whole house generator vs portable generator (appliances, loan, camp)

[crone]

Originally Posted by kreeyax

Running your sprinkler during Uri would have been a disaster. You might have caused car wrecks with all the ice you'd be forming around your house. There was enough ice as it was, no need to add more to the road.

Uri was a "perfect storm" that I doubt will happen again. Losing electricity for several days at below freezing temperatures is pretty unprecedented, definitely the first time it's happened to me since I've lived in Texas for 23 years. But if you really want to prevent it again I would shut off the water at your meter, then open all the outside spigots to drain them. Open all your faucets inside and turn your water heater down to pilot. This will ensure the water in your tank doesn't freeze, and no pressure in your pipes to freeze and burst. I would fill a bathtub first to provide water for flushing toilets and to possibly boil and use, if needed.

I've seen that unprecedented freeze 3 times in Texas.

[mojo101]

Uri was a "perfect storm" that I doubt will happen again. Losing electricity for several days at below freezing temperatures is pretty unprecedented, definitely the first time it's happened to me since I've lived in Texas for 23 years. But if you really want to prevent it again I would shut off the water at your meter, then open all the outside spigots to drain them. Open all your faucets inside and turn your water heater down to pilot. This will ensure the water in your tank doesn't freeze, and no pressure in your pipes to freeze and burst. I would fill a bathtub first to provide water for flushing toilets and to possibly boil and use, if needed.
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I am afraid of my water heater ,why should I set it to pilot,cant I just leave it as is?
also what about my sprinkler pipes which are under my lawns?or are they too deep underground to freeze?

[mojo101]

what happens to the water heater when we have no natural gas???????
what is the chance we will have no natural gas as well?
During Uri,this was the only resource we have,I was able to cook on my gas stove.

[oceangaia]

Originally Posted by usc619

That’s a dumb idea lol, why not just put a gun to your head?

Why not use your brain, I am talking about warming it up with it off!

[kreeyax]

Originally Posted by crone

I've seen that unprecedented freeze 3 times in Texas.

But did you lose power for 2-3 days?

[kreeyax]

Originally Posted by houston-nomad

The power was out because of the freeze, so these two things happening together again is certainly possible. They are related. Also, if you haven't been paying attention, our Governor and state legislature have failed to do anything to fix the grid during this legislative session. They are too busy outlawing abortion and ordering audits of the 2020 election. So if you're counting on the government to save you, you are going to be disappointed.

I lived in north Texas for many years and went through many freezes. We never lost power for more than a few hours. So sure, it's possible. Just unlikely we'll have another deep freeze without power for 2-3 days. The temperature in our house was 43 degrees. Has that ever happened before Uri, in your home? Unprecedented IMO, and most likely will never happen again.

[mojo101]

During Uri,it is not that cold,but I heard a child freeze to death?
No Tv,no phone,no internet,no water ,no newspaper,only a transister radio and some candles..

[kreeyax]

Originally Posted by mojo101

I am afraid of my water heater ,why should I set it to pilot,cant I just leave it as is?
also what about my sprinkler pipes which are under my lawns?or are they too deep underground to freeze?

If you aren't cutting off the water to your house, you can just leave your water heater as is. If you cut the water off to your house the level in your water heater can get low, and if you still have it turned up high it can boil and cause the tank to rupture. I lost a tank prematurely one time when we lost water and I didn't turn it down. Always turn your heater to pilot when your house has no water. Pilot is also warm enough to keep the water in your tank from freezing.

For your sprinklers, there's little to no pressure between the valves and the sprinkler heads so those pipes won't burst. You have pressure between the main and the valves, which is why you're supposed to cut the water off to your sprinkler system and drain the backflow valve. There are videos on YouTube that can show you how:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtIrdiVrooU

[houston-nomad]

Originally Posted by kreeyax

I lived in north Texas for many years and went through many freezes. We never lost power for more than a few hours. So sure, it's possible. Just unlikely we'll have another deep freeze without power for 2-3 days. The temperature in our house was 43 degrees. Has that ever happened before Uri, in your home? Unprecedented IMO, and most likely will never happen again.

I'm not talking about what has happened before. I'm saying you can't assess based on the past. The climate is changing. But go ahead and think what you want, not my problem.

[mojo101]

Originally Posted by kreeyax

If you aren't cutting off the water to your house, you can just leave your water heater as is. If you cut the water off to your house the level in your water heater can get low, and if you still have it turned up high it can boil and cause the tank to rupture. I lost a tank prematurely one time when we lost water and I didn't turn it down. Always turn your heater to pilot when your house has no water. Pilot is also warm enough to keep the water in your tank from freezing.

For your sprinklers, there's little to no pressure between the valves and the sprinkler heads so those pipes won't burst. You have pressure between the main and the valves, which is why you're supposed to cut the water off to your sprinkler system and drain the backflow valve. There are videos on YouTube that can show you how:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qtIrdiVrooU

thank you,now I understand