Arctic Weather Isn't Just Uncomfortable. It's Stressful!
This turned out to be a stressful day.
We're responsible for several buildings. Among them is a cottage that we rent on AirBnB in the summer, and a boathouse with an apartment attached that my sister uses on occasion.
For several years we've paid to have them properly winterized. Our plumber drains all the water from the system and blows it out with an air-compressor, then pours antifreeze into the traps. I suppose it's something I should learn to do for myself. Until then it's quite an expense to have it done, and then we've got to have the systems turned back on in the Spring.
This year we thought we might like to have the buildings available for use year-round. We didn't think it would cost much to leave the heat on at a low level and to leave the taps dripping on extremely cold days. The wife put a little propane heater in the cottage (more work for our plumber!) and I figured it would be good to give the boathouse apartment furnace some use. It hasn't been turned on much over the past decade, and leaving any kind of machine idle for that long can't be good for it. (I had to pay to have the little reset-button sensor replaced.)
At least the oil company said there's no harm in using the ancient oil that's lingering in the tank.
Well, wouldn't you know it: it's not even January, and New England's getting hammered with some record breaking cold. It looks like we won't see a minute of thaw in two weeks at least, and our nights are plumbing the arctic depths of -2 F (-20 C) temperatures.
Last night the pipes froze up under our rented house.
While our tenant was smart enough to deploy some electric heaters this morning and get the water flowing before the pipes could break, this meant that the dripping taps in the cottage weren't dripping, so of course the cold-water line to that sink seized up too.
I was able to get the water flowing in the cottage again by sticking an electric heater under the sink, and jamming a hair-drier through a hole in the wall. I had to let them both run for several hours. Eventually the water came back on, and at least none of the pipes burst.
Meanwhile the boathouse apartment just got overwhelmed by the brute force of the cold.
It turns out some of the pipes run precariously close to some un-insulated exterior walls. Good grief.
The apartment thawed out more quickly, but one of the soldered joints let go and started spraying the basement stairs with water as soon as it did. So I had to unplug the well pump and let the system drain as well as we can manage, leaving the heat on a little higher while we wait for our plumber to come by and fix the place properly.
And of course our plumber is up to his neck in broken pipes and emergency patches, so I could wind up keeping that place warm for a while, to no real purpose.
It looks like keeping the places going in the winter was a false economy. We're going to have both places winterized after all, so we don't have to lie awake worrying about them.
Lesson learned, I guess. In New England, if you aren't living in a house, it's best just to shut it down and forget about it until Spring.
Except for the taxes. You've still got to remember to pay the taxes.
Do you have a lot to worry about in the winter? Do you think it's worthwhile - or safe - to pick up enough amateur plumbing skill to winterize a property?
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On March 20, 2000, The Independent, a British newspaper, reported that “Snowfalls are just a thing of the past.” Global warming was simply making the UK too warm for heavy snowfalls.
ooops?
Opps is right. 😁
That is funny. Scientific predictions age about as well as warm milk.
I do know the UK gets much warmer weather than we do, despite being at a higher latitude. I mean, the weather in Aberdeen is in the high 30s right now. The rest of Europe, too. The middle of Finland is in the 40s. What gives?
Good grief, Napoleon could have marched on Moscow this December and he wouldn't have seen a snowflake.
But the winters in New England get colder and colder.
Follow the plumber around and watch or better film what he does. Winterizing is really simple. You'll have to buy an air compressor if you dont have one. And a fitting for your pipes so the compressor can fit on it. Its usually a screw in fitting with a tire valve on it. Ask your local hardware store that has plumbing stuff they will know what it is. You should have a place in the pipes where it can screw in. For the traps you just put some anti freeze down the sink and toilets enough to fill the traps. Make sure not to use regular auto anti freeze but rv or water safe. Good luck.
Well, that sounds easy enough! I've always been worried I'd get it wrong and wreck the place but I may be forced to give it a try anyway. Thanks for the advice!
I forgot to mention you'll need to drain the water heater also but it should have a valve for that also.
