Polar Vortex 2019

I didn't think about the bacteria the septic contains...Thanks! I have to assume that the cistern is deep enough since we have been through some heavy freezes since I have been here (4th winter). This Spring, I will pull the top off the cistern and see how far down it is, I know it's not far, a couple of feet but I will check anyway. The guy that built the house is a sharp guy so I probably should just ask him if he considered a really long and hard freeze... Basically, I am curious now and, of course, I'm a worrier. LOL!

EDIT: I think I will pull the lid off today and have a look but I don't think it is even close to freezing. Nevertheless, this Spring, I will purchase a "Stock Tank Heater" as @BTPost recommended.

 

MotMom, thnx for posting the map so I could tell how miserable I am!! But I already knew it was cold 'nuff to freeze the........ I mean it's cold enough to cause unspeakable injury to a brass monkey.

 

Here in the Midwest this is winter it does get like this it does not last long but it happens you deal with it like any other bad weather
And we insulate the crap out of everything

 

Was at Eglin AFB in the late 1950's and did a couple of cycles at the climatic hanger. At 65 below you have problem with skin freezing to tools and danger of frostbite on lungs, but it was possible to service and run aircraft at that temp. Had to heat the heaters in order to start them, but once running they were ok. Lived in Minn as a kid and saw 30 to 40 below a few times, no one really thought anything of it, weather channel wasn't going full blast then. Metal pipes froze, we got out the welder, borrowed cables from all the neighbors, used welder to thaw pipes and go to neighbors to thaw theirs out. Everyone piled straw bales around house to keep frost from cooling the basement walls, made sure they had plenty of wood, shut off rooms that didn't have plumbing and weren't necessary, put sheep skin robes on bed and our bedroom floor would have snow on it where it blew in, no one panicked.

 

Okay, I will give the Fire Dept a call or stop in there. What exactly is this 'fire line depth' as I googled and got a zero. I assume that is the depth it needs to be buried not to burn?

 

I got one awesome set of cold weather gear from my Uncle Sam.

 

I may cut the grass tomorrow?

 

15 years ago they called it an Albert Clipper .. ok at least around these parts.

This is a typically winter blast. We usually experience at least 1 week of below zero temps but it's usually at night. Single digits during the day.

This year it's about 10 degrees colder. So we carry on like normal.
Added a couple of bales of straw all fluffed up for the critters in the barn.

Dogs rush out the door do their jobs and come back in .. seems that they don't want to dally about for some strange reason .. usually have to start yelling at them to come back in.

probably a bit more diligent at keeping the fireplace inserts filled and not letting them die down. Meaning I'm getting up in the middle of the night to top them up. Which isn't a problem as i'm becoming an old man and natures call gets me up anyway. Might as well multi task.

Ditto for the pots on the stove, keep them filled with water to add moisture to the air.

 

No, there used to a designated depth to bury a water line so it would not freeze. You had to cover it with straw for the 1 st year until the "air" was out of it, but after that it would very seldom freeze. As a kid in Minn it was about 6 feet down.

 

It's called the frost line..bury below that and you'll be good - for normal winter weather. In SW PA, it was 18 inches...we buried at 24"

 

-19f. S.E. Mitten. light breeze.

Steel door in basement workshop has ice crystals on the inside. Workshop itself is 20. basement bathroom and pass through is 45 and main basement is 65. Might have to open up connecting doors tomorrow if it gets much colder in there.

 

If you have plumbing on an out side wall like a kitchen sink/faucet ,open the cupboards so the room air can keep the plumbing from freezing.

 

Exactly the same thing when i was growing up in the mountains of upstate NY. Itwas just called "cold" and all the preparations you mentioned were used. Even discovered that a standard propane torch is much better than the $ starting fluid for your gas powered devices - tractors and gensets in particular. Turn the torch on, don't light it, and shove the nozzle into the carb. The device will usually fire right up and run off the propane until it's warmed up enough to pull normal fuel.
Your mention of shut off rooms is where "door snakes" come from....

 

It's specified as some depth below ground that will not freeze. Most foundations in cold weather areas need to be below that depth as well.

