2020-21 Winter weather; bring it on

[Trey3216 15,450]

33 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

NW hills checking in. 5+ hours without power. Upstairs was down to 57. Got the fire raging.

My pipe plan relies on heat and power. If it stays off much longer, considering the “drain the pipes and shut it off at the street” option. Sheesh.

The beauty of the plan was its simplicity 

[hornian 5,281]

32 minutes ago, 4th&Five said:

How about cut the power to people that have had it all night and bring our freezing asses back on?

 

“This has impacted our ability to rotate  outages between customers” = if your power has been out in Austin for several hours, you’re fucked. 

[RockyMountainHighHorn 915]

51 inside here in Carrollton. Been out since about 2:20. Definitely worried about the pipes and we’ll just staying warm. Might be fine to head up the road to grandpas house. This is wild. 

[TwiceHorn 31,987]

Just now, RockyMountainHighHorn said:

51 inside here in Carrollton. Been out since about 2:20. Definitely worried about the pipes and we’ll just staying warm. Might be fine to head up the road to grandpas house. This is wild. 

Did yall have a lot of ice and limbs down or anything?

[RockyMountainHighHorn 915]

1 minute ago, TwiceHorn said:

Did yall have a lot of ice and limbs down or anything?

Short answer...no. This is ridiculous. 

[crimsonlonghorn 2,313]

Finally lost power in Sugar Land about 7:45. 

Mrs CL is a real company woman and is losing her mind that she can’t turn on her computer and start working. Lord help us all. The kids are less worried about their Xbox. 

[hookemATL 12,228]

Team Flow Clan ain’t nothin to fuck with. All outdoor/indoor faucets still dripping and haven’t lost power somehow here in CP.  Praise be to AllahBuddahJesusTheOthers!

[ztejas 44,114]

Thank God we have a gas stove.

[RockyMountainHighHorn 915]

Going to be a dumb question but it’s cold so gotta ask. Can you run a gas fireplace with just what looks like normal, dried, non treated wood? Always ran a gas fireplace with those gas logs or fire glass. The owner of the house must have just found random logs around and put them In the fireplace. 

[Gale Snoats 246]

No power here (78731) since 2 am. According to my thermapen, it’s 57 indoors. Kids are under the covers in mom and dads bed (it’s like Willy Wonka) watching downloaded Paw Patrol on a tablet. 

Same here in Barton hills.

[deadshank 24,654]

28 minutes ago, Nivek said:

Houston: not much snow considering the hype.  Wife is really disappointed, she got herself hyped that she was going to see 4 inches of snow and got about 1/8 of that.   She should have been used to that by now though TBH.

She’s disappointed in less than 4” again?   

[Captainant 28,387]

Woke up to all my faucets still dripping inside, so I'm just gonna ignore the outside covered spigots for now because I dont feel like fucking with em. 

There's a thick layer of ice under all the snow in my neighborhood, I slipped a few times while walking the dogs this morning. If you've gotta drive anywhere, be safe. Because nobody knows how to handle ice in TX

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

Not going to CR the DT but the corporate oligarchs global  conspiracy theory as it relates to floods, fires, pandemics, and freezing to death and the supposed synchronization with the grocery stores and supply chains is going to send the Texas believers further round the twist if their phone batteries die. It’s like unplugging the Borg. 
 

Team No Drip has discovered that our smart thermostat has a partially blank screen. The manual has no explanation for this, other than battery dead which it can’t be because it is flashing 2021. Any tips? It’s a Honeywell. I’m reluctant to check the circuit box because the furnace is running I just can’t see the temperature. 
 

[TwiceHorn 31,987]

1 minute ago, RockyMountainHighHorn said:

Going to be a dumb question but it’s cold so gotta ask. Can you run a gas fireplace with just what looks like normal, dried, non treated wood? Always ran a gas fireplace with those gas logs or fire glass. The owner of the house must have just found random logs around and put them In the fireplace. 

Assuming you have a gas burner or fire grate, yes.  You light it, it catches the wood, you can turn the gas off once its going.

 

[TwiceHorn 31,987]

1 minute ago, Mrs Whiggins said:

Not going to CR the DT but the corporate oligarchs global  conspiracy theory as it relates to floods, fires, pandemics, and freezing to death and the supposed synchronization with the grocery stores and supply chains is going to send the Texas believers further round the twist if their phone batteries die. It’s like unplugging the Borg. 
 