It does. But geez, do I have to lug 80 gallons of water up out of the basement?
ahahahahh
I think it's always worth it to learn those sorts of practical skills. Then you're never stuck waiting for someone else to come and fix everything, but of course it depends how often you're realistically going to use it. As for winter, I haven't seen one for about two years now 😂
Lucky you!
Want to take in a couple roommates and a cat?
How small are they? Will they fit in a backpack? 😂
Wow, those are things I would have never even imagined. I have just held Christmas on a 37C day!
Warm Christmas seems so hard to imagine, too. I know half the planet does it, but it's one of those things that just doesn't compute.
Speaking as a person who has bought several tools to be used only once or twice, I find it highly logical to invest in the things and knowledge needed to do your own winterizing. Since your lesson learned is that it's a necessity, why not just bite the bullet? I've no idea what the 'start up' costs would be but i'm sure you'd re-coupe that money after a couple seasons of not paying the plumber...maybe?
You're definitely not afraid of picking up new tools and figuring out how to use them.
I guess my reluctance has been, what if I screw it up and wreck the house? But now we're waiting for the plumber and the house might just get wrecked anyway.
good points...both. your house is definitely a worse thing to ruin than my already broken down car. but...on the other hand... decisions decisions
With the new plumbing products and insulation you should be able to update and make life easier for your self. Some of my family endured the cold of the north east and I am still befuddled about the lack of insulation and total dependence on an oil heater. Nothing you can’t learn on the web.
You can make it happen and still pay the taxes.🐓🐓
Yeah, the boathouse building could use a lot of updates, and it's in pretty bad condition. My grandfather built it, and he was a stubborn old dog who insisted on doing everything himself whether he knew how to do it or not - and it shows. So we've been wrestling with whether to put more money into it or tear it down.
I have always been one of the lucky ones. My Dad knows how to do everything and has the patience to talk me through doing a lot of things, over the phone. Perhaps we need a "call a friend" section on Steemit. Not truly calling someone, but a section where people can help solve little problems and save a little money by doing it yourself.
I have gotten a lot of great, practical advice on here. It's amazing how much people want to be of help and of use to each other when they have a platform like this!
First world problems, while in Cambodia, where I live, in winter it's 27 degrees celsius.
It seems like a lot of work that you'd need some tools (that you'd end up using for only for that particular chore) but my father-in-law used to do it and he learned from books and asking questions. No youtube back then. It's possible for a normal person to do it but I have to admit that my FIL was extremely talented with handyman stuff and he would do the hardest and most tedious work instead of calling someone.
I think we've got most of what we need already, except for the confidence to try it. But it looks like I might have to find that confidence in a hurry!
I have a legitimate question: what is appealing to you about living in a colder climate?
There are so many downsides, like life-threateningly cold weather conditions and the stress of maintaining comfortable living conditions. What are the benefits? ☺
Um... benefits?
I guess I get to complain about the weather while trying to make it sound like I'm a tough guy who can handle the cold.
To be honest we live here because I grew up here and the roots have just grown too deeply to rip them out. Friends and family and obligations, &ct. And I actually do love the place I live at the moment because of it's isolation and quiet - yet it's just an hour's drive to the city. (Even though we almost never go there - it's still an option.)
It's just the climate that sucks. And I guess that's just for like four months a year.
I get it, for some reason I thought you moved there from someplace else...my blunder! Four months of cold, that's not as extreme as I was thinking. The area you're in looks nice and serene with the trees, the water, the wildlife. I also love living away from the noise and lights of the city. Please - stay warm!
I was going to say "You too!" but then I remembered you live in Texas. So I guess I'll just say "Yee-haw!"
Ha! That's a good one. Check out this evidence of the warm winter weather we're having today. It's definitely less extreme than your ice!
I guess we're all colder than usual. I heard snow's coming to Florida!
Is that your pool?
The pool is not mine personally, but it's in the back here yep. It snowed here a couple days ago, barely. Nothing compared to what Houston (8 hours south of us) got in December. And now Florida, eh? No doubt winter is HERE, and not just for those above the Mason-Dixon ☺