Texas deep freeze carnage thread

[DonkeyCigars 143]

18 minutes ago, Lobo said:

If any mosquitoes lived through this shitshow, be afraid.  Be very afraid.  Drain all your blood and switch types with a homeless person 'cause they're gonna be super-zombie mosquitoes.  But yeah, I was ready to lay down corn-gluten meal this next week to keep weeds discouraged.  Looks like I don't have to worry about that.  Curious about the Spring/Summer ramifications of this 10-day donkeyfuck.  But we gotta get through it first.  

The glass half full interpretation here is that the extreme low temps and it being so late in the season, hopefully the spring infestation of critters and bugs will be culled a bit (e.g. mosquitos, millipedes, carpenter ants, etc.)

[Biff Tannen 45688]

13 minutes ago, Xian said:

My neighbor was team stream. Didnt work out well once we lost power. 
 

 

I am team shutoff after developing a very small leak. Happy i noticed it right away 

I just had the Steam Team (which my buddy owns; shameless plug for him) in my home for the past month fixing a water leak issue and every time I see the bolded in this thread I do a double take.

[Both Tacos 1806]

So the wife's family in Decatur told us their Walmart had to get rid of all the refrigerated product because the power outage would cause spoilage. So what did they do? They trashed it all. Perfectly good food they could have put out in the front or side of the store and let it out on social media for people who are hungry right now to come and pick up. Nope. So insanely callous

Walmart too afraid of lawsuits on product given away. Stuff could have gone to some good causes but litigious society screws things up once again.

[troph 24805]

37 minutes ago, Wanker Bob said:

So the wife's family in Decatur told us their Walmart had to get rid of all the refrigerated product because the power outage would cause spoilage. So what did they do? They trashed it all. Perfectly good food they could have put out in the front or side of the store and let it out on social media for people who are hungry right now to come and pick up. Nope. So insanely callous

I agree with you but this one is probably on the lawyers. 

[XYZ 2154]

1 minute ago, troph said:

I agree with you but this one is probably on the lawyers. 

No way!

[troph 24805]

Just now, XYZ said:

No way!

[Hook1997 5355]

41 minutes ago, Xian said:

My neighbor was team stream. Didnt work out well once we lost power. 
 

 

I am team shutoff after developing a very small leak. Happy i noticed it right away 

Where do you live?  Cause my friend says that’s impossible in Texas I totally think it is.

Edited February 17, 2021 by Hook1997

[Irwin F Fletcher 3550]

Busted pipe just above the entrance to the master bedroom. Was able to shut off the water fairly quick.

Good news, John Moore plumbing can be out by Friday the 26th. Hoping a few contacts with contractors pays off and we can get someone out in the next day or so.

At least the power is back on for now. 36 hours without and 42 degree temps in the house is not fun.

[Somnio 751]

2 hours ago, Parliament said:

So folks are hoarding, right? Why would they need all that food?

Cuz PANIC!! 1!

Buy enough food to feed an army.  Fuck everyone else.

[immortal13 4059]

1 hour ago, Anastasis said:

On the bright side, weeds and mosquitos won’t be bad this year, right?

Mosquitos are fucking horrendous in Alaska

[TexasEd 8067]

There may be some hoarding but the trucks are probably not getting to the stores with deliveries either.  It's both supply and demand 

[DonkeyCigars 143]

12 minutes ago, Somnio said:

Cuz PANIC!! 1!

Buy enough food to feed an army.  Fuck everyone else.

Next is the gas run.

[immortal13 4059]

2 hours ago, Parliament said:

So folks are hoarding, right? Why would they need all that food?

To keep others from getting it before they do. Duh

[shadetree 66]

Continuing the possible burst pipe questions: I’ve been dripping inside but still have ended up with a few faucets that are blocked. If the concern for the cause of the pipes to burst is pressure, it would seem turning the water off to the house and leaving all faucets open wound put least amount of pressure on the lines, right? Do that when temp gets above freezing and the ice plugs maybe melt? Or turn water cutoff to house on just a little, to hopefully bot send the full pressure of water through the house? Not sure that a small turn of the cutoff valve reduces that much pressure once water starts flowing. Lines are all PEX, so I am hopeful for some give in them. I’m an idoit, so please tell me how the above is dumb.

