COLD!

[Bill]

I thought Texans were supposed to be strong and independant? What happened to "pull your self up by your bootstraps"?

Well, according to some talking head on conservative talk radio liberals, Democrats, and socialists are to blame because renewable energy, like wind turbines can't work in cold climates, even though they're used in Northern Europe. He then went on a psychotic rant that the left is trying to intentionally sabotage the Lonestar State and kept on talking nonsense like he was possessed by Rush Limbaugh.

Anyway, the reality is Texas isn't built for cold weather because cold weather is unusual in Texas.

 

[Dirtman]

Hot dogs taste better hot.

 

[Bill]

It brought Texas to its knees and put some people in a grave. Plumbers are making big profits repairing busted water lines.

Really? I would think people would take at least some precautions to prevent water lines from freezing. We get several freezes a year in the low elevations here and the news keeps reminding people to cover outdoor plumbing and allow water to run through any plumbing you can't protect so there is constantly warmer water running through the pipes.

 

[Curious Hound]

Really? I would think people would take at least some precautions to prevent water lines from freezing. We get several freezes a year in the low elevations here and the news keeps reminding people to cover outdoor plumbing and allow water to run through any plumbing you can't protect so there is constantly warmer water running through the pipes.

Just because it happens occasionally, and just because there are warnings on the news doesn’t mean everybody pays attention. There are lots of people out there with no common sense and/or the “It won’t happen to me.” Attitude.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

We can get about as cold as anybody in the lower 48 and we were starting to have blackouts on that last day. Once you lose power in winter it gets ugly fast.

 

[Dirtman]

Once you lose power in winter it gets ugly fast.

Not if you have an octopus!

 

[Curious Hound]

Not if you have an octopus!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Not if you have an octopus!

My house used to, you can still see where the coal bunker used to be in the basement.

 

[19Walt93]

There are wind turbines spinning in New England every day, like vehicles they need to be winterized. My power comes from the New Hampshire Electric Coop, intermittent electricity for among the highest rates in the country. I wired in a transfer switch and roll the generator out of the garage when the lights go out. I have gasoline for the generator, too. It's called being prepared. I also installed central air because it gets humid and into the 90's in the summer. It seems that Texas' power grid assumed everything would stay the same, it didn't.

 

[bilbo]

Today it’s a balmy 19F. Above! While freezing cold isn’t going to stop our power here, ice storms do. They are especially heinous because we don’t have anything to slow down the wind so the combo is deadly. Also we have flooding issues. We learned our lesson shortly after owning our house to have contingency plans for when we lose power. We nearly flooded our basement because of an outage and the sump pumps couldn’t run. Our power grid is probably as reliable as any but I wouldn’t trust it with my life.

Also, I finally got to look at my Ranger today and couldn’t get it to leak oil, at least not in any large amount. I have an oil pan gasket leak but it’s been there since shortly after rebuilding the engine. Other than that, nothing. I’m beginning to think the PCV valve theory is the most likely explanation. It was very cold that day and I didn’t have my usual cardboard winter front put on since it had been such a mild winter for us prior to that cold streak. At any rate, I’m starting fresh with a new oil change and filter and will see how it goes.

 

[MikeG]

Can't leave water running when the power company shuts off the water treatment plant. Morons.... if they did that on purpose, lawsuit city.

Nothing here built to withstand temps in the single digits. No freezeproof faucets. Pipes in exterior walls. They build stuff cheap here when doing it right would cost pennies more. If your water supply pipes are more than 6 inches deep in the ground, it is either a miracle or someone made a mistake.

Lack of preparedness, basically.

 

[Bracket racer]

Well, according to some talking head on conservative talk radio liberals, Democrats, and socialists are to blame because renewable energy, like wind turbines can't work in cold climates, even though they're used in Northern Europe.


Anyway, the reality is Texas isn't built for cold weather because cold weather is unusual in Texas.

As to the first part of your quote, you know Germany’s solar panels have been covered in snow and there has been no appreciable wind in 6 days right?? They are relying on Russia’s gas/oil because they have no power. It’s bad enough Germany’s has announced a “rethinking” of how many or if they are going to close any more coal fired power plants.
All of Europe seems to be in a deep freeze with more snow than usual and many are questioning why they went to an extremely more expensive and unreliable system.
Apparently unicorn farts and rainbows won’t power the grid....

The second part of the quote is dead on. It is unusual, especially since by now (according to experts) the Himalayas will have no ice, the ocean will be up and the poles will have no ice by now.
Gore said what again? North Pole ice free by 2013?

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Down south nuclear, natural gas and coal plants were shutting down due to lack of water (frozen)

There was no reliable system.

 

[Bracket racer]

As far as here, it’s been on average 6-9 degrees colder than normal for about 3 weeks now. We have a lot of snow and it’s been snowing since 8pm last night. Just finished blowing the driveways and had to clear 2” off the vehicles to re-park them where they go.

I live on a lake and on average the ice would get about 6-9” thick in the winter back 10-12 years ago. Last couple years it’s been around 16” and this year it is 19” thick.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Really? I would think people would take at least some precautions to prevent water lines from freezing. We get several freezes a year in the low elevations here and the news keeps reminding people to cover outdoor plumbing and allow water to run through any plumbing you can't protect so there is constantly warmer water running through the pipes.

My daughter had her faucets all dripping.

The line that froze went to her shower which is on an outside corner of the house. With the house warmed up and the ceiling cut open to get to the pipes, you could still feel a lot of cold air between the 1st and 2nd floor. Unfortunately her house went a few days without heat to prevent stuff from freezing. Hell, her washing machine just finally thawed out yesterday after they used a blow dryer on it.

People left faucets dripping and lines still froze. Especially since it got so cold and the houses weren't heated.

A bunch of windmills near me froze. They don't winterize them here.

Texas biggest resource is natural gas, but the freezing temps effected the supply and it knocked electric plants offline.

Texas was told to winterize essential components back in 2011. They didn't. Yes it's a rare event, but one of the jobs of government and organizations that provide necessary services is to prepare for every type of event. Even rare ones. It only has to happen once to cost people their lives and do millions in damages.

Biden declared an emergency for Texas.

I can't help but think about the guy that froze to death sitting in his chair, and his wife that was barely conscious when they found them. They may not have been prepared, but the power companies should have been.