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Posted: 2/22/2021 9:52:18 AM EDT
[#1]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sober!? Truth how many articles are there about Texas people crying about the cold? Several!!!!! It's all over the media how Texas is a bunch of pussies when it comes to cold weather! Really we are!!!! Tell me I'm wrong! Please! I have lived in placed that this weather is 6+ months of the year!!! Don't here them crying! Like Texas!! I know not all Texans are the same just like how I was called a Yankee! I will take over being called a Democratic slave owner! Fun fact check me! Whoa, buddy. Slow down. Are you OK? Is there something else going on here? Do you need some other type of help? |
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Posted: 2/22/2021 10:01:13 AM EDT
[#2]
What makes this once in 50 or 100 years weather so hard on Texas is most people in Texas don’t have clothes to wear out in single digit weather. Our buildings are not built for sustained below freezing weather, causing pipes to burst. Some of the worst were fire sprinklers in apartments breaking flooding the apartments.
Now the electric power was a complete cluster fuck with more places to point blame. Between the wind turbines freezing shutting off 25-40% of our electrical generation, to ENCOT not inspecting the natural gas and coal fired plants for winterization, to Pedo Joe’s FEDS not allowing the Railroad Commission to increase natural gas production for power generation. Plus the normal power lines being damaged by iced storms. Also most apartments only have electric heat which consumes a lot of electrical power. The food chains broke down, some because of the power issues but also the delivery trucks and drivers are not prepared to drive on snow/ice covered roads. Most of Texas does not have the equipment to clear roads of even 6” of snow, then add in the ice and delivery of anything is grid locked. Most of the people the media showed were apartment dwellers in urban/suburban areas, in more rural areas people did a lot better, they understand the ability to keep going for a week or more. |
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Posted: 2/22/2021 10:06:58 AM EDT
[#3]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This is one prep I need to do. Right now, I'm unable to legally turn off the water to my home. The city owns the only valve that will turn off all the water to my house, and they have it in a locked box. I would have to break in to turn it off. I didn't need to do that because I didn't have any pipes freeze, but I didn't like the fact that I didn't own a valve that would allow me to do this on my own. (Not that the legality would stop me from breaking in and turning off the water in an emergency...) I suspect there are a LOT of people in the same boat. That is completely stupid, I had a tree root break my water main 2 summers ago. The main was PVC, I had to turn it off till the next morning when I could dig up my main at 5 in the morning when it was cool enough to do it. I replaced it with a buryable PEX line. |
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Posted: 2/22/2021 12:54:40 PM EDT
[#4]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Just made a run through town. LOL Brookshires is closed. There appears to be no gasoline anywhere, diesel is available. Local WalMart had no fresh dairy products, and most of the fast food solutions were gone. Plenty of healthy food like fruit and veggies. Highlight was more than one person going through the slush parking lot in flip flops. Line to Chick-Filet was about 5 miles long. My wife went to Brookshires and she said it looks apocalyptic. |
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Posted: 2/22/2021 1:07:01 PM EDT
[#5]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My wife went to Brookshires and she said it looks apocalyptic. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Just made a run through town. LOL Brookshires is closed. There appears to be no gasoline anywhere, diesel is available. Local WalMart had no fresh dairy products, and most of the fast food solutions were gone. Plenty of healthy food like fruit and veggies. Highlight was more than one person going through the slush parking lot in flip flops. Line to Chick-Filet was about 5 miles long. My wife went to Brookshires and she said it looks apocalyptic. Walmart near me was cleaned out of everything but a few canned, packaged items. HEB across the street was a lot better, well stocked meat, quite a bit of cheese, deli open only thing missing was milk and eggs, sodas really picked over and chips was half empty. Tuesday went in got a extra gallon of milk and a few other things. Saw a couple of women with carts loaded with 12 packs of sodas and chips  and yes completely full baskets. |
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Posted: 2/22/2021 1:21:44 PM EDT
[#6]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sober!? Truth how many articles are there about Texas people crying about the cold? Several!!!!! It's all over the media how Texas is a bunch of pussies when it comes to cold weather! Really we are!!!! Tell me I'm wrong! Please! I have lived in placed that this weather is 6+ months of the year!!! Don't here them crying! Like Texas!! I know not all Texans are the same just like how I was called a Yankee! I will take over being called a Democratic slave owner! Fun fact check me! Too much liquid medication there, Dude. |
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Posted: 2/22/2021 4:01:31 PM EDT
[#7]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Too much liquid medication there, Dude. No, that's been his default posting mode since he's been on the site. |
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Posted: 2/22/2021 6:00:53 PM EDT
