Very Cold Weather Tonight and Tuesday

Monday, Jan 10

Expect very cold temperatures tonight into Tuesday morning.

Overnight temperatures of 10° - 15° and winds of 10 - 15 mph mean wind chill ("feels like") as low as -2°

The NWS advises:

"Windchills of 0 to 10 below zero are likely Tuesday morning and into early Tuesday afternoon for parts of the region. Air temperatures will likely be 20 degrees F or lower for between 30 and 40 hrs (starting this evening and going into Wednesday morning) across the area, posing a significant threat for poorly insulated pipes to freeze and burst.

[...]

"If you need to be outside, be prepared for the wind and cold, and dress in layers and wear a hat, heavy coat, as well as gloves or mittens. Frostbite can occur in a short amount of time, so dress in layers and make sure all exposed skin is protected."


Time for water pipe protection strategies. Among other things, we run a pencil thin stream of water from our highest faucet overnight, which is often recommended:

https://www.consumerreports.org/home-maintenance-repairs/how-to-keep-pipes-from-freezing-a2277945570/


bub said:

Time for water pipe protection strategies. Among other things, we run a pencil thin stream of water from our highest faucet overnight, which is often recommended:

https://www.consumerreports.org/home-maintenance-repairs/how-to-keep-pipes-from-freezing-a2277945570/

is that sufficient? I'm worried about our unheated basement. Would it be safer to open the faucet down there too?


drummerboy said:

is that sufficient? I'm worried about our unheated basement. Would it be safer to open the faucet down there too?

Wouldn't hurt.  Water moving through the pipes, even a small amount, helps to keep the pipes from freezing.


Thanks, Max! And thanks for the reminder about unprotected pipes.


Things we've done in addition to the thin faucet stream thing.  Our water supply comes in from a very small utility closet/room, the door of which is usually closed.  We open the door so it gets basement warmth and leave the light on in there when its very cold.  I have even taken the shade off of a small lamp and left the lamp on with the bulb very close to the pipe where it comes in the house. 


Tomorrow morning's hike is in Frenchtown. 

Five minutes into the hike, jackets will come off. My ice crampons are in the car.


I have a bathroom with exterior walls where I have had a problem with pipes freezing.  What I do now is put one of those oil-filled radiators in the bathroom when it gets really cold, shut the door and let the bathroom heat up to a pretty high temperature - 90 - 100, I suppose.  So far, this has worked.


tjohn said:

I have a bathroom with exterior walls where I have had a problem with pipes freezing.  What I do now is put one of those oil-filled radiators in the bathroom when it gets really cold, shut the door and let the bathroom heat up to a pretty high temperature - 90 - 100, I suppose.  So far, this has worked.

do you leave the vanity door open? I used to have the pipes in my bathroom freeze. Turns out the copper pipe was touching the main 4 inch cast iron stack. Discovered that when I remodeled the bathroom.

The hot water pipes are the first to burst. 


tjohn said:

I have a bathroom with exterior walls where I have had a problem with pipes freezing.  What I do now is put one of those oil-filled radiators in the bathroom when it gets really cold, shut the door and let the bathroom heat up to a pretty high temperature - 90 - 100, I suppose.  So far, this has worked.

My father used to put a lamp with an incandescent bulb under our kitchen sink, which would freeze in cold weather. I’ve been lucky with my houses since that time, especially since incandescent bulbs are becoming harder to find. 


Is it too soon for me to just be done with winter?


Some of us hope it is too soon. Otherwise we, the flora. and migrating creatures are all doomed due to climate change.  As a gardner, I am thankful for the more seasonable, colder, even frigid weather.  Prior to this cold spell many of our native plants were confused and blooming out of season. 

sprout said:

Is it too soon for me to just be done with winter?


It’s not everyday you see this issued from The National Weather Service!!


I'm thinking today might not be a shorts day.


drummerboy said:

I'm thinking today might not be a shorts day.

Come on, db, you know you can do it.



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