Community Chat

[ollie5]

Not even talking about frozen turbines! Maybe someone should fly over in their private jet and thaw them out!

[Scorpio1971]

Turning off water under a sink will not work if the pipe is frozen "BEFORE" the shut off valve...such as in the wall or just as it comes out the wall.  That shut off only turns off water after it.  If a pipe bursts it will run water from the point it bursts. Not necessarily after the shutoff valve.

You will need to shut off the water at the main entry point where your pipes come into your house from the outside line and that is usually near your water meter, mainly in a basement if you have one, but could be elsewhere.  I have 2...one is where the pipe comes up through cement floor into house just before water is piped through the water meter in my basement, and another one is overhead in ceiling where the pipes lead to all the other pipes in the house.  If you have well water then it would be where your pipe comes into your house from your well pipes.

[77yangya]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

@BlueFinch.  I spent 30+ years in Houston, 7 years in Midland and several months in San Antonio in the USAF.  Also in Amarillo for training. 

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My sister was in the marines for years.  She was a sergeant.  She's ICE cold.  I mean colder than dry ice.  Crazy too.

[QVCPhobe]

There are thousands of residents without power.  Apparently the power companies were not prepared.

[hckynut]

From what I saw on the news, some parts of Texas relied too much on Wind Turbine and Solar Panels for 25% of their electricity. Saw 1 news clip of a drone spraying de-icer on the blades of a Windmill.

Maybe those areas ought to depend less on that type of energy until they figure out a way to heat Wind Turbines and solar panels that are more efficient, if that is even possible.

hckynut 

[BlueFinch]

An update:  Thanks to all who recommended using a hairdryer to work on my frozen faucet. It worked beautifully. I've kept my eye on the pipes for potential leaks and, so far, so good. And, I've maintained power,  which amazes me, since I frequently have outages in minor rain storms. 

However, I inherited my mom's home, who has passed, prepping it for sale. I took precautions there, before the freeze started, but I was concerned. I never dreamed the weather would prevent me from getting back there for so long.

Now the roaming power outages have turned into a permanent one, in several areas, with no power in over 12 hours in her area. I have a friend nearby who lost power late Sunday night and it's been off for the duration. They have been miserable. Those that do have intermittent, roaming power, only have it on for about 7 minutes and hour. That's useless. 

I can't get to my mom's house to check it. I've no idea what I will find. Meanwhile, the media states not to expect outages to come back on for the next 24-32 hours, as we're expecting more ice and freeze tonight, on top of what we already have. They're just saying, if you can get safely to someplace with heat -- go there. Really? People in TX are livid, demanding that this not happen ever again. 

There's also a problem with water supply now, with power outages and freezes affecting central system pumps moving that water. So, some don't have electricity, or water either.  They can't tell if their pipes are frozen, or if it's the system supplying. They're reporting many people with busted pipes and other damaging issues due to this weather system. 

I know this is a very rare event for the majority of TX, but we should have had better preparations, should such an event happen, particularly when lives are at stake. 

Because of Covid, shelters can only take half of the people they used to. So, if someone shows up, they're handed a blanket and sent back outside. Unimaginable. 

[Shop Till you Drop]

HI BlueFinch, Im in Dallas and my cold water in my bathroom faucet will not run cold.  We went in the attic and wrapped the water lines that run to that bathroom with blankets.  We opened the cabinets and tried to push as much heat into that bedroom where the bathroom is attached.  In a few hours, the water did start running cold again.  Praying we can make it through one more night and past Wednesday and maybe we will be out of the danger zones.  Good luck friends and take care.

[teganslaw]

I read that 23% of Texas is dependant on solar energy. I guess that it doesn't work as well as expected. Officials should have realized that ahead of time. It's too bad people have to suffer because of something like this. Maybe they'll learn a lesson? 

[hckynut]

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@teganslaw wrote:

I read that 23% of Texas is dependant on solar energy. I guess that it doesn't work as well as expected. Officials should have realized that ahead of time. It's too bad people have to suffer because of something like this. Maybe they'll learn a lesson? 

@teganslaw 

Listening to those in charge of energy? I expect these things to get worse, not better. All one needs do is follow the national news, stated as our #1 issue?  

hckynut 

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[Porcelain]

Most of the independent Texan power grid is natural gas, and the gas companies are prioritizing their residential customers over power plants, leaving the power plants without adequate fuel to meet demand. This is a problem that is not going away.

During the winter power generation shifts even more to natural gas. And while other states trade their energy surplus on the grid, Texas has isolated itself so it can control its own fate.

I guess invest in a generator to protect your own. And if possible get rid of electric heat and switch to natural gas. In Texas gas is going to get priority and if you rely on electric heat you will be left out to fend for yourself when this happens again next winter.

I do have to say thank goodness Texas is receiving prompt federal aid and games aren't being played like occurred with California's blackouts over the summer. We should be grateful for that at least.