How's the weather there?

[Zorak]

I grew up in Orlando so Tampa and NSB (the beach where all the locals went to avoid the more touristy Daytona) were regular trips for me.

Hope you enjoy your time there - St Pete is one of my favorite places in all of FL.

I've enjoyed going up to Butler Beach just south of St. Augustine with my family. Where we've gone is just a bunch of single-family homes with some owners, and some AirBNB types. Not a single touristy thing there. A bit farther than NSB, but worth the drive for us. It's an hour and a half on the dot for us from where we live in Orlando, still a heck of a lot closer than when we lived in Athens--which is great because both the missus and I are beach people (she practically grew up on the beach in Brazil, and I was born in Charleston SC where the beach was a frequent weekend destination for my family).

 

[Ole Man Dan]

I keep ours at 70 in the Summer and 68 in the winter.

 

[Bazza]

 

[gman4tide]

70 wonderful degrees in hartsvegas today!

 

[Ole Man Dan]

70 degrees in North Alabama today. Similar weather for tomorrow.
I could get used to this.

 

[92tide]

second day of 70s an no clouds here. will be the same tomorrow.

 

[B1GTide]

52 degrees here today. Hard to believe. We still have 2 feet of snow on our back deck, but I am just happy to see the sun.

 

[Toddrn]

Lots of sun and 71 degrees in Woodstock today. Turned off the heat and opened the windows to let some nice fresh air in the house. Rain is coming back Friday.

 

[Elefantman]

We went from zero to 70 in five days.

 

[crimsonaudio]

This weather is perfect!

 

[gman4tide]

This weather is perfect!

Forestry guys must think so. Big burns in just about every national forest tract in the state!

 

[Ole Man Dan]

70 degrees in North Alabama today. Similar weather for tomorrow.
I could get used to this.

I Grilled 2 dozen chicken wings on my patio this afternoon.
73 degrees.

 

[B1GTide]

I Grilled 2 dozen chicken wings on my patio this afternoon.
73 degrees.

Well, we grill throughout the winter, even when it is snowing outside.

 

[Bamaro]

All of these stories I see about pipes bursting in Texas, dont people realize that water expands when it freezes?

 

[Ole Man Dan]

Well, we grill throughout the winter, even when it is snowing outside.

I do too. My patio cover allows me to grill when I want to, not when the weather lets other people grill.
Around these parts Grilling and Smoking is taken very seriously.

 

[crimsonaudio]

All of these stories I see about pipes bursting in Texas, dont people realize that water expands when it freezes?

Most houses down south aren't really insulated well against the sort of temps we saw last week. It takes a lot of proclivity to avoid frozen pipes in some of these houses, particularly if the initial plumbing install left a lot of pipe runs in the exterior walls or attic space. Heck, I bet most people don't really even know where all their water lines are.

Combine that with people who have never lived through a cold snap like we saw last week and you have these results.

 

[B1GTide]

Most houses down south aren't really insulated well against the sort of temps we saw last week. It takes a lot of proclivity to avoid frozen pipes in some of these houses, particularly if the initial plumbing install left a lot of pipe runs in the exterior walls or attic space. Heck, I bet most people don't really even know where all their water lines are.

Combine that with people who have never lived through a cold snap like we saw last week and you have these results.

Add in the building codes - up north building codes protect pipes from freezing conditions. Most states and municipalities in warmer states don't even take freezing conditions into account in their building codes. Home owners who lack this type of knowledge and understanding face real problems.

This will happen again, and often. I wonder if we will see a change in building codes in "warmer" states.

 

[Bamaro]

Most houses down south aren't really insulated well against the sort of temps we saw last week. It takes a lot of proclivity to avoid frozen pipes in some of these houses, particularly if the initial plumbing install left a lot of pipe runs in the exterior walls or attic space. Heck, I bet most people don't really even know where all their water lines are.

Combine that with people who have never lived through a cold snap like we saw last week and you have these results.

If you have a main water shutoff valve, you can protect your pipes from bursting, south or north, it doesn't matter. Turn off your water where it enters the home, open the highest and lowest faucets in the house, some water will drain out at the lowest one. The pressure has now been released in the pipes and air introduced. If the remaining water freezes, it now has somewhere to expand to and your pipes wont burse. I do this every year at my place in Ocean City incase power goes off during a cold spell. Flushing the toilet one last time is a good idea also to empty the tank.

 

[crimsonaudio]

If you have a main water shutoff valve, you can protect your pipes from bursting, south or north, it doesn't matter. Turn off your water where it enters the home, open the highest and lowest faucets in the house, some water will drain out at the lowest one. The pressure has now been released in the pipes and air introduced. If the remaining water freezes, it now has somewhere to expand to and your pipes wont burse. I do this every year at my place in Ocean City incase power goes off during a cold spell. Flushing the toilet one last time is a good idea also to empty the tank.

Of course, but most people live in their homes and can't just turn the water supply off. And down south, few homes have separate valves for the spigots.

 

[Bamaro]

Of course, but most people live in their homes and can't just turn the water supply off. And down south, few homes have separate valves for the spigots.

True but if the inside temp goes down enough, turn it off before it bursts. Either way you dont have water but at least if you turn it off you will have no damage.
I never mention turning of the supply valves at the spigots. Just open them after turning off the main feed.