[Updawg 2266]

It makes sense to me and I plan on it as well if I get in that situation

[immortal13 4059]

I'm starting to get a little concerned about my weed supply 

[FORTY NINE TO ZERO 2652]

1 hour ago, Hook1997 said:

Where do you live?  Cause my friend says that’s impossible in Texas I totally think it is.

Galveston they have an 1980s house with zero insulation and outdoor plumbing. Meaning the pipes are not only not insulated, but situated outside the walls in the elements.  
I guess on the bright side, most of their leaks should be easy to see/fix  

one of their toilets bowls also froze solid. 
 

thankfully my 1880s house has interior/inclosed plumbing and decent insulation.  

Edited February 17, 2021 by Xian

[immortal13 4059]

36 minutes ago, shadetree said:

Continuing the possible burst pipe questions: I’ve been dripping inside but still have ended up with a few faucets that are blocked. If the concern for the cause of the pipes to burst is pressure, it would seem turning the water off to the house and leaving all faucets open wound put least amount of pressure on the lines, right? 

Yes

[davidg 4038]

1 hour ago, Irwin F Fletcher said:

Busted pipe just above the entrance to the master bedroom. Was able to shut off the water fairly quick.

Good news, John Moore plumbing can be out by Friday the 26th. Hoping a few contacts with contractors pays off and we can get someone out in the next day or so.

At least the power is back on for now. 36 hours without and 42 degree temps in the house is not fun.

Yes, welcome.

You’ve already got the wall open,  two sharkbite pex coupler fittings,  a 5’ piece of pex and a tubing cutter or hacksaw can fix that in about 10 minutes.

[washparkhorn 9939]

Wait - we now have a team trickle your main water valve? 

That would scare give me concern. I don't like fiddling with those too much (unless you know and service the valve sufficiently). That is an extremely important valve. Might want to clear that with a plumber - or maybe a driller.

You need to be able to easily choke off that fast moving flow of water. Open or closed I thought.

Main shut offs are you last line of defense in most homes. It's the panic button, panic switch, nitro in the Hellcats movie. 

Your valves may vary. 

Hang in there Texas. We are counting on you.

 

Edited February 17, 2021 by washparkhorn

[Wanker Bob 379]

2 hours ago, Steel Shank said:

I’m sure it’s because of our laws and our legislature. Always doing what’s best for the citizens of Texas.

What's the reasoning for not making allowances for still within date product during a disaster declaration? Seems that should be pretty straight forward as long as they aren't giving out spoiled food. 

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

2 hours ago, Both Tacos said:

2 hours ago, Wanker Bob said:

So the wife's family in Decatur told us their Walmart had to get rid of all the refrigerated product because the power outage would cause spoilage. So what did they do? They trashed it all. Perfectly good food they could have put out in the front or side of the store and let it out on social media for people who are hungry right now to come and pick up. Nope. So insanely callous

Walmart too afraid of lawsuits on product given away. Stuff could have gone to some good causes but litigious society screws things up once again.

Probably get it covered insurance if they throw it out, but could be considered "donations" if they give it away.  

[UT_OB1 2223]

1 hour ago, shadetree said:

Continuing the possible burst pipe questions: I’ve been dripping inside but still have ended up with a few faucets that are blocked. If the concern for the cause of the pipes to burst is pressure, it would seem turning the water off to the house and leaving all faucets open wound put least amount of pressure on the lines, right? Do that when temp gets above freezing and the ice plugs maybe melt? Or turn water cutoff to house on just a little, to hopefully bot send the full pressure of water through the house? Not sure that a small turn of the cutoff valve reduces that much pressure once water starts flowing. Lines are all PEX, so I am hopeful for some give in them. I’m an idoit, so please tell me how the above is dumb.

The problem isn’t pressure from the water being pumped, it is the “pressure” from the expansion during freezing. The best and easiest thing for y’all to do is just leave the fucking water running. I don’t mean 5 drips per minute either, you need a stream. If you keep the water moving you won’t freeze. 
 

If you do turn your water off at the valve, make sure to do a good job draining everything, and even that is no guarantee. If the water settles in a low spot it can still freeze and burst the pipe. We split several 1-4” CS lines at work that were drained except for the low spots. 
 

But fucking with the shut off valve being part way open is a waste of time at best and recipe for disaster  at worst. 

