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2020-21 Winter weather; bring it on

Parliament

By Parliament
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phdhorn

phdhorn 6224

Posted
Posted (edited)

 

17 minutes ago, ftf82 said:

Come to find out that my "auto-fill" contract, prepaid mind you, with Pinnacle Propane means that it's not really "auto-fill". Checked my level early yesterday and noticed it was 15% (they're supposed to refill before it gets to 20%). Called and they said that they would get someone out this morning. Of course, they canceled this morning and won't be here until sometime late this week I'm sure.  So, in short, I had to call to get a tank filled that was on a PREPAID auto-fill contract, I'll likely run out within the next 4 days, during which I'll only be running my thermostat at 60 degrees, and Fuck Pinnacle Propane. 

This is why I never do those plans; I don't use enough propane in the winter to want to keep it full 100%.  Plus, I just bought a tank after years of renting and now I can buy from any distributor, not just one. I can compete on the (semi-) free market. I'm usually good with two 100 gal. fills/winter and I can deal with the price differential.

The Jewish mother in me last week said, "Gee, I'm at 30%, maybe I just better get 100 more gallons." Thought I would have enough to get through the siege but I didn't count on Thursday through Saturday being below freezing. So, among the 32 things I have to worry about with my hacienda and this ungodly lethal weather, that's not one. Even with that said, I'm having more than 60% after the recent fill, and our house heater coming on about every 10 minutes for about 10 minutes, if I go out and look at it tomorrow or Tuesday I bet I'll be down to under 40%. 

Edited by phdhorn
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SubliminalHorn
SubliminalHorn

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

Machinator
Machinator
BradInATX
BradInATX

I've actually been turning my heat up a degree every time a new Surly member loses power on this thread. It's a nice balmy 94 in here.

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WgnBrnr

WgnBrnr 17

Posted
Posted
15 minutes ago, ftf82 said:

Come to find out that my "auto-fill" contract, prepaid mind you, with Pinnacle Propane means that it's not really "auto-fill". Checked my level early yesterday and noticed it was 15% (they're supposed to refill before it gets to 20%). Called and they said that they would get someone out this morning. Of course, they canceled this morning and won't be here until sometime late this week I'm sure.  So, in short, I had to call to get a tank filled that was on a PREPAID auto-fill contract, I'll likely run out within the next 4 days, during which I'll only be running my thermostat at 60 degrees, and Fuck Pinnacle Propane. 

Where in the hell is Hank Hill when you need him?

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Blotto

Blotto 23974

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Posted
1 minute ago, BillyGoatHill said:

Tie and jacket off? That's when you know the shit is real.....my old job (let's just say we got busy during bad weather) we would all watch and see if....

1. Was it him, or Dave giving the forecast and....

2. If it was Jim doing the forecast, shit was going to hit the fan ( at least that was his forecast) if he had his jacket off.

customer service rep at Pinnacle Propane? Those f'n customers probably never shut up about delivery, huh?

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EE2B

EE2B 1569

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Posted
I had no idea neighborhoods used joint propane systems. So strange to me. 
 
I have my heat up super high (75) to get heat through the walls to the pipes, but im also on natural gas.  So i wont be draining the grid.

Um actually you are just doing the same thing to another utility. The gas companies have the same worries about meeting the demands. In fact they put a cap on the amount of gas my facility can use this week. If we exceed it we run the risk of heavy fines or even them shutting our shit off. So yea, the gas companies are just as concerned as the electric providers.
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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31987

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7 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

My older Craftsman multimeter showed a decent 5-10 degrees difference between next to the house and a few feet out in the yard.  Hope that holds steady.

 

Yeah, that's inevitable.  Even the best insulated home is going to have a boundary layer a good bit warmer than the atmosphere.

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ftf82

ftf82 488

Posted
Posted (edited)
8 minutes ago, phdhorn said:

 

This is why I never do those plans; I don't use enough propane in the winter to want to keep it full 100%.  Plus, I just bought a tank after years of renting and now I can buy from any distributor, not just one. I can compete on the (semi-) free market. I'm usually good with two 100 gal. fills/winter and I can deal with the price differential.

