Snow in Dallas!

Sorry pics not in order

wheelsmithy (Joe-with-an-L) (Forum Supporter) said:

yupididit said:

In reply to Subscriber-unavailabile :

MRE's, I rather go a few days without eating than having to eat those again 

Get them at REI. Delicious. Really. Expensive, but delicious.

 

REI lol no thanks. Been in there once, not my vibe lol 

I don't buy MRE's, but had to eat them for a few weeks on a few occasions lol

Had fun day driving 18 wheeler plowing roads. Took a HUGE order into HEB, 160 cases of water gone in over an hour. Was able to score some fresh deli meet, eggs and TP. Talking with folks there, seems there might be shortage of milk, chicken/eggs and fresh produce. Word is all the crops in the valley died off. 

A couple of thoughts, from the Great White North.

There are university night classes here for foreign students to teach things like, "How to walk on ice."  Funny to a guy with 59 years experience,  but a legitimate need.  Your orthopedic surgeons are going to be drowning in upper ball joint replacements.

I presume most heat down there is electric  based, baseboard heaters, or heat pumps or whatever.  Makes sense, but it got me wondering whether there is anything like the same access to natural gas that we have, where its available to pretty much every house in every town, and quite a few of the farms as well.

Then I wondered whether the asphalt surface of highways is different texture, contributing to the amazing pile ups we always see from inexperienced ice drivers on hard summer tires on ice just below freezing, when it is most slick.

Streetwiseguy said:

I presume most heat down there is electric  based, baseboard heaters, or heat pumps or whatever.  Makes sense, but it got me wondering whether there is anything like the same access to natural gas that we have, where its available to pretty much every house in every town, and quite a few of the farms as well.

Then I wondered whether the asphalt surface of highways is different texture, contributing to the amazing pile ups we always see from inexperienced ice drivers on hard summer tires on ice just below freezing, when it is most slick.

It's interesting comparing how things are built down here v. up north when things like this occur.  Just a few observations:

1. The houses here don't have basements.  Isn't that common up north? I assume it has something to do with the weather.  Many have single pane windows.  Here in Texas, most homes have natural gas for heating and cooking.  Apartments are usually electric.  HVAC is probably typical with an outside until for cooling and and inside gas unit for heat.  All air running through the attic.  No baseboards, no floor heating.  The vent in my living room is up high and it was interesting to feel the house warm up when it was on and how quickly it cooled off from the sliding glass door, even with blankets over it.  Not a great design for heating since warm air rises, but great for cooling.
2. Streets are an interesting question.  Winter tires (studded or not) are actually illegal to run on the streets here.  I've always heard it's because winter tires will tear up the roads quickly.  Not sure if that's because the asphalt composition is different or because we don't have ice long enough for it to make a difference.  Most of the time, the ice is less than 1/2" and gone within a day (maybe two).  So, winter tires would only need to be on for 48 hours.  The streets melt quickly.  Yesterday morning, it was too icy to walk across my street.  We barely hit 33 degrees, but the sun turned it into slush by noon and almost all gone by 4:00. 
3. Pipes are a whole different story.  Many pipes exposed to the elements, like parking garages.  I would assume the underground pipes aren't very deep in some places, causing more breaks.  Most water pipes run through the ceilings and with no heat rising to keep the attic somewhat warm and/or old insulation will freeze them.  Add lack of electricity to warm the house and lack of water to be able to drip the pipes, and that's why you're seeing a bunch of burst pipes and damaged homes.  I've heard that not only is there a shortage of plumbing supplies, there is also a shortage of drywall.
4. I'm curious what northerners do about hose bibs.  Anytime we get below freezing, hose bib covers fly off the shelves.  Do houses in the north have hose bibs that just stick out from the house?  If so, do you end up covering them the entire winter season or are they designed in a way you don't need to do that?

-Rob

In reply to rob_lewis :

Natural gas is purely whether you're someplace that the lines are run. The more rural you are the more likely you're fully electric. Some people have propane pigs for cooking, but few of them have propane furnaces. It just doesn't get cold enough to justify the cost. 

