# The cold is here.



## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

This is how it looks when you are away for the winter and the furnace goes out and no one notices right away. It was -22°F this morning and it says -32°F as a low on Tuesday (not with any wind chill factor).









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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Looks like someone wanted to save a plumber to winterize the place. They also saved 30$ of plumbing antifreeze.

How did they find out to call you?


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

Tango said:


> Looks like someone wanted to save a plumber to winterize the place. They also saved 30$ of plumbing antifreeze.
> 
> 
> 
> How did they find out to call you?


I have no idea how they found us. I was told that for the last few years the lady has been going away for the winter. A friend of hers was stopping by to water the plants and discovered the cold house and that one of the 3 toilets had cracked the tank because it was frozen solid. I pulled the meter off and pulled the 3 toilets in case any of the other toilets could be saved. The water heater also had the power turned off to it so I was afraid it had frozen too but I could drain it so it was not frozen solid. There were 2 burst copper pipes in the mechanical room but the rest of the house is PEX so I'm hoping we won't be chasing down leaks in walls on Monday when we can get back in and turn on the water.

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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Oh so the water was on all the time? If so she was lucky not to have an indoor skating rink, but then when it melts that's when you'll find a bunch of burst pipe and soggy ceilings.


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

Tango said:


> Oh so the water was on all the time? If so she was lucky not to have an indoor skating rink, but then when it melts that's when you'll find a bunch of burst pipe and soggy ceilings.


No she knew enough to shut the water off. But if you leave for the whole winter in a place that sees -40°F You most definitely need to winterize the house. Both me and the heating guy that had been there earlier suggested installing some alarm system that could tell her on her phone if there was water or if the temperature got too low. It's one thing to be gone for a week or two and another thing to be gone for the season. I also didn't like that she had turned off the water heater. Unless I'm mistaken that cold stale water could grow bacteria and be a health risk.

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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

The Dane said:


> I also didn't like that she had turned off the water heater. Unless I'm mistaken that cold stale water could grow bacteria and be a health risk.
> 
> Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk



I shut down my water heater when I go away. I's a rarity but it could turn to steam if the T/P fails and blow up.

When you turn it back on the heat will kill the bacteria, it will take longer. I saw a chart from a magazine showing the time it take to kill bacteria. Anyway the pipes are always cooler even when the heater is in use so there will be bacteria all the time.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

You can make a lot of cash when it gets cold like this,,, but I am pretty much over doing frozen pipes all day long for snowbirds who dont have the sense to winterize their homes when they leave town.....

Here is a good story for you... I Just talked to someone yesterday that I installed a new sump pump and new line in for...... their mother had just died and they were lucky that the basement of this vacant house did not flood out...

She claimed she was watching a home for a realtive while they were gone to florida for the winter and he gets a 500 dollar bill from the water company.... :surprise: 

I guess she never went down into the basement when she came over and now she finds about 4 feet of water when she goes to look around for a leak... Their was a bad smell in the basement because The freezer had flipped over in the water and spilled out its contents which included his frozen dog which he wanted to have buried with him some day.... Here is this large dog floating around stinking to high heaven I guess they pumped out the basement and gave the dog a decent funeral in the back yard.....:vs_laugh::vs_laugh:


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

That makes sense to keep the dead dog beside the hot dog wieners and ice cream. :vs_OMG:

Awesome story story Mark!


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

I have seen some frozen messes over the years, and when people ask how much to fix , I tell them to write a big check as a deposit to start and its unknown till all the damage is found...if your busy freeze jobs just take up too much time, if your slow its a home run and insurance usually pays back the home owner..
I did one for a customer who had a rental house, I just put a new heating system in 2 months prior to winter, the tenant goes to florida for a week and didnt want to pay for natural gas to heat the house when he was away and turned off the heat:surprise:..well it dropped way below freezing for an extended time, finally the neighbor called my customer saying the fire alarm was going off...yeah from the steam of all the hot water coming out of all the busted pipes and radiators, I always fed my boilers with hot water and also installed a new takagi tankless with the new boiler, so it was feeding hot water into the boiler and then leaking out..I think that saved the boiler and heater from freezing solid and destroying them. luckily the basement wasnt finished, but all the cast radiators split opened and leaked on the first floor or all new laminate flooring that was now about an inch thick soaked with water..
insurance paid for most of it and then he back charged tenant the difference and in spring got rid of tenant and rents to his daughter now..


