What should people watch out for during the cold snap?

[Tom7227]

We haven't had a cold snap like the one they are predicting for quite a while. What should people be concerned about and what can they do to avoid problems?

My first thing would be frozen pipes inside of walls like under a kitchen cabinet or a bathroom if the pipes are on an outside wall. My solution would be to keep the doors open particularly in an older home.

Any other ideas?

[B-man715]

I'll add another.

Make sure to close the valve inside your house to your water/garden hose spigot outside. Then leave the outside valve open to drain.

I just remembered to do this by reading your post Thanks!

That would've sucked to come home to a possible aquarium-basement on Sunday I forgot all about it....... dam hobbies

[cavalierowner]

If you have a problem with frozen pipes, there is a way to minimize the problem. Cut out the cabinet back and the sheetrock where the pipes are. Then stuff the stud space above, below and behind the pipes, but NOT in front of the pipe. You want the warm inside air to be able to get to the pipes. Then screw the flat type return air register over the cutout in the cabinet back. I've done this in both duplexes I owned and a couple friends houses and it has solved the freezing problem.

[Surface Tension]

A lot of house fires happen with the first cold snap.

Its never too late to have your furnace checked out and cleaned if its been a while.

Replace the filter.

If your using portable electric heaters be smart about it.

Don't use extensions cords.

Keep combustibles a safe distance.

Wouldn't hurt to check if the breaker feeding that circuit is the correct size for the wire.

Don't use a gas range or oven for heat.

Not much snow in my parts. If you have a septic system that has froze in the past it wouldn't be a bad idea to lay down a blanket of straw. Use one tarp on the ground and one trap covering the straw.

[CAMAN]

Don't rely on those styrofoam faucet covers to protect your home....

Courtesy of StructureTech

[hunt fish repeat]

Don't leave your beer in the garage.

[nobody05]

Waterlines in outside walls such as bathroooms toilets. Crank the heat up!

[BobT]

I'll add another.

Make sure to close the valve inside your house to your water/garden hose spigot outside. Then leave the outside valve open to drain.

I just remembered to do this by reading your post Thanks!

That would've sucked to come home to a possible aquarium-basement on Sunday I forgot all about it....... dam hobbies

If you have to deal with frozen outside water valves, you can completely eliminate this problem with a simple fix. Next summer, if you have access to the pipe from inside, replace the valve with a frost free valve.

[Tom7227]

I would bet that the posted pic isn't a failed valve or a failed styro cover, but more likely a valve that dripped or wasn't turned all the way off. If the valve froze I think the water would be coming out a lot faster and most likely inside the house.

[hawgchaser]

For those of you who go south for a while and have high-efficiency furnaces, you might want to consider having/making a reservoir for your water discharge. My neighbors left for a month a few years ago and the drip, drip drip from the furnace froze at the septic tank opening. When they go back and started using the sinks/toilets they had quite a mess. The steamer couldn't even thaw the line and they ended up chipping the ground; replacing the last 15' of line and paying a mega bill. They make small sumps to discharge about 2qt. ...I'd have(at least) a 15 gal. reservoir with a sump pump to put a substantial amount of water through the line at one time.

[shamrock7]

Also along the line of high efficiency furnaces, watch your discharge pipe. In this cold weather, it is possible to start getting an ice buildup on the end of the pipe. If it closes off completely, your furnace will shut down. I'm going to check mine now. Thanks for the reminder

[BoxMN]

Also along the line of high efficiency furnaces, watch your discharge pipe. In this cold weather, it is possible to start getting an ice buildup on the end of the pipe. If it closes off completely, your furnace will shut down. I'm going to check mine now. Thanks for the reminder

That happened to us once at cabin. Luckily never again in 4 years, but I always check it to be safe

Happened at home too, once. The icecicle got too big!

[DANR]

I had that happen to me the year that everyone's septic systems were freezing. Fortunately mine froze up right outside the house at the cleanout. I just routed the line to a hole in the slab & the water wicks away in the sand - it's not that much. The septic guy told me that a lot of the seasonal homes in the Brainerd lakes area have the drain line shoved into a hole bored thru the slab.

[hawgchaser]

I watch over my next-door neighbor's 1,000 sq. ft. seasonal home. The heat tape on his furnace drain line went out last weekend and it froze up so I've been draining the furnace into a 6 gal. bucket. I empty about 2 gal. per day with his temp at 50 degrees. The HVAC guy said there can be up to 5 gal. per day. I'd make sure you have good soil percolation if you're going to drain it under the slab. We have yellow clay which doesn't drain well at all. His place is on piers which contributes to his problems. I've assured him that we're going to fix this problem next spring before he even unpacks his truck.

[Pinusbanksiana]

I built a new deck this summer that has made the occasional popping sounds when the temps are really low. -33 this morning and I heard a pop. I wonder if it is the screw heads popping off? I used good deck screws.

[cavalierowner]

I built a new deck this summer that has made the occasional popping sounds when the temps are really low. -33 this morning and I heard a pop. I wonder if it is the screw heads popping off? I used good deck screws.

Mine does the same thing in extremely cold weather. I think what you're hearing is the wood moving as it contracts with the cold. I seriously doubt you're breaking screws...I never have. BTW, you will many times hear the same thing in a new house as wood dries out and shrinks.

[Surface Tension]

Its contraction and think your screws are OK.

Chilly out isn't it. Birch trees are popping too.

[Pinusbanksiana]

Yea we had -33 this morning. Moon of the popping trees is a saying I have heard. All uphill from here now. http://www.royalorder21.com/