2020-21 Winter weather; bring it on

[crimsonlonghorn 2,306]

1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

Without criticizing you specifically or your company, it seems like something is very wrong with the system when a generation company can just make a "business decision" to shut down in conditions such as these.  Something needs to be established to indemnify companies like yours from extraordinary losses.

This gets back to what Brisket mentioned earlier, which is a "capacity market" which more or less pays generators to be available when needed. That's one way to help cover the losses when they do need to turn on and operate at a loss. 

And the question of losses also gets to a major problem with the utility industry that there is no "real time" pricing for consumers, there are only pleas from the grid operator for conservation. Think of "surge pricing" for Uber and apply it to electricity and gas usage. Some people say that something like that is inhumane or unreasonable or unfair, but without it you get the situations posted upthread of people throwing parties and blasting their outside lights and running their clothes driers. If the grid operator declared an emergency and said, "Everyone who is consuming more than _____ kw is getting charged the full $9 price for each extra kwh", most people would turn those lights off quick. Set the baseline in emergencies to some level based on heating one room or running one light etc and then charge the hell out of the people who violate it during an emergency. 

Conversely, if a generator knew that he was going to get compensated for the full cost of his super expensive generation by some dumbass who wanted to waste electricity, he might choose to keep his plant on and make those expensive megawatts instead of removing the production from the market. 

The problem is that it is politically unpopular to give real time price signals to consumers while the producers are expected to abide by their own, but only when it is beneficial to the consumer. We have the technology with smart meters to be able to monitor (and even curtail) usage in real time, but every time the subject gets brought up the story turns into "big brother" and privacy instead of energy supply and demand. 

But shit, as a society we are opposed to ANY real rime price signals to consumers in ANY market. "Price gouging" is nothing more than scarcity pricing during periods of usual supply and demand. If you don't want someone buying up all the TP at HEB during Covid, charge 10x the regular price per roll and then the Karen buying it all up might think twice and leave some for someone else to buy. Same as with plywood and water during a hurricane. Raise the price so that those who aren't conserving have an incentive not to use so much so there's more to go around and people value it properly. This kind if pricing would solve a huge portion of our energy issues during emergencies, but politicians for very obvious reasons are never willing to take that step. 

[Damor 1,232]

@crimsonlonghorn Having just switched from Griddy, the behavior modification is real.

I'd imagine some of those commercial building operators would have been a little more proactive in that case.

[crimsonlonghorn 2,306]

6 minutes ago, Damor said:

@crimsonlonghorn Having just switched from Griddy, the behavior modification is real.

I'd imagine some of those commercial building operators would have been a little more proactive in that case.

Exactly. Great example.

I saw a piece on the news this morning about a lady who was a Griddy customer who was bitching that her price spiked over the weekend.

Guess what: THAT'S THE POINT OF GRIDDY! You get cheap as shit electricity 99% of the time but that 1% is usually expensive as hell. 

Edited February 18, 2021 by crimsonlonghorn

[Brew 3,044]

1 hour ago, BrickHorn said:

Exactly. The point of utilities should be to provide needed services, not to make money by providing services only when doing so is profitable. 

It makes no sense how different utilities are across the country. I live inside the TVA system and all utility systems are either owned by local municipalities or the membership. There are virtually no for profit utilities and there are rarely any issues. Several cities spun out of using TVA and built their own power generation plants throughout KY and it’s damn near bankrupted the cities involved and the cost of delivery is through the roof. 

[Eastwood 4,394]

6 minutes ago, crimsonlonghorn said:

And the question of losses also gets to a major problem with the utility industry that there is no "real time" pricing for consumers, there are only pleas from the grid operator for conservation. Think of "surge pricing" for Uber and apply it to electricity and gas usage. Some people say that something like that is inhumane or unreasonable or unfair, but without it you get the situations posted upthread of people throwing parties and blasting their outside lights and running their clothes driers. If the grid operator declared an emergency and said, "Everyone who is consuming more than _____ kw is getting charged the full $9 price for each extra kwh", most people would turn those lights off quick. Set the baseline in emergencies to some level based on heating one room or running one light etc and then charge the hell out of the people who violate it during an emergency.

Well, my usage the last week has been 800 kwh. That's with keeping the thermostat at 65 on a heat pump system, using the washer and dryer only twice, running the rinse cycle on the dishwasher once to make sure the pipes were moving there. For context, last February my total usage was 1,200 kwh. The weather pushed my heater that much. At $9 per, that would be $7,200 for just that week. There's no way middle class families can eat that cost. And what of the towers running their lights full blast to keep the city skylines pretty. Their bill will be in the millions. They'll certainly get bailed out. The state will need a huge bailout for the energy costs alone.