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Frozen pipes! Look at my latest soap posts. Looks like it should be charity work if you ask them.

https://www.plumbingzone.com/f7/adventures-soap-opera-80969/index43/#post1195750

https://www.plumbingzone.com/f7/adventures-soap-opera-80969/index43/#post1194904


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Monday I woke up to -20, only had two frozen lines. Wednesday it was up to 40 and had eight burst lines.


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## roving plumber (Apr 25, 2011)

My good friend who is a builder in North Dakota almost had this happen, luckily they had put in a wi-fi themostat. They checked it when they were away for christmas and noticed the house was colder than it should be, he called up a guy that works for him to check it and discovered the furnace was down. I'm not too big on those stats myself but it saved them some headaches.


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

roving plumber said:


> My good friend who is a builder in North Dakota almost had this happen, luckily they had put in a wi-fi themostat. They checked it when they were away for christmas and noticed the house was colder than it should be, he called up a guy that works for him to check it and discovered the furnace was down. I'm not too big on those stats myself but it saved them some headaches.


I don't think any better or worse about those thermostats in everyday life but they sure are worth it in a case like your friends where they can save you big money in avoiding a total freeze up of the house.

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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

roving plumber said:


> My good friend who is a builder in North Dakota almost had this happen, luckily they had put in a wi-fi themostat. They checked it when they were away for christmas and noticed the house was colder than it should be, he called up a guy that works for him to check it and discovered the furnace was down. I'm not too big on those stats myself but it saved them some headaches.



if you have an alarm system you can get a temp sensor that will alert the alarm company and in return they call you to let you know the house is below proper temp..


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Years ago I took care of all the pizza huts around town. They closed one and it had sat vacant for a few years. One cold winter someone noticed water running out of the walls and called one of the other restaurants. I show up and meet one of the managers. 

After shutting off the water we discovered the AA batteries in the thermostat had died. Ended up finding about 8 bursts including the meter. 

The cool thing is ended up with a couple of sets of Pzza Hut pans. The manager said when a pan is tossed they are supposed to destroy them. Apparently they have a patent on them and company policy say they are not to leave the company unless destroyed.

Went home that day and looked them up on eBay. Tons of them for sale.


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> if you have an alarm system you can get a temp sensor that will alert the alarm company and in return they call you to let you know the house is below proper temp..


I don't think most people here have an alarm system. I have seen an alarm you can put on the sump pump that will send you a text message and email in case your water level rises too high and it also had an add on temp sensor to know if the furnace died out. If you lose WiFi it will send a text message through cell signal so if the pump or furnace is not running because you lost power it will still be able to warn you because it also has a battery. I believe it is the liberty pump night eye alarm.

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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

The Dane said:


> I don't think most people here have an alarm system. I have seen an alarm you can put on the sump pump that will send you a text message and email in case your water level rises too high and it also had an add on temp sensor to know if the furnace died out. If you lose WiFi it will send a text message through cell signal so if the pump or furnace is not running because you lost power it will still be able to warn you because it also has a battery. I believe it is the liberty pump night eye alarm.
> 
> Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk



now that all these wireless devices are available thats probably the easier answer, till it gets hacked into like all the nest doorbells ...and it puts everyone in a panic..
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...__trashed-4/&usg=AOvVaw24ZIQF0w1ZyGe_YNGoJPoD


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

Like I said in a different thread. It's going to be -40F here tonight and with wind chill it will feel like -65F. No you did not read that the wrong way, it's below zero. It's so cold here that this is what my bedroom window looks like. Oh and did I say that it's currently warmer on the south pole than it is up here in NW Minnesota.









