The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it was 21° when I got up.
Last night all the water ran out. The water district reported that they'd had an electrical failure at their distribution point and that we should shut off our main valves and drain all the pipes. I did that and also kept the outside faucets wrapped and covered with Styrofoam covers (after draining).
This morning I checked in with the water folks and they said they were back on and pumping. They cautioned that it would take a while for full pressure to resume and that we should continue to boil water intended for drinking until notified.
I did an "eyes on" check of every faucet and pipe and then turned on the main connection. We have good pressure everywhere. Toilets flushing and refilling normally and no odd sounds or leaks; inside or out.
My last task of the morning was to turn the water heater back on. I followed written instructions to the letter and succeeded in reviving the hot water without blowing up the house. In about an hour we'll have a bout of gladiatorial combat to see who will be first in line for the first hot shower in days. Even though Belinda is the smallest of us she is a fierce warrior and the force is strong with her. We fear crossing her and will probably default. Then it comes down to Ben and me...
Looking forward, we're forecast to crest 41° today with bright sun all day. I can already see the ice melting where the sun hits it. I'm anxious to have the roads clear so I can see if I remember how to drive. I've been starting the cars every other day and letting them idle for 20 minutes to keep the batteries charged. I go through the gears to keep them lubricated. All the tires seem to be in good shape.
My hope is that tomorrow will be clearer, warmer and drivable and that I'll be able to grab the Leica SL2 and go for a long, long walk.
It's been uncomfortable at times but we seem to have made it through the worst of this weather catastrophe largely unscathed; unlike so many people in Central Texas. It looks like my volunteer activities are just about to get started.
Thanks for all the great advice and all the "check-ins." You all made me really feel like part of a community and it was a source of comfort. Stay safe and stay warm.
Thank you.
17 comments:
The one remaining thing to prepare for is all the water suddenly created by a rapid snow melt. In other words, flooding. Such fun!
I'm glad to hear things are headed toward normal. After going through something like that (We spent a week without power and water in the Ice Storm of '98) we appreciate boring normal a whole lot more. May the rest of your days be boring normal.
Hopefully, the weather warms up for Texas and things get back to normal. Pretty difficult times for everyone in the state. I think you can take Ben...we are at an age where we have old man strength. Let the youngster wait for his hot shower, it will build character. LOL.
A foot of snow equals about an inch of rain. We had about 6 to 8 inches of snow. I doubt we will see much flooding from this.
Ladies first on the shower.
I don't mean to be snarky, but I had to laugh: "I've been starting the cars every other day and letting them idle for 20 minutes to keep the batteries charged. I go through the gears to keep them lubricated. All the tires seem to be in good shape."
Are you also spinning all the dials on your cameras and punching all the keys on your keyboards to keep them functional?
You faced some cold conditions, but it's not like you were on the dark side of the moon.
In terms of wear-and-tear, a cold start is the absolute worst situation for your car and is also when you're putting out the most pollution. Idling is the worst way to warm up a modern car. Just drive away in a moderate fashion. Can't drive for a few days because of bad road conditions, or because you work from home and don't need to? Then don't worry about it. A well-maintained battery will be fine for weeks if not months barring some sort of parasitic drain (like leaving a cell-phone charger plugged in all the time). A well-maintained car will be fine for weeks or months. Tires might develop a flat spot after prolonged sitting in one spot, but again that takes weeks or months, not days.
Go for a walk, check on your neighbors, or stay inside with a warm drink and a good book, but don't worry about a (well-maintained, modern) car over a week of cold weather.
ASW, my attempts at car stuff reflect: "Things Austinites Don't Know about Cold Weather."
It sounds like it's horrific there - I woke up this morning to stories of Texas hospitals without running water. Not water that they have to boil first - no water.
It's likely more than a bit self-serving, but the president of ERCOT says y'all dodged a bullet the size of an asteroid: https://www.texastribune.org/2021/02/18/texas-power-outages-ercot/
Glad you are doing okay under the circumstances. And no doubt a hot shower will be very rewarding.
I'll be most interested in seeing what Texas' longer-term reaction is. If I understood the weather reports correctly, it seems possible that these kinds of Arctic outbreaks may be more common in the future. I've got a friend in Midland who says there are broken water pipes everywhere and when they lost power, they were reduced to trying to heat the house with what was basically a decorative fireplace -- going to a Whole Foods - type store to buy the little bundles of wood sold there, after they ran out of their small stockpile. The whole tangled problem of electric supply looks like it'll take an active, engaged governor and legislature to even start to straighten things out. Good luck with that...
The situation down there is having repercussions around the country. I popped into Trader Joe’s in CO today only to see bare shelves and veg stands. Turns out that their produce and baked goods are warehoused in Texas, and so were not to be found in the store.
so glad to hear that the cold is easing, and that your plumbing survived !
Glad to hear things are improving. I also chuckled a bit at the starting of the cars and lubricating of the gears. In non-covid times, we typically try to take a vacation somewhere between January and March, to escape the cold. I can't say I've ever thought twice about leaving my car parked at the airport for a week in below freezing temperatures without it being started. But I guess that's the different experiences you get living in different climates. Here's hoping that things get back to normal for you soon.
I second what ASW and Scott said, the last thing you should do is start a modern car in very cold conditions and then leave it to idle, all you are doing is flattening the battery. You need to drive quite a few miles to recharge it after that cold start. My 16 year old Hyundai (which has been round the clock once) starts first turn rain or shine or freeze and it still has the original battery!
Now is the time to take assessment of all that has happened and given your situation, what you need to have on hand for the next cold spell and potential power and water outages. It will take great political will power to wrangle Texas's screwed up utility situation into a more reliable enterprise.
I drove for the first time in a week last evening. I went out to pick up a pizza. Pepperoni and green peppers. It's never tasted as delicious as it did last night! This morning is cold but the sky is cloud-free and the mercury is climbing. I'm looking forward to a mid-day walk through the city. I want to see what has changed. Deep sigh of relief. A prayer of gratitude for our safely emerging from this.
"feel like part of a community and it was a source of comfort" Wouldn't you rather be part of a Republican community and join Mr. Cruz for a cheerful sojourn in the Cancun sunshine? I love the optics!! Cheers and stay well.
Kirk, your comments about your car made me laugh. I live in the province of Québec, Canada, and very often winter temperatures go down to minus 20 ferenheit. With a good battery our cars will start without any major problems. In cold temperatures such as this, its better to start the car, let the oil circulate for a few minutes and then drive away slowly so that every mechanical part warms up gradually. If you simply let the car idle, the engine will partly warm up but the rest of the components such as the transmission, wheel bearings etc will still be frozen. Letting the engine idle will simply draw in moisture into the engine that has not reached its optimum running temperature.
As for freezing water pipes, we rarely have this problem because of the way they are buried undergrown below the level where the ground freezes (usually more than four feet). Indoor pipes are protected by insulated houses. Running out of heating would eventually be a problem, but it would take more than just a few days. If you ever run into this problem again, I would suggest that you shut the main water valve in your house, and then open a faucet to drain the pipes in your house. This will prevent them from freezing.
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