Texas deep freeze carnage thread

[phdhorn 6224]

Carnage:  cold water in master sink and bath frozen.  All other faucets ok.
Going out today and blow dry the living shit out of my estate.  I've lived/worked in this weather enough to know how to handle it... which is don't stay out more than 20 mins. at a time.

[wd40 1976]

6 hours ago, F250 said:

Too many lawyers and not enough plumbers on this site.

we have plumbers...but they live down here, too.  plumbing school prof probably just skipped the Frozen Pipes 101 chapter.

HVAC:  I'm on a heat pump.  gave up on that yesterday.  emergency heat is holding 64, but it's running all the time.  

 

[Bevo&Pevo 5146]

15 minutes ago, immamac said:

Pressure tank could be freezing. Go check it at the well head

or the pressure switch

[Steel Shank 9425]

I have some non LED flood lights that get hot as shit. I’ve put one in my well house to keep it at about 50 degrees. I’m using two more in the garage to keep it (and my garage fridge) at 47. I’ll keep some on hand for the next monster storm.

[utee94 15823]

26 minutes ago, horn4life said:

  Which in turn could have the disastrous outcome of reducing the potential quantity of alcoholic beverages until we thaw out.

Honestly happy as fuck I still have power this morning!  But damn my good habit bit me in the ass with the drip...

Fear not, noble drunkard-- there is all sorts of frozen water to be harvested, just outside your front door.  In these trying times, we must improvise, adapt, and overcome!

 

 

[Irwin F Fletcher 3550]

Grinding beans old-school. Powers been out since 3am, barely any water pressure after running the faucets on drip last night.

[Steel Shank 9425]

Watching KXAN this morning. Showing I35 and the very few cars on it. Interesting how some people are choosing to take the upper decks. We really are a society of dumbasses.

Just breathtaking.

[troph 24798]

8 minutes ago, Irwin F Fletcher said:

Grinding beans old-school. Powers been out since 3am, barely any water pressure after running the faucets on drip last night.

This guy is a survivor. 

[Hpara759 1778]

23 minutes ago, Steel Shank said:

I have some non LED flood lights that get hot as shit. I’ve put one in my well house to keep it at about 50 degrees. I’m using two more in the garage to keep it (and my garage fridge) at 47. I’ll keep some on hand for the next monster storm.

that's what I got going on in my garage

[SubliminalHorn 6787]

So rolling blackouts that are lasting for 5+ hours? Get your shit together ERCOT

[phdhorn 6224]

 I knew when they announced Stage 3 last night that this was going to go badly.  Like all of us, they have no experience whatsoever dealing with Canadian cold, greatly underestimate the extra power needed to combat cold vs. heat.  They were wildly off in their ability to estimate power delivery, and the wind turbines all freezing.

If we don't stack at least 2-3 coal power plants for this sort of thing, we are dumber than dirt.

 

[Sandman 3403]

After many hours of using a small space heater to heat up the walls in my laundry room, the pipes were thawed at around 11:15 last night. Much rejoicing in the house. I ran the load that was in it and when it was done, I ran it for another round with nothing in it, just to keep the water flowing in the pipes. 

The wife and I celebrated with some late-night nookie. After we finished, we heard the washer go off and she went to check it for anything out of the ordinary. When she came back, I said I wanted to run it again. She said "Oh, I thought I'd run the dishwasher instead." We've had zero problems with the dishwasher, not sure why she thought that was important. I was too tired to argue with her, so I went to bed.

Any guesses as to the status of the washer lines this morning??? Fucking hell. The heater is back in place and the process has started all over.

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

So rolling blackouts that are lasting for 5+ hours? Get your shit together ERCOT

I’m sure all of the houses for the managers and ceo are being hit hard by this

[Biff Tannen 45685]

Bro-in-law's mom in NW Hills had her power go off and pool pipes freeze and burst.  Flooding her house right now.  God damn.

[TwiceHorn 31470]

6 minutes ago, Sandman said:

After many hours of using a small space heater to heat up the walls in my laundry room, the pipes were thawed at around 11:15 last night. Much rejoicing in the house. I ran the load that was in it and when it was done, I ran it for another round with nothing in it, just to keep the water flowing in the pipes. 

The wife and I celebrated with some late-night nookie. After we finished, we heard the washer go off and she went to check it for anything out of the ordinary. When she came back, I said I wanted to run it again. She said "Oh, I thought I'd run the dishwasher instead." We've had zero problems with the dishwasher, not sure why she thought that was important. I was too tired to argue with her, so I went to bed.

