THIS IS FROM A HEATING AND COOLING CO. in INDIANA

[elleng]

We are expecting the coldest weather we have faced in over 20 years Sunday night through Tuesday night with w...ind chill temperatures of up to -40 degrees. Please read the information below to assist you in preparing your heating and plumbing for this extreme weather. Set your thermostat a few degrees higher to build up some warmth BEFORE the extreme temperature arrives. You can expect your furnace to run constantly until the outside temperature returns to a seasonal average. Your furnace is designed to keep your home comfortably warm for average weather conditions. The extreme weather that we are expecting will cause your furnace to work its hardest. It may not keep your inside temperature to the set-point because of the huge temperature difference between indoors and outdoors. You may need to put on a few more layers until the extreme weather is over. (Layering covers on your bed will keep you warmer at night also.) For Heat Pumps: Please do NOT switch your thermostat to the Emergency Heat setting. It will turn off the outdoor unit and provide less heat. Shut the registers in unused rooms only if they do not have plumbing. Close the doors to those rooms also. Close the dampers on your fireplace only if it is NOT in use. Use towels at the base of your outside doors to lessen the entry of cold air. Keep your garage door closed. If you have plumbing in the garage, provide heat to that area if possible. Close your crawlspace vents and access holes. Open cabinet doors for all plumbing fixtures located on the outside wall. Leave the water running in a small stream when plumbing fixtures are located on an outside wall. NOTE: If you are leaving for an extended period of time, turn the water off to your home and shut off the power supply to the water heater. If your washer is located on an outside wall, add a small amount of anti-freeze to the trap and monitor it while in use during this extreme cold. Locate your water shut-off valve now in case you experience a burst pipe. PASS IT ON!

[NYC_SKP]

1. Recommended. Pass it on!!!

Anti-freeze in the plumbing drain traps, that's brilliant!

Thanks, elleng!

[mythology]

2. Good advice

[Berlum]

3. and don't take this information lightly

Serious business is at hand...

[Squinch]

17. That is very, very sad.

[DeadLetterOffice]

23. I don't know...

...the Porsche-sicle is kind of poetic, really...

[Owl]

26. A burst sprinkler system?

[elehhhhna]

31. water leak form the interior (see insulation hanging)

and more than a busted hot water heater. It leaked for a few days at least.

[LuckyLib]

33. Automatic icemaker did this to us once when we were on vacation. Flooded kitchen,

dining room, and down through wood floors to basement wood-working room. We never used the ice-maker again. And this was in May!

[Mariana]

39. We've had enough close calls that when we go on vacation

we just shut off the water to the house, no matter what time of year it is.

[NutmegYankee]

63. I do the same thing.

I always shut the isolation ball valve at the meter.

[murielm99]

69. We do that, too.

Even in the summer. One year, we had a running toilet, and did not know it. We came back to a couple of inches of water in the basement. We live in the country, so the septic tank was full. It cost us a lot of money to get things straightened out. It is easier to turn off the water.

[roguevalley]

36. I agree. I live in Alaska and fear for all of you. You MUST LISTEN TO THE INFO ON

WIND CHILL! It will kill you before you understand what is happening. Tell your kids that they cut off stuff that freezes if they want to go to school unprepared. PUT A KIT IN YOUR CAR of blankets, something to eat and have it with you. If you run off the road you won't die of hypothermia. UNDERSTAND.. you don't get second chances with the cold. It doesn't care. If you have to, make plans to bunk together in one location with your family until it passes. You can pool your heat and resources. I am so sorry this is happening to you in places that aren't up to it.

Take care.

[peacebird]

38. Very good advice! Thank you!

I had not thought of an emergency car kit, but will put one in tomorrow.

[roguevalley]

40. in a whire out it will save your life take care honey

[RC]

58. In Canada, for kids that take the bus to school,

there are shelters with windows, by the road for them to wait in. These shelters are sometimes even heated. I don't see them down here.

[greytdemocrat]

4. Anyone north of Atlanta...

IS DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!!!

[RKP5637]

5. Excellent advice !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! n/t

[truedelphi]

6. Thank you for posting this very good advice. I would add:

In attempting to keep warm, make sure that any small portable room heaters are continually monitored.

I have had three such devices since 1995. All were Underwriter Laboratory certified. None were ever set at extremely high settings.

Two caught FIRE and luckily I was in the room both times it occurred.

I now use only ceramic style portable heaters, no plastic ones, no matter how safe the hardware store person says they are. And I turn the ceram,ic heater off if I leave the room, even if I believe I will only be gone half a minute.

Keep this in mind when visiting older relatives. They are fond of these, as it means they think they don't have to heat the whole house. (When it is seriously cold outside, a person should be heating the whole house - otherwise pipes break.) If you can afford to replace any plastic heaters with ceramic ones, please do that for them.