[atomheartbevo 89,362]

[Machinator 32,097]

 

[Guest Lobo]

You grow up in the Midwest taught not to eat or play in the yellow snow.  Then 25 years go by, you move to a warm city where winter is rarely an issue, you marry well and raise two wonderful daughters.  Then you have to rush outside to deal with freezing pipes half asleep at 3am, come inside to take a piss in the girls' bathroom to keep the water flowing, and find in the toilet what can only be described as a shit-snow cone made from the patrons at a Louisiana Waffle House after Mardi Gras; and you realize it won't flush because the snow and the shit are locked in some kinda "there can be only one" Highlander hot v. cold battle and your plumbing is the biggest loser.  

Edited February 18, 2021 by Lobo

[Nivek 16,808]

Water is back and weak but enough for my tankless water heater to function and for me to shower. I went outside and the neighbors and kids all knew I had a shower. It was an event it seemed. The kids gave me a dirty look. The moms were jealous.

I am providing water to neighbors now. I put away my Briggs and Stratton generator that I have shit on and neglected for a decade. But she came through for me and we were able to run a line to my neighbor.

I am so happy to be clean. I went into the garage and found some old camping shit that would have helped out earlier. But it’s all good now.

[HouTex 1,847]

Houston is all good. There’s a mom and her 8 year old in basketball shorts sitting next to me at Smoothy Island on Woodway.

[Biff Tannen 45,477]

So where are we at on capacity?  Can I turn on lights and shit like normal and not feel like a dick?  I'm not gonna run the dryer or anything, but are we still trying to make sure we don't have rolling black outs and shit?

[Brisketexan 104,465]

Home, with power.

Busted pipe in attic above garage. It’s under the one piece of decking I can’t remove. Going to have to cut it. Furk.

Then, figure out how to seal it off myself. Plumber appointment for....April 5th.

[atomheartbevo 89,362]

Just now, Biff Tannen said:

So where are we at on capacity?  Can I turn on lights and shit like normal and not feel like a dick?  I'm not gonna run the dryer or anything, but are we still trying to make sure we don't have rolling black outs and shit?

My kids are going to sleep in half-an-hour.  I'm turning off the lights, I've got a quilt with my name on it on the couch, and I've got a new subscription to HBO Max.  My Roku draws very little power, my TV....draws power.  But that's it.  I'm not going to feel guilty.

I raided Randalls this morning to get stuff I wouldn't need to eat out of the fridge or freezer.

 

[Pato del Muerto 52,322]

32 minutes ago, Brew said:

It makes no sense how different utilities are across the country. I live inside the TVA system and all utility systems are either owned by local municipalities or the membership. There are virtually no for profit utilities and there are rarely any issues. Several cities spun out of using TVA and built their own power generation plants throughout KY and it’s damn near bankrupted the cities involved and the cost of delivery is through the roof. 

If you want to light the fuse on a rant from my grandmother, just mention the letters TVA or WPA.  You’ll get the finger wag and the whole show. 

[Message Board User 12,389]

 

[Message Board User 12,389]

 

[Message Board User 12,389]

 

[drt 637]

5 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

 

Jesus. 

[TwiceHorn 31,184]

2 hours ago, BrickHorn said:

Exactly. The point of utilities should be to provide needed services, not to make money by providing services only when doing so is profitable. 

You probably caught it, but they are a gas buyer so had some insight on what gas prices were doing, but not a power generator for other than themselves.

I see no evidence that a generator shut down on a "business decision."  

There were plenty of other business decisions that made this go down, however.

[Brothahorn 10,085]

My street was without power for about 30 hours. So I smoked meat for a couple of neighbors who saw my smoke. Got about 8 gallons of gas for the generator in return. Considering I saw $2.99 gas at Shell, I consider that a good deal.

Also, this is a lesson on why you should never buy a house with an electric stove.

[TwiceHorn 31,184]

39 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Home, with power.

Busted pipe in attic above garage. It’s under the one piece of decking I can’t remove. Going to have to cut it. Furk.