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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

The Dane said:


> Like I said in a different thread. It's going to be -40F here tonight and with wind chill it will feel like -65F. No you did not read that the wrong way, it's below zero. It's so cold here that this is what my bedroom window looks like.
> 
> Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk


Why is it so cold, are you like in the prairies or something? I haven't experienced those temperatures since my home town. Maybe the winds from the great lakes.

I have that kind of ice in my back windows and I will be replacing them this year. The 2 front windows are done. It was tough doing one of the two alone.


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

Tango said:


> Why is it so cold, are you like in the prairies or something? I haven't experienced those temperatures since my home town.
> 
> I have that kind of ice in my back windows and I will be replacing them this year. The 2 front windows are done. It was tough doing one of the two alone.


I believe it's so abnormally cold right now because of a polar vortex. My house is 100 years old and decently insulated and the Windows are not too old the Windows does not need replacement. I'm glad we have not lost power here. I hear that several towns up here have lost power because above ground power lines have snapped because of the cold. I'm not out on the country side, I'm right in the middle of a small town of 1500 people so big enough not to be too windy and cold. If the Windows had needed replacement then trust me I would have done so. I'm pretty handy and am always doing some new project around the house.
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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

The Dane said:


> Like I said in a different thread. It's going to be -40F here tonight and with wind chill it will feel like -65F. No you did not read that the wrong way, it's below zero. It's so cold here that this is what my bedroom window looks like. Oh and did I say that it's currently warmer on the south pole than it is up here in NW Minnesota.
> 
> 
> Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk


If I may suggest something, use heat shrink plastic for windows it will make a big difference, it will be less cold and less accumulation of ice until you can replace the old ones. I use comfort plus film in mine. My new windows don't ice but they sweat and puddle at the bottom it saturates a rag quickly.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-Indoor-Window-Insulator-5-Window/dp/B00002NCJI


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

Tango said:


> If I may suggest something, use heat shrink plastic for windows it will make a big difference, it will be less cold and less accumulation of ice until you can replace the old ones. I use comfort plus film in mine. My new windows don't ice but they sweat and puddle at the bottom it saturates a rag quickly.
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/3M-Indoor-Window-Insulator-5-Window/dp/B00002NCJI


My Windows are probably around 15 years old and not top quality but ok and normally there might on occupation be a small hint of ice but not much and only on the coldest days but right now is extra bad. I have heard about the plastic on Windows but thought it was more of a thing for old leaky Windows. Our kids would probably just peel that plastic off and play with it.

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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

The Dane said:


> My Windows are probably around 15 years old and not top quality but ok and normally there might on occupation be a small hint of ice but not much and only on the coldest days but right now is extra bad. I have heard about the plastic on Windows but thought it was more of a thing for old leaky Windows. Our kids would probably just peel that plastic off and play with it.
> 
> Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk


It creates an extra layer and buffer so theres less contrast of warm and cold air to cause condensation. I'm enticed to put plastic on the new windows I put in in November! I need to find a solution to capture all that puddling water at the base of the window.

The back kitchen window would get ripped instantly as the cat clawed her way to the sill to watch me work outside. I had left over thick protectors from my poster rack so now she can't claw through that one.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

I certainly can’t complain as much as some of you. We called today off, pushing our jobs to tomorrow.... not that it’s going to be much warmer... 

Garbage trucks call it off, obviously no school, state and city is closed, the Red Cross where my wife works is closed, USPS closed....

Watching the news you’d think this is the coldest on record.... growing up in the mountains of Connecticut I remember working at the gas station and having to measure the gas tanks in -20 not counting windchill.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> I certainly can’t complain as much as some of you. We called today off, pushing our jobs to tomorrow.... not that it’s going to be much warmer...
> 
> Garbage trucks call it off, obviously no school, state and city is closed, the Red Cross where my wife works is closed, USPS closed....
> 
> Watching the news you’d think this is the coldest on record.... growing up in the mountains of Connecticut I remember working at the gas station and having to measure the gas tanks in -20 not counting windchill.