[#8]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sober!? Truth how many articles are there about Texas people crying about the cold? Several!!!!! It's all over the media how Texas is a bunch of pussies when it comes to cold weather! Really we are!!!! Tell me I'm wrong! Please! I have lived in placed that this weather is 6+ months of the year!!! Don't here them crying! Like Texas!! I know not all Texans are the same just like how I was called a Yankee! I will take over being called a Democratic slave owner! Fun fact check me! Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: OP quote: Quoted for posterity, we'll talk when you sober up Sober!? Truth how many articles are there about Texas people crying about the cold? Several!!!!! It's all over the media how Texas is a bunch of pussies when it comes to cold weather! Really we are!!!! Tell me I'm wrong! Please! I have lived in placed that this weather is 6+ months of the year!!! Don't here them crying! Like Texas!! I know not all Texans are the same just like how I was called a Yankee! I will take over being called a Democratic slave owner! Fun fact check me! So point yer horsey north Yankee-man  
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Posted: 2/22/2021 6:40:32 PM EDT
[#9]
Quote HistoryQuoted: I think what Tonto is saying is knowing and experiencing are two different things. Intellectually, folks were warned. But without some context (by having experienced similar events before) it doesn’t really register. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Quoted: If you do not have experience with such storms, you cannot comprehend what you are facing and thus will not prepare. Texans aren't stupid any more than Yankees are dumb for not eating cornbread with their chili which does not have beans. Come on man, it was all over the news days before to get prepared. I think what Tonto is saying is knowing and experiencing are two different things. Intellectually, folks were warned. But without some context (by having experienced similar events before) it doesn’t really register. I know people who said "If we lose heat, we'll just bundle up for a few days and ride it out" completely losing their shit twelve hours in to their house being in the fifties. Mike Tyson's wisdom applies here; everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouf But to be fair...they /did/ live, so their plan did work. |
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Posted: 2/22/2021 6:52:41 PM EDT
[#10]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My wife went to Brookshires and she said it looks apocalyptic. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Just made a run through town. LOL Brookshires is closed. There appears to be no gasoline anywhere, diesel is available. Local WalMart had no fresh dairy products, and most of the fast food solutions were gone. Plenty of healthy food like fruit and veggies. Highlight was more than one person going through the slush parking lot in flip flops. Line to Chick-Filet was about 5 miles long. My wife went to Brookshires and she said it looks apocalyptic. HEB was downright Soviet in appearance out here. The Home Depot was surprisingly not insane, but they have walled off the plumbing section & are rationing (though it looked stocked). You need what you need to complete a repair, so rationing seems like the exact wrong thing to do, but I assume some contractor must have been an asshole & tried to corner the market on elbows or something. |
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Posted: 2/22/2021 7:27:25 PM EDT
[#11]
We've gone to 3 H-E-Bs and a Wallyworld over the weekend. None of them had fresh food to speak of. No beef or chicken. No milk or dairy products of any kind. The frozen foods freezers were largely empty. No breads yet.
It was really quite surprising. I figured it wouldn't take that long to re-supply. Doesn't inspire me with confidence on availability of food post-disaster. I'm guessing it will be weeks to months before things like Big Buddy heaters and propane tanks show up again down here. I think there might still be gas cans at a couple of places but not many. |
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Posted: 2/22/2021 8:39:30 PM EDT
[#12]
Quote HistoryQuoted: HEB was downright Soviet in appearance out here. The Home Depot was surprisingly not insane, but they have walled off the plumbing section & are rationing (though it looked stocked). You need what you need to complete a repair, so rationing seems like the exact wrong thing to do, but I assume some contractor must have been an asshole & tried to corner the market on elbows or something. Tom Thumb near me is fully stocked today. I noticed at a home depot I went to that’s they had plumbing walled off and there was a line waiting to speak an employees that would get you what you needed. I am assuming they are trying to keep a contractor from going in and buying it all up at one time because a plumber I was chatting with today said that it’s getting really hard to get anything at this time. He also said he so busy he has not had time to fix his own house yet. |
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Posted: 2/22/2021 8:55:35 PM EDT
[#13]
Quote HistoryQuoted: No, that's been his default posting mode since he's been on the site. Yeah, I am not one for names but I don’t have any trouble picking out Tayous1 threads by the style of writing. They are rather distinctive and quite hard to follow, especially if he gets excited. 2Hut8 |
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Posted: 2/22/2021 8:56:19 PM EDT
[#14]
I heard an interview of Sid Miller over the weekend, he said during the freeze and using all the natural gas to generate power the dairies in Texas were dumping $8 million a day in raw milk since without natural gas they could not pasteurize it. So I can see where milk will be short till the end of this week.
