontoiletsnow.com? 

[dcar00 14003]

39 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

How else are people going to learn to melt fucking snow for their toilets, unless they have internet access?

That is actually the one thing I've been disappointed in - the number of people who didn't know how to flush their toilets when they lost water.  It makes me wonder if these people would die of thirst if they were stuck in the wilderness.

can you imagine how many people had a pipe break and had to try to find a plumber to explain how to turn off the water? 

[Okie State 3747]

can you imagine how many people had a pipe break and had to try to find a plumber to explain how to turn off the water? 

I've been trying to help people on Nextdoor with this. So many people are helpless when it comes to these things. I've physically shut off a few and posted pics and step by step directions for others. At least they'll know for the future.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11779]

36 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

I have some repair supplies incoming via FedEx. I won’t need them....and they wouldn’t have done me any good anyway....we have a plumber family friend who made it out here.

We’re on leak #4. Garage line had three separate leaks, so that Sheetrock is trashed, all the way into the laundry room. But that line is now secure.

Then we found another leak, over a craft room and downstairs bath.....lots of water came in. Mopped most of it with towels. Going to run fans, try to dry the carpet at the edge. Will have a lot of Sheetrock and insulation repair.

Probably up to a few thousand dollars so far. Still not sure if we’ve found them all....sigh.

Having a craft room, that’s just asking for it, man.  

[T’Boo Ted Marshall 2721]

can you imagine how many people had a pipe break and had to try to find a plumber to explain how to turn off the water? 

I’ve taken hundreds of those calls over the last few days.

[dcar00 14003]

1 minute ago, T’Boo Ted Marshall said:

I’ve taken hundreds of those calls over the last few days.

not surprised.  were they all in the middle of a pipe break or were they trying to just shut down to shut down?

[TwiceHorn 31086]

5 hours ago, phdhorn said:

See, this is why I bought an acre of land.  I knew this would happen!  And I have trees - lots of trees.  

If my water doesn't work later, I'm Jeremiah Johnsoning it.

FROZEN TURDS IN THE TREES!  IN THE TREES!

[Brisketexan 104234]

We’re up to leak #5.

Turns out our house has a metric shitton of uninsulated copper pipe on outside walls or exposed to the elements (under some decking).

Mother fucker. When we’re done with the pipe repairs, we’re gonna insulate and/or heat tape all of it before next winter.

[Okie State 3747]

We’re up to leak #5.

Turns out our house has a metric shitton of uninsulated copper pipe on outside walls or exposed to the elements (under some decking).

Mother fucker. When we’re done with the pipe repairs, we’re gonna insulate and/or heat tape all of it before next winter.

Take the opportunity to install shut-off valves wherever you can. Insulation can only do so much.

[MoJames 8240]

1 minute ago, Okie State said:

4 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

We’re up to leak #5.

Turns out our house has a metric shitton of uninsulated copper pipe on outside walls or exposed to the elements (under some decking).

Mother fucker. When we’re done with the pipe repairs, we’re gonna insulate and/or heat tape all of it before next winter.

Take the opportunity to install shut-off valves wherever you can. Insulation can only do so much.

Yes, huge huge help.

[dcar00 14003]

4 minutes ago, Okie State said:

6 minutes ago, dcar00 said:

can you imagine how many people had a pipe break and had to try to find a plumber to explain how to turn off the water? 

I've been trying to help people on Nextdoor with this. So many people are helpless when it comes to these things. I've physically shut off a few and posted pics and step by step directions for others. At least they'll know for the future.

it really is pretty amazing. there should be some kind of class for home ownership and car ownership.  My dad wasn't a car guy.  he used to buy a car every 4 years.  sometimes it was the exact make/model/color/options.  I am by no means a gear head but I keep my cars for 10 years because I fucking hate depreciating assets, so I end up fixing a lot of stuff(electronics, basic part replacement, sensors and shit).  I tell my dad about it and he is always amazed that I do it myself.  I'm not doing major stuff because I don't have the tools or knowledge but with rock auto and a youtube video you can save yourself 1000's of dollars over the life of a car.

TLDR: some people really should educate themselves on likely the 2 highest priced purchases they will ever make.

 

[Okie State 3747]

it really is pretty amazing. there should be some kind of class for home ownership and car ownership.  My dad wasn't a car guy.  he used to buy a car every 4 years.  sometimes it was the exact make/model/color/options.  I am by no means a gear head but I keep my cars for 10 years because I fucking hate depreciating assets, so I end up fixing a lot of stuff(electronics, basic part replacement, sensors and shit).  I tell my dad about it and he is always amazed that I do it myself.  I'm not doing major stuff because I don't have the tools or knowledge but with rock auto and a youtube video you can save yourself 1000's of dollars over the life of a car.
TLDR: some people really should educate themselves on likely the 2 highest priced purchases they will ever make.
 

People just don't care to learn. This shit ain't rocket science. Lady next door gave no fucks to pay attention while I was shutting off the water to her exploding backflow preventer. I wanted to tell her to get her oldest son out there so I could teach him.