[progressoid]

8. Yep. I had a heater catch fire two weeks ago.

It was only a couple years old too. There was no indication that it was failing, it just made a bzzzt sound and then the smoke and fire started! Now there's a small burn spot on my floor.

I NEVER left it on unattended.

[truedelphi]

9. Glad you were there when it happened.

One of my heaters was only FOUR MONTHS old!

You have to wonder how many fires are happening on account of these devices.

[catbyte]

12. A space heater is what caused the fire that took out much of Fifth Third Ballpark

here in Grand Rapids, MI yesterday. It destroyed the entire area along first base & 2 floors of luxury suites collapsed onto the Concourse. It's a real mess.

Everyone stay safe!

[truedelphi]

35. Yikes! Thinking of the Firefighters who had to respond, in all

That cold, makes me shiver.

I would hate to be a fire fighter in the winter. Can't think of anything worse than exposing yourself to dying in a blaze, while soaking wet and freezing.

[catbyte]

37. What made things worse was the sprinkler system was disabled because they were

renovating the suites, so the fire got a head start. They also discovered there weren't enough fire hydrants near the park, so firefighters had to haul those heavy hoses at least 1000 feet to where extra water was. Whitecaps management said they would comply with all fire department suggestions. It's a little late now, though.

[madinmaryland]

20. Don't forget to check your fire extinguisher(s). I checked my this afternoon and

all looks good. Smoke Detectors and carbon monoxide detectors have new batteries.

[Shandris]

7. I remember the winter he's talking about too (20+ years ago).

Hit -60 one night with wind chill, and I got my car stuck turning into my father's driveway! OMG was I cold. My father made me take a blanket out and cover the car's engine up, but...needless to say I didn't succeed at it. He was -not- amused.

It's going to be a cold one this week, fellow Hoosiers. Keep safe and keep warm; the world needs every last one of us. PS...if you see an outdoor animal, have a heart.

[Jackpine Radical]

10. We have a bathroom faucet that alwas freezes when it gets to -20ºF

or even -15 if the wind is right. On nights like tonight we leave a little water dripping from both the hot & cold sides. Since it is a single spout, we have to make sure that both hot & cold lines are contributing a little to the trickle. It takes very little water flow (just a drip) to keep a line from freezing. This is a method i learned as a kid in N. WI, where every winter would bring overnight temps in the -40 to -48 region, with the days not warming up over -25. There was no doubt about it. If we didn't leave the trickle of water in thekitchen sink, the supply lines would freeze. Broken pipes are not fun.

[Kaleva]

22. When I remodeled the house I'm sitting in right now...

I rerouted the water lines so that none were in exterior walls. The water lines to the upstairs bathroom are routed thru an interior wall.

[murielm99]

70. We have done some remodeling over the last few years.

We had the foundation of our old farmhouse sealed, and the crawlspace sealed. It would have been more fun to get a new kitchen or some other jazzy decorative items, but this has made a big difference.

[Kaleva]

71. Many people who remodel just do the cosmetic stuff and skip the important improvements.

I've worked in many homes that looked good to the eye but the plumbing, electrical and/or heating system was old as the hills and a nightmare to work on.

[spanone]

11. k&r...

[democrank]

13. K & R

Good advice

[babylonsister]

14. Thanks and shared! nt

[elleng]

16. You're a better friend than I, b'sis!

I saw it on FB and 'liked,' shared at DU and with family!!!

[Cha]

15. KICK!

[panader0]

18. This company deserves recognition. The tips they provided are a great PSA,

even though it will probably cost them some business.

[handmade34]

27. likely will earn them more business...

good PR and besides… I am sure the last thing the employees of that company want to do is head out to houses in the middle of a -20 night to fix water problems

[Paper Roses]

19. Thanks for this post. Having trouble figuring out:

Whether both hot and cold are dripping from my faucets. Tried last night---no burst pipes this AM. Does anyone know how to judge whether both hot and cold are dripping?

These next few days will be a challenge to all of us. I am concerned for this old house. Have several situations where pipes are on outside walls.

I know where my H2O shut off is but shiver at the thought of needing to use it. I have nowhere to go..neither does my kitty.

What do we do with gas fired H2O heaters if it is necessary to shut off the main water?

[jeff47]

30. Try shutting off the valves under the sink

If you turn off the hot valve under the sink, and the water stops, then you know which one is leaking.

But there's a host of problems your faucet could be having, so it may take shutting off both under-sink valves.

(Don't leave them turned off if you're worried about freezing. Just use it to identify if it's hot or cold dripping)

[Spitfire of ATJ]

21. If you have extra quilts, put them up on the windows....

And invite the dog under the blanket.

