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Saturday Snow And Freezing In Texas
Well, it's down around 10 degrees here in NE Texas and the snow piled down on us all day yesterday and into the night.
Our house was built with a tankless water heater, which is in the attic above the garage. All the water pipes run through the attic and the pipe to our shower froze during the last big freezing snow storm in 2013.
It turned out to be no big deal...It just meant we couldn't shower for a few days until the weather warmed up. We did call the plumber first thing that morning (in a panic if I remember right) and he laughed and said "Just wait until the weather warms...I've got lots of customers who need me more!"
So not wanting to be without a shower this time, I turned the bathtub, which is next to the shower, to a really slow little drip. That's what they say to do, right? A slow drip will keep the pipes from freezing!
Feeling smug this morning, I turned off the drip and turned on the shower next to it...NOTHING! No water. The pipe to the shower was frozen!
So be aware that if you are leaving a drip, make sure it's the last pipe in the system that drips. The bathtub is closest to the water source and then the shower is at the end of the line. Dripping the bathtub didn't keep the water moving at the very end in the pipe to the shower. DUH!
Thanks for dropping by!
Oh. honey! You need to run right down to Home Depot and order a heat tape. It is a flexible tape and wraps around your pipes. You just plug it in when you know it is going to be freezing cold. They are common in cottages here. They work great. They are called Frost King (?) and for about $25 or $30 you will never have frozen pipes again. I am surprised your plumber didn't tell you about them. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteHere is a link for it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-King-12-ft-Water-Pipe-Heat-Cable-HC12A/100032792
Hey Diana. Thanks for the info on the heat tape. We so seldom have cold weather that I doubt they sell it here. It doesn't seem like it would work here as getting up into the attic requires going up a ladder pulled down from the ceiling in the garage and going clear to the end where there is no plug in for electrical. The plumber was going to wrap the pipes with pipe insulation, but of course once it unfroze we forgot all about it. It's thawed tonight and I'm going to turn a slight drip on in the shower each night until the cold weather passes.
ReplyDeleteSeems like lots of places are cold and snowy.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the snow.
My pipes tend to freeze almost every year.
ReplyDeleteI need to get more insulation down the outside wall in the bathroom.
I let the tub drip but sometimes I forget.
Also, depending where the pipes are, you can turn a hair-dryer on the hot setting on it and that works sometimes.
No snow here yet! but about 7 degrees at the moment.
Stay warm!
xoxoxoxo
Yes, we're -20 her in the great white north, so I understand. We've had water issue too.... annoying.
ReplyDeleteI remember those days when we loved in Illinois and Ohio. Hope you get your hot water soon. We are having wonderful rain, which we need so badly after 6 years of drought. So i am dancing in the rain when I go out to do doggie duty.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful week.
Mary
Bless you, how frustrating.
ReplyDeleteUse to hate it when our water line froze, seemed to take forever to thaw out.
ReplyDeleteFrozen pipes are so scary . . . I'm always imagining them bursting and having water going everywhere. Our kitchen pipes froze last week and we discovered it at 4 in the morning. There we were on the kitchen floor with the hair drier and a heating pad until we got them going again. Maybe we make it out to be more than it is, but no one wants water damage.
ReplyDeleteHere's to warmer days.
Connie :)
Lucky you, we got no snow in central Texas. Plenty of cold but no moisture. Sigh. Had to fix my mother-in-law's pipe yesterday. Fortunately it was just an outdoor spigot that broke and we were there celebrating a late Christmas. The guys were able to take care of it in no time. I'm glad you didn't have any damage! Funny to think we'll be back into the 70's midweek.
ReplyDeleteI did not know that about the pipes and which faucet to leave dripping. We've had the pipes freeze once since we moved here. It's a pain. Sure is pretty there where you live, and I love those boots!
ReplyDeleteThe snow makes for beautiful pictures, even if it needs no shower for a few days! I prefer baths anyway ;)
ReplyDeleteThat looks very chilly. We're getting that soon from Northern Europe according to the forecast. In Britain it's our outside taps that freeze. We need to turn off the water so the pipes don't burst.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting, my first day visiting your blog! It looks so magical where you are, Sugar, and those boots look so snug. Thanks for the plumbing tip, we hardly ever have snow on our island but when we do, I'll amaze hubby with my knowledge about dripping from the right tap!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry your pipes froze. Your snowy pictures look magical. We got a little here but not very much. I love a good snow day.
ReplyDelete