Then, figure out how to seal it off myself. Plumber appointment for....April 5th.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/SharkBite-1-2-in-Push-to-Connect-dia-Cap-Push-Fitting/1000182543

[MissingInAction 24,765]

If you are in the 290/183/35 area the poco loco at Cameron and 290  has canned goods and beer. Johnny's liqour is well stocked.

Filling the trash can with snow and calling it a night.

Edited February 19, 2021 by MissingInAction

[Okie State 3,775]

https://www.lowes.com/pd/SharkBite-1-2-in-Push-to-Connect-dia-Cap-Push-Fitting/1000182543

This or a simple angle stop will do the trick until you can get it fixed correctly. I have a few on hand, but will be buying more spare supplies once this is over just in case.

[Homercles 10,205]

32 minutes ago, Message Board User said:

 

I wonder how that bitch carol baskins is doing 

[Brew 3,044]

Day 5 of rotating hand warmers on my outside spigots. The joys of owning an older home. I have one more set, so I’m going to stretch them a little tomorrow to see if I can get through until Saturday. The separate well is frozen solid as well as one outdoor spigot with zero insulation around it, we’ll see what happens Saturday with them. Luckily the well is just an additional source since we switched to city water, so hopefully it survived. Going to go ahead and buy a cap for the spigot tomorrow just in case as the pipe runs up 3 feet out of the ground.

Edited February 19, 2021 by Brew

[BradInATX 9,208]

We took my kid to that animal place in Johnson City for his birthday as a Covid safe celebration. Instead of doing a hayride or whatever like normal, you took your own vehicle through. One of the sheep kept headbutting my mirror and some other antlered son of a bitch put a 6 inch scratch down the side of my truck. Hope those two had to sleep in the cold and think about what they did.

The zebra pic in MBU's tweet is pretty generous. If someone did an Instagram vs. reality side by side, that picture would be instagram and this would be reality:



That is one ugly stinky-breathed bastard.

[LABEVO 928]

1 hour ago, Nivek said:

Water is back and weak but enough for my tankless water heater to function and for me to shower. I went outside and the neighbors and kids all knew I had a shower. It was an event it seemed. The kids gave me a dirty look. The moms were jealous.

I am providing water to neighbors now. I put away my Briggs and Stratton generator that I have shit on and neglected for a decade. But she came through for me and we were able to run a line to my neighbor.

I am so happy to be clean. I went into the garage and found some old camping shit that would have helped out earlier. But it’s all good now.

same here. hot water now works.

[TwiceHorn 31,184]

1 hour ago, Brew said:

It makes no sense how different utilities are across the country. I live inside the TVA system and all utility systems are either owned by local municipalities or the membership. There are virtually no for profit utilities and there are rarely any issues. Several cities spun out of using TVA and built their own power generation plants throughout KY and it’s damn near bankrupted the cities involved and the cost of delivery is through the roof. 

I think having a big, governmental hydro facility facilitates that.

Places like Texas started with little podunk electric companies and they resisted becoming public utilities.

I suppose back in the day, it was like A&P coming in and killing off all the mom n pops.  Puttin all them good local folks outta bidness, and the gubmint to boot.

[Machinator 32,097]

 

[Captainant 27,311]

29 minutes ago, Okie State said:

39 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/SharkBite-1-2-in-Push-to-Connect-dia-Cap-Push-Fitting/1000182543

This or a simple angle stop will do the trick until you can get it fixed correctly. I have a few on hand, but will be buying more spare supplies once this is over just in case.

Shark bites are great and can be used as permanent solutions, +1 if you can find any

[CleverNickname 1,291]

Saw this on FB (Redbud Plumbing)

Quote

Texans - As our pipes thaw out and we start to turn our water back on to homes. Please note the following steps:

Turn off all faucets inside the home (except for a tub spout if exterior faucets are frozen).

Turn on exterior hose bib closest to the water meter.

Very slowly turn the valve back (property owner’s valve or meter valve.
Purge water at exterior hose bib for 2 minutes, or tub spout if bib is frozen.
Turn off water at exterior hose bib or tub spout.

Look at water meter face for the “tattletale”, a small triangle on the water meter face (see photo). If any water is running inside the house (filling water heater, toilets, etc.), the triangle will spin. If there are any leaks on the piping, the triangle will spin.
Visually inspect and listen for any signs of leakage.

If triangle is spinning, and it is verified that no fixtures are filling or turned on, turn off the water to the house again and drain down water as best as possible from an exterior hose bib if possible. Once off, leave hot and cold faucets slightly open to allow for air displacement.

