Good content Andrew, just want to do an FYI you can pass on to your other viewers. After draining your spickets you should always 45 all the ball valves after you have opened them all the way because a small amount of water almost always gets trapped between the ball portion and the seating portion of the valve. Also all gate valves should be opened all the way then backed down just a turn so not to trap water above the gate in the bonnet which can freeze and bust it. Hope this helps you and many others out.👍👍👍you deserve 3 thumbs up, stay warm we are coming off of a couple days of - number lows but it is still going to be way below freezing for the next week or so with some snow...
Mostly from having to replace broken valves when I worked in the orchard and when I worked in the irrigation industry. Thankfully I've never had a valve fail because of something I did wrong.@@jp34604
I’m in Montana and the coldest night we had was -54 without the windchill. My well pump and tank are all underground in an insulated vault. All the utilities are in an inside utility room.
Just FYI, I was reminded of something I really like when I saw your water pressure tank. We just changed from a similar water system to one called "a constant pressure system". That large pressure tank is replaced by a 2 or 3 gallon tank, and a variable speed contoller is put on the well pump. When in use, your water pressure is always within 2 or 3 psi of your set point regardless of the volume of water being used (within extreme limits). Your conventional system operates on a pressure switch turning the pump on or off between pressure settings that usually differ by at least 20 psi. We run at 70 psi off our well. Also just a fun fact... in Wisconsin, code requires burying underground water pipes at 7 feet deep due to frost. (I don't think frost goes much below 4', but that is the code.)
Another thing I would add to your collection of pipe fittings is extra pipe! You can usually find 2’ sticks of whatever size you need. If you do have a split pipe, it may be easier to splice in a piece rather than trying to fumble around with a whole 10’ section of pipe! Easier to store and won’t take up as much space as your long sticks of PVC. Just a thought from a northerner that has replaced a pipe or two 😅
Used heat tape year round at my home in the south. We had several outdoors water lines. The tape I used had a thermostat and would only actually run when it was needed, there was no energy wasted if it stayed plugged in. It just sat there idle 340 days a year. But when it was needed, it was amazing.
Thank You. I saw your old rain gauge. I have the same one at my house. It does a great job going to the 1/100 of an inch of rain. Keep Up The Good Work.
Great stuff Andrew, Its always great to be prepared and not to mess around and find out. I personally find it intriguing how different utilities are across the country (rightfully so). As you mentioned, up here in Iowa we had temps with windchill down to -45 F. Stay warm down South!
Hey they make temperature-controlled outlet switches so instead of a timer it runs off the temperature that's what I used for some insulated faucet covers I built (on my channel). If I remember right they turn on when it gets down to like 35 and then they won't turn off till it gets up to like 45 or something like that.
02:48. Bad advice “ you can also drip your faucet”. When u in city of everyone drips there faucets. There is less water pressure at the fire hydrant for the fire truck trying to put out a fire!
@@TKCL maybe you should have said since I a pm my own well and not a city supply I drop my faucet- but do not do if u are on city water becaue it lowers the water pressure for the fire hydrants if everyone does it in the city
Great content. Up here in Saskatoon Saskatchewan our lines are buried 8-10 feet below the ground to prevent freezing, as the frost gets "pushed down" with the cold temperatures that we experience. Currently just getting over our -40 to -35 degrees Celsius temperatures, windchill around -50 but we had a very mild winter up until then. Only about -10 degrees. On the heat tape, I would look into self regulating tape if you are looking at conserving energy. It only gets warm in certain areas of the tape. And of course all our water lines are inside in front of the vapor barrier with insulation behind that.
In Maryland, everything is 36" below ground including the wellhead. This makes finding the wellhead lots of fun 20 years later when no one remembers where exactly it was when it was covered over. Ask me how I know... :) (comment left)
I live in Maine, and know about this, so you should heed my observations. The heated wiring for your pipes will do nothing outside the foam insulation. Also your filters will freeze and crack without wrapping them with the wire and then covering them with some form of insulation.
The wire is inside of the insulation, only a little excess that remained was wrapped around the filters. The heat lamp and running fresh water through the filters has been working well. I need to see if they make a convenient insulation for those filter housings.
Good video Andrew! I am a 50 miles south of you. I am pulling the same dumb stuff of crossing my fingers and hoping for the best! Your advice is great.
Perhaps another side quest to the builds, but a small greenhouse for the outdoor equipment and greenhouse style shed for the wall equipment may just pay for itself. Something that can be put up and put away in half an hr or so (also went through the rest of the video at least a small greenhouse for the wall equipment, you did mention a well house).
Where I am (northeast USA), it's about the same as everyone else is saying. Outdoor plumbing (water, sewer) is buried below the frost line. Yard/fire hydrants are frost proof, so the valve itself is below the frost line and self-drains when turned off. Indoor plumbing needs to be in the conditioned building envelope, and exterior walls are avoided for where possible.