Any guesses as to the status of the washer lines this morning??? Fucking hell. The heater is back in place and the process has started all over.

That's a fuck.  I assume that if you thaw them and get them going again, it would reveal any kind of leak.

[Dahobbs 17534]

30 minutes ago, phdhorn said:

 I knew when they announced Stage 3 last night that this was going to go badly.  Like all of us, they have no experience whatsoever dealing with Canadian cold, greatly underestimate the extra power needed to combat cold vs. heat.  They were wildly off in their ability to estimate power delivery, and the wind turbines all freezing.

If we don't stack at least 2-3 coal power plants for this sort of thing, we are dumber than dirt.

 

Why coal and not natural gas?

[Bert Orange 1120]

5 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

Bro-in-law's mom in NW Hills had her power go off and pool pipes freeze and burst.  Flooding her house right now.  God damn.

Shit

[Hagbard Celine 10864]

wfaa 8 dallas reporting ercot presser at 1030

heads need to roll starting with every republican all-growth no-infrastructure elected official

[Hagbard Celine 10864]

incredible video just now on 8....

bitch in oak lawn, no power for 6 hours, can't work from home.... but posting her video WITH ALL OF THE DRAPES OPEN FOR EVERY WINDOW AND DOOR

[SubliminalHorn 6787]

So power has been out for 7 hours now. I assume that’s not part of the rolling blackout right? I haven’t seen anything from the COA about what’s happening 

[Hagbard Celine 10864]

i have the austin energy map up

they have estimated restoration times TURNED OFF

heads need to roll

[miguelito 11266]

1 hour ago, Bevo&Pevo said:

or the pressure switch

This was the culprit.  Many thanks.

Our power flickered off about every 15 minuted last night.  It always came right back on, but it certainly fucked with some things. 

[smoky 840]

Just now, Bill Lumbergh

So we've kept water running throughout the house and everything seems ok as of this morning, except for the water line from the fridge. I can't get any water out of that, so assuming that's not a great sign.

Do I need to disconnect the line from the fridge and try to thaw it somehow? The kitchen sink, which is right next to where the fridge is, has hot and cold just fine, so I'm a little surprised. Then again, I know nothing about plumbing.

Assuming hot and cold are fine elsewhere throughout the house, how concerning is no water from the fridge?

If you have a little light by the water/ ice dispenser, turn it on and give it an hour

[Nice Guy Eddie 13512]

11 minutes ago, SubliminalHorn said:

So power has been out for 7 hours now. I assume that’s not part of the rolling blackout right? I haven’t seen anything from the COA about what’s happening 

In Houston, they've implied on the newscast that outages that long are not a rolling blackout. 

[SubliminalHorn 6787]

Just now, Nice Guy Eddie said:

In Houston, they've implied on the newscast that outages that long are not a rolling blackout. 

I just read a KUT article that said that COA is not able to roll the blackouts past the people already affected or bring them back online because of how severe it is. Which makes no fucking sense to me.

[phdhorn 6224]

30 minutes ago, Dahobbs said:

Why coal and not natural gas?

Because, as has happened, some of the natural gas lines from W Tx as well as throughout the country have frozen, too.  They're having trouble allocating gas through the system.

https://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2021/02/12/302028.htm#:~:text=Prices for gas%2C propane and,of liquids freezing inside pipelines.

Coal= analog.  Not fancy but reliable.  I'm not saying use it for everyday power, but as a backup, NOTHING, period, can beat it for stability.  Did I say period?  I mean period.

 

Edit:  Went outside to do some path clearing, the snow is very easy to move right now, powdery.  I had to more sweep than dig (which is where you get your heart attacks, lifting heavy wet snow especially).  Drifts against my house were thigh-deep (about 4 ft.).  Just wanted to be able to walk to my spigots and well and render them aid.

Tonight, a second space heater goes into my well "tent".  Seems as if that's holding real nice.  Sealing it off made it actually warm in there, even through this.  And with the wind dying down later, it'll work great with tonight's polar freeze.

House has done well, except the last stops on our water lines, master bath sink and bath.  But since they're at the end, continuing to bleed the faucets keeps the rest of the house working.  Plus hopefully it'll eventually generate a new well fill, which is about 65° water, not 33.00001°.

Onward and upward.  

As gorgeous as it is outside (and it is gorgeous), this is survival.  Rescuing cold weather tips I haven't used in 25 years, but it's been good so far.

Weather report on Wed onward coming later.  None necessary now, we all know the forecast - cold as living shit and miserable weather to do anything except try and save your house.