They closed everything at -2F, or am I reading this wrong?


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

In order to shut down schools in my area it has to be -35C or -31F

The kids are let loose in the rec yard down to -25C or -13F
Below that temperature they play inside.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Tango said:


> They closed everything at -2F, or am I reading this wrong?


Nope, you read it right. Tomorrow is a high of +2F my money’s on no school tomorrow too which leaves the school with only one day left before they have to start making up days at the end of the year.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> Nope, you read it right. Tomorrow is a high of +2F my money’s on no school tomorrow too which leaves the school with only one day left before they have to start making up days at the end of the year.


Wow that is a serious contrast, -2F is somewhat an average temperature for us. Sure it's cold if you stay out all day though. The kids would love it to be missing 2-3 days of school each week!

At -4F like this morning I go out and put the garbage out in my gym shorts and a jacket. I take the snow off the trucks and put the cat out into her catio. longer than 10-15 minutes out I'll put some pants on!:wink:

It amazes me women who wear skirts in that temperature to go to work! :vs_whistle:


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

The Dane said:


> I believe it's so abnormally cold right now because of a polar vortex. My house is 100 years old and decently insulated and the Windows are not too old the Windows does not need replacement. I'm glad we have not lost power here. I hear that several towns up here have lost power because above ground power lines have snapped because of the cold. I'm not out on the country side, I'm right in the middle of a small town of 1500 people so big enough not to be too windy and cold. If the Windows had needed replacement then trust me I would have done so. I'm pretty handy and am always doing some new project around the house.
> Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk



time to put a wood stove in..nothing more toasty than wood heat...I use it to supplement the baseboard...and the wood is free for the most part, and I like the smell and to see the flames through the glass door..


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

Tango said:


> Wow that is a serious contrast, -2F is somewhat an average temperature for us. Sure it's cold if you stay out all day though. The kids would love it to be missing 2-3 days of school each week!
> 
> At -4F like this morning I go out and put the garbage out in my gym shorts and a jacket. I take the snow off the trucks and put the cat out into her catio. longer than 10-15 minutes out I'll put some pants on!:wink:
> 
> It amazes me women who wear skirts in that temperature to go to work! :vs_whistle:


 if you live in a constant cold climate your body acclimates to the cold and you dont feel it as much..just ask Tommy P..after moving to florida 70 degrees he probably has a jacket on, if he was still upstate he would have a tee shirt on..
as far as the women wearing skirts in that temp, they have a little burning fire between their legs to keep them warm..:vs_laugh::vs_laugh:


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> if you live in a constant cold climate your body acclimates to the cold and you dont feel it as much..just ask Tommy P..after moving to florida 70 degrees he probably has a jacket on, if he was still upstate he would have a tee shirt on..
> as far as the women wearing skirts in that temp, they have a little burning fire between their legs to keep them warm..:vs_laugh::vs_laugh:


Yep when we went to Portugal(Port of the Grail). A little bit of Knights templar knowledge by the way. As high school graduates we were wearing shorts, t-shirts and some in pants while the locals had feather winter jackets and hats.

We sure stood out as tourists! We went to the water park slides at one point and we were the only ones there with a few others!


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> time to put a wood stove in..nothing more toasty than wood heat...I use it to supplement the baseboard...and the wood is free for the most part, and I like the smell and to see the flames through the glass door..


