2023-2024 Winter Weather

Wally Fairway · January 16

1 hour ago, Brisketexan said:

The soffit is really a "ceiling" over an outside patio. We have a two-story deck. The kitchen juts out from the main house on the top floor, so it covers part of the lower deck. So the water line runs through the floor/ceiling below it, out all the way to the farthest exterior wall, then slightly up that wall to feed the sink. So there's a stretch of about 8-10 feet where all that separates that pipe from the cold air is soffit and not-very-thick insulation (we can feel the floor is cold in that part of the kitchen). See the fancy hand-drawn sketch, prepared by the same dude who did the drawing of the leprechaun (arrow pointing to exposed area):

Pretty sure we're going to have to have our guy pull the soffit and go heavier on the insulation (just for the purpose of better insulating the kitchen), but insulation alone won't protect those pipes. My current thinking is that we wrap them in heat tape - if it's the plug-in kind of heat tape, then maybe we have the plug end at a small trap door, so when it's going to get cold, I can run an extension cord up there and plug it in for the cold snap. I welcome other engineering ideas.

bro do you not MS Paint?

Also, I think when they put plumbing in the kitchen floor, then you are also supposed to put in heated flooring.

Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand · January 16

1 hour ago, texasdago said:

It's funny but the first day when the overnight temps are done really freezing is like Christmas where you unwrap presents to see what you've got.

I'm mechanically declined, and I was told not to turn off my well last freeze, but I did cuz I'm hardcore like that, I do what I want and whatnot. Also tired of doing what I had been advised and still having pipes burst.

Anywho, it worked! Bought an assortment of washtubs and plastic containers that I filled up beforehand for washing, flushing. Stocked fridge with drinking water. Not even sure if I needed to do this but double wrapped the line from the wellhead to the tank, stuffed some bags of old clothes around that, covered that with an old Gore-Tex sleeping bag (well, it's old now), then covered all that with Hefty Bags for moisture protection and aesthetic appeal. Opened up all faucets then shut off the well and drain off the pressure.

I'll have my moment of truth in (probably) a couple of days when I flip the well back on.

Paco · January 16

bro do you not MS Paint?
Also, I think when they put plumbing in the kitchen floor, then you are also supposed to put in heated flooring.

Are you a yankee?

texasdago · January 16

Wally Fairway · January 16

4 minutes ago, Paco said:

35 minutes ago, Wally Fairway said:

bro do you not MS Paint?
Also, I think when they put plumbing in the kitchen floor, then you are also supposed to put in heated flooring.

Are you a yankee?

depends on the definition -so I'll say yes. I don't have these problems because we have basements (btw - it was a joke, because he is poor and didn't get his floor heated)

Judge Roybeanbag · January 16

2 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

The soffit is really a "ceiling" over an outside patio. We have a two-story deck. The kitchen juts out from the main house on the top floor, so it covers part of the lower deck. So the water line runs through the floor/ceiling below it, out all the way to the farthest exterior wall, then slightly up that wall to feed the sink. So there's a stretch of about 8-10 feet where all that separates that pipe from the cold air is soffit and not-very-thick insulation (we can feel the floor is cold in that part of the kitchen). See the fancy hand-drawn sketch, prepared by the same dude who did the drawing of the leprechaun (arrow pointing to exposed area):

Pretty sure we're going to have to have our guy pull the soffit and go heavier on the insulation (just for the purpose of better insulating the kitchen), but insulation alone won't protect those pipes. My current thinking is that we wrap them in heat tape - if it's the plug-in kind of heat tape, then maybe we have the plug end at a small trap door, so when it's going to get cold, I can run an extension cord up there and plug it in for the cold snap. I welcome other engineering ideas.

You're missing the spiral staircase!!

As for the Pex - we put this stuff on exposed Pex water line under a house, and it works really well. Not sure that's feasible for yours or not.

RDCanecutter · January 16

52 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

can you line that area with a bunch of incandescent christmas lights?

Best thing would be to build a bonfire in that space underneath the kitchen. Would eventually warm the entire house.

Brisketexan · January 16

1 hour ago, jimmyjazz said:

I imagine he has a Texas-style "walkout basement". The lot drops down and away from the street, so the upper floor is the main floor. Pretty common in our part of town.

NOTE: I don't see the spiral staircase in the artist's rendering.

Yep, it's what they call an "upside down" floor plan -- we're on a canyon, so you walk in on the top floor, and drop down to the bottom floor along the canyon wall. Oh, and spiral staircase was omitted from the drawing because 1) didn't want to obscure the area I was showing, and 2) I left my Spirograph (TM) set at home.