 

As Lancer says, that is the depth required to prevent freezing in the worst of winter. Down south, it's more based on possible mechanical damage from traffic. The min depth in Boston (and, oddly enough, Rock Springs Wy) is 5 feet to the crown of the pipe IIRC.

 

We have had threads in the past about extreme cold before. The above post is why I like revisiting situations/subjects more then once, someone always brings something new to the table. I have never read opening the cupboards but it makes sense. My current kitchen sink is in a corner, not near a heating vent and I know the outside spigot is in the same location. I know if we had extreme cold, it would be one area I would want to stay warm.

 

@Lancer @Merkun "some depth below ground that will not freeze"

Okay, but why would the Fire Dept know this? I would think some dept in the County building codes or etc. Actually, I'm just curious... I know the depth here is 4 feet as that is depth our water pipes are buried.

But, a cistern is a bit of a different animal given the mass (1500 gallons), incoming flowing water from the pump house, and of course one has the insulation not only of the earth but the snow also. This has got my interest now. I need to pull the top off and look but definitely a portion of my cistern is 4 feet down but don't think not the top is so the question is how deep is it? Yesterday, I did call the previous owner who built the place. He said that one time he inspected it when it got down to -10F and there was no ice. Okay, that's good news but I it does not answer my question if it is indeed built correctly. I did some googling but got no satisfaction.

It would seem to me, the layman, that the top of the water should be 4 feet down to be safe so I will have to make time to take the top off and measure down to see how far below ground is the top of the water level. I must run to town today but hopefully have time upon my return.

 

I was in the Chicago area for the winter of '84-'85. It is still the coldest winter on record with an actual temp of -23 on 1/19/85 and -27 on 1/20/85. On that second day, the wind chill was -70, and the news was saying "Do not go outside. Exposed flesh will freeze!"...as in immediate frostbite upon exposure. And the only reason I'm still alive today is a couple of things which have stuck with me for over 30 years:

• Radiant Heat is freaking AWESOME
• An oil fired furnace to heat the water doesn't require electricity
• If it's going to get that cold, and you have enough notice and you have the option/ability...GET THE HELL OUT OF DODGE! Don't screw around, just leave! School will be closed as will many businesses.
• Wood casement windows SUCK OUT LOUD!

The radiant heat is the only reason we didn't freeze to death, because the power went out for 2 days on 1/18/85. We pulled all the mattresses down to the down-stairs living room, hung blankets over open doorways and huddled around the radiators (when we should have just LEFT!). This was the only room without ice inside of the casement windows. The town government also called everyone in the city and asked if we had a car, and if it would start (this was before the temp got stupid cold). Since we did, and it would, they told us to start it and leave it running, they validated our address, and told us they would be out every 6 hours to top off the gas tank so that we could evacuate if necessary (yes, the city did this on their own and didn't bill us for it). The car ran for 2 days in the garage with the door cracked open.

It took almost 2 weeks for the house to warm back up once it got that cold and we could turn on the fans to circulate the warm air.

My takeaways were:

• A good sleeping bag for everyone is vital. I don't mean a slumber bag, I mean down or something like unto it. I have put off getting a full MSS but I need to quit screwing around and just drop the coin on 5 (yeah...$2k...oh well).
• Multiple ways to generate heat that don't require electricity are a must. If the oil tank had not been filled less than a month prior, we might have been in trouble. If that had gone out, we would have driven away but only because our town had a plan and the funding to make it workable.
• The right clothes for the situation and weather are a must. And when it gets that cold, you want mittens, not gloves. You also need something to cover your face entirely.
• Some people consider footwear "clothing" but I'm calling it out anyway. In the '80s, the rage was "moon boots"...and lord what a waste those were, at least the ones we had. Add to that wool socks. Not "wool look" synthetic, WOOL. There is NO substitute.
• If you can get out ahead of time, call in sick or take vacation time and leave if at all possible. Usually just for a couple days (or maybe 2 weeks) and I know it costs money and not everyone has family in warmer climes, but if it's an option, don't discount it.
• Heat tape on your pipes will save you thousands of dollars...if the power doesn't go out.