My dad is a chimney sweeper so I have seen many of them and we had one in our house when growing up. They are cozy and nice to have. I don't have the money to get one in and don't really want one either because the parts of the house that gets cold are furthest from where that stove wood be. I actually have a big old built in fireplace but unfortunately I can't use it. It's a metal insert deal that they put in and build the brick chimney around it on the outside of the house. When in use it has air registers on the side that through natural convection pulls in air from the room and it goes around the hot sides of the fireplace and up and out through an air register on top to circulate air. The bad part is that the metal between the fire side and the air flow side is corroded through so if I lite a fire I will get the smoke in the house. It's too expensive to attempt to fix and the only way of replacing it is to demo the brick chimney and pulls it out the back. With all that we just let it be the way it is and not use it.

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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

The Dane said:


> My dad is a chimney sweeper so I have seen many of them and we had one in our house when growing up. They are cozy and nice to have. I don't have the money to get one in and don't really want one either because the parts of the house that gets cold are furthest from where that stove wood be. I actually have a big old built in fireplace but unfortunately I can't use it. It's a metal insert deal that they put in and build the brick chimney around it on the outside of the house. When in use it has air registers on the side that through natural convection pulls in air from the room and it goes around the hot sides of the fireplace and up and out through an air register on top to circulate air. The bad part is that the metal between the fire side and the air flow side is corroded through so if I lite a fire I will get the smoke in the house. It's too expensive to attempt to fix and the only way of replacing it is to demo the brick chimney and pulls it out the back. With all that we just let it be the way it is and not use it.
> 
> Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk



actually you can put a stove insert in the fireplace and run a 6 inch stainless chimney through the existing fireplace chimney , the inserts come with a fan to blow the hot air out, but they cost about what a wood stove does..check out northern tools for wood heating equipment they are reasonably priced..


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

https://www.wlns.com/news/accidents...1WxJF6FnJkegZ04OTm7ZG8J-50Qo2XRrtTwmf8HWy9zJw


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> actually you can put a stove insert in the fireplace and run a 6 inch stainless chimney through the existing fireplace chimney , the inserts come with a fan to blow the hot air out, but they cost about what a wood stove does..check out northern tools for wood heating equipment they are reasonably priced..


I took a look at it for the fun of it and it looks great. Now here comes the part where I tell you it is located in a smaller area that is a built out from the rest of the house and was meant as a sitting area. The sitting area is long and narrow with 2 big open archway. The area was split right in the middle of the dining room and the living room and was open to both but since we could not use the fireplace I closed off the archway to the dining room and closed off the archway to the living room with a double French door. So if I tried to fit a stove in now the area that is now a sewing room for my wife would get way too hot.

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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Talked with my Master a few minutes ago... probably not working tomorrow either. Sun is melting the snow and instantly making the roads ice. Too cold for salt to work... for me, it’s a welcomed break. 

No work tomorrow means an all grain brew day on my enclosed front porch!


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

OpenSights said:


> Talked with my Master a few minutes ago... probably not working tomorrow either. Sun is melting the snow and instantly making the roads ice. Too cold for salt to work... for me, it’s a welcomed break.
> 
> 
> 
> No work tomorrow means an all grain brew day on my enclosed front porch!


Tuesday morning I got a text that the boss thought I should just stay put and I welcomed it and then that turned in to today also. Taking 2 vacation days is ok but I would rather not use more days. 

Well here I am in bed sick since noon with a fever and a sore throat. I'm hoping to feel well enough by tomorrow. But it's not really looking like it.

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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

The Dane said:


> Tuesday morning I got a text that the boss thought I should just stay put and I welcomed it and then that turned in to today also. Taking 2 vacation days is ok but I would rather not use more days.
> 
> Well here I am in bed sick since noon with a fever and a sore throat. I'm hoping to feel well enough by tomorrow. But it's not really looking like it.
> 
> Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk


When I go down, I usually go down hard! Feel better soon!

I’m actually welcoming the break. My back is still swollen, much better now that it’s been about a week since I hauled a heater up the stairs!

Two drain calls today... sorry. Both LL’s, thankfully understanding.


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## Dat dude (Oct 30, 2018)

Ive been reading through all these commets on this post since it started and I have to say, I am so RESPECTFUL to all you plumbers that live in the North. I don’t know how you do it! 