[shadetree 66]

Yes

Follow up: when I do this should I turn off the gas water heaters as well? Would think so. Correct me if I am wrong, please.
Going to try to hold out until Thursday I think, and then do this. Will see what happens. Power has been on and off, so I am much more fortunate than most. Tried a heat gun and heater on one faucet on an outside wall for 40 minutes (until power kicked off). Didn’t make any headway. So I think cutting the water coming into house is the thing to do. May try to store a couple more gallons of drinking water (tubs already full for toilets) and cut off water Wednesday, but I am not sure it will make much difference to cut water now vs Thursday if it is below freezing until then.

Gas fireplace is keeping us comfy, so I can’t really complain. Whatever happens can be fixed. Everyone stay warm.

[Stinkpalm 687]

Too drunk to go back and look for your original post, but if the meat of it is that you’re going to shut off your water once the thaw hits, yes, turn your water heaters to pilot mode. My mom had her water cut off (by the city) and her water heaters were making gurgling/strange noises during that time that they were not receiving water pressure. I’m not a plumber, just have general knowledge, but that tells me that the heaters were boiling the small amount of water left in them. While that possibly may not have detrimental effects, it’s easy enough to shut off the heaters for a bit, just in case. It certainly won’t hurt, especially after we get back above freezing. 
 

Ended up scrolling back to look for your original post... again, drunk and have nothing better to do. Even if you’re wanting to shut off the main before the thaw hits, I’d definitely shut off the water heater when you shut off the main. With no water moving through pipes/faucets, it won’t benefit you to have heated water, so may as well shut it off and not risk overheating the water heater (as long as it’s insulated or in a warmed area).

Edited February 17, 2021 by Stinkpalm

[Guest]

6 hours ago, Wanker Bob said:

So the wife's family in Decatur told us their Walmart had to get rid of all the refrigerated product because the power outage would cause spoilage. So what did they do? They trashed it all. Perfectly good food they could have put out in the front or side of the store and let it out on social media for people who are hungry right now to come and pick up. Nope. So insanely callous

Talk to the health department, not WM.

Same goes for anything past the "best by" date.  Must be destroyed, per health code.

[Guest]

5 hours ago, TexasEd said:

There may be some hoarding but the trucks are probably not getting to the stores with deliveries either.  It's both supply and demand 

Yep supply chain has only begun to lurch.  Many producers are not online and haven't been since Sunday.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, Wanker Bob said:

What's the reasoning for not making allowances for still within date product during a disaster declaration? Seems that should be pretty straight forward as long as they aren't giving out spoiled food. 

On a site full of lawyers, you still don't understand why?  One bad weenie, and then WM is getting sued for poisoning the populace.

" Hey Bentonville, I know you were feeding communities with not-yet-spoiled food donated during a severe crisis, but my client here is gonna need a 6 figure settlement to get over it."

Edited February 17, 2021 by slorch

[Heisenberg 162]

I was dripping every indoor faucet and had the 3 exterior faucets covered.  The 2 cold water faucets in my master bathroom froze off and the exterior faucet immediately opposite them froze off at the same time.  I zip-tied my heat gun to a camera tripod and ran it straight at the exterior faucet with about an inch standoff.  I had drops of water in about 10 minutes and full stream in about 20 minutes.  The 2 interior faucets were running full stream again, and I increased the drip on them.  This was all on the North wall in shade.

The exterior faucet on the South wall, unshaded, also froze off, so I put the heat gun on it, but only ever got some sporadic drips from it.  This evening I was making the rounds and when I got near the laundry/utility room I could hear a strange sound coming from the garage which was water dripping out of every sheetrock joint in the garage ceiling with lots coming out of the pull-down attic stairs.  I shut the house main valve off and the MUD’s valve off and opened every faucet.  The burst pipe is 5/8” OD copper running along the garage rafters and covered in black foam insulation.

I estimate it flowed for about 15 minutes and I’d guess about 30 gallons or so flowed.  So the garage ceiling is ruined and there’s already a little moisture getting on the top of the garage walls in a few spots - this will surely spread.  Water doesn’t seem to have gotten beyond the garage, which is slightly isolated from the rest of the house.  No personal property in the garage of any value seems to be affected.

I got a claim going with my insurance company, and will call a few plumbers later and get on some lists.  Later today I am probably going to cut the burst pipe upstream of the burst and sweat/solder a cap onto it and isolate the pipe from above the burst to the faucet from the rest of the plumbing and then carefully refill the house’s plumbing and see if I can get the water back online.  If that works, it won’t matter much about being on long waiting lists for an adjuster, plumber, or general contractor. A licensed plumber can do his thing later.   Otherwise, living here without water for days/weeks/months is untenable.