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Posted: 2/24/2021 5:49:24 AM EDT
[#15]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That made me chuckle. Same here. My wife used to roll her eyes at the camping and survival gear that I have acquired throughout my life. The light came on for her this week when we had warmth, lights and hot food from Monday through Wednesday. This.. my wife would look at some of gear/MREs and say "when are we going to need that?" ... many wive's (including mine) questions were answered, stayed warm, slept securely and ate well that Sun-Wed. We pray for the children who suffered and died last week. Freezing to death is not how I want to go out nor want my kids to suffer through. *I want to add, that I do have empathy for you guys right now that are still having a hard time finding food and supplies to take care of your family. I hope and pray you're doing better than last week. We are doing what we can to help out our friends and neighbors with what we can. Take care guys. |
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Posted: 2/24/2021 11:50:21 AM EDT
[#16]
Had water/food preps, had (some) heat preps (gas stove and gas hot water heater, gas fireplace didn't throw much heat), had genny available but didn't really need it because I just put the food in coolers outside.
Other than being caught flat footed with not enough blankets, people would have just been better served to cut off their water and wait out the cold. |
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Posted: 2/24/2021 11:57:14 AM EDT
[#17]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This.. my wife would look at some of gear/MREs and say "when are we going to need that?" ... many wive's (including mine) questions were answered, stayed warm, slept securely and ate well that Sun-Wed. We pray for the children who suffered and died last week. Freezing to death is not how I want to go out nor want my kids to suffer through. *I want to add, that I do have empathy for you guys right now that are still having a hard time finding food and supplies to take care of your family. I hope and pray you're doing better than last week. We are doing what we can to help out our friends and neighbors with what we can. Take care guys. My wife used to make fun of me for maintaining a stockpile of food... Spam, soup, beef stew, vegetables, canned fruit, long life milk. Now she just thinks we should have a little more variety. |
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Posted: 2/25/2021 3:29:01 PM EDT
[#18]
we lost power off and on for 3 days, then solid from Monday thru Fri.
Had natural gas and water (fireplace and water heaters) as well as generator and fuel for that.. I wired the generator into the circuit for the house furnace on day2 and we were 65 degrees for the rest of the week. We had plenty of food, blankets, clothing, emergency food.. lacked a bit of milk and eggs but NBD. Used camping gear due to electric stove. Battery powered CO detector made that ok. Natural gas grill was used 2-3x per day as well. Filled up garden tub full of water, still using it for the plants but never lost water pressure. |
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Posted: 2/25/2021 3:54:08 PM EDT
[#19]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My wife used to make fun of me for maintaining a stockpile of food... Spam, soup, beef stew, vegetables, canned fruit, long life milk. Now she just thinks we should have a little more variety. So did my wife but after the past year of COVID and Snow she wants me to step it up. I have always had enough of everything on hand with what’s gone on but it opened her eyes how quickly things can change if your not prepped. Funny how I had gone from why are you being crazy and keeping so much around to being the hero this past year. |
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Posted: 2/25/2021 4:58:02 PM EDT
[#20]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My wife used to make fun of me for maintaining a stockpile of food... Spam, soup, beef stew, vegetables, canned fruit, long life milk. Now she just thinks we should have a little more variety. Nice  - we made believers out of them
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Posted: 2/25/2021 4:58:31 PM EDT
[#21]
My wife, even now after coming up short on milk and eggs (toilet paper and some other things begining covid) still insists "we have enough" when it's down to a couple of days.. very frustrating