In C FL it got to 50 briefly today and our customer asked me if his water heater blew because of the drop in temperature LOL. 

But seriously, a FL plumber has it easy compared to what yall deal with. Mad respect!


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Dat dude said:


> Ive been reading through all these commets on this post since it started and I have to say, I am so RESPECTFUL to all you plumbers that live in the North. I don’t know how you do it!
> 
> In C FL it got to 50 briefly today and our customer asked me if his water heater blew because of the drop in temperature LOL.
> 
> But seriously, a FL plumber has it easy compared to what yall deal with. Mad respect!


But you suckers need to deal with cpvc all the time. In my book that’s an even trade.


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## Debo22 (Feb 15, 2015)

How about posting some snow pictures for us guys in the warm climates


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Debo22 said:


> How about posting some snow pictures for us guys in the warm climates


White out visibility about 150’ Tuesday. With the right truck, these days are fun when you take the back roads! Having true four wheel drive is a game changer!


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

I deal with frozen equipment to frozen fingers but you guys down south have to deal with tornadoes and hurricanes. That's an eye opener. We did get a tornado last fall and ruined a whole block of buildings.

I'll get you some pics Debo

The snowblower... 












The cat just chillin


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

This is how it looked 1 month ago.
I do have a picture of my frozen face with icy beard from a time I was snow blowing if you guys are interested.









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## 89plumbum (May 14, 2011)

Tango said:


> I deal with frozen equipment to frozen fingers but you guys down south have to deal with tornadoes and hurricanes. That's an eye opener. We did get a tornado last fall and ruined a whole block of buildings.
> 
> I'll get you some pics Debo
> 
> ...


Cats have the life!


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

The Dane said:


> This is how it looked 1 month ago.
> I do have a picture of my frozen face with icy beard from a time I was snow blowing if you guys are interested.
> 
> Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk


Of course we want to see! We'll frame the beard beside the yeti!


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

its 1 degree on my thermometer now and about 3/4 inch of snow on the ground....time to put another log in the wood stove and go for a second cup of coffee before doing not much today...


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Our gas company had a fire at a compressor center SE Michigan, so they’re asking everyone to turn their thermostats down to 65F or below. Now the gas company is threatening brief shutdowns!

http://99wfmk.com/consumers-goes-from-asking-to-threatening/


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## Toli (Nov 7, 2015)

-20F the last two mornings here. One guy out because he has no power at his house. Good times.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Debo22 said:


> How about posting some snow pictures for us guys in the warm climates


*Just for you....and everyone else. I almost got frost bit taking these pictures this morning, when it's -20 and sunny it's bearable but today with the wind you can get frostbite within minutes.*














*If you don't plug in the block heater, battery blanket warmer or oil pan heater on your old truck it won't start!*












*Let's have a back yard BBQ! We do use it in the winter.*












*I took off about 2 foot of snow from the roof the other day. Most houses don't need too because their attics aren't very insulated and the snow melts a little. I on the other hand I added around 1600 pounds of cellulose insulation in my attic. I have to remove the snow or else the weight might collapse the roof and walls. Flat roofs are also prone and every year we see some collapsing. *












*At the church*













*Rabbit tracks at the church*












*No picnic today*





















*The sidewalk and the teacher's cars at work*


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Tango, looks like some winters back in Connecticut when I was a teenager. We lived on a mountain, my aunt lived at the base of the mountain just under ten miles away. When she got 10” of snow, we got 3’. Summer and winter we were always 10-15F colder than her.


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## GAN (Jul 10, 2012)

Tango said:


> Wow that is a serious contrast, -2F is somewhat an average temperature for us. Sure it's cold if you stay out all day though. The kids would love it to be missing 2-3 days of school each week!
> 
> At -4F like this morning I go out and put the garbage out in my gym shorts and a jacket. I take the snow off the trucks and put the cat out into her catio. longer than 10-15 minutes out I'll put some pants on!:wink:
> 
> It amazes me women who wear skirts in that temperature to go to work! :vs_whistle:



Just try wearing a kilt a few times like I do. Ah such freedom.