This happened earlier:  I got a five gallon bucket, a plastic trash bag, 2 3-foot lengths of 2x4, and a roll of toilet paper, dropped a deuce, sealed the bag, and set it outside.  If you fall as far as I have, you want smooth lumber.

tl,dr:  (1) I am reduced to living like a savage.  I piss outside and shit in a 5-gallon bucket.

           (2) La vida chupa, y luego te mueres.

 

Edited February 17, 2021 by Heisenberg

[SizzleChest 8284]

If anyone lives in Rollingwood, do not flush your toilets.  Apparently, the lift station that pumps the raw sewage is down.  The simulation is now officially shitty.

Reported by KXAN.

[Bojack 2081]

8 hours ago, Dr. Beeper said:

The one that isn’t working - there aren’t hot and cold handles - only one handle. So I can’t do that. The two showers that are working are fine with hot and cold water. 

The inability of the master tub to drain has thrown me for a loop. 

The trap is likely frozen on your master tub drain.  Any single handle tub/shower valve will have an anti-scalding feature that shuts down the flow if water is coming from only one side. 

[Bookman 4639]

INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM

FROM: In-House Counsel

TO: Wal-Mart Manager

RE: Giving food to the public

Dear Sir:

The In-House Counsel's office has reviewed your proposal, and respectfully replies "fuck no."

Please contact us if you have any questions.

[Guest]

5 minutes ago, Bookman said:

INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM

FROM: In-House Counsel

TO: Wal-Mart Manager

RE: Giving food to the public

Dear Sir:

The In-House Counsel's office has reviewed your proposal, and respectfully replies "fuck no."

Please contact us if you have any questions.

It is not WalMart's( or any grocer) choice.  The food cannot be donated.

Health code prohibits it.

They do in fact make donations of close dated dry goods to food banks, but perishables are a different matter.

Edited February 17, 2021 by slorch

[Murfdogg21 4412]

[TwiceHorn 31476]

5 hours ago, washparkhorn said:

Wait - we now have a team trickle your main water valve? 

That would scare give me concern. I don't like fiddling with those too much (unless you know and service the valve sufficiently). That is an extremely important valve. Might want to clear that with a plumber - or maybe a driller.

You need to be able to easily choke off that fast moving flow of water. Open or closed I thought.

Main shut offs are you last line of defense in most homes. It's the panic button, panic switch, nitro in the Hellcats movie. 

Your valves may vary. 

Hang in there Texas. We are counting on you.

 

You are right. Ball valves with a 90 degree lever are intended to be open or closed.  They can do some partial closure but aren't deigned for it.  I don't know what the downside is. 

 

A gate valve with a knob that rotates continuously between open and closed is designed for partial flow. 

If you have a ball valve I am not sure I would fuck around with it too much. Plus the handle is liable to come off in your hand at any moment. 

[TwiceHorn 31476]

27 minutes ago, Bookman said:

INTEROFFICE MEMORANDUM

FROM: In-House Counsel

TO: Wal-Mart Manager

RE: Giving food to the public

Dear Sir:

The In-House Counsel's office has reviewed your proposal, and respectfully replies "fuck no."

Please contact us if you have any questions.

You left off

ATTORNEY CLIENT PRIVILEGED Do Not Disseminate 

[bernorange 8362]

Gross.

https://friendswood.regroup.com/networks/Friendswood/groups/residential-database/posts/public/emergency-message-from-city-of-friendswood-20210217061832/en

[MNLonghornFUKM 8817]