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Posted: 3/2/2021 11:17:00 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Easier to spend your money on instant gratification, than to plan for your family. I understand not having a whole house generator or whatever, but many folks do not even have a simple $20 charge bank for their phone. Others did not have simple meals, etc. But hey, no problem getting in the $50K SUV and waiting in line for free shit. Quote HistoryQuoted: Quoted: Maybe! Maybe! It's just me and being that I lived in a cold state that 6+ months of the year made this weather look like spring or fall! I'm not saying at all I'm perfect! Not at all!! I did not have several things to make sure my family was more than a C+ at best! Yet I see on TV and read online most Texas is a D- or less! Don't have any warm clothing don't have anything to eat or a way to cook since their fancy electrical equipment doesn't work when electricity is not there! Not saying all Texan people are this way! But 100% of them that are not prepared are crying on TV and social media! They sound more like Democratic states that cry for the government to take care of everything! I will say the government should take care of somethings! Like water to its town! Yep, Colorado City mayor! Yet so so many of my fellow Texas's cry about a little cold! Info! My family did Saturday to Tuesday without water, heat, or power! We are still today dealing with no heat since our heater froze up. We have only been in this home since 08/20 so I'm not a psych! Yet if I was I would have gotten the Mr heat heater for the house or the wind/solar for the well-house! Or best the whole house generator along with its 500-gallon tank! How many of these did I get done? Zero! So my fault! Yet I was not expecting a winter storm like when I was in the Dakotas! Yet I had the gear! The only saving grace! So not ragging on you all for not being prepared! I did not find myself prepared for this whether it also! So let us learn from this! Also, let's try to talk to gas stations about caring for kerosene! Easier to spend your money on instant gratification, than to plan for your family. I understand not having a whole house generator or whatever, but many folks do not even have a simple $20 charge bank for their phone. Others did not have simple meals, etc. But hey, no problem getting in the $50K SUV and waiting in line for free shit. This nails it. Most people go through life never expecting any sort of detour from their ordinary lives. Lights and power will always be on as long as they pay the bill, the grocery store will be open and well stocked, and McDonald’s is just down the street. Remove any of those and you’ve shattered their world. Ignorance or denial, take your pick. I’ve seen people still argue that having some extra food and water is a waste Cant even blame all the whining on the city folks. Saw lots of it in my small town. Take health insurance/medical costs for example. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people moan when they discover that they are still responsible for part or all of a bill. Really want to watch their heads explode when you tell them that every year it resets. People don’t want to spend money on taking care of themselves, they want it to blow on fun stuff. That’s “my money” |
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Posted: 3/2/2021 4:50:20 PM EDT
[#23]
Many neighbors bugged out Monday after the power had been out longer than 18 hours. I don't think folks have provisions setback for 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months without coming up for air and assuming water/power is unavailable from the pipes/lines.
We were prepared, but suffered an unexpected failure of a secondary fuel source (that had been previously tested successfully). Our primary fuel source would have taken us through, but my girls were not having the "camping indoors" bit with all the smoke of the fireplace. 
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Posted: 3/2/2021 5:12:45 PM EDT
[#24]
My electrician is out hunting a 50kw generator for work as we speak. All the little generators will be backups to the backup. That's how much faith that I have that it's going to get better. The push for electric cars is just gonna make it worse.
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Posted: 3/4/2021 7:11:24 PM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted: My electrician is out hunting a 50kw generator for work as we speak. All the little generators will be backups to the backup. That's how much faith that I have that it's going to get better. The push for electric cars is just gonna make it worse. 50KW? Isn't that a bit big for most people? Sometimes I think that my 20KW is overkill. I cannot imagine paying for the fuel for a 50KW..... 2Hut8 |
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Posted: 3/4/2021 7:32:09 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted: This is one prep I need to do. Right now, I'm unable to legally turn off the water to my home. The city owns the only valve that will turn off all the water to my house, and they have it in a locked box. I would have to break in to turn it off. I didn't need to do that because I didn't have any pipes freeze, but I didn't like the fact that I didn't own a valve that would allow me to do this on my own. (Not that the legality would stop me from breaking in and turning off the water in an emergency...) I suspect there are a LOT of people in the same boat. Sorry for the slow reply, @DaTrueDave. Go to Home Depot. They have lots of keys for different meter boxes. This is mine. 
