2020-21 Winter weather; bring it on

[Skipper 6,103]

So are pool pumps built to run 24/7 for 7+ days or should i just say RIP to all my pool equipment and amazon some ice skates for my pool in Dallas by Monday?

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3,868]

2 minutes ago, Skipper said:

So are pool pumps built to run 24/7 for 7+ days or should i just say RIP to all my pool equipment and amazon some ice skates for my pool in Dallas by Monday?

Get on a pool forum and ask people up north what they do.

[Pato del Muerto 52,342]

Just now, ShaggyBevo RIP said:

Get on a pool forum and ask people up north what they do.

Only outdoor  pool I’ve seen here is at the KOA and they drain it in September and put a tarp over the top. 

[Surly Bevo 24,696]

4 minutes ago, Skipper said:

So are pool pumps built to run 24/7 for 7+ days or should i just say RIP to all my pool equipment and amazon some ice skates for my pool in Dallas by Monday?

Your pool system should probably have a freeze sensor to keep it on.  I have a two speed pump so it just runs on low to keep water circulating.  I threw a few blankets over all the exposed shit.  

[ShaggyBevo RIP 3,868]

All my neighbors put their tarps on in late October. No idea if they drain them.

[Okie State 3,788]

Frostline is practically nonexistent so waterlines are a foot deep at most. 

Irrigation systems are about a foot deep, but surely water supply lines are deeper than that, right? People would be hitting them all the time.

[DaysOff 7,851]

So are pool pumps built to run 24/7 for 7+ days or should i just say RIP to all my pool equipment and amazon some ice skates for my pool in Dallas by Monday?

Do you have an app or remote that tells you water and air temp? If so your equipment probably has freeze protection that typically turns on the pump at 37 degrees. If not, turn it on and leave it on. I'm more concerned about the power outages y'all are predicting.

[ztejas 43,263]

6 hours ago, Nueces River Rat said:

 

I think we'll live. Maybe some dead hobos, but it has been cold in Austin before. This cold? Maybe not. 

[Steel Shank 9,414]

31 minutes ago, Continental Op said:

Don't be a pussy. 

That's what I wanted to hear. The good thing is I won't have to ice down my beer.

[mchookem 16,208]

"Coldmageddon"

that's gold, @phdhorn, GOLD!

[Guest Lobo]

Well, how Coldmageddon?  

One last pro tip (that's what she said)...for you fancy folks with entire wings/floors of your home with separate HVAC's that you can shut off.  Remember to flush that line and throw some water or vinegar down it once or twice a day during this freeze.  I mean we have a little unit upstairs and we'll be running both throughout, but some folks have like a garage apartment, or pool house, or some chunk of the house they can just shut the HVAC off for.  Go ahead and do that, but remember that line condenses and could crack especially since it's whole purpose is to be exposed outside.  This is for you surly 1%ers.  But in all seriousness, for those of y'all with businesses you maintain yourselves as well, those lines are usually elevated and in many cases exposed, so keep them warm and keep the liquids running.  Shit, in some extreme cases, the very drain pan itself may need to be emptied if it's high up and not insulated.  Don't let that shit crack and fuck up your elements.  

[Somnio 751]

Yikes,  Google is saying a high of 27, and low of 11 with a 70% chance of snow on Monday in Austin.  I can't remember it ever getting that cold here.

[Skipper 6,103]

1 hour ago, DaysOff said:

Do you have an app or remote that tells you water and air temp? If so your equipment probably has freeze protection that typically turns on the pump at 37 degrees. If not, turn it on and leave it on. I'm more concerned about the power outages y'all are predicting.

Yeah, I think mine kicks on a 38 degrees I think.  I've just probably never had it run for more than 48 hours I think it might run for 8 days straight.  Obviously all bets are off if there is a power outage.

[TexArcher 37,508]

So, anti-freeze in the cars?

[Guest Lobo]

5 minutes ago, TexArcher said:

So, anti-freeze in the cars?

If you park your car outside, hell yes.  No brainer.  Start it twice a day from Saturday thru Tuesday.  

If you have an electric car, pour the anti-freeze directly onto the battery. 

