Whole house generator and propane supply

[Northforker]

We have 4 of these stacked in our chest freezer. Stays cold for days.

Saratoga Farms 5-Gallon Stackable Water Storage Containers, Emergency Water Storage for Camping and Disaster Preparedness, 20 Gallons https://a.co/d/013wXqj

 

[Sunset]

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We've been in this house for 8 years and the longest power outage has been about 48 hrs. However, there historically have been some outages in the last 30 yrs caused by ice storms that knocked the power out for 2-3 weeks. So, roll the dice or drop $10k?

Frozen pipe repairs and the associated damage can run into the tens of thousands and homeowners may not cover it if they discover you've been gone on an extended trip for 4 or 5 months. Something to weigh in the calculation.

For the Northern house, a person can mitigate issues by:

• Have someone with a key that could in emergency go to the house, after all the furnace itself may stop working without any power loss.
• Turn off the water, drain the water pipes, and flush empty the toilets, (drain the water tank, takes about 10 minutes and would save an insurance claim

I did that when I had to leave a house empty for months up North.

 

[OldShooter]

... turn off the water, drain the water pipes, and flush empty the toilets, (drain the water tank, takes about 10 minutes and would save an insurance claim
[/LIST] ...

I used to let our old lake place freeze. I had the piping modified and sloped so that I just had to open a couple of drain valves in the basement. My similar list (from memory):

1. Well Pump off
2. Water heater off
3. Open all faucets to allow air to enter system from top.
4. Open basement hot, cold, and water heater drain valves.
5. Flush and plunger toilets to minimum water level in bowls and tanks
6. Add RV anti-freeze to p-traps, toilet bowls, and toilet tanks. This typically took about a gallon.

(in-line particulate water filter was mounted upside-down so it would drain as the system drained.)

 

[NW-Bound]

For the Northern house, a person can mitigate issues by:

• Have someone with a key that could in emergency go to the house, after all the furnace itself may stop working without any power loss.
• Turn off the water, drain the water pipes, and flush empty the toilets, (drain the water tank, takes about 10 minutes and would save an insurance claim

I did that when I had to leave a house empty for months up North.

At my high-country boondocks home, I have a habit of turning off the water at the meter, and draining off the house pipe system before I leave. And I do this even in the summer, as I do not know if I will be back before winter arrives.

The house thermostat is set at 45F, and that should keep the interior from freezing. I keep my fingers crossed that any power loss will not be long enough to freeze the undrained toilets, and various P-traps.

Even with all the precaution, I have had to replace the shut-off valve at the meter twice due to freezing. The meter was 2 feet deep in the ground, and this depth was not enough.

I had installed a heat tape for the meter and valve after the first freezing incidence, but failed to check its operation after several years, hence the 2nd instance of valve freezing. It's pain in the rump to replace that underground valve.

 

[ERD50]

I used to let our old lake place freeze. ...

Not that I'd want to find out, but I wonder how long I'd have to go w/o heat before any pipes froze?

This house, like many in the area, doesn't have any pipes on outside walls, or in a slab. We are a single floor/basement, so pipes mostly run in the basement 'ceiling'. Water enters from the basement floor, so at least that portion is well below the frost line. Basements get moderated by the ground temperature. Often, the coldest days will be clear (cloud cover traps heat), and with snow on the ground, a lot of solar is reflected back to the house.

If I had to, a slight trickle/drip should avoid it, but of course you can't do that if you are away.

I don't recall the numbers, but a few times on a day like that at the previous home, if I was home alone, I'd keep the heat turned down, just to see. I do recall the temperature sure didn't drop fast, but I'd turn it back up before DW came home, so who knows what would happen overnight? This house is better insulated.

-ERD50

 

[Eagle43]

Well I should have started readi g this thread. Power had been off since 10:30 last night. Doesn't look like ONCOR is going to restore it today. Last I looked in-house temp is 85. Its gonna be motel time tonite. DW just yelled "I'm packing my bag."

 

[Northforker]

I used to let our old lake place freeze. I had the piping modified and sloped so that I just had to open a couple of drain valves in the basement. My similar list (from memory):

1. Well Pump off
2. Water heater off
3. Open all faucets to allow air to enter system from top.
4. Open basement hot, cold, and water heater drain valves.
5. Flush and plunger toilets to minimum water level in bowls and tanks
6. Add RV anti-freeze to p-traps, toilet bowls, and toilet tanks. This typically took about a gallon.

(in-line particulate water filter was mounted upside-down so it would drain as the system drained.)

That's exactly what we do for extended trips.

We turn the water pump and water heater off and bleed the pressure off by cracking a faucet valve for every trip overnight. It only takes one burst pipe in the wrong place to cause $$$$$$$$ in damage . and that can happen 5 minutes after we leave for the weekend somewhere.

 

[Northforker]

For the Northern house, a person can mitigate issues by:

• Have someone with a key that could in emergency go to the house, after all the furnace itself may stop working without any power loss.
• Turn off the water, drain the water pipes, and flush empty the toilets, (drain the water tank, takes about 10 minutes and would save an insurance claim

I did that when I had to leave a house empty for months up North.

There always seems to be SOME water trapped somewhere in the pipes. I remember a dishwasher that had a piping system that was difficult to drain. We wouldn't necessarily have damage when we were away, but when we come home and turn everything one a leak could go unnoticed for a while.

 

[folivier]

Here at our mountain community last winter a neighbor had a small water leak inside at a faucet which wouldn't have been a problem but since his cabin heater quit working the water froze and plugged his drain lines going into the septic tank. The water backed up and caused major damage to the inside.
So we always turn off the water at the frost free valve outside when leaving for more than a couple days.

 

[NW-Bound]

Well I should have started readi g this thread. Power had been off since 10:30 last night. Doesn't look like ONCOR is going to restore it today. Last I looked in-house temp is 85. Its gonna be motel time tonite. DW just yelled "I'm packing my bag."

I hope you will get power back on soon. Well, you may not have Internet access without power to read this.

I just went on Oncor Web site to look, and there are still 2182 homes without power. Earlier this morning, it was more than 4,900, mostly in the DFW area.

It appears to be equipment failure, rather than insufficient power generation. Perhaps some equipment was stressed and blew up.

Some years ago, a town near me had a big transformer blown. The utility scrambled to find a replacement transformer, and to move that monster from out of town. The media talked about 1.7 million pound, but I don't know how much is due to the rig itself. A Web page says the entire rig length was 412 ft.

 

[NW-Bound]

We don't appreciate what it takes to build the power infrastructure.