February 2021: Arctic Outbreak/Warmup Begins

[art3]

Yea good query on opening attic door also..drip faucets? I've covered outdoor faucets and will open cabinets

[djmike]

I figured Id ask. Just figured itll get some heat into the attic. So I’ll probably crack it open.

Remember: wrap outside pipes, run faucets, open cabinet doors for heat to penetrate pipes and wall, and im cracking attic door for a little heat for water pipes. I really thing covering plants is pointless with ice and 10 degrees. Bring what you can indoors. Also another point to make. Any aerosol cans you have outside like bug spray etc. Bring in from elements as so they don’t explode in temps this low. Just a thought id figure id share. Stay warm everyone.

[Kingwood36]

Oz icon..

[jasons2k]

Re: attic doors and whatnot - I'm a researcher, so I plan to do some actual research on the topic tomorrow. But this is what I have done so far and my plans going forward.

Yesterday & today:
- Stocked-up at HEB.
- Filled the vehicles with gas in case we lose power for weeks and need to take a road trip next weekend.
- Brought-in the potted plants; started electric space heater in the garage.
- Wrapped all the exterior faucets in extra foam and added faucet covers.
- Fresh foam and tape on the main line coming into the house. I also covered the main line in a mound of dirt up to the spigot.
- Shut off sprinkler backflow and drained.
- Bought a spare backflow bonnet.
- Bought 3/4" & 1" PVC caps in case I need to cap any lines.

Plans for Monday-Wed (and beyond)?):
- Will open attic stairs. I'm in a two-story house and the attic stairs are on the 2nd level, so heat from the house should rise. My attic is massive though. I could build a third story up there. When we had our roof replaced a couple of years ago, the roofer said we had the largest roof square footage in the neighborhood...so we'll see how that works out. The water heaters are in the attic.
- Additional space heater in garage, aimed against exterior walls.
- I've decided to shut the water main, drain the pipes, and leave the faucets open. Will turn-on and cycle through usage and drainage cycles a couple times a day to shower, cook, etc., then shutoff again, especially overnight.

That's about the best I can do without going too crazy. We survived the '89 freeze up in Plano just fine and all we did was wrap the outdoor faucets - that's it. Nothing extreme. We honestly didn't put too much thought into it, at the time. No space heaters, opening attic doors, or shutting down the water supply. And that was in a Fox and Jacobs (nothing fancy) brix and stix production home. I think with all the insulation in this 'energy star' house with those precautions, we should be OK (fingers crossed).

Now, if we get a major ice storm and lose power, all bets are off. We'll leave the water shut off and leave town when the roads clear.

[Tx2005]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but how do you drain the system if you shut off the main water valve? I live in a one storm house, so do I just open up all the faucets/bathtubs until they run dry?

I don’t want to screw that up and end up with a pipe bursting because I didn’t drain it correctly.

[Andrew]

Maybe this is a dumb question, but how do you drain the system if you shut off the main water valve? I live in a one storm house, so do I just open up all the faucets/bathtubs until they run dry?

I don’t want to screw that up and end up with a pipe bursting because I didn’t drain it correctly.

That will drain most of the water. You should be fine. Honestly, I have a 1940s built house with very little insulation and the main things I am doing is turning up the heat a little more and keeping a steady stream of water. I may open the attic Monday night some but I probably won't do much. You will be surprised at how effective leaving your water running can be. If the power goes out I plan on draining the pipes otherwise fingers crossed.

[DoctorMu]

I figured Id ask. Just figured itll get some heat into the attic. So I’ll probably crack it open.

Remember: wrap outside pipes, run faucets, open cabinet doors for heat to penetrate pipes and wall, and im cracking attic door for a little heat for water pipes. I really thing covering plants is pointless with ice and 10 degrees. Bring what you can indoors. Also another point to make. Any aerosol cans you have outside like bug spray etc. Bring in from elements as so they don’t explode in temps this low. Just a thought id figure id share. Stay warm everyone.

Thanks for the reminder about cabinet doors. Since out attic door is in the garage - leaving it wide open. A couple of lines had broken in the slab years ago and their replacement are naturally in the attic. Gonna be a LOT of running water! May scramble for a space heater to heat the garage.

[Cpv17]

Oz icon..

Man that ICON is really trying to push those higher totals south. Just dig baby dig!

[txsnowmaker]

Oz icon..

I wouldn’t bet on that. I’m going with the Euro solution. David Paul is clearly favoring it as it’s the only one he featured on the FB live tonight. Now if the Euro backtracks I’ll have to find another model to latch on to lol.

[don]

Models are coming in more aggressive tonight with precip in Mondays storm.Some are producing up to 1 inch of qpf.They also have the storm starting earlier with freezing rain breaking out in metro Houston as early as 9 pm. With the storm lasting till noon Monday.

[Kingwood36]

Oz icon..

I wouldn’t bet on that. I’m going with the Euro solution. David Paul is clearly favoring it as it’s the only one he featured on the FB live tonight. Now if the Euro backtracks I’ll have to find another model to latch on to lol.

Not betting on anything..just posting the model..mother nature is going to do what she wants to regardless what a computer tells her to do

[Cromagnum]

Was wrapping some pipes today and that wind just slices right on through. I can't imagine this being 20-30 degrees colder.

[TexasBreeze]

Noticed the drizzle mist picking up this evening on my way home. Not the best thing to see with it being so close to freezing already!

[unome]

you can wrap water pipes at risk with heat tape,and they make blankets for water heaters - much safer and less expensive than letting a space heater run unattended or leaving the attic open

https://www.lowes.com/search?searchTerm=heat+tape

[MontgomeryCoWx]

Models are coming in more aggressive tonight with precip in Mondays storm.Some are producing up to 1 inch of qpf.

If that’s all snow it may be 8-12 inches...

[don]

GFS is showing some really heavy snow and sleet in southeast Texas.

[Cpv17]

GFS is showing some really heavy snow and sleet in southeast Texas.

Wow!

[Cromagnum]

Wow. They seriously just told people NOT to drip their pipes on the news.

[Katdaddy]

Epic awesome Winter days ahead at this point. 1983 and 1989 may take a back seat. Time to complete preps tomorrow. Hoping the depth will bring more snow than freezing rain along the coastal counties. The last thing I want is an ice storm and no power but will enjoy the best I can.

[art3]

Ok so do you drip water from faucets? Hmmm