Great reminder dcarch!

I already have a couple faucets that drip that I need to fix so I'm good there. I do also open the cabinet doors under the sinks in the master bath that is in the northeast corner of my house to allow some more heat under there.

My forecast shows 12 nights in a row with lows in the single digits or below with 4 of those being in negative territory. -13F being the worst next Sunday morning.

I'm sure Elmer will be along soon to tell us how stupid we are for living where we do and that we should all move to SoCal. lol

yup

Don't ask me how I learned this.

We want to hear the gory details.

Mid 70s where I live!

When we first moved into our old farmhouse I installed a remote battery operated wired thermometer in the crawlspace under the kitchen sink. On average the crawlspace temp is about 25-30 degrees (F) higher than the outside temp. When it's in the single digits outside it's good to know, not just wonder, what's going on down under. There are several types to choose from, just one example...

we just put in plastic plumbing so don't have to worry. We are -10 today---19 yesterday. Wisconsin But our Furnace went out on Saturday -8. It's fixed but decided to have it replaced rather than service calls. It 22 years old.

My house is 100+ years old but well insulated, 2 ft thick stone basement walls. Most all of my plumbing is also on inside walls, too, so I'm good

"we just put in plastic plumbing so don't have to worry."

Same here even with the remote thermometer in place. By "plastic" do your mean PEX? That's what I installed to replace all the copper pipes, the water tastes much better too (well water). Other types of plastic such as the more non-flexible plastics (PVC) can crack when frozen.

Two potential problems:

1. Piping inside your house through un-insulated walls. (basement, garage, etc.)

2. Water company supply pipe before entering your house. It does not matter if you have plastic pipes inside your house.

Imagine you can't flush toilets for a few days.

dcarch

This is our weather for today, pretty much the same for the entire week. I never leave a tap dripping. Good insulation.

Good reminder, though, dcarch.

I don't normally contribute to bad weather threads but since I was called out, I'll say this:

The weather and job opportunity-motivated migration to the so-called Sunbelt isn't new. Nor is the similar movement of retirees to better weather areas. I'm here because of such decisions made by my grandparents nearly 100 years ago..

Personally, I don't like extreme weather and I don't need to deal with it. A perfect fit. Everyone has choices to make. I don't have an opinion about whether people should or shouldn't move to California or anywhere else, I'm not that last person to lock a gate I passed through myself. I don't personally understand why people put up with bad weather when they have alternatives, especially thinking of how many people I know and have known who moved here for that very reason. Including the many California resident contributors to this forum who have said they were from other parts of the country. People do vote with their feet.

I know there are some who enjoy very cold winter weather, for whatever reason. I've visited cold and snowy places many times. As a regular experience, no thanks..

Elmer, I totally agree with you. I, for one, don’t mind cold temperatures. I love having four distinct seasons. The big thing is to be happy where you are and if you aren’t, move.

I’ve experienced hot, dry weather and hot, humid weather many times and it is certainly not for me for any length of time. Low temperature does not equal bad weather.

Elmer - I do plan to 'move south' when I retire in 4 or 5 years. About 100 miles south as the crow flies to the lake cabin. Maybe sooner if my employer allows me to WFH full time after Covid. It will need some work before then to upgrade it for year round habitation but that work has already started.

The Chicago area is in the very cold bubble now, as it was two years ago when DH and I did experience some days of 'no flush'. Part of our sewer line collapsed ($5600). The men doing the work were warmer several feet down than the rest of us, up top in the cold and wind. We were told to limited ourselves to one flush a day until the section was entirely functional.

I've needed to open below-sink doors in another (1950's) home. This one (2001) is *tight*. That house also had what the tech called 'heat exchanging' windows -- single panes in aluminum frames. When we replaced those, we also had insulation blown into the walls.

If you keep the temperature of your house warm enough you shouldn't have to worry about it: from person who is living in current -37C weather for the next week.... My dad's a plumber and said the only time you need to leave a tap running a wee tad bit is if you're planning a road trip somewhere and you turn the furnace down too much. We've gone for a week at a time and never had a problem in the winter. Ever.

pex

My kitchen sink is on a north wall. Once when it went to -20 with a north wind....my cold faucet stopped working!!! I turned on the hot water and let it run and it provided enough heat to the cold water pipe next to it to thaw it.
Now I am careful to leave the cupboard doors under the sink open on cold nights.

It hasn't been mentioned yet but don't forget to close up your foundation vents!

Interesting thought about those foundation vents and sort of a question. There are two vents in my basement, the dryer and the furnace one. You should never close/block the furnace one. The one for the dryer which other than shutting the door of the dryer or placing something on the outside there is no way to close the vent.

My question is since most of those vents are simply a thin sheet of plastic or metal how much difference other than the mental idea of having done something does closing them do. The ones I have seen in this area either close automatically or have no method of closing them.

In my old house I found that putting a small electric lamp underneath where the kitchen sink was prevented the pipes from freezing. The gravity furnace had no vents to the basement so it was only heated in the immediate area of the furnace. This house does not have that problem now that I keep the temperature at 68 24/7 rather than lowering to 58 at nights but I have done the lamp under the sink after it froze.