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Posted: 3/4/2021 8:44:32 PM EDT
[#27]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sorry for the slow reply, @DaTrueDave. Go to Home Depot. They have lots of keys for different meter boxes. This is mine. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/12621/2021-03-04_17_27_01-1851606.jpg Oh, I can get in and turn their valve if I need to, but it's not legal to do that. I want my own valve that I have legal access to. |
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Posted: 3/4/2021 9:01:16 PM EDT
[#28]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Oh, I can get in and turn their valve if I need to, but it's not legal to do that. I want my own valve that I have legal access to. Cite?? It's standard practice to turn the water off at the meter if/when you're doing plumbing work in your house. I know of no other way to do it unless you're one of the very few with a valve inside the house somewhere. |
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Posted: 3/4/2021 9:13:19 PM EDT
[#29]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Cite?? It's standard practice to turn the water off at the meter if/when you're doing plumbing work in your house. I know of no other way to do it unless you're one of the very few with a valve inside the house somewhere. A nasty letter from my city when they went to electronic/wifi meters and put new boxes with locks over top of 'em? Edit: I'm on city water, but imagine all the folks that are getting water from private companies. What would make you think you have legal access to some company's property? |
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Posted: 3/4/2021 10:27:00 PM EDT
[#30]
Quote HistoryQuoted: A nasty letter from my city when they went to electronic/wifi meters and put new boxes with locks over top of 'em? Edit: I'm on city water, but imagine all the folks that are getting water from private companies. What would make you think you have legal access to some company's property? That's ridiculous. I would ignore it with prejudice if the water really needed to be off. Tell them to go to hell. |
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Posted: 3/4/2021 11:36:42 PM EDT
[#31]
Quote HistoryQuoted: A nasty letter from my city when they went to electronic/wifi meters and put new boxes with locks over top of 'em? We've got the same. The city hasn't raised an eyebrow once. And I have turned off the water for extended periods. |
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Posted: 3/4/2021 11:37:39 PM EDT
[#32]
Quote HistoryQuoted: That's ridiculous. I would ignore it with prejudice if the water really needed to be off. Tell them to go to hell. Quote HistoryQuoted: That's ridiculous. I would ignore it with prejudice if the water really needed to be off. Tell them to go to hell. In an emergency, I certainly would. But I'd rather not need to touch their shit at all. I'm going to put my own valve in. That I own. And can legally access whenever and whyever I want. Quoted: We've got the same. The city hasn't raised an eyebrow once. And I have turned off the water for extended periods. Yeah, the guy I talked to about putting my valve in said he doesn't call the city. He just turns theirs off, does his thing, and then turns it back on. But he also said he tried to help someone that broke the city valve. He took one look at it and said he couldn't touch it. He said it was thousands of dollars of damage and water that the city made the homeowner pay for. |
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Posted: 3/5/2021 7:42:42 PM EDT
[#33]
Quote HistoryQuoted: A nasty letter from my city when they went to electronic/wifi meters and put new boxes with locks over top of 'em? Edit: I'm on city water, but imagine all the folks that are getting water from private companies. What would make you think you have legal access to some company's property? It is crazy there isn't another valve on your side of the meter. Mine there is one right next to it on my side, and then there is another one in the garage by the water softener that turns off everything except the outside hose bibs. Is there any prohibition on having another valve installed on your side of the meter? Or just logistics/cost keeping that from happening? |
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Posted: 3/5/2021 10:05:28 PM EDT
[#34]
That's bizarre. I don't think I've ever seen a meter that didn't have a valve immediately downstream.
We did good here. Just went without power for about 3 hours and without water for about 36hrs. Had a gas fireplace we were using to minimize how much the heater was running and had plenty of food/water on hand in case things went south. Between camping, fly fishing, and skiing in sub 15 degree weather, we had more than adequate clothing. Sweated my ass off, too. Breaking through ice on the cattle troughs with a sledgehammer will do that. |
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Posted: 3/5/2021 10:36:50 PM EDT
[#35]
Quote HistoryQuoted: It is crazy there isn't another valve on your side of the meter. Mine there is one right next to it on my side, and then there is another one in the garage by the water softener that turns off everything except the outside hose bibs. Is there any prohibition on having another valve installed on your side of the meter? Or just logistics/cost keeping that from happening? No, nothing stopping me. That's the prep that I need to do: install a valve as close to the city meter as practical that I have total control over. For some reason, in my neighborhood, only about a third of the homes have valves that the homeowner owns. I guess the builders cheaped out on everyone else's? I can't even imagine the trivial amount of money it saved them. $50, maybe? |
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Posted: 3/6/2021 12:10:30 AM EDT
[#36]