Team No Drip has discovered that our smart thermostat has a partially blank screen. The manual has no explanation for this, other than battery dead which it can’t be because it is flashing 2021. Any tips? It’s a Honeywell. I’m reluctant to check the circuit box because the furnace is running I just can’t see the temperature. 
 

Thermostats commonly blink something when the battery is low.  Usually, it's a battery symbol thing, but could be something else.

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

4 minutes ago, RockyMountainHighHorn said:

Going to be a dumb question but it’s cold so gotta ask. Can you run a gas fireplace with just what looks like normal, dried, non treated wood? Always ran a gas fireplace with those gas logs or fire glass. The owner of the house must have just found random logs around and put them In the fireplace. 

When was the last time your chimney was checked? Something to consider as well. 

[Telegraph_it 3,376]

My gas range is somehow keeping my house warm. It’s 70 upstairs and 66 downstairs. Power has been off since 1:30 or so. 

[89Horn 1,735]

4 minutes ago, hornian said:

“This has impacted our ability to rotate  outages between customers” = if your power has been out in Austin for several hours, you’re fucked. 

Yeah, this is fucking bullshit.  Power has been out in 78759 since 2am.  We’ve been losing and having power restored at least 15 times since last Thursday evening.  

[Mrs Whiggins 13,050]

4 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Thermostats commonly blink something when the battery is low.  Usually, it's a battery symbol thing, but could be something else.

Thanks! We have a new HVAC system this year in a blind stroke of luck and our old one almost 20 years) had the plain thermostat with three buttons for off on and auto. This tech stuff has its downside when the manual fails. 
Edit to add-admittedly that is unfair-user comprehension fail is likely more accurate but manual writing is as much art as science. 

Edited February 15, 2021 by Mrs Whiggins

[Gardner Barnes 1,571]

All outside bibs are frozen.  What is the plan here?  Seriously, when it thaws do I need to sit and watch them?  Should I leave them open or closed?  

[Biff Tannen 46,061]

8 minutes ago, Captainant said:

Woke up to all my faucets still dripping inside, so I'm just gonna ignore the outside covered spigots for now because I dont feel like fucking with em. 

There's a thick layer of ice under all the snow in my neighborhood, I slipped a few times while walking the dogs this morning. If you've gotta drive anywhere, be safe. Because nobody knows how to handle ice in TX

You walked the dogs in 9 degree weather?

[Bevo&Pevo 5,507]

Snowing in Hardin Co.  

[deadshank 24,654]

1 minute ago, Gardner Barnes said:

All outside bibs are frozen.  What is the plan here?  Seriously, when it thaws do I need to sit and watch them?  Should I leave them open or closed?  

Leave open

[Wally Pryor 5,388]

Outdoor faucets are happy with a nice, thin stream. 

No reports yet on neighbor taking a fall with the ice rink that the excess created.  Not worried too much about it.

Edited February 15, 2021 by Wally Pryor

[Neonmoon 38,130]

50 in the house. Just turned on the gas fireplace. 

[Brisketexan 106,618]

All indoor faucets are still running except the cold water line into the kitchen sink, our sole north facing faucet. Opening all the others up a bit to receive pressure.

If we don’t have power by this afternoon, and/or we can’t keep the house at 50, I’m going to drain the lines, fill the tub and every container we have with water to use, and shut it off at the street.

[Longhorn94 2,478]

Putting off attic insulation in a custom home until sometime in the future not looking like such a great idea at the moment....

 

Good news is plumbing lines are all insulated in the walls and attic so team no drip and no cover. All faucets working at full strength. 

 

 

[TwiceHorn 31,987]

7 minutes ago, Gardner Barnes said:

All outside bibs are frozen.  What is the plan here?  Seriously, when it thaws do I need to sit and watch them?  Should I leave them open or closed?  

Might try wrapping them in a towel or cloth and dumping hot/boiling water on them to see if you can get them going again.  Start with hot then move to boiling.

I'm kind of assuming that getting them going again is better than just letting them continue to freeze.  Relieves some pressure.

Edited February 15, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[Captainant 28,387]

7 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

You walked the dogs in 9 degree weather?