But yeah, levity aside---if a car is parked outdoors (shit even in a poorly insulated garage with a north facing facade), It's like South Austin's Mom........they may be used to Coolant down here, but eventually you gotta flush some.........dammit I had something for this.  But yes, use Anti-Freeze outside.  And if you're commuting to work on Monday morning, get a proper ice scraper or a Natalie Merchant CD case from your ex-girlfriend. 

 

[Trey3216 15,325]

38 minutes ago, Somnio said:

Yikes,  Google is saying a high of 27, and low of 11 with a 70% chance of snow on Monday in Austin.  I can't remember it ever getting that cold here.

Wunderground has us at 19/3 on Monday in Waco area.  

[TwiceHorn 31,269]

31 minutes ago, TexArcher said:

So, anti-freeze in the cars?

You should have anti-freeze in your car's cooling system along with water.  Modern vehicles are made for it and there's no advantage (it's a disadvantage) to running straight water.

Unless you are driving some form of classic car and have deliberately drained anti-freeze and replaced with water.

[Post Oak 20,184]

Has anyone called to see if HEB was gonna be open?

[TexArcher 37,508]

3 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

You should have anti-freeze in your car's cooling system along with water.  Modern vehicles are made for it and there's no advantage (it's a disadvantage) to running straight water.

Unless you are driving some form of classic car and have deliberately drained anti-freeze and replaced with water.

Nope, my car is only 4 years old and I take it to the dealership because it's still under warranty and everything's free including the oil changes.  So they should have me covered on this, yes?  I mean, it's gotten down to 16 before and been fine.

[Guest Lobo]

You'd be surprised the shit that dealerships skip even during warrantied maintenance.  You should check the mix/levels yourself.  And to berate the point, it makes a huge difference where your car is going to be most of the time between Friday and Tuesday.  If it's gonna sit in the garage, even at 30 degrees inside the garage, don't worry about it.  if you're gonna park it at the office Friday, Monday, and Tuesday...then consider add anti-freeze or at least swing by the dealership.  If you park outside all day and all night...then you absolutely need to do this and do it Thursday.  And start your car twice a day.  If you have an engine block heater...use it. 

[TexArcher 37,508]

Thanks, y'all.

[Trey3216 15,325]

38 minutes ago, Somnio said:

Yikes,  Google is saying a high of 27, and low of 11 with a 70% chance of snow on Monday in Austin.  I can't remember it ever getting that cold here.

Wunderground has us at 19/3 on Monday in Waco area.  

[TwiceHorn 31,269]

21 minutes ago, TexArcher said:

Nope, my car is only 4 years old and I take it to the dealership because it's still under warranty and everything's free including the oil changes.  So they should have me covered on this, yes?  I mean, it's gotten down to 16 before and been fine.

Yes. You should be fine.  The recovery tank under the hood should be "full" (maybe not quite depending on the car) with colored fluid, which indicates presence of antifreeze.

[Homercles 10,205]

Y’all are pussies 

[Bevo&Pevo 5,026]

Gas up the boat, find your long johns and dip nets boys.  It's fixin' to be fishing time in the bays.  It'll be like shooting fish in a barrel. 

Heading down to the bay house Friday to drain all the water lines.

[Parliament 14,133]

My God. You guys are less competent than a buncha Facebook Karens.

[phdhorn 6,224]

Oh, one more thing... I was off... the official low evah! in Austin is -2°.  1949. Stick that in your DeSoto.
I don't think we'll break it.  But it's not out of the realm...

Back more Thurs if necessary.  But I think we're set up now for a pretty good guess as to how the next week will go.

[Pato del Muerto 52,342]

Do any parts of Texas use winter blend diesel?  If not sure, might want to put some treatment or kerosene in to mix. 

[Guest Lobo]

there's probably some fleet stations up in the panhandle that do.  But that's about it I'm guessing.  Even our Volvo cabs in Chicago only use it for a short period of time each year.  

[TexArcher 37,508]

13 minutes ago, Parliament said:

My God. You guys are less competent than a buncha Facebook Karens.

Yeah, and my relatives in Ohio think 90 is hot.

Also, Ohio is a fucking cesspool.

[Parliament 14,133]

Fair point on point 1 there. And on point 2.

[DaysOff 7,851]

This should go in the wives thread probably, but we're going to Fort Collins tomorrow to visit the boy.

Will the rental car start sitting outside at -3 Saturday morning? Honestly don't know aboot this Canadian shit with prongs sticking out under the hood.

