The bottom is about to fall out of our temperatures...
Thursday night it's getting down to 20 and possibly teens. We are hoping they are wrong, at least maybe by a few degrees the other direction, higher! But this is going to be a hard freeze, rare for us.
Last weekend, we bought foam pipe covers and some accompanying "T sections" and "elbows" to cover bends and turns in the system.
It was a bit on the cool side so I grabbed my gloves and headed to the back of the house.
And I spent a couple hours on Saturday crawling around under the house covering all the pipes.
I also wrapped the outside faucet and put this box over the wrapping. After this picture I put a couple of large rocks on top to keep it from blowing around.
I also got the two radiator type portable heaters ready for the kitchen and utility room so all I have to do is turn them on. We did this last year and it worked great, though we didn't have quite this hard of a freeze.
Then the other day, I thought of one more idea to help save the pipes:
I bought two of these. They are construction/worksite lights that are on a heavy duty cord. Each one holds five light bulbs in a cage and they use 150 watt bulbs. Of course, for the heat to come off the bulbs, we needed actual incandescent bulbs and not LED. I found some and also got some screw hooks. The plan is to put them under the house. I will drape them from the hooks, one strand plugged into the porch outlet on the front and the other from the porch outlet on the back. Those 10 bulbs should put out enough heat to keep the pipes from freezing.
Today, I am taking a 1/2 day off work and going to the farm to turn on the heaters, drip the water and put these under the house. Oh and no worries, our new plants/trees/bananas will all be inside in the kitchen and mudroom where the heat is.
And then we wait...
You have really prepared ... Wow!
ReplyDeleteHere in S. Colorado, it is supposed to go to -1° and tomorrow for the day: 7° - -4° !
🎄Merry Christmas!
The freeze is coming for us, too. I'm not looking forward to it. Florida houses are not built for cold weather. The heat pump can't keep up with temps dip below freezing. I have some space heaters and lots of blankets, so I should be okay.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Looks like and sounds like you are really getting prepared for the upcoming freezing temperatures.
ReplyDeleteSeveral customers came into Home Depot yesterday wanting faucet covers. Roger just told them that you should had came in last week and the 1st of this week cause we had a large box full of covers.
They sold out within a few minutes cause they knew what the weather was going to be like towards the week end. Then customers that came in yesterday got upset because they where all sold out.
We have a chance of rain, freezing drizzle and maybe a chance of a few snow flurries.
Everyone stay safe and stay warm.
I hope your preparations work well for you.
ReplyDeleteOur temps here in North/West Texas are predicted to drop into the teens for the highs on Thursday through Sunday with overnights in the below zero ranges. Just glad I am all stocked up and prepared to stay inside for the duration. Now, if our stupid Texas power grid will just hold together we should be able to survive. Stay warm, stay safe. And, most important, Merry Christmas.
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ReplyDeletewe are down to 12 and 13 F here in Mount Vernon WA ... colder than I ever remember it being when i lived here in this area in the early 70s. We are now old and have not been under this house so have no idea how well insulated pipes are... people working here have said it's probably all OK ... jeez I hate that amount of certainty!! We were talking today about having it all replumbed correctly (It seems to be from what we hear, kind of a patchwork down there) and then have heat tapes attached and then pipes insulated. Do you know of heat tapes? I used to use them here in WA, in the Pacific NW years back and never had a problem ... We may have this project done next year when days are longer and it's easier to get someone who can get under and do the work. Have a nice holiday!!! cll
You have prepped really well. You’re all ready for the Big Freeze.
ReplyDeleteThe central heat will keep my pipes alright. As long as our iffy Texas Grid doesn’t become the Texas Grinch. But I have a fireplace with plenty of firewood as a backup.
I have kumquat, lemon, grapefruit, and lime trees that survived the February 2021 Big Freeze (I covered them well). So covering all of them took a long time. Then I had to cover my vegetable garden. Fall-winter vegetables can withstand mid-20’s but not teens. All of this covering has to be anchored with bricks, so I definitely got my weight training done.
I’m going to make a big pot of chicken noodle soup tomorrow - always a comfort during cold weather.
Stay safe and warm!
We are under a freeze warning her in central Florida. There are a lot of homeless and people that live in cars. Little kids are out of school so no hot meals for a lot of them. It is to get in the 20's tonight, Sat. and Sunday nights. I sent my blankets, quilts and jacket that I don't need to my son's farm where he has a number of Migrants that need them. The thing is when it gets cold again, they will have lost them or traded them for something.
ReplyDeleteWill the wiring for LED, low voltage lights, carry high-voltage lights? The low for here is 10F. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteour temperature has dropped considerably along with the winds picking up.
ReplyDeleteBitter cold out there right now but it's going to get colder. Hubby has to go into work today. :{
Every one stay warm and if you get out on the roads, stay safe.
My Taco Soup is going to taste mighty good for lunch today.
Good luck with your winter preps! I have my fingers and toes crossed! Deb
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