Been an interesting week of freeze no power and water

[Cranky]

After relaxing all day yesterday, I'm just now starting to feel like I haven't been dragged behind a bus and I didn't have any water/pipe damage either and if there was any, it should have showed up by now. There's lots of other members here that are from Texas and got hammered way worse than people in my area. At least my power only went down for 24 hours and that was within just a couple of minutes.....didn't even have to reset my analog clocks. My biggest down side was my generator crapped out but found another within 8 hours of the power going out. That was a Godsend!! Never completely lost water either but the pressure got pretty low. Any others care to check in?

 

[multimopes]

Glad to hear that you didn't fair too badly. Don't know where I got this but here::::::

 

[Ironbuilt]

Glad that made it through the storm safely @Cranky
I have a good friend that lives in College Station and he was snowed in for 4 days. Told me that grocery stores were running out of food and water and gas and diesel were sold out everywhere.
That darn global warming!!!

 

[hawkeye]

Southeast Oklahoma. Out of rural water for 4 days. I have a well but it isn't hooked to the house. Hooked hose from well hydrant to hydrant on rural water and back fed house. Low pressure but enough to get by. Kept power.

 

[Don Frelier]

Glad to hear you rode it out. My cousin lives in Houston and they had to melt snow to get water for their toilets.
If my power goes out so does my well pump, but I can get water nearby pretty easily.
I have a woodfurnace, oil burner, kerosene heater, propane stove and my son has about 3 generators so no matter what we aren't going to freeze.
At least one of those is going to work.

 

[Cranky]

Glad to hear you rode it out. My cousin lives in Houston and they had to melt snow to get water for their toilets.
If my power goes out so does my well pump, but I can get water nearby pretty easily.
I have a woodfurnace, oil burner, kerosene heater, propane stove and my son has about 3 generators so no matter what we aren't going to freeze.
At least one of those is going to work.

I piled up some water (got a bunch of buckets from a pool supply this summer) for the 'turlets' just in case and am working on getting a couple of new gens. Really can't afford it but it's cheaper than letting the house freeze up an me (P dogs too) trying to llive in freezing temps.

 

[zyzzyx]

Watching the news up here in Illinois and hearing about all of the pipes bursting and I've
gotta wonder, Doesn't anyone know how to take a wrench and shut the Damned water off?
If they shut it off and then drained the system, their house wouldn't look like a water park???

 

[toolmanmike]

Watching the news up here in Illinois and hearing about all of the pipes bursting and I've
gotta wonder, Doesn't anyone know how to take a wrench and shut the Damned water off?
If they shut it off and then drained the system, their house wouldn't look like a water park???

And pipes in the outside walls? No basements with the plumbing down below? I think there is a lot of reasons why. We don't do things like that here. It doesn't work in the cold. Hope all goes well for the folks south of here.

 

[Budnicks]

still only Cranky posting here 'from Texas'

glad you made it thru
without too much drama

 

[Ironbuilt]

Watching the news up here in Illinois and hearing about all of the pipes bursting and I've
gotta wonder, Doesn't anyone know how to take a wrench and shut the Damned water off?
If they shut it off and then drained the system, their house wouldn't look like a water park???

I was in Illinois last Wednesday. I woke up to -6 degrees and a layer of ice covering my entire truck and trailer.
Friggin COLD!!

 

[davek]

yep I have friends down there and no running water yet but said they are doing well. Glad your ok Cranky

 

[zyzzyx]

Yeah, but it's supposed to -6 here!

 

[Ironbuilt]

I piled up some water (got a bunch of buckets from a pool supply this summer) for the 'turlets' just in case and am working on getting a couple of new gens. Really can't afford it but it's cheaper than letting the house freeze up an me (P dogs too) trying to llive in freezing temps.

I don't know what your price range is, but I bought this Generac and I love it. It was $750.00 plus tax at Tractor Supply.

 

[QuickBpBp]

Glad to here you made it through... That is a miserable helpless feeling when weather deals the blows and your just along for the ride...

 

[steve from staten island]

Is it true people who have electric in your state are getting through the roof electric bills because of deregulation?
I think being off grid is going to change, this all could have been avoided
Granted Texas had unusual weather but not to the degree the electric system fell apart
Glad to hear your ok

 

[Ironbuilt]

Is it true people who have electric in your state are getting through the roof electric bills because of deregulation?
I think being off grid is going to change, this all could have been avoided
Granted Texas had unusual weather but not to the degree the electric system fell apart
Glad to hear your ok

I have heard the same thing about ridiculous electric bills. I read that one man received a $17,000 electric bill. Would love to knw if it's true.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Glad to hear you thawed out & came out of this relatively unscathed.

 

[QuickBpBp]

I have heard the same thing about ridiculous electric bills. I read that one man received a $17,000 electric bill. Would love to knw if it's true.

This happens all over all Nation and been this way for awhile at least the last 7-8 years that I know of... Some people have their electric set-up like variable rate mortgages when it's low it's great but when it's high not so much..... I have a friend who passed a few years ago.. His house is set-up for geothermal and when the temps dropped one winter and they had to use their electric heat his bill skyrocketed. He was paying under $100 a month year round for a 5 bedroom large home. When the electric came on to heat since it was single digits and only in the low teens for the highs. They "pro rated" his usage according to his plan which resulted in 2 months of electric bills that were over $1200 a month...
This should stop the False Narrative of deregulation..

A variable-rate electricity plan is just what it sounds like – the rate you pay for electricity can vary from one month to the next. These rate changes are usually caused by changes in how much it costs to generate and deliver electricity.
What is a Variable Rate Electricity Plan? | First Choice Power

 

[steve from staten island]

I have heard the same thing about ridiculous electric bills. I read that one man received a $17,000 electric bill. Would love to knw if it's true.

Im not sure but it seems to be true...Its not the provider milking customers, its the providing having to pay very high rates and having to pass that cost on to the consumer....Its being looked into to try and provide help to people to pay insanely high bills
Ive worked for electric utilities and I know people who worked and are knowledgable in this field.
Texas is on their own grid, they wanted it this way, they want no federal regulations. There system failed because of unseen weather conditions

 

[Ironbuilt]

still only Cranky posting here 'from Texas'

glad you made it thru
without too much drama

Can we hear from some other Texas members, make sure that they are okay.
Thanks @Budnicks