Coming back Sunday afternoon before the fun starts.

[ztejas 43,263]

Guess I'll just sell my car.

[burntorangebongos 10,681]

1 hour ago, Lobo said:

You'd be surprised the shit that dealerships skip even during warrantied maintenance.  You should check the mix/levels yourself.  And to berate the point, it makes a huge difference where your car is going to be most of the time between Friday and Tuesday.  If it's gonna sit in the garage, even at 30 degrees inside the garage, don't worry about it.  if you're gonna park it at the office Friday, Monday, and Tuesday...then consider add anti-freeze or at least swing by the dealership.  If you park outside all day and all night...then you absolutely need to do this and do it Thursday.  And start your car twice a day.  If you have an engine block heater...use it. 

I guess I'll got to Jiffy Lube to check if my old truck has it. 

[atomheartbevo 89,416]

9 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Definitely dripping all interior faucets on an exterior wall (especially the two I have on north-facing walls).

Just trying to figure out what I do with the outdoor faucets.  Maybe wrap, then heat?  Or wrap, then unwrap and drip?  That path seems pretty tedious.  I figure we can warm them up with a heater/hair dryer before we re-wrap them each evening, if need be.

You could buy some cheap insulation at Home Depot, wrap the outdoor faucets pipes really well, and leave a little opening and then drip them.

Thankfully our faucets don't stick out far from the wall, and are blocked from the wind, so I've wrapped them with insulation, stuck those foam covers on them, and then wrapped a couple of old towels around the foam covers.

[Guest Lobo]

 

27 minutes ago, DaysOff said:

This should go in the wives thread probably, but we're going to Fort Collins tomorrow to visit the boy.

Will the rental car start sitting outside at -3 Saturday morning? Honestly don't know aboot this Canadian shit with prongs sticking out under the hood.

Coming back Sunday afternoon before the fun starts.

what does that part mean?  

[atomheartbevo 89,416]

I'm enjoy how some forecasts have us at 1 degree or 12 degrees on the same day, some have us as only one day where we won't get above freezing, while others show us getting above freezing at some point on every day, etc.

 

 

[Hate 20,103]

48 minutes ago, Parliament said:

My God. You guys are less competent than a buncha Facebook Karens.

I believe it's a cackle of Karens. 

[atomheartbevo 89,416]

2 minutes ago, Lobo said:

what does that part mean?  

Seriously?  It's a block heater (oil pan heater on some older cars). We used to have to use them when I was a kid and lived up north for a while.  Keeps the engine block warm, so that shit (oil/coolants/fluids) doesn't freeze up on you.

I think it had to be below 20, which meant for a few months we kept our car plugged in whenever it was parked.  The grocery store had a shitload of outlets on all of the light poles, and people would run extension cords to them.

I'm actually not sure if you need to plug in with synthetic oils, since some of those are formulated for really cold shit.

 

 

 

[atomheartbevo 89,416]

12 hours ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Weakling

I hated the months where it didn't get above freezing at all.  I hated the windchill that was -30 or worse.  

There are some positives.  I did think it was cool to go outside with wet hair and then snap off pieces of it.   Hockey could be fun.  Ice fishing was fun for a few hours, unless the older folks gave you a beer, then it was cool for a long time.

I loved the houses up there - we had a big ass basement that ran the length of the house.   Lot of people had big-ass basements, and and the ones on our block were stocked with all kinds of games and fridges and stuff - seemed like every weekend, the parents on the block would have all of the kids stay at one family's house, in the basement, with multiple TVs, a shitload of video games (Nintendo NES was still new), shitload of VHS rentals, and all of the pizza and soda that we could handle.  I guess the hosts were afraid parents would get to drinking and try to drive, because as we came in the door  our parents would throw their keys in a fish bowl by the door.  At some point all of the parents would leave, while we were all stuffed full of pizza and soda and our 100th game of Contra or whatever.  The next afternoon, our parents would come and get us.  Some kids claimed to have looked out the windows (normally they were blacked out/covered by these bubble things that kept the snow from being up against the window) and said the parents got so drunk they were going home with the wrong spouses, but whatever.  Like I said, alcoholism was rampant.