Edited February 15, 2021 by phdhorn

[troph 24798]

14 minutes ago, SubliminalHorn said:

So power has been out for 7 hours now. I assume that’s not part of the rolling blackout right? I haven’t seen anything from the COA about what’s happening 

Mayor Adler was on CBS news and said he didn’t know what was going on but was going to try and find out. He gotta go. 

[SubliminalHorn 6787]

Just now, troph said:

Mayor Adler was on CBS news and said he didn’t know what was going on but was going to try and find out. He gotta go. 

Oh well that’s nice. Would have been nicer for him to figure out what was going on around 2 AM, but you know, it’s only been 7+ hours

[Guest Lobo]

Oh, Steve Adler is on the case?  Well shit, now I feel relieved.  The guy that could fuck up a cup of coffee.  If he can't grift anything from ERCOT, he ain't fixing shit.  

THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE GRIDS PEOPLE! 

[Nice Guy Eddie 13512]

Harris County judge Hidalgo saying that people need to be prepared not to have power for days. 🥶

[kmac30 416]

This pipe had an icicle so I thought it was toast. I unwrapped everything and tried turning the handle. Locked up. Hit it with the heat gun and it’s turning now. Nothing coming out. I have 2 waterlines - house and outside. I turned outside off yesterday, so I’m hoping nothing is flowing because this is connected to ut side flow. All house is dripping right now.

[Judge Roybeanbag 11819]

For those of you with random indoor faucets not working, it’s possible they’re not frozen.  I had experience with ice breaking loose hard water deposits in some lines which in turn clogged the inlet to the faucet.  So if it doesn’t work after you thaw out, that might be what it is.  

[Bevo&Pevo 5146]

10 minutes ago, miguelito said:

This was the culprit.  Many thanks.

Our power flickered off about every 15 minuted last night.  It always came right back on, but it certainly fucked with some things. 

If ya' can put some type of non led light source under it, maybe with a light wrap something like a towel, magazine, aluminum foil. anything to keep some heat around it.

[phdhorn 6224]

I'm sure Adler knows "what's going on" with his properties.

[Blotto 23509]

3 minutes ago, SubliminalHorn said:

I just read a KUT article that said that COA is not able to roll the blackouts past the people already affected or bring them back online because of how severe it is. Which makes no fucking sense to me.

presumably this is the article you are referring to?

Quote

 

7:40 a.m. — Austin Energy currently unable to rotate outages, urges customers with power to conserve energy

Austin Energy says its ability to rotate outages among customers has been affected, resulting in thousands in Austin who have been without power since early this morning. The state's electric load must be reduced to fully restore power across Texas, the electric utility said in a tweet.

"If you have power, please try to help the grid by reducing your energy use, your heating being a high-energy user!" Austin Energy said, recommending customers with power turn their thermostat down to 68 degrees or lower.

Other ways you can help conserve energy include unplugging any nonessential lights and appliances and avoid using large appliances like washing machines and ovens.

While rolling outages are normally short events, the city's electric utility said, they can be longer if the state's electric grid requires it.

 

I have power for the time being in '51, although it was out for some period while I slept based on blinking clocks. The Austin Energy outage map suggests I'm in an area affected by the outages, but for now I seem to be OK. Ive got my thermostat down to 64 for conservation purposes, and praying I live on the same block as some utility bigwig. 

[Saint Tacky 1614]

19 hours ago, Francisco 2.0 said:

Saw this on Twitter:

 

Isn't this what Jian Yang manipulated to save Pied Piper?

 

 

[SubliminalHorn 6787]

8 minutes ago, Nice Guy Eddie said:

Harris County judge Hidalgo saying that people need to be prepared not to have power for days. 🥶

Wtf I mean I know this is a big occurrence, but how the fuck are we unprepared? This has been all people have been talking about for at least a week now. This isn’t a surprise

[BottleRocket 646]

Feels.

[Guest Lobo]

That looks a nice full C-cup implant.  really expensive way to insulate your faucets, but cheers.  

Edited February 15, 2021 by Lobo

[Nice Guy Eddie 13512]

5 minutes ago, SubliminalHorn said:

Wtf I mean I know this is a big occurrence, but how the fuck are we unprepared? This has been all people have been talking about for at least a week now. This isn’t a surprise

From what I can gather, the power generation is much less than what they anticipated. From some wind power and natural gas being unable to operate or without supplies. Agree that it's troubling but its also costly to be fully prepared for a 1 in 50 year storm.

And I get that some areas, even in Texas get this more frequently but it's the entire state that is the issue.