[PeoViejo]

59. Thus the term 3 Dog Night

...when it takes 3 Dogs under the blankets to stay warm.

[passiveporcupine]

24. Don't forget your washer hoses.

Old washer hoses can freeze and burst, especially if located on an outside wall. I knew a woman in happened to. Ruined some nice hardwood floors in her apartment.

[DeadLetterOffice]

25. K & R n/t

[jeff47]

28. Very important information about the antifreeze recomendation

They mentioned pouring antifreeze in traps on outside walls to keep them from freezing. If you do this, it is very important to use the correct antifreeze.

"Car" antifreeze, the green stuff, is ethylene glycol. It is toxic. Do not use it for this job, because you don't want to dump toxic chemicals into the sewer.

"RV" antifreeze, the pink stuff, is propylene glycol. It is not toxic. This is the antifreeze you want to use for this job.

[GreenPartyVoter]

32. Very good point. If you have pets and drip the wrong one on the floor, it will be a disaster!

[handmade34]

29. heat tape is your friend...

I have heat tape wrapped around pipes near the outdoors and a switch in my electrical box to turn it on… haven't had to use it in years though because I have insulated (considerably) around pipes…

stay safe and warm everyone!!

[BlueStreak]

34. When I was growing up in Indiana, we had a week of sub-zero temps EVERY January

The fact that we haven't had even one 24-hour period below zero in the past 10 years tells you something about the climate change.

The cold isn't a huge problem. But it is supposed to be very windy. That's where the real problems come.

[Jim Lane]

41. How do I locate my water shut-off valve?

Is it usually in the basement? What does it look like? Is there a way to verify that what I think is the right valve actually is the right valve (i.e., if I experimentally turn it, and the faucets all stop working, can I turn it back on without a problem?

If I do have to shut off the water, what (if anything) do I do about the boiler that heats water to heat the house?

Pardon the newbie questions, but I'm spending this cold spell in my late mother's house, where I have never lived. I'm an apartment dweller feeling quite out of my depth when it comes to this stuff. Thanks for any help anyone can give.

[elleng]

42. Jim Lane, I suggest you ask these important questions in a separate post,

begin a new thread for them. I have no answers, live in rental apartment and cottage where owners have answers to these questions.

Good luck.

[Kaleva]

47. Your boiler is a pressurized system so shutting off house water shouldn't affect it.

As for the water meter, look for something like this in your basement:

[NutmegYankee]

61. It should be next to your water meter.

Sometimes they are in the basement, other times out in the yard. Try looking for the supply pipe in the basement. There is usually a shutoff there near the basement wall.

[SCVDem]

43. This is your homes

I wonder how the infrastructure will hold up?

Burst water mains and the like.

Good luck to all!

[NutmegYankee]

62. They are deep enough to be below the frost line.

Residual ground warmth will keep them above freezing. It's normally a code requirement to bury the pipes below a certain depth. Homes in the north will also often have basements to eliminate the problem of Frost heaving. That latter phenomenon is no joke - it tears up the roads badly.

[nikto]

44. I live in Southern California and it's frikking COLD outside!!

It's only 48-degrees outside, a little after midnight.

Yikes!

I'll try to hang in there.


















(Going out for a little Maui Wowie right now--gotta' keep the inddors smoke-free)

[life long demo]

45. If I may add, also worried for any pets left outside and for the

strays. And any homeless people, who have no place to go.

[blkmusclmachine]

46. Good to know.

[Major Hogwash]

48. Pets need extra attention, too! Don't forget our furry friends!

This is really good advice, ellen.
Thanks for posting here, because this cold weather is no joke.

[Ilsa]

53. I'm curious: does anyone do anything different

to take care of a dog having to go outside to pee?

[debunkthis]

49. Great advice

thx for posting

[Bernardo de La Paz]

50. Any wood heating: use a Carbon MONOXIDE detector. Don't burn anything else.

Do not burn charcoal or anything else inside an enclosed structure: it will generate Carbon Monoxide. You can burn coal in specially designed coal heaters with proper exhaust and proper cleaning of the exhaust flues.

Make sure your wood fireplace draws well. Do not burn wood in anything except a properly designed and maintained wood stove or fireplace. Even then make sure your Carbon Monoxide detector is has good batteries and tests properly.

Do not run a generator inside a enclosed structure with humans, not even a garage. The exhaust contains deadly Carbon Monoxide.

Carbon Monoxide kills with no warning. You lose consciousness without realizing it and then there is no hope; you are dead and gone. It has no smell. It is colorless. It only takes very small quantities measured in parts per million to kill (OSHA limits exposure to 50 ppm).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_monoxide_poisoning

I didn't see these warnings in my scan of the thread.