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

OpenSights said:


> Our gas company had a fire at a compressor center SE Michigan, so they’re asking everyone to turn their thermostats down to 65F or below. Now the gas company is threatening brief shutdowns!
> 
> http://99wfmk.com/consumers-goes-from-asking-to-threatening/



older houses were all built with a fireplace or wood stove as a supplemental heating and cooking source , newer houses are not built with that in mind..thinking the utilities will never fail..bull$hit...the same goes for electricity ..many suburban or in the sticks people have generators or now with technology, solar or wind power, so when the utilities fail..life goes on and doesnt become dangerous...people have become lazy and dependent on big utilities or government to keep them going..and in many large natural disasters in the last few decades has proven you are on your own...


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

Ok here is my ugly frozen mug.









Sent from my BLN-L24 using Tapatalk


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## Toli (Nov 7, 2015)

Fix, thaw, repeat.


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## mtfallsmikey (Jan 11, 2010)

I remember those heady days of freeze repairs, thawing gelled-up oils lines to furnaces, stuck LP regulators... don't miss it at all.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

ShtRnsdownhill said:


> older houses were all built with a fireplace or wood stove as a supplemental heating and cooking source , newer houses are not built with that in mind..thinking the utilities will never fail..bull$hit...the same goes for electricity ..many suburban or in the sticks people have generators or now with technology, solar or wind power, so when the utilities fail..life goes on and doesnt become dangerous...people have become lazy and dependent on big utilities or government to keep them going..and in many large natural disasters in the last few decades has proven you are on your own...


My house, built in 1900 had two chimnies at one time. One has been taken down below the decking, the other is unusable. I’d love to add a wood furnace, but the layout is inpractical. Have plans, but time/money is the dictator.


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

OpenSights said:


> My house, built in 1900 had two chimnies at one time. One has been taken down below the decking, the other is unusable. I’d love to add a wood furnace, but the layout is inpractical. Have plans, but time/money is the dictator.


now double walled insulated stainless steel chimneys are used, much cheaper than brick and much much easier to install...


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

OpenSights said:


> Our gas company had a fire at a compressor center SE Michigan, so they’re asking everyone to turn their thermostats down to 65F or below. Now the gas company is threatening brief shutdowns!
> 
> http://99wfmk.com/consumers-goes-from-asking-to-threatening/





https://www.marketwatch.com/story/g...n-amid-natural-gas-shortage-report-2019-01-30


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## ShtRnsdownhill (Jan 13, 2016)

ok this lady makes you guys sound like wimps....
https://www.foxnews.com/us/michigan...ing-her-driveway-in-freezing-temps-goes-viral


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

Keep your damn warm weather down south because it crossed illegally into Canada mixing with cold air to cause a major snow storm. I haven't seen this much snow since I saw a little kid! It didn't look like much until I went outside and saw what I was against.

I had a job this morning and I had to snow blow because the side walk mini plow made a 3 foot snow bank and only 4x4 and a few cars were able to travel the road through deep snow. I had HD all to myself, I was alone and the employees were chatting among themselves, it was eerily quiet

When I came back from the job it took 4 hours to snow blow 4-5 times the driveway and to remove only the back side of the house! The pile of snow when I pulled it off at one point was 6" from the roof. That's 8' of snow on my back deck! I had to wrangle the snowblower on the deck or I wasn't going back inside the house.

The slide is home made as I couldn't Import the real thing so I made my own with a crazy carpet, metal frame, wheels and EMT pipe.

As I'm typing this the snow plow just made a pass on the street, now I have to go back outside to snow blow the 2 foot snow bank. grrrr

To recuperate I'll be taking a 2 day nap now...