43 minutes ago, Eastwood said:

That area was originally closed in, but the Dart Bowl Enchilada Aftermath Incident of 2008 led to some unplanned “remodeling.” People pay good money for that kind of wall demo, so silver linings and all that.

HA! Joke's on you -- we were in a DIFFERENT house back in 2008. Although in 2015 or so, we had the plastic nut connecting the toilet water feed to the tank bust....upstairs....flooding half the upstairs and then running down into much of the downstairs. So, we DID have a toilet-adjacent demo and remodel.

Just really didn't think through the fact that this part of the kitchen floor only has like 10-12 inches between the floor and the ceiling of the patio below it. Oops.

Edited January 16 by Brisketexan

Native Horn · January 16

2 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yep, it's what they call an "upside down" floor plan -- we're on a canyon, so you walk in on the top floor, and drop down to the bottom floor along the canyon wall.

Well, that's one way to ruin aspirations of a conversation pit!

Brisketexan · January 16

6 minutes ago, Native Horn said:

Well, that's one way to ruin aspirations of a conversation pit!

Yeah.....we never had the architecture for that. It kills me. Because I had just found the perfect chairs to go there....

Trey3216 · January 16

11 minutes ago, Native Horn said:

Well, that's one way to ruin aspirations of a conversation pit!

Get enough people having conversations underneath his kitchen, and the pipes won’t freeze!!

YGIFS · January 16

26 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yep, it's what they call an "upside down" floor plan -- we're on a canyon, so you walk in on the top floor, and drop down to the bottom floor along the canyon wall. Oh, and spiral staircase was omitted from the drawing because 1) didn't want to obscure the area I was showing, and 2) I left my Spirograph (TM) set at home.

14 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah.....we never had the architecture for that. It kills me. Because I had just found the perfect chairs to go there....

12 minutes ago, Trey3216 said:

Get enough people having conversations underneath his kitchen, and the pipes won’t freeze!!

On a canyon?

So we're talking about some kinda 'Conversation Arroyo' complete with what can only be described not as a sex-swing, but rather a sex-booth or sex-egg? No judgement.

Not that Bob · January 16

25 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

So we're talking about some kinda 'Conversation Arroyo' complete with what can only be described not as a sex-swing, but rather a sex-booth or sex-egg?

Even when I was young and flexible. that "egg" would not have been my preferred sexual location.

atomheartbevo · January 16

59 minutes ago, Wally Fairway said:

yes. I don't have these problems because we have basements

YGIFS · January 16

The Sex-Egg is/was more ideal for the man to sit in with the woman doing reverse cowgirl whilst squatting outside said sex-egg. It's not easy on either party but it makes for a fun few minutes, memories that'll last a lifetime, and hey-free long distance calls.

Edited January 16 by YGIFS

Not that Bob · January 16

Fastbreak · January 16

Day 2. Now they routed me to Japan from LAX. It’s been a comical 24 hours to get this far. Now 20 more hours to go.

The guy at Singapore Air was like “you can probably get your hotel reimbursed by United.” I laughed out loud.

BTW. LAX is the worst airport in the world (and yes I have been to LaGuardia and JFK).

crash_davis · January 16

19 minutes ago, Fastbreak said:

Day 2. Now they routed me to Japan from LAX. It’s been a comical 24 hours to get this far. Now 20 more hours to go.

The guy at Singapore Air was like “you can probably get your hotel reimbursed by United.” I laughed out loud.

BTW. LAX is the worst airport in the world (and yes I have been to LaGuardia and JFK).

Roscoe's Chicken and Waffle is a couple miles away. That's gotta count for something.

Brisketexan · January 16

5 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

Roscoe's Chicken and Waffle is a couple miles away. That's gotta count for something.

I've been to that location. Solid. There's also a really good Somalian restaurant further down that street.

YGIFS · January 16

I don't use LAX that often. Usually for work it's Long Beach or Burbank/Pasadena. But while not a fan, never had major issues with LAX. But one time I did slam and go hard at Roscoe's before a flight home from there and about as soon as wheels up happened, I immediately regretted it. Thankfully the fight between it and the drinks I had in the terminal reached an understanding. And there was no ensuing tiktok video of me shitting in the aisle as is the trend of today.

I haven't flown through LaGuardia since the major overhaul but IMO, it's still the worst fucking major airport in our country, by far.

