First Winter with Pier and Beam - Tips? (Houston, Dallas: wood floors, house)

[FarNorDFW]

We moved to a home in one of the neighborhoods with pier and beam foundations with significant crawl space under the home. We understand the home had a burst pipe during Uri, but no other issues. Any advice or anything special to do for the cold snap? In particular, I’m thinking about pipes and freezing, but all advice welcome.

[tmtex]

I would think they need to be covered from Day 1

[WRM20]

Be prepared for cold floors. Maybe with ice on them.

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by FarNorDFW

We moved to a home in one of the neighborhoods with pier and beam foundations with significant crawl space under the home. We understand the home had a burst pipe during Uri, but no other issues. Any advice or anything special to do for the cold snap? In particular, I’m thinking about pipes and freezing, but all advice welcome.

1. Resist the temptation to cover the ventilation openings around your foundation. If they are covered now fix that but probably after the freeze.

2. Your floors simply will not freeze unless your heat sources are off for 48-72 hours and it stays well below freezing the entire time and there is little sunshine.

3. Leave your thermostat set to the same as your normal day time temp throughout the freeze.

4. During the day flush every toilet every several hours and right before bed and at wake up.

5. Leave at least one inside cold tap and at least on inside hot tap each running as the smallest possible streams. A slow drip isn't enough. There is a mysterious factor........running a couple of hot and cold taps at a small stream rate significantly protects far away water dead ends like washing machines and what not. If your home is large - two or three water heaters run a hot and cold tap associated with each. If you have tankless don't worry as below about half gallon per minute flow rates the heat source will not activate.

6. Open every single vanity/cabinet/closet door that features a water outlet or water lines inside.

7. If you have a pot filler run it for 20 seconds 6-8X per day.

8. Outside spigots:
A. If installed in a wall with heat from inside the house - install a foam cover.
B. If installed in a wall without heat from inside, say a garage wall - 1. Run the water at a slow stream. 2. Rig up some way such that water from the spigot does not freeze upwards into the spigot (leave at least a foot of fall). 3. Divert the water away from your foundation. I have a spigot like this.......I run it at a slow stream into a 7 gallon bucket and I empty the bucket about every 4-6 hours.
C. Any old school spigots coming out of the ground and mounted low - cover insulation/old towels will work in a pinch and a 5 gallon bucket......when set low these types of spigots are easy to freeze proof (around here).

9. Cook a lot. Cooking generates a lot of heat.



Also look around outside if you have an irrigation back flow preventer report back and I'll tell you how to remove the important parts. Around here they are often under a stupid looking big fake rock. If your house is older you probably will not have one. My old house in Dallas built in the '60s didn't have one. My lake house (Texoma) built in 1979 does.


Excuse the typos no glasses. Good luck.

[SanJac]

You’ll be fine. I’ve never had ice on my wood floors, even during Uri with no power for several days. I do leave a faucet dripping for hard freezes, in spite of what the authorities might say.

Stay warm

[EDS_]

Originally Posted by SanJac

You’ll be fine. I’ve never had ice on my wood floors, even during Uri with no power for several days. I do leave a faucet dripping for hard freezes, in spite of what the authorities might say.

Stay warm

Don’t you live in Houston?

[Rakin]

Great advice from EDS above. Not much more to add other than make sure your sprinkler system is set to off if you have one.

I just covered my Palms and a few plants today. Make sure your pool freeze protection is working if you have a pool.

[WRM20]

Originally Posted by SanJac

You’ll be fine. I’ve never had ice on my wood floors, even during Uri with no power for several days. I do leave a faucet dripping for hard freezes, in spite of what the authorities might say.

Stay warm

I had ice on a wood floor when I lived in Baytown. Not fun at all.

[SanJac]

Originally Posted by WRM20

I had ice on a wood floor when I lived in Baytown. Not fun at all.

Oh my! And in Baytown! It must have been super cold!

[SanJac]

Originally Posted by EDS_

Don’t you live in Houston?

Yes I do. My house is on pier and beam, built in late 30s.

I will say during Uri I lost some inside orchids when the power went out. It was just too cold for this old house!