Yeah, better they poop and pee outside than inside lol. We took a little 5 minute loop and they're both curled up under blankets now

[Knoxtnhorn 6,262]

I've been doing the hand warmers + cloth wrap + plastic casing.  Seems to be ok thus far.  On the next go-round, should I run the water for a few secs, or would that be counterproductive?

[crimsonlonghorn 2,313]

Have lived in this house 7 years and just now turned on the gas fireplace for the first time. Kind of nice considering the circumstances. 

[Wally Pryor 5,388]

9 minutes ago, Gardner Barnes said:

All outside bibs are frozen.  What is the plan here?  Seriously, when it thaws do I need to sit and watch them?  Should I leave them open or closed?  

As per above try the hot / boiling water route.   Bet that will help.  

Did you have them wrapped, just sightly dripping or neither?

[crimsonlonghorn 2,313]

With the power out, I’m now worried about my pool equipment. 

[phdhorn 6,224]

2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Might try wrapping them in a towel or cloth and dumping hot/boiling water on them to see if you can get them going again.  Start with hot then move to boiling.

I'm kind of assuming that getting them going again is better than just letting them continue to freeze.  Relieves some pressure.

I'm going out to check on them near lunch (the firey apex of our hot day today).  Just a note on this:  it usually takes like 4-5 mins. to undo one spigot.  I'll have time to do about 2 in this weather.  Then I'll go in, warm up, and do the other two.  No way I'm staying out for longer than 20 mins. a time, even with 35 layers on.

[hayden_horn 11,401]

it's fucking beautiful in manchaca. snow on the roads, though someone has driven through it, which makes me somewhat irrationally mad for some reason.

we are on pec, and our power has stayed on - no rolling blackouts. i do have solar panels on the roof, so i wonder if they have kept me (and a lot of our neighborhood) on, because they hope the sunny day today gives them some necessary return?

no idea.

my faucets are running in the house, but i haven't checked on the outside spigots. really hope the sock and the insulated cover will keep that fine. still don't understand the running water during a freeze, but i dunno what i dunno.

[RPM 26,560]

Just made it home from work

[DaysOff 8,157]

With the power out, I’m now worried about my pool equipment. 

Same

[Lat22 4,070]

Chita looking great today. 

[Telegraph_it 3,376]

 

[deadshank 24,654]

Any of you with Griddy?  Gonna need a second job to pay your electricity bill. 

[Biff Tannen 46,061]

2 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Any of you with Griddy?  Gonna need a second job to pay your electricity bill. 

wat

[LonghornSean 4,072]

Haven’t lost power here, possibly on the same grid as the state capitol so I guess we’re special

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,762]

12 minutes ago, crimsonlonghorn said:

With the power out, I’m now worried about my pool equipment. 

Need to go out there and drain pumps, filter and heater.  They all should have little hand twist type plugs you just undo to let the water drain out as best it can. I just did mine for first time figuring not seeing power for awhile

[Gardner Barnes 1,571]

15 minutes ago, Wally Pryor said:

As per above try the hot / boiling water route.   Bet that will help.  

Did you have them wrapped, just sightly dripping or neither?

they were triple wrapped. Boiling water didnt work. proper fucked.

[MonkeyDoughnut 10,762]

6 minutes ago, deadshank said:

Any of you with Griddy?  Gonna need a second job to pay your electricity bill. 

Power outage going to be your best friend

[Red Five 41,595]

My office just closed everywhere, including everyone working at home, due to the rolling blackouts. That's new. 

[Pimphand 6,266]

Power holding on strong in the 56

[ztejas 44,114]

17 minutes ago, LonghornSean said:

Haven’t lost power here, possibly on the same grid as the state capitol so I guess we’re special

Thank God the Capitol has power.

[Wally Pryor 5,388]

16 minutes ago, Gardner Barnes said:

they were triple wrapped. Boiling water didnt work. proper fucked.

Damn, sorry to hear.    Maybe someone will chime in w/ other options. 

[BradInATX 9,208]

No power loss out in NB, although areas of my neighborhood are saying they had some rolling outages overnight. Outdoor spigots are both frozen. Tried thawing them out but it's not going to happen. Everything inside is fine except one hot water supply line in a bathroom. We have PEX, so hopefully it holds. So far my well pump is working fine. Glad I got the space heater out in the well house, because I'm seeing some people start to report their well pumps or lines frozen up.

Edited February 15, 2021 by BradInATX