Now, all that to say---when are we getting those bike lanes out to Bergstrom?

austingirl · January 16

Another two-hour delay tomorrow for AISD.

hookemATL · January 16

32 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

Now, all that to say---when are we getting those bike lanes out to Bergstrom?

They’ve already begun the site work in the terminals for the Rascal Scooter Only lanes to help accommodate our hefty/lazy/diabetes amputee passengers.

HenryJames · January 16

15 minutes ago, austingirl said:

Another two-hour delay tomorrow for AISD.

immamac · January 16

1 hour ago, Fastbreak said:

Day 2. Now they routed me to Japan from LAX. It’s been a comical 24 hours to get this far. Now 20 more hours to go.

The guy at Singapore Air was like “you can probably get your hotel reimbursed by United.” I laughed out loud.

BTW. LAX is the worst airport in the world (and yes I have been to LaGuardia and JFK).

damn you should start a thread documenting this absolutely insane journey lol

InkaUtexas · January 16

So a DT "My trip is borked" thread? I got a few I can contribute. Some good, some bad, but all fun.

hookemATL · January 16

LISD normal schedule tomorrow.

Pato del Muerto · January 16

1 hour ago, hookemATL said:

They’ve already begun the site work in the terminals for the Rascal Scooter Only lanes to help accommodate our hefty/lazy/diabetes amputee passengers.

They should have a special seating area for folks that are so fat they need 2 seats, but have lost feet and legs to the beetus so don’t need leg room. Stack em in like so much marmalade, and let the rest of us have the entirety our cramped seating.

1978horn · January 16

Dripping isd normal schedule tomorrow.

F250 · January 16

1 hour ago, YGIFS said:

But one time I did slam and go hard at Roscoe's before a flight home from there and about as soon as wheels up happened, I immediately regretted it.

That sounds awful. I once stopped off at a Mike's Chicken in Dallas with a friend before heading to the airport. The idea of eating fried chicken before a flight sounded horrible to me so I abstained from eating but my buddy tore into the fried chicken. This was after a night of drinking.

Once the plane started take off he was shaking his leg talking about how he was going to shit his pants. lulz as soon as the seat belt light went of he dashed over to the restroom and was in there for awhile.

Fudge Nuggets · January 16

Well, one of my outside faucets had a 1.5" icicle hanging from the bottom of the cover I put on it to the ground. Cleared the ice, took off the cover and did not see any visible cracks to the pipe or ice on the pipe itself. I opened the valve and let water run out the faucet for a couple of minutes and did not notice anything strange. Turned off the water, went back in and didn't hear rushing water like the last time I had a pipe burst. I've checked the inside walls up to the attic and don't see anything indicating a water leak. I have no idea what to expect tomorrow when things thaw out, but one thing for sure... I ain't leaving the house in case an ice plug melts and exposes a burst pipe that I can't see yet.

Bevo&Pevo · January 17

7 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

I have our outdoor faucets wrapped in heat tape with foam covers (one downstairs on one the south side is just under a foam cover and then some soft-sided insulation), but I saw this rig online the other day, and think I'll be going with this from now on:

It is just a cheap night-light setup with a 7W bulb (has to be an incandescent) - a 7W bulb gets the temp up to 40F over the ambient temperature, so plenty good down to the single digits. I'd make sure that it was mounted on the side as opposed to underneath (don't want to risk a random drip of water onto an electrical fixture). But I've got 4 outside faucets that I could run that on - just get good foam covers, 4 nightlights with bulbs, and run them to outlets (all but one have a nearby outlet, I'd need a decent extension cord for the one on the south side of the house), and we're done.

Here's mine from last year. I also mount my box with light offset to the side for the "just in case water drop also". Works like a champ, as far as I'm concerned.

InkaUtexas · January 17

4 minutes ago, Bevo&Pevo said:

Here's mine from last year. I also mount my box with light offset to the side for the "just in case water drop also". Works like a champ, as far as I'm concerned.

Good try, but we need a fabrication play by play if you want to be in contention for best post with Pool Pump Shed. I mean schematics (in MS Paint), cost break outs, etc.

You got this. We have faith.

Js1 · January 17

8 minutes ago, Bevo&Pevo said:

mount my box

Biff Tannen · January 17

10 hours ago, texasdago said:

That's what I mean... let's say at 10 PM you take that thing... shake it up and put it on a pipe which you then wrap up with cloth or whatever and then a cover and leave it overnight. Those things get up to 135, I believe... it would keep it warm during the coldest part of the night until it "runs out". Seems like it would work.

If they run out of oxygen, they stop heating. So it couldn’t be fully covered or cut off from air.