In reply to rob_lewis :

According to the AAA website, studded tires are permitted in Texas as long as the studs are rubber and don't damage the road.  Looking at the applicable law in texas, they don't call out snow tires anywhere but they do say that regrooved steer tires are prohibited and:

A tire used on a moving vehicle may not have on its periphery a block, stud, flange, cleat, or spike or other protuberance of a material other than rubber that projects beyond the tread of the traction surface, unless the protuberance: (1) does not injure the highway; or (2) is a tire chain of reasonable proportion that is used as required for safety because of a condition that might cause the vehicle to skid.

But I can't imagine that snow tires or studded tires would be worth having in Texas.  Hell, I'm not convinced that I really need them here in the Cincinnati area.

In reply to rob_lewis :

Rob,  here’s our answer to question 4.   The valve part is in the heated space.  Need to remove the hose so it can free drain once the valve is shut.

In reply to rob_lewis :

Basements depend on the soil you are building on, but we have to be below the frost line to avoid pushing your house out.  That is eight feet here, so water lines and sewers are lower than that.  Might as well build a basement if you have to go that low.

Studs are illegal in lots of jurisdictions in the north as well.  Practical here to own 8 wheels and tires.  Not so much down there.

Not much to be done about freezing water lines...  Pex might help, I suppose.

Hose bibs have a valve in the basement that you close in October and blow out outside lines, or a special unit with a foot long tube that puts the washer and seat inside the house.

Hose bibs?  Woodford model 17.  I've never messed with my hose bibs.  Use them year 'round.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Woodford-Model-17-10-in-L-x-3-4-in-PEX-Brass-Anti-Siphon-Multi-Turn-Sillcock/1000536953

In reply to rob_lewis :

1. In central TX you don't have to go very far until you hit limestone so they don't bother digging out a basement. The window thing I'd have to say is because people are cheap, more insulating windows would even be beneficial in 100+ heat in the summer.

I'm curious about plumbing up north as well.  I've seen the interior valve for outdoor spigots, and I've also heard their codes prohibit pipes running along exterior walls.

On the flip side of freezing pipes..  The amount of energy lost from A/C ductwork running through hot Texas attics (with probably R7 insulation) must be astronomical. 

OHSCrifle said:

On the flip side of freezing pipes..  The amount of energy lost from A/C ductwork running through hot Texas attics (with probably R7 insulation) must be astronomical. 

Insulation is a good thing, but a cold breeze and frost on the inside walls is a lot more compelling than a big electric bill on a hot day.

Was one of the craziest days at work I've experienced. We had trucks coming and going all day. Think I delivered around 3,000 cases of soda/water. Not gonna drop any names but my company was only one donating water to places in need. Other 2 big companies told emergency services/national guard, police/fire departments they had no water to donate. Then preceded to sell the product into stores forcing people to have to buy it. Was walking out the door after 12 hour day to a lady crying that the nursing home she works at hasn't had clean water all day. Thankfully we were able to load a truck up to give. Hopefully these big companies make the news for this E36 M3, truly truly disgusting.

Streetwiseguy said:

A couple of thoughts, from the Great White North.

There are university night classes here for foreign students to teach things like, "How to walk on ice."  Funny to a guy with 59 years experience,  but a legitimate need.  Your orthopedic surgeons are going to be drowning in upper ball joint replacements.

I presume most heat down there is electric  based, baseboard heaters, or heat pumps or whatever.  Makes sense, but it got me wondering whether there is anything like the same access to natural gas that we have, where its available to pretty much every house in every town, and quite a few of the farms as well.

Then I wondered whether the asphalt surface of highways is different texture, contributing to the amazing pile ups we always see from inexperienced ice drivers on hard summer tires on ice just below freezing, when it is most slick.

They seem to have plenty of natural gas down there.  (It runs most of their power plants as well as home heating). The problem seems to be their system is not set up for cold and the gas wells and processing froze off.  I work for a company in Alberta which sells, delivers and injects methanol into wells and other gas and oil infrastructure.  And yes, without the proper equipment and procedures in place those systems freeze off pretty quickly.