[MaeScott]

51. K and R. Nt

[Enthusiast]

52. And take care of your fur babies!

[url=http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons.php][img][/img][/url] [url=http://www.freesmileys.org/emoticons.php][img][/img][/url]

[allan01]

54. wish u folks well

[truth2power]

55. For anyone who goes camping...if you have any sleeping bags stashed with your camping supplies..

get them out, unzip them and use them as blankets.

Surprising how warm they can keep you.

[Blanks]

56. If you have some exposed pipes...

Sometimes what you can do is put a drop light in a small confined area. It doesn't put off as much heat as a space heater and it won't protect to a really low temperature, but I used to have some pipes in my garage and if I put a light and a tarp over it, it meant the difference between not freezing and freezing. Incandescent bulbs put off a fair amount of heat, don't let the bulb come into contact with anything.

Small animals could be put inside a tub with the lid (sitting on top not fastened) and quite a lot of heat can be trapped inside such a small space with a light bulb. It's how I keep my baby chicks alive in the cold.

The smaller a space you can confine to heat - the better. When it gets cold I like to cover a table with a blanket put a space heater under it and pull the table up to the recliner. The rest of the room is cold, but I am not. This can be done when your heater is not adequately sized for the entire room. Electric blankets help in that regard as well. I do these things because I don't have central heat, but if you have central heat and it isn't keeping up it will make the difference between being cold and being comfortable.

I grew up in Idaho and when it got really cold - I learned very quickly that the smaller the space you heat, the more likely it is to stay warm.

Thanks to all those who pointed out the problems with space heaters. I had no idea they were that unsafe.

[seabeckind]

57. I too got this message from my HVAC guy.

When I bought this home the HVAC was 20 years old and was undersized to start with. Then because it wouldn't move air well enough, the owners added ducts. Compounding the problem.

My first step was to upgrade to a dual fuel high end system sized properly. Then I added insulation on the basement walls. Why in the world did they not have insulation? I know it's below grade but it's cold there too.

Anyway, my savings estimate is around $1000 a year. That means after 12 years the system has basically paid for itself and gives me a much smaller footprint.

Keep warm people.

[PatrynXX]

60. kinda waiting for it to happen

was supposed to be -7 last nit ended up being -1

temp was supposed to be falling thru out the day. it's 0 now. thats up not down. so unless I see blue sky soon we still have a cloud blanket on... (in Iowa) but great points

[Demeter]

64. Thanks, elleng!

Good basic advice. I'm stealing it for the condo association....

[rickford66]

65. two words .... passive solar

In 1982 we started building our passive solar envelope home in upstate NY. It has never gotten below 50 deg F. We burn less than two cords of wood a year. Most mornings it's about 60 after our last log added before midnight is finished. Adding more than one at night makes it too hot to sleep. Most of our neighbors are burning wood a couple months before and after we do. They also have air conditioning running most of the summer while we have none. We have a full house air exchanger which is important for tightly insulated homes. Older homes are tough to make really efficient, but anyone building new should investigate all options. There's much more available now than there was back in 1982. We would make a few different decisions if we were starting again, just as most owner builders would do, but we're very satisfied with how it's worked out for us, financially and environmentally but most importantly for comfort.

[elleng]

66. Sounds great.

Thanks and welcome.

Participate in this Group, please! http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1127

[treestar]

67. Calls for bullet points rather than one huge paragraph

Set your thermostat a few degrees higher to build up some warmth BEFORE the extreme temperature arrives. You can expect your furnace to run constantly until the outside temperature returns to a seasonal average. Your furnace is designed to keep your home comfortably warm for average weather conditions.

The extreme weather that we are expecting will cause your furnace to work its hardest. It may not keep your inside temperature to the set-point because of the huge temperature difference between indoors and outdoors. You may need to put on a few more layers until the extreme weather is over. (Layering covers on your bed will keep you warmer at night also.)

For Heat Pumps: Please do NOT switch your thermostat to the Emergency Heat setting. It will turn off the outdoor unit and provide less heat. Shut the registers in unused rooms only if they do not have plumbing. Close the doors to those rooms also.

Close the dampers on your fireplace only if it is NOT in use. Use towels at the base of your outside doors to lessen the entry of cold air.

Keep your garage door closed. If you have plumbing in the garage, provide heat to that area if possible.

Close your crawlspace vents and access holes.

Open cabinet doors for all plumbing fixtures located on the outside wall. Leave the water running in a small stream when plumbing fixtures are located on an outside wall.

NOTE: If you are leaving for an extended period of time, turn the water off to your home and shut off the power supply to the water heater.

If your washer is located on an outside wall, add a small amount of anti-freeze to the trap and monitor it while in use during this extreme cold. Locate your water shut-off valve now in case you experience a burst pipe.

PASS IT ON!

[niyad]

68. k and r