How I spent my Christmas (pull up a chair, its a long story)
susie
Member Posts: 7,595 ✭✭✭✭
It all began Thursday with the winter weather warnings and temperatures predicted to get down below 0. Daughter #2 and her family drove to my house that day. I cooked a big pot of soup in anticipation of their arrival. Did laundry throughout the day and as we settled down to some late night TV watching I remarked that I needed to make sure I had a steady stream of water going before we went to bed. We had about three inches of snow on the ground by about 7ish and temps had plummeted.
About 10pm the washing machine finished up. About 11pm I went to rinse the dishes and start the dishwasher. No water. I knew it was cold but couldn't imagine the water freezing up that quick. Kids went to bed, but I kept puzzling about it as I cleaned the house. Only thing I could think was that the pressure switch on the pump might have malfunctioned. I let the kids know I was going out at midnight to check the switch. Insulated coveralls, mittens, boots, balaclava and coat on, I trudged through the snow and biting wind.
Inside the pumphouse I first checked the heat tape and it was warm. There was still power (its on a separate breaker). The new switch that was installed had a housing cover that required it be screwed off and I hadn't brought anything to pop it off. It doesn't have the little toggle on the outside of the housing to reset it. I trudged back to the house defeated for the night. I messaged my son-in-law who lives next door that had installed the switch but he didn't see the message until the next morning. By then it was too late. The pipes had frozen. The overnight temperatures dropped to -2. Daughter #1 and her family live next to me and share the pump/well. They had water so we knew it was just my pipes that had frozen.
Spent the day crawling under the house to set up a heat lamp on the pipe that feeds my house. It is on the west side, directly in the wind. Also, took an electric heater into the space to warm it up. Heat tape and heat lamp in the pump house should have taken care of it. Puzzled as to why we weren't getting any water, double checked the pressure switch and it appeared to be bad. It kept tripping. Now #1 and her family had no water. So, the guys drove to town and bought a new switch. Rejoicing when it was installed because we had water. Then we didn't.
In all of this the last of the four kids and their families all show up. I now have seven adults and six kids in my house with no running water. I'm always prepared to be able to flush the toilets with multiple gallon jugs of water strategically placed throughout the house, just not for 13 people. Lol. This all occurred from Friday morning to Monday morning. Brother comes to the rescue for water. I drive to his side of the farm and fill up the empty jugs and he provides his two potable water totes (7 gallons per) to the water supply.
Checked the switch and it was good. Now it looks like one of the breakers is bad. Its a double breaker set up on the pole. Sons-in-law make another trip to town. New breakers were purchased and installed. Pipes are thawed.
Along the way the t-pipe that tied the two houses to the pumphouse cracked when it was bumped in the process of repairing everything. Again Brother comes through late Saturday night. He had some one inch PVC pipe and couplers to run water to my house but no t-joint to tie in both houses.
Another repair was completed and I had water. Since we didn't have a t-joint they could only run water to my house. At least the kids who were going home on Sunday were able to shower. #1 and her family all came over to my house to get their showers as well. Son-in-law got the new t-joint Monday morning and they had water restored in their house.
I have since retrieved the electric heater from under the house. I left the heat lamp there so it can be plugged in should the need arise. There is a crawl space vent about five feet from the main water line under the house. It is stuck open. With the wind chill hitting close to -25 blowing directly onto the pipe it froze mighty fast. I have also blocked it as well to keep cold air from blowing inside the crawlspace. My house has R-19 insulation in the floor so it doesn't let heat into the crawlspace or it might have been warmer and not frozen like it did.
We survived, the kids will have a story to tell and I did some more preparedness moves for the next time. It was the perfect storm of Murphy's law. Will probably never happen again, but if it should we are ready.
Comments
I remember the days of frozen lines under my trailer house. Don't miss it at all. Glad you got it all fixed and survived it.
Do you not have heat cable on the line under the house? And yes, close those crawl space vents in the winter.
One of the lessons learned. Never had an issue before. Year before last the temps got down to -5 for a solid week with no issue. Would not have had an issue this time if the pressure switch and breakers hadn't decided to go out in the same timeframe leaving no running water for about eight hours.
I will be installing heat tape on the pipe. Crawl space vents are stuck open near the pipe. I just put insulation in the opening on the inside since the goats would pull it off from the outside. Oh and top of all of that I couldn't find my knee pads to ease the pain of crawling across rock.
Nothing like trying to work when it is really cold.....I remember being under the trailer I lived in during my college years wrapping heat tape around the pipes. So I feel for you all...
Sounds like an interesting time together, but the important thing is you were together !!!!
We had a blast. Left to right they are #4, #1, #3 and #2.
Good looking bunch there, Susie
Great looking family
Have a great new year
I feel your pain on the frozen water lines
I have Many a story and none were happy ones .
Latest one After many years this last -35* weather bit me had a frozen up line under our west facing bath room
And the one hardest to get too of course
I just cut and caped it off the next day Today I have all the ambition and parts to replace what was busted lol
While that's all a pain when it's happening, glad it all worked out in the end and you had a great family get together.
I see that your motto is "Just put it on the counter..."
Well now, I was going to complain about the high pressure regulator freezing up WHEN IT GOT WARM Tuesday, having to drive the 4 wheeler back to the tap and pour hot water on it until the pressure rose to 10 PSI showing it had passed the ice chunk through the orifice but your misery takes the cake. I will complain about the miserable multi-flora rose covering the regulator, it is sharp, hurts a lot when you get hooked and was a royal PIA to clear out to even see the regulator.
Free well gas has a LOT of moisture in it, it does not freeze the regulator up until the temps get above freezing and the water load ices up in the orifice. All it takes is hot water to thaw it out but until then there is no gas ergo no heat.
I will take my frozen regulator anytime over frozen water pipes.
You have a beautiful family for sure.
Absolutely. Adult beverages for the adults, basket of gloves for the multiple treks in and out, cereal for the kids, bread for sammichs, bottled water for the wimps. Gotta pile it somewhere where everyone can find it.
We had a 6.4 earthquake on the 20th of December.... 2 days without power... The main bridge was cracked. The creamery fell apart more😔 We made it. God is good.
"Independence Now, Independence Forever."
John Adams
First off, You have a beautiful family!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, Secondly, you and my wife were cut from the same mold. Not many women would climb under a crawl space to thaw pipes out and place space heaters down there. Kudo's mom, you did a fantastic job.
It must be a farm girl thing??!! God bless and happy new year Susie. Oakie
We had a 6.4 Earthquake a few days before Christmas 😮 spent 2 days without power and dear old Dad driving miles out of his way because Fern ridge was closed.... God is good 🙏 we all made it.
"Independence Now, Independence Forever."
John Adams