For those of you who have an outdoor garden watering system:

Don't just shut off the outside valve. You need to drain off all water from all outside pipe and hoses.

There is a little drain cap right on your inside shut-off valve to drain off all water inside outdoor water pipes and hoses.

Best also to use an air compressor to blow out all water.

dcarch

Thanks! But I fixed all that years ago. All my pipes are wrapped in insulation, and are in a house that rarely sees temps below 20 (Fahrenheit). Once it hits teens, I let the faucets drip. Accuweather says we won't see temps below 22 for the rest of this month. Learned the hard way about burst waterpipes in my childhood home. What a mess that was.

Good luck everyone!

Storm and weather prep reminders are helpful in any climate. I have a home binder that holds my prep lists....I am always adding to it. Four season lists. Warm weather storms, hurricanes, fires, earthquakes....just as devastating.

I prefer the 4 seasons as many do. Canada would not exist if it was miserable and unlivable. 😂.

I do keep a half dozen gallon potable filtered water jugs filled. When a storm is predicted. Then use it for the pups water bowl...re-peat. A massive storm could knock out your town water works. (I remember someone being embarrassed filling their tub recently). Not much effort to be prepared.

I've been through enough storms, warm weather and cold, over the years, I prep ahead. I posted just last week to keep your cars, or at least one, backed up to the road if you have a long driveway....easier to shovel a path and keep that car uncovered in case of an emergency. (the snow did build up all night. Shoveling so much accumulation is a major task). I used our leaf blower no problem or muscle strain.

All homes and situations are different.

If I needed to 'drip' a sink...I would put my empty gallons under the tap. If I had sensitive pipes I might put one of my portable heaters in the downstairs half bath. Or in the entry water supply. (the household mystery room). The guts with the boiler. Our garage water pipe that is used for the gardens has a heat coil wrap but it is drained now.

Check your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. I just purchased a new pack of four...a NewYears gift every year.

We are not so serious. We wake up laughing....just want to keep it that way.

We're going into a really cold spell too but nothing like some of you. I don't even know if we'll hit single digits. My little laundry room alcove is on my side door entryway and in weather like this, we keep a little heater running because the washing machine's hoses freeze.

That said my brisk hike with my daughter in 30-degree temps yesterday far outweigh my slogs on the trail in 93-degree temps with 70% humidity and a wet towel over my shoulders. HATE summer with a passion.

Thank you for this alert, Dcarch7. Today our temperatures are extremely low, even for our area, -24 Celsius and -11 F. The pipes in one corner of our house are prone to freeze in very low temperatures, and DH has moved a portable heater to that location.

Stacey_mb

Anything can happen in very cold weather and heavy snow storm,

It may not cost much for some basic preparation for emergencies.

Power outage can be a disaster. For those of you who do not plan on getting a power generator, you should spend less than $50 for a 12V (500 Watt) inverter.

Plug the inverter in you car with engine running (not in the garage), the inverter can power your phone chargers, run a light or two, run your PC for internet. and may be a small TV.

dcarch

Thanx for the reminder to shut off & drain the water line to the hose bibs. I had forgotten to do that.

So, if you have to leave the faucets dripping in inclement weather, are you also dealing with cold inside your homes? I ask because I live where it's frequently very cold (was -34 F) when I woke up this morning and I would never worry about my pipes freezing as long as we weren't on vacation.

Heh, I had the.. fortune.. of having my well bladder chain fail just as the cold set was coming in. Age related thing, not cold related.

Not cheap... but today I can happily say I know darn well that my water is 100% checked from well pipe to well house to all the inside water- and all the various entry points... and everything safe without having to do drips.

And apparently what is icky to me crawlspace under the house is "really nice" in comparison to some- I have indoor access to a proper basement hole before the "higher clearance than many" and "dryer than most" crawlspace, lol. And there's a couple hardwired lightbulbs to boot!

"Vvall, So, if you have to leave the faucets dripping in inclement weather, are you also dealing with cold inside your homes?------"

How to prevent pipes from freezing inside your house is entirely up to you, and there are many ways to do that.

But if the water pipe from the water utility company gets frozen underground outside your house, there is only one way to prevent that, and that is to keep the water in the pipe flowing by dripping.

dcarch

"---- And there's a couple hardwired lightbulbs to boot!---"

Incandescent light bulbs do not last very long, and many incandescent bulbs are not being made anymore.

Get a high wattage bulb, and run the bulb thru a dimmer at lower brightness. The bulb will last forever.

dcarch

I let water drip in my kitchen sink only when temps are close to zero, and the drip is the smallest I can create. (Well water & septic) As far as garden bibs, I had installed frost free sill cocks. Problem solved.

Those bulbs have lasted over a decade, probably could last another decade with how little they are used. They only get turned on for a little while every couple of years if repair work is needed in the crawl space. I wouldn’t leave them on, and they for sure don’t need a dimmer. A lot of crawlspaces don’t have lighting at all, so that was a pleasant thing for the well guy not to have to do the repair by flashlight.