If no leaks are detected, purge water at tub spout first, and continue to open faucets to displace air for pressurization. 

There will be lots of scale & debris flaking from the interior of the pipes. Purging water at exterior hose bibs will help prevent the initial load from lodging in your faucets. Plumbers will be very busy for weeks getting homes back online, and basic faucet repairs will be lower priority. Following this turn on procedure will help to safely get your water back online.
*Please note that I will not be readily available to respond to comments as I have been addressing the plumbing needs of the community. The calls, emails, texts and social media communications have occupied most of my time as we prepare to get our vans back on the road tomorrow. Best to all! We’re in this together.

https://www.facebook.com/108294380886268/posts/270074684708236/

[4th&Five 41,457]

Off for 76, on for 16 and back off again. Must be a problem in my hood. 78735. 

[Pato del Muerto 52,322]

Is it warm enough that the gas plants are back online and running full throttle?    Don’t know if there’s a site to see that data live. 

[Machinator 32,097]

Rest easy, our savior has it under control.

 

[Cajun 11,675]

1 hour ago, Message Board User said:

 

Meanwhile in Mexico -

 

Edited February 19, 2021 by Cajun

[Nivek 16,808]

1 hour ago, Brothahorn said:

My street was without power for about 30 hours. So I smoked meat for a couple of neighbors who saw my smoke. Got about 8 gallons of gas for the generator in return. Considering I saw $2.99 gas at Shell, I consider that a good deal.

Also, this is a lesson on why you should never buy a house with an electric stove.

No grass?

[Red Five 40,593]

8 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Rest easy, our savior has it under control.

 

Normally, this is where I wake up and say "wow I had the craziest dream. We were in the middle of a pandemic and a winter storm knocked out power and water, and fitlump, who for some reason was on the Austin city council, was giving us updates on water distribution.

[WBT 20,397]

10 minutes ago, Machinator said:

Rest easy, our savior has it under control.

 

She's disaster scienceing the shit out of it

[clapclapclap 9,000]

19 minutes ago, Cajun said:

Meanwhile in Mexico -

 

Feeted

[Homercles 10,205]

Meant to post this earlier...for anyone currently building a house, you need to do a walk around before drywall goes up and video every single detail.  
 

I have a 45m long video I’ve saved over the years that shows where every PEX, Romex, drain, conduit, HVAC, concealed speaker wire, vent, etc runs.  It was a lifesaver when I was trying to see where my outside water lines came up thru the slab.  It also saved me from putting a drywall anchor through a sewer vent pipe.  

[Biff Tannen 45,477]

Has anyone called her out on being a psychotic grifter?  If not, I will. 

[MNLonghornFUKM 8,799]

Live view of the Austin Emergency Operations Center seeing fitlump giving the crucial update

[BearSchlong 8,076]

She's disaster scienceing the shit out of it

Selfies, day drinking and "productive political discourse" will return with the thaw.

Fucking surreal. Maybe she found her forte.

[MissingInAction 24,765]

9 minutes ago, MNLonghornFUKM said:

Live view of the Austin Emergency Operations Center seeing fitlump giving the crucial update

Just braved the streets for a case of canned beans, 2 cases of lone star , and a half gallon of jamie.

[ChickenSandwich 9,797]

Finally after 113 hours we have power again. Thank you Tom Cruise. 
 

[ChickenSandwich 9,797]

Please stay on

[FizzleFish 137]

3 minutes ago, MissingInAction said:

Just braved the streets for a case of canned beans, 2 cases of lone star , and a half gallon of jamie.

 

3 minutes ago, ChickenSandwich said:

Finally after 113 hours we have power again. Thank you Tom Cruise. 
 

Now your rocking. Just sleep in a ventilated area. We would hate to lose you to your own gas after all this. 

[BayouBill 835]

Some of you on Saturday...

 

 

 

 

[MissingInAction 24,765]

Firing up "Rambo: Last Blood"

Extended cut.

[BearSchlong 8,076]

wife and i have been getting after it in the kitchen...dan dan noodles, gumbo, pot of pork chili, Mexican cornbread, split pea soup, 3 loaves homemade sourdough bread, blackened fish with roasted veggies, and sourdough deep dish pizza tonight. breakfasts have been either avocado toast with fried egg on her bread or a couple of slices of sourdough toast with ricotta, blueberries, thyme and drizzled with smoked honey.

very lucky that my own kitchen skills are equally matched to hers.

Delicious. Neighbors fresh out of rabbit?