[Newdoc 3440]

Which one of y'all can build one of these? We may need it.

[RPM 26321]

The house was pretty cool (63°) when I got home, but it was -1° outside so I thought my heater was just struggling to keep up. Kicked on the oven for about 15 min and got it back up to 72°. Just now I noticed the one analog clock I have was 3 hours off. Looks like I didn't miss the rolling blackout.

[BradInATX 9208]

Stupid question amnesty. We closed all of our blinds/drapes last night. With the sun out, should we open them up to pull some heat in, or is the air outside still so cold that it'll be counterproductive?

[SubliminalHorn 6787]

1 minute ago, BradInATX said:

Stupid question amnesty. We closed all of our blinds/drapes last night. With the sun out, should we open them up to pull some heat in, or is the air outside still so cold that it'll be counterproductive?

My roomie opened ours this morning and I think that made it colder. So we closed them and I think it’s helping 

[Skipper 6135]

3 minutes ago, BradInATX said:

Stupid question amnesty. We closed all of our blinds/drapes last night. With the sun out, should we open them up to pull some heat in, or is the air outside still so cold that it'll be counterproductive?

I thought counterproductive as well but we have big windows in a room that gets super hot in the summer and we opened up the blinds and it was noticeably warmer with the sunlight so kept those open.

[Guest Lobo]

Yeah, I'm kinda torn on the windows thing.  Sun is really blasting with the snow, but don't want to leak out any locked-in air we already have in case of a power outage.  80% of our windows are east and west facing (only 3 face north and only 4 face south).  Should we open the blinds/curtains?  

[Ten Bears 2481]

Anyone notice how bright it was outside late last night?  It was like 10 full moons bright.  Beautiful.  My lack of hot water upstairs?  Not beautiful.

[Eastwood 4394]

19 minutes ago, BradInATX said:

Stupid question amnesty. We closed all of our blinds/drapes last night. With the sun out, should we open them up to pull some heat in, or is the air outside still so cold that it'll be counterproductive?

 

14 minutes ago, Skipper said:

I thought counterproductive as well but we have big windows in a room that gets super hot in the summer and we opened up the blinds and it was noticeably warmer with the sunlight so kept those open.

Same. We have one window that faces east and sunlight blasts directly into the downstairs. During winter, the southern windows get a huge amount of light, as well. I opened those blinds up and a little while later, our heater kicked off for the first time in over 12 hours. If you're getting direct sunlight in a room, I say open up the blinds and let the heat energy in. But close them as soon as you no longer get direct sunlight.

[phdhorn 6224]

23 minutes ago, BradInATX said:

Stupid question amnesty. We closed all of our blinds/drapes last night. With the sun out, should we open them up to pull some heat in, or is the air outside still so cold that it'll be counterproductive?

 

19 minutes ago, Skipper said:

I thought counterproductive as well but we have big windows in a room that gets super hot in the summer and we opened up the blinds and it was noticeably warmer with the sunlight so kept those open.

 

11 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Yeah, I'm kinda torn on the windows thing.  Sun is really blasting with the snow, but don't want to leak out any locked-in air we already have in case of a power outage.  80% of our windows are east and west facing (only 3 face north and only 4 face south).  Should we open the blinds/curtains?  

 

2 minutes ago, Eastwood said:

 

Same. We have one window that faces east and sunlight blasts directly into the downstairs. During winter, the southern windows get a huge amount of light, as well. I opened those blinds up and a little while later, our heater kicked off for the first time in over 12 hours. If you're getting direct sunlight in a room, I say open up the blinds and let the heat energy in. But close them as soon as you no longer get direct sunlight.

Yeah, this will help.  But as soon as the sun goes away, your window becomes a heat sieve so shut the blinds, especially facing anything but from SE to SW.

[Steel Shank 9425]

1 hour ago, Sandman said:

After many hours of using a small space heater to heat up the walls in my laundry room, the pipes were thawed at around 11:15 last night. Much rejoicing in the house. I ran the load that was in it and when it was done, I ran it for another round with nothing in it, just to keep the water flowing in the pipes. 

The wife and I celebrated with some late-night nookie. After we finished, we heard the washer go off and she went to check it for anything out of the ordinary. When she came back, I said I wanted to run it again. She said "Oh, I thought I'd run the dishwasher instead." We've had zero problems with the dishwasher, not sure why she thought that was important. I was too tired to argue with her, so I went to bed.

Any guesses as to the status of the washer lines this morning??? Fucking hell. The heater is back in place and the process has started all over.

Some pipe work, I see. Nice.