The Jewish mother in me last week said, "Gee, I'm at 30%, maybe I just better get 100 more gallons." Thought I would have enough to get through the siege but I didn't count on Thursday through Saturday being below freezing. So, among the 32 things I have to worry about with my hacienda and this ungodly lethal weather, that's not one. Even with that said, I'm having more than 60% after the recent fill, and our house heater coming on about every 10 minutes for about 10 minutes, if I go out and look at it tomorrow or Tuesday I bet I'll be down to under 40%. 

auto-fill was probably the wrong term. We prebuy 300 gallons at current prices with an agreement that they bring us propane when it drops below a certain point.  For 15 years that's been the deal. We've never used 300 gallons in a year. Sometimes we make money on the deal, sometimes they do. Our normal delivery guy Ray (who've I've given football tickets to) would have taken care of us because he would stop by periodically and check levels. But 2 years ago they went to some algorithm formula and not  periodic checks. So they fucked up and found out. And we're paying for it, even though we paid for it.

In summary. Fuck Pinnacle Propane.

Edited by ftf82
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Francisco 2.0

Francisco 2.0 32543

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3 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

My older Craftsman multimeter showed a decent 5-10 degrees difference between next to the house and a few feet out in the yard.  Hope that holds steady.

 

We back up to a greenbelt (for now, but it sold for development not long ago) and the wx station is on one of our fence posts, away from trees or anything that might cause variations in measurements.  Hard to make it out, but it's in the red circle:

 

screen.thumb.png.b686d740efa1a976a6fbcb379a325661.png

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FORTY NINE TO ZERO

FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2649

Posted
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3 minutes ago, EE2B said:


Um actually you are just doing the same thing to another utility. The gas companies have the same worries about meeting the demands. In fact they put a cap on the amount of gas my facility can use this week. If we exceed it we run the risk of heavy fines or even them shutting our shit off. So yea, the gas companies are just as concerned as the electric providers.

Hmm. Well I just turned it down to 72.  72 isnt that outrageous when married to a tropical island wife 

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31987

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2 minutes ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

We back up to a greenbelt (for now, but it sold for development not long ago) and the wx station is on one of our fence posts, away from trees or anything that might cause variations in measurements.  Hard to make it out, but it's in the red circle:

 

screen.thumb.png.b686d740efa1a976a6fbcb379a325661.png

Nice looking property.

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Francisco 2.0

Francisco 2.0 32543

Posted
Posted (edited)
6 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Nice looking property.

Thank ya.  

When we bought it over 8 years ago, among the reasons was the dead end road it sits on, and the 4 generation family farm that the house backed up to that had nothing but angus on it.

Then the patriarch passed away a few years ago...and the kids saw what they could get for the 600 acres they now could split up...and they really didn't care about the cattle business...and you get the idea.  By summer the developer will start on all the infrastructure work, and by fall, I suspect the first homes will be going in.  I'm not bitter, but my wife is.

Edited by Francisco 2.0
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Brisketexan

Brisketexan 106615

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I am getting frozen ice rain and not snow. Is it too cold for snow? 

Yeah, I’m NW hills, just got a heavy down burst of rain. It had been snowing for a while. Then we had a spell of sleet. Then heavy freezing rain. That’s just fucking GREAT for surfaces and the trees and power outages.

Now it’s back to light snow, I think.
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DalTxHornFan

DalTxHornFan 3130

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11 minutes ago, ftf82 said:

In summary. Fuck Pinnacle Propane.

This.  They screwed the pooch with us this past April (after cold weather was over, of course, when the propane would just end up sitting in our tank until fall/winter) and filled our tank to the brim with propane at $1.25/gal above the EIA market price and $0.95/gal above their prior delivery price in early fall 2019 -- all in a period when market propane prices had been trending down.  When I questioned their pricing -- they said "corporate makes those decisions" -- so I made the decision to fire them.  I'm now getting deliveries from a new company at around the EIA market price.

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NoRagrets

NoRagrets 1136

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28 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

So what weather site are we trusting?  Dark Skies keeps fucking with us with crazy numbers.  

Weather.com has us hitting around 12 degrees in the morning.  I'll take 12 degrees over 0, because that's a fuckton of difference with our shitty Texas housing construction.  Shit, I'll run/drip the faucets pretty open outside at 12.

I’ve been filling a cup with the first bit of water from my inside faucets and measuring with my thermopen. They’re all still in the 50*s

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cactusflinthead

cactusflinthead 27626

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Posted
Just now, TwiceHorn said:

Well, 225 in Dallas is snow free and has been for at least an hour.  There's hardly an accumulation on the garage roof.  Maybe an inch or two elsewhere.

It was supposed to slop or slow later this evening, but we seem to have gotten a break there.

It's snowing sideways in Denton. I was supposed to be at the shop at midnight.

Made a test run out of the neighborhood. My little truck is not going anywhere. Sorry boss.

