Potentially the longest thread in history...

[PP Mguire]

The situation is terrible down there in TX. This is like a 100yr freeze and peeps do not know how to deal with this! I am seeing news reports of folks getting into trouble with CO (carbon monoxide) poisoning because they do not know any better about using un-vented heating in their homes! The most pathetic thing about this ...is that the authorities knew this cold snap was coming and they did nothing in advance to prepare for it!

Lol no, you're giving some idiots too much credit. Most that have died from that left their car running in the garage. I know that sounds insanely harsh but it's a common thing people know. Can't argue about the last part, been screaming about that for days and I have had power. It's pathetic.

 

[Wallaby Dan]

Still here, No loss of electric and or gas. Our home has heat and water heater thats gas. The Furnace has had a hard time keeping up with the house being cold. We have our thermostat set on 76 and that has help kept the inside at or around 71. We will get a bigger bill for electric and gas. We do have a couple of water pipes that froze up on the other side of the house. North facing side of the house. Its both Hot and Cold water pipes. Anyway, still kicking. PP, Hope you are ok. Hang in there its supposed to start heating up tomorrow.

 

[PP Mguire]

Still here, No loss of electric and or gas. Our home has heat and water heater thats gas. The Furnace has had a hard time keeping up with the house being cold. We have our thermostat set on 76 and that has help kept the inside at or around 71. We will get a bigger bill for electric and gas. We do have a couple of water pipes that froze up on the other side of the house. North facing side of the house. Its both Hot and Cold water pipes. Anyway, still kicking. PP, Hope you are ok. Hang in there its supposed to start heating up tomorrow.

We're good. Water flowing at about 60% now and I'm trying to heat up the last 3 pipes that froze. We too have gas for furnace, water heater, and even fireplace so we stayed warm. A whoooole lot of people on social media real pissed at PUC, Railroad Commission, and ERCOT right now. Where was this outrage 10 years ago

 

[Wallaby Dan]

Yep, Where was they at when Texas let this go to the state voting? I am sure folks maybe voted for this system we now am stuck with.

 

[Wallaby Dan]

With help i was able to start the truck and i played in the snow for a bit. I was smart to plug my trickle charger into the truck. I still needed a shot of ether to get it to start. Poor old copper edition truck!

 

[strollin]

If the electric is off, will your furnace still function? Ours has a blower as well as electronic ignition which require electricity. Our water heater has an electronic ignition and so does our gas fireplace. The water heater and fireplace can probably be lit manually with a match although I've never tried.

 

[PP Mguire]

If the electric is off, will your furnace still function? Ours has a blower as well as electronic ignition which require electricity. Our water heater has an electronic ignition and so does our gas fireplace. The water heater and fireplace can probably be lit manually with a match although I've never tried.

Furnace and heater are electric, the fireplace you light manually because it's technically only a log starter. I've kept it on for days though because it lets the furnace cycle. Our computers in the game room just idling have kept the chill off.

We are back to 100% as of now (at least at my house). I played it smart, but a lot of neighbors are having burst pipes and plumbers are double OT right now. Kept space heaters near the walls of the pipes running the outside wall. Had no water on the lines running that wall but still had hot to the kitchen (with no cold). Told the landlord about it and he came. He didn't understand shit, even asked me for advice being a previous home owner (lol). I said here's what we'll do, we turn the water off until it heats back up to escape the inevitable leakage in case of a break. If the wheel on the meter doesn't spin there's no leak, if it does turn it off and call a plumber since it'll only be in 1 of 3 areas. He said how do we know where the leak is? I said easy. If it's kitchen, it'll come from under the cabinets and soak the floor. If it's the washer lines it'll soak the drywall like a roof leak. Then he got it and agreed. Couple hours later I turned the water on to fill the toilets and voila, water to all areas and no leaks. As an added bonus, pressure is back to 100%. Still under a boil notice but I'll take it.

 

[Wallaby Dan]

That Boil water is the reason i have a ro unit. So far no waterlines busted but two are frozen. No leaks, yet

 

[Wallaby Dan]

PPMguire, How you doing? We lost our electric for a bit but it came back on. Its 29 here and not even afternoon yet. A lot of the white stuff seems to be melting. Looks like some kind of plow came through here. Have to wait to see if the water is still frozen on the other side of the house.

 

[PP Mguire]

PPMguire, How you doing? We lost our electric for a bit but it came back on. Its 29 here and not even afternoon yet. A lot of the white stuff seems to be melting. Looks like some kind of plow came through here. Have to wait to see if the water is still frozen on the other side of the house.

Doing ok. Missus was forced to go into work even though pipes broke in her building downtown. We have full water pressure and I'm just waiting for the boil notice to go away so I can shower. Now we have other things to contend with.

Extra chlorine in the system due to a powerful shock treatment (I'm guessing) in the water. Milky water due to air. Both making skin very dry causing my skin which was already dry to crack.

Co-op power company is enacting PCRF (power cost recovery factor) which I KNEW would fucking happen. ERCOT won't pay for their own bullshit, they're just going to overcharge residents who probably used their residual income to just survive on overpriced cases of water and blankets. An Austin resident has already been charged 450 bucks for 1 day of power use. Be prepared to get gang raped in utility bills buddy.

To make matters worse, Dallas CDNs and datacenters are getting screwy because of backup power failing soooo internet is also hit and miss.