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Tango said:


> Keep your damn warm weather down south because it crossed illegally into Canada mixing with cold air to cause a major snow storm. I haven't seen this much snow since I saw a little kid! It didn't look like much until I went outside and saw what I was against.
> 
> I had a job this morning and I had to snow blow because the side walk mini plow made a 3 foot snow bank and only 4x4 and a few cars were able to travel the road through deep snow. I had HD all to myself, I was alone and the employees were chatting among themselves, it was eerily quiet
> 
> ...




Back in ‘93 When I was a freshman we live at the top of mountain, my aunt lived about five miles away at the bottom of the mountain. Had a week off from school. Three days straight of snow. First day we had 3’, next day 2’ 6” and the third day was two foot. My aunt got a total of a foot and a half! We didn’t have a snowblower at the time. I remember going out every two hours to shovel non stop for three days! Two hours of rest/sleep/eat, two hours of shoveling. After the first 24 hours I wanted to go back to school.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> Back in ‘93 When I was a freshman we live at the top of mountain, my aunt lived about five miles away at the bottom of the mountain. Had a week off from school. Three days straight of snow. First day we had 3’, next day 2’ 6” and the third day was two foot. My aunt got a total of a foot and a half! We didn’t have a snowblower at the time. I remember going out every two hours to shovel non stop for three days! Two hours of rest/sleep/eat, two hours of shoveling. After the first 24 hours I wanted to go back to school.


We had something like that a few years ago when I had my umbilical hernia surgery. Just a few days after the surgery the snow kept on coming like that my mother had taken the bus to take care of me but she couldn't keep up shoveling. I had to snow blow in stitches, I was afraid my guts would rip out. I made it and didn't have a choice but to do it.


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

Florida is full of snowbirds for a reason.


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

dhal22 said:


> Florida is full of snowbirds for a reason.


Until hurricane season....:devil3:


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

Remember your cat!


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

OpenSights said:


> Until hurricane season....:devil3:


 Six months of blizzard annually or once every 10 - 20 year hurricane?


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## OpenSights (Mar 23, 2015)

dhal22 said:


> Six months of blizzard annually or once every 10 - 20 year hurricane?


Snow and ice is just an excuse to take the day off. A hurricane destroys your house, same with fires in Kali.:wink:

That said, F winter! I say we send winter north to the Canadians! Maybe we need a three hundred foot wall with Canada! Take that Tango!:vs_laugh:


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

OpenSights said:


> That said, F winter! I say we send winter north to the Canadians! Maybe we need a three hundred foot wall with Canada! Take that Tango!:vs_laugh:


You can build walls but we are the White Walkers.


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## dhal22 (Jul 30, 2010)

I'm tired of winter here and it's going to be 65F today.


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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

dhal22 said:


> I'm tired of winter here and it's going to be 65F today.


Really? 65 F is the perfect temperature to work, any hotter than than 72F I consider it as a furnace. Fortunately I bring my milwaukee fan in customers houses. On big jobs I used to bring my own extension cord and a large commercial fan. All the bosses hated it but I let them angry and fume.


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## MACPLUMB777 (Jun 18, 2008)

I am sorry !
but down here in Houston, TEXAS it is a bright beautiful day supposed
to hit 75% and sunny, :biggrin:
this after a week of cloudy overcast skies


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## The Dane (Feb 19, 2015)

dhal22 said:


> I'm tired of winter here and it's going to be 65F today.


65 is no longer considered winter but rather a nice late spring day 

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## Tango (Jan 13, 2018)

This is what a Canadian BBQ looks like. :biggrin:


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## Venomthirst (Jun 20, 2018)

Tango said:


> This is what a Canadian BBQ looks like. <img src="http://www.plumbingzone.com/images/smilies/biggrin.png" border="0" alt="" title="Biggrin" class="inlineimg" />


I Agree in summer im soaked through my first shirt before I'm at first job.. I hate the heat that's why I live in an igloo


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