NotActuallyALonghorn · January 17

Yeah, they are basically just bags of iron filings that heat up as they oxidize.

SurlyBDR · January 17

4 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Well, one of my outside faucets had a 1.5" icicle hanging from the bottom of the cover I put on it to the ground. Cleared the ice, took off the cover and did not see any visible cracks to the pipe or ice on the pipe itself. I opened the valve and let water run out the faucet for a couple of minutes and did not notice anything strange. Turned off the water, went back in and didn't hear rushing water like the last time I had a pipe burst. I've checked the inside walls up to the attic and don't see anything indicating a water leak. I have no idea what to expect tomorrow when things thaw out, but one thing for sure... I ain't leaving the house in case an ice plug melts and exposes a burst pipe that I can't see yet.

2 hours ago, Bevo&Pevo said:

Here's mine from last year. I also mount my box with light offset to the side for the "just in case water drop also". Works like a champ, as far as I'm concerned.

I've used these FreezeMisers last year and again this year. Valve inside opens up to drip only in freezing temps. I installed them on Saturday and this is what's collected. It uses some water, sure, but it seems cheaper than a busted pipe to me.

atomheartbevo · January 17

4 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Well, one of my outside faucets had a 1.5" icicle hanging from the bottom of the cover I put on it to the ground.

Bet you have a leaky faucet that drips so slow you don’t normally notice.

InkaUtexas · January 17

9 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Bet you have a leaky faucet that drips so slow you don’t normally notice.

ballrific · January 17

clocking in... No boxes to be mounted but working on a small, ground level, make shift shed for outdoor cats. Because I'm an idiot and didn't do this with daylight earlier. They will not be getting a night light in their box. Have moved on to barrel aged stouts...knuckles thawing. Pre night shift ritas did shit for warmth. Will report back with pics..

YGIFS · January 17

Pics of the pussies, or?

InkaUtexas · January 17

Just now, ballrific said:

clocking in... No boxes to be mounted but working on a small, ground level, make shift shed for outdoor cats. Because I'm an idiot and didn't do this with daylight earlier. They will not be getting a night light in their box. Have moved on to barrel aged stouts...knuckles thawing. Pre night shift ritas did shit for warmth. Will report back with pics..

Night shift checking in.

InkaUtexas · January 17

19 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

Pics of the pussies, or?

With no night light, well.

Updawg · January 17

So are those freeze misters working?

ballrific · January 17

can confirm arctic blast is still here… cold AF

ballrific · January 17

climate controlled with space heater and working on running water. fuck them cats

InkaUtexas · January 17

Just lit the Chiminea. Sat outside for 30 mins in front of it. Glad my gloves can hold off a cold beer.

It is cold. But what a beautiful sky. Clear, gorgeous stars. Almost brought out the telescope and said nah, going to warm up and then come back out.

Biff Tannen · January 17

What do you night shift people do?

NorthLoop · January 17

They drink, and they know things

InkaUtexas · January 17

4 minutes ago, Biff Tannen said:

What do you night shift people do?

We watch and have jobs so we are awake when most are sitting in line at Starbucks and bitching about rush hour. Shit, my shift is done. Work wise. Three conference calls, lots of writing. My wife makes breakfast when I heat up my dinner.

4 minutes ago, NorthLoop said:

They drink, and they know things

Yeah, we do...

InkaUtexas · January 17

Oh, and we do things like this. @YGIFS Don't forget your mittens.

Sign In

2023-2024 Winter Weather

Recommended Posts

Wally Fairway 5465

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

BillyGoatHill

texasdago

F250

Posted Images

Al Bundy's Napoleon Hand 13336

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Paco 1905

Link to comment

Share on other sites

texasdago 7376

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Wally Fairway 5465

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Judge Roybeanbag 11728

Link to comment

Share on other sites

RDCanecutter 25767

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Brisketexan 103139

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Native Horn 3465

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Brisketexan 103139

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Trey3216 15298

Link to comment

Share on other sites

YGIFS 19443

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Not that Bob 733

Link to comment

Share on other sites

atomheartbevo 88750

Link to comment

Share on other sites

YGIFS 19443

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Not that Bob 733

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Fastbreak 3886

Link to comment

Share on other sites

crash_davis 23038

Link to comment

Share on other sites

Brisketexan 103139

Link to comment

Share on other sites

YGIFS 19443

Link to comment

Share on other sites

austingirl 2169

Link to comment

Share on other sites

hookemATL 11496

Link to comment

Share on other sites

HenryJames 64900

Link to comment