I was dripping every indoor faucet and had the 3 exterior faucets covered.  The 2 cold water faucets in my master bathroom froze off and the exterior faucet immediately opposite them froze off at the same time.  I zip-tied my heat gun to a camera tripod and ran it straight at the exterior faucet with about an inch standoff.  I had drops of water in about 10 minutes and full stream in about 20 minutes.  The 2 interior faucets were running full stream again, and I increased the drip on them.  This was all on the North wall in shade.
The exterior faucet on the South wall, unshaded, also froze off, so I put the heat gun on it, but only ever got some sporadic drips from it.  This evening I was making the rounds and when I got near the laundry/utility room I could hear a strange sound coming from the garage which was water dripping out of every sheetrock joint in the garage ceiling with lots coming out of the pull-down attic stairs.  I shut the house main valve off and the MUD’s valve off and opened every faucet.  The burst pipe is 5/8” OD copper running along the garage rafters and covered in black foam insulation.
I estimate it flowed for about 15 minutes and I’d guess about 30 gallons or so flowed.  So the garage ceiling is ruined and there’s already a little moisture getting on the top of the garage walls in a few spots - this will surely spread.  Water doesn’t seem to have gotten beyond the garage, which is slightly isolated from the rest of the house.  No personal property in the garage of any value seems to be affected.
I got a claim going with my insurance company, and will call a few plumbers later and get on some lists.  Later today I am probably going to cut the burst pipe upstream of the burst and sweat/solder a cap onto it and isolate the pipe from above the burst to the faucet from the rest of the plumbing and then carefully refill the house’s plumbing and see if I can get the water back online.  If that works, it won’t matter much about being on long waiting lists for an adjuster, plumber, or general contractor. A licensed plumber can do his thing later.   Otherwise, living here without water for days/weeks/months is untenable.
This happened earlier:  I got a five gallon bucket, a plastic trash bag, 2 3-foot lengths of 2x4, and a roll of toilet paper, dropped a deuce, sealed the bag, and set it outside.  If you fall as far as I have, you want smooth lumber.
tl,dr:  (1) I am reduced to living like a savage.  I piss outside and shit in a 5-gallon bucket.
           (2) La vida chupa, y luego te mueres.
 

Avatar checks out.


Good luck

[Nivek 16930]

Avatar checks out.


Good luck

We’re all counting on you.

[Axle Hongsnort 208]

it’s hard to describe the emotions felt when seeing a tree on top of the house.

[immamac 42852]

Broken or sagging? 

[LABEVO 928]

9 minutes ago, Axle Hongsnort said:

it’s hard to describe the emotions felt when seeing a tree on top of the house.

this is about to be me too as i have two large pecan trees that i should have had trimmed years ago. fml. one is sagging and looks it could take out a power line

Edited February 17, 2021 by LABEVO

[Wally Pryor 5261]

9 minutes ago, Axle Hongsnort said:

it’s hard to describe the emotions felt when seeing a tree on top of the house.

 

Sucks.  So far they've dodged our house but only a matter of time I think.

[Axle Hongsnort 208]

Broken or sagging? 

out of shot, but that big limb broke off from the main trunk. i’ve lost all or part of 5 cedars so far.

[immamac 42852]

Just now, Axle Hongsnort said:

out of shot, but that big limb broke off from the main trunk. i’ve lost all or part of 5 cedars so far.

Fuck that's no good. 

[drt 638]

Very nice place.  Be careful if you do the tree work yourself.  Can be very dangerous as limbs can go unpredictable ways.

[TwiceHorn 31476]

So if all my shit is dripping and will turn on full blast, should I be mostly safe from bursting?

[SquishMitten 10408]

Fuckity fuck fuck. Woke up to a ton of water on the floor. Got it shut off at the main, soaked up the standing water, and opened up the ceiling where it was dripping from. Just had new hardwood installed last month. Hope it isn’t completely fucked.

Weird thing though, when I went to shut off the water my meter was barely moving. Like almost unnoticeable. And that was with most of the indoor faucets dripping. My neighbor’s was spinning like a mutha though. Jogged up to his house and water was gushing out of his attic. Our situation wasn’t nearly that dramatic, but shouldn’t my meter have been moving somewhat? I checked both water heaters and they’re dry. Also, the puddled water wasn’t hot. Anything else it could be?

[drt 638]

Snowmelt from the attic, ie snow blowing in gable vents?

[gyroprotagonist 2592]

2 minutes ago, SquishMitten said:

Fuckity fuck fuck. Woke up to a ton of water on the floor. Got it shut off at the main, soaked up the standing water, and opened up the ceiling where it was dripping from. Just had new hardwood installed last month. Hope it isn’t completely fucked.

Weird thing though, when I went to shut off the water my meter was barely moving. Like almost unnoticeable. And that was with most of the indoor faucets dripping. My neighbor’s was spinning like a mutha though. Jogged up to his house and water was gushing out of his attic. Our situation wasn’t nearly that dramatic, but shouldn’t my meter have been moving somewhat? I checked both water heaters and they’re dry. Also, the puddled water wasn’t hot. Anything else it could be?

could have just built up the large qty overnight from a slow leak and then it all came down at once.  Maybe it's just a joint that came loose and not a full on burst in the pipe.  Either way good luck