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jimmyjazz

jimmyjazz 46969

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13 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:


Yeah, I’m NW hills, just got a heavy down burst of rain. It had been snowing for a while. Then we had a spell of sleet. Then heavy freezing rain. That’s just fucking GREAT for surfaces and the trees and power outages.

Now it’s back to light snow, I think.

I'm down the hill, and nope.  I was just outside checking my faucets and it was like getting pelted by BBs.

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Surly Bevo

Surly Bevo 25654

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Posted (edited)

It's 10 degrees in NE Tarrant County...we got probably 4-6 inches of snow on the ground here (I'm guessing 3 or 4 is more official and the deeper is just drifts). It's the most "Colorado" snow I have ever seen in Texas...perfect powder.   Dog went out and froliced for a bit.  Male cat spent about 3 minutes in it.  Female cat charges out per her norm, got past the threshold door and put on a brake check that almost made me spit my whiskey out laughing.  

It's fucking cold...stay safe boys and girls.  

Edited by Surly Bevo
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phdhorn

phdhorn 6224

Posted
Posted

 

22 minutes ago, Neonmoon said:

I am getting frozen ice rain and not snow. Is it too cold for snow? 

 

17 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:


Yeah, I’m NW hills, just got a heavy down burst of rain. It had been snowing for a while. Then we had a spell of sleet. Then heavy freezing rain. That’s just fucking GREAT for surfaces and the trees and power outages.

Now it’s back to light snow, I think.

Yeah I was too, but that's just the mix of Gulf air coming in that the storm is drawing, being devoured by the frigid air.

You will get snow now, period.  And at a heavy rate.  However, this system is a fast mover which is why we won't get tons.  Probably an inch an hour, but only about 3-4 hours of snow before it moves out after midnight.

This time to me is the worst - highest wind, lousiest conditions, etc.  Hate it.  The cold temps will get here but things will be calm after this... no winds, just frigid.  I can work (outside winterizing, fighting the freezing problems) in that.  I can't work in this.  Crossing fingers and holding on.

I hope that my well tarp does get a coat of snow.  It's a great insulator unlike ice.

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Deej

Deej 77667

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, ftf82 said:

Come to find out that my "auto-fill" contract, prepaid mind you, with Pinnacle Propane means that it's not really "auto-fill". Checked my level early yesterday and noticed it was 15% (they're supposed to refill before it gets to 20%). Called and they said that they would get someone out this morning. Of course, they canceled this morning and won't be here until sometime late this week I'm sure.  So, in short, I had to call to get a tank filled that was on a PREPAID auto-fill contract, I'll likely run out within the next 4 days, during which I'll only be running my thermostat at 60 degrees, and Fuck Pinnacle Propane. 

 

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InkaUtexas

InkaUtexas 26796

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Posted
4 minutes ago, Homercles said:

Just put two hand warmers in the north west facing faucet (with two heater fans blowing on that wall from the inside), and a fresh one on the south side faucet.  Needed hand warmers for myself just to get out there.  My power bill is gonna be nuts but fuck it.  

Not if the power goes out for a few days. Should level off nicely. 

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SquishMitten

SquishMitten 10493

Posted
Posted (edited)
22 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:
GF wanted to take a big bowl of soup to her friend who lives 2 blocks away. Cannot walk on side walks, cannot walk on the grass, no fucking way are you getting across a side street. And this is 30 miles south of Austin. I anticipate power outages and have my emergency winter gear ready to go. Worked for FEMA for a few years and nice to have 96 hours of emergency power and food plus a puppy to tuck into a sleeping bag. Worse case scenario will light the damn grill and cook steaks. 
You folks be safe. 


The last few lines of this, particularly in regards to the puppy, have me very concerned

Edited by SquishMitten
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atomheartbevo

atomheartbevo 90544

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Posted
15 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

Bunch of polar bears up in here keeping the thermostat in the mid-low 60s.  In times like this, for the greater good... sure.  But day to day in normal times?  If I can’t lounge in flip flops and shorts it’s too cold.  Wearing pants sucks. 

We need to make a spreadsheet of Surly wives and mistresses and the temps they prefer, because it's all over the place.

My wife is fine with it in the mid060s during the day, but prefers 70 and a thick quilt and light nightgown at night.

Sidepiece #1 - she prefers to keep it at 68, but her hubby will try to be sly and lower it to 65 when he does't think she's looking.  He wants it lower and will wear warm ups and flannel shirts because he doesn't want to sweat, if that says anything about him.

 

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