Quote HistoryQuoted: No, nothing stopping me. That's the prep that I need to do: install a valve as close to the city meter as practical that I have total control over. For some reason, in my neighborhood, only about a third of the homes have valves that the homeowner owns. I guess the builders cheaped out on everyone else's? I can't even imagine the trivial amount of money it saved them. $50, maybe? $50 is not a trivial amount to the builder only to you. You have to multiple that amount by how many homes the builders builds each year plus all the other “cost savings” they will do. We could most likely walk around your house and in 10 minutes point out $1,000 or more in cost saving like wall outlets, switches, covers, access panels , hose bibs that if you had the option would have easily said add or upgrade just to have a nicer setup. |
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Posted: 3/6/2021 12:41:10 AM EDT
[#37]
Quote HistoryQuoted: $50 is not a trivial amount to the builder only to you. You have to multiple that amount by how many homes the builders builds each year plus all the other “cost savings” they will do. We could most likely walk around your house and in 10 minutes point out $1,000 or more in cost saving like wall outlets, switches, covers, access panels , hose bibs that if you had the option would have easily said add or upgrade just to have a nicer setup. Sure, I totally understand cutting corners whenever possible, but this seems a bit odd. Saving $50 in parts and labor during construction to provide something that would cost the homeowner hundreds and hundreds of dollars to do later seems like an easy feature to offer. It's not like a level/quality decision like what type of light switches or ceiling fans are going to be installed. |
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Posted: 3/6/2021 12:57:21 AM EDT
[#38]
Quote HistoryQuoted: Sure, I totally understand cutting corners whenever possible, but this seems a bit odd. Saving $50 in parts and labor during construction to provide something that would cost the homeowner hundreds and hundreds of dollars to do later seems like an easy feature to offer. It's not like a level/quality decision like what type of light switches or ceiling fans are going to be installed. It’s not a feature to 99% of buyers. Features to most people are stainless looking appliances and crown molding. Most people have no idea the water could be cut off to their house at the curb or garage. If they did everyone would have shut their water off after they lost power to prevent leaks. Also the builder could care less if it would save you money. Again it’s $50 times how ever many homes they build in extra profit they make. By the way when I was talking about plugs and switches I was not referring about how they look. I was speaking about the quality of them. The average builder picks up bulk packs of the crappy ones they have at their supplier / Home Depot. They cause you to have loose plugs and or failures after a few years of use. Remember no wife ever has looked at a house when shopping for one and said I hope it has a separate water shutoff. |
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Posted: 3/6/2021 9:10:14 PM EDT
[#39]
Big city pussies is the answer you seek. In rural Texas everyone did fine.
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Posted: 3/9/2021 12:20:37 AM EDT
[#40]
Old post, but will reply... I was little lucky, but semi-prepared, but didn't loose power, got notices that I "may" but never happened. Could have went maybe 2-3 nights without power, but would been royally screwed with water lines breaking if power had gone out. Had two outside faucets freeze up, as it was, even with them wrapped up, I think the cold transferred through the brick exterior walls to the lines. Unfroze both with my little trusty propane torch and even then one kept freezing (literally over an hour to unfreeze it, with direct heat alot of the times). Luckily it didnt bust. Had a ...........(redacted)................ Did wrap pool equipment in bubble wrap and placed a 60watt flood light, kept it from busting. ...................(redacted).................... Also, tents and shit aint my ideal means of survival. I would suppose alot of people got caught off-gaurd and hopefully it's really a blessing to freak enough people out to maybe prepare a little bit. I stuck my head in the sand back in 2009, from the madness, but what is happening now, its just ludicrous now. It seems all barriers removed and anything is possible to happen at any given time. Probably always was, just wasn't really aware of the likelihood.
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Posted: 3/9/2021 6:46:01 PM EDT
[#41]
We had enough warning by the city that water was going to fail, so were able to fill a bath tub for flushing water, turn off the two electric water heaters (one tankless, one conventional), and dig out a 5 gallon Igloo jug for potable water. The water line from the city to the house is about 550 feet of 1" PVC, and we had added a shutoff about halfway there where the line splits to go to the barn.
So far, the only casualty was between the city meter and my shutoff valve, where the PVC wasn't (and still really isn't) deep enough for the temps we saw. About once a year, that long line cracks at one of the flare joints that are spaced at about 30 feet. I intend to replace the whole thing at some point, digging about a foot deeper. The main trouble I had was failure of treated gasoline in a small generator. I got it running eventually, but spent far too much time on it. Also our firewood had a fair amount of moisture and ice. Otherwise we were reasonably prepared and fortunate. We had already made a habit of storing a decent amount of food, so that wasn't really a concern. Things I plan to do differently: Use VP Vintage Unleaded or similar engineered fuel in stored small engines, and/or store with empty fuel systems. I ordered a cheap dual fuel (Propane/gasoline) carburetor which may help. Possibly drill a water well. I am inside the city limits but am on a larger lot zoned for agriculture so may not be difficult to get permit etc. |
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