 

[Guest Lobo]

Yeah, I know what they do.  I was confused about why he had a Canadian rental car in Fort Collins, Colorado.  I guess he was more asking like, "What is this Arctic shit in my rental car?"  But yes, protecting the engine block.  I remember that drill from growing up especially when we drove to the northwoods to fish.  My shitty reading comprehension.  Fun times though starting your car 45 minutes before you want to go anywhere.  Whenever I get into a hot car in Texas, I remember it takes 5 minutes to cool down, could alwaysbe worse. 

 

 

[dcar00 14,035]

3 hours ago, Skipper said:

So are pool pumps built to run 24/7 for 7+ days or should i just say RIP to all my pool equipment and amazon some ice skates for my pool in Dallas by Monday?

yes.   run it 24/7 while it is below freezing.  is it on an automatic timer?

[clapclapclap 9,000]

Apparently they no longer teach history, so many don't realize that it's been much colder in Texas in the past, this coming spell is not unique.

'Washington Crossing the Brazos'- Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze 

[InkaUtexas 25,507]

33 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

I hated the months where it didn't get above freezing at all.  I hated the windchill that was -30 or worse.  

There are some positives.  I did think it was cool to go outside with wet hair and then snap off pieces of it.   Hockey could be fun.  Ice fishing was fun for a few hours, unless the older folks gave you a beer, then it was cool for a long time.

I loved the houses up there - we had a big ass basement that ran the length of the house.   Lot of people had big-ass basements, and and the ones on our block were stocked with all kinds of games and fridges and stuff - seemed like every weekend, the parents on the block would have all of the kids stay at one family's house, in the basement, with multiple TVs, a shitload of video games (Nintendo NES was still new), shitload of VHS rentals, and all of the pizza and soda that we could handle.  I guess the hosts were afraid parents would get to drinking and try to drive, because as we came in the door  our parents would throw their keys in a fish bowl by the door.  At some point all of the parents would leave, while we were all stuffed full of pizza and soda and our 100th game of Contra or whatever.  The next afternoon, our parents would come and get us.  Some kids claimed to have looked out the windows (normally they were blacked out/covered by these bubble things that kept the snow from being up against the window) and said the parents got so drunk they were going home with the wrong spouses, but whatever.  Like I said, alcoholism was rampant.

 

So you lived in a place where key parties were the big thing?

[Both Tacos 1,805]

Taking the family skiing in Angel Fire, NM this next week and have plans to stop overnight in Dalhart on Sunday night. Don't think I've ever been in below zero temps before.

[Lerka Lerka 1,086]

5 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

So you lived in a place where key parties were the big thing?

Sounds like it. 
 

and back to cars antifreeze - I would guess unless you have a slow radiator leak  that you’ve been filling with water, you’re probably fine.  Antifreeze is just as important to help prevent overheating as well freezing. If you made it through the summer, then you’ll be fine now too.  

[MNLonghornFUKM 8,799]

This should go in the wives thread probably, but we're going to Fort Collins tomorrow to visit the boy.

Will the rental car start sitting outside at -3 Saturday morning? Honestly don't know aboot this Canadian shit with prongs sticking out under the hood.

Coming back Sunday afternoon before the fun starts.

Yes it’ll be fine as long as the battery isn’t shit.


Run an extension cord out to the block heater and plug it in. It’ll start smoother when you go to warm it up

[gsoda3 3,236]

My sprinkler's master valve is in the ground inside a plastic irrigation box. Do I need to wrap that pipe? Is that enough or do I need to wrap it with incandescent string lights before wrapping?

[Updawg 2,261]

My sprinkler's master valve is in the ground inside a plastic irrigation box. Do I need to wrap that pipe? Is that enough or do I need to wrap it with incandescent string lights before wrapping?

I don’t know. I don’t do shit with a sprinkler system in Austin and have never had a problem. We don’t get that cold to get permafrost. Not sure wtf lobo is talkinking about. Especially with anti freeze. Every car has it


/just jinxed myself

[Paper_jam 828]

4 hours ago, Bevo&Pevo said:

Gas up the boat, find your long johns and dip nets boys.  It's fixin' to be fishing time in the bays.  It'll be like shooting fish in a barrel. 

Heading down to the bay house Friday to drain all the water lines.

Back in the '80s my dad took me to the "Army hole" off Port O'Connor a couple times, during cold snaps. I wonder if that's still a thing.