I use these in my chicken coops to turn on the heaters at a certain temp or turn on the fans when needed in the summer. In three years, I have only had one fail due to a rat eating off the sensor. Pymeter Digital Temperature Controller Dual Probe Reptile Thermostat Controlled Outlet for Terrarium Heat Mat Heating Pad, Switch Cooling Fan Freezer Fridge ON & Off at Setpoints 10A 1200W
I’m sure you’ve already done so but don’t forget your hand pump well. Another informative video! And just in time as it looks like you’re gonna get mid 20’s tonight and tomorrow. Not to mention the low 20’s coming at y’all on Saturday night. Stay warm and keep those cameras rolling! 😂
I took care of the off grid well a couple of months ago. We hit 17 degrees last night with the wind chill. It's already 31 here and dropping fast tonight at 8 PM. We should see mid 20s again. Saturday and Sunday also looks to be another very cold spell.
a little trick to make the outside hydrant more permanent would be to slip a bigger piece of pvc over the insulation not only protecting from freezing but damage from weed eaters and such. a shield of ridged foam in a light wood frame and covered with some sort of water proof covering the heat lamp would probably keep you fine __UNLESS you lose all electricity. here in N Oklahoma we are down to single digits with - 0 windchills !!! we put all pipes around 3ft down , heat tapes and insulation where above ground and able , a lot of our garden lines are only about 18 in down but i drain it back down. we have a 30ft stock tank for the cattle i put a 5 ft oval tank that the bottom rusted out in it around the water line that comes up inside the tank and put a jet on it to circulate the water. our dogs dont use any shelter that we put out unless it is raining sleep out on TOP of the round bales of hay!!! :) i almost never take back any extra piping supplies. hope you dont have too much cold we already have had about 10 days of below freezing Have Fun and Stay Warm :)
nailed it! be prepared and dont forget to top off your car and pickup batteries with a battery charger! lead acid batteries dont work so well in sub cold temps!
Hello Andrew how are you doing buddy? That was good advice man. You'll be surprised how many people are unprepared. It is extremely cold at my house right now at 18° Degrees outside with 6" inches of snow that we just got this morning. This is some extreme cold weather man. All 6 of my boys Won't let me go outside because they don't want my feet 🦶 & toes to hurt from the cold weather. They said that they would want there wide feet 🦶 to hurt wearing boots then my feet 🦶 & toes to hurt. This is one reason why I love my boys. I can't believe how this cold weather is all over the east coast man. You take care and stay warm buddy.
@@TKCL That is so funny Andrew. That is what I really need too man Some heated flip flops 🩴. But you are right man. But my family did get me some close toes sandals that covers my toes up & they are Leather too so they keep my toes very warm. But my kids still don't want me to go outside in the cold weather. Only to get in the car & that it & not hanging outside. This is the best Christmas gift this year man. Now I can really get back to running my Truck 🚛 business.
Good information video. Thank you as a reminder. When you build your well house, don't forget to leave enough room for the doors, so you can move equipment in and out and don't forget the hatch on top of the roof above your well.
Alberta Canada (the most American like province) is going through rolling blackouts right now. The only reason they still have any power is that pesky, dirty, going to kill us every 5 years coal plant they still have. Great tips by the way. I have lots of those things even though I'm in an apartment right now lol.
My kitchen water froze up yesterday. I shut off the hot water tank port (so it stayed semi-full) opened the bathtub faucet to relieve the line and shut the water off at the main, and it will stay off until tomorrow, provided its as warm as they say. I am using pre-filled gallon jugs, a lesson learned from every winter here even though ALL the water pipes are insulated with foam covers as well as blow-in! Literally every time the furnace clicks on I hear an old-time cash register Cha Chinging
I'm surprised the heat table instructions didn't say to NOT cross the tape back over itself. Everyone that I've ever used warned against doing that. I like your plan to mount the heat lamp on a stake away from the house. I nearly burnt my back deck down due to placing one of those flood type aluminum lighting reflector too close to my deck boards (trying to keep a faucet from freezing). Be safe!!
We drip our faucets and leave the cabinets (with sinks) open to get heat. Insulate pipes and heat tape like you showed....its just all running inside the home
@@TKCL Outside wall. Closed up cabinets will let the cold bleed inside a not so well insulated home. At My old place the house had a 24" overhang of the Foundation. all of the Downstairs was open ceiling even out over the overhang with just a little Fiberglas insulation stuffed in it the kitchen lines came up through the Floor into the Cabinet. never Froze. the overhang and the downstairs was all finished off and they froze every year cause the warm air downstairs could get to the pipes. I had to replumb the lines to the very front of the cabinet to be on the inside of the rim joist.
Yes it’s totally different up here. Everything is inside a heated structure or a minimum 36” below ground. Hopefully you made it through the cold snap okay.
"WINTER" storm tips!.... from Buffalo, nooo, from MT, noooo, from N or S Dakota.... noooo, oh... from FL... aaaanneewayy, ive got some great hurricane tips coming for next spring... smFh...
I've been expecting stupid comments like this. Had you actually watched the video, there are some valid points no one really discuss for preparedness, after the fact and new homeowners.
Thanks for all the info and reminders....I know some people will need it...sometimes it's the little things people forget that can cause the most problems.
We are about 24 miles or so from you, so I am really interested in your build content, etc. We are completely off-grid using solar for power. We had to go drain all the water lines and tank on the well, etc. Great tips!
@@TKCL Dowling park. Just picked up some Schneider equipment, and have 9500W of solar panels with iron ridge stand to set up. You could come to my place and film it. lol Looks like the map says more like 40+ miles. I still feel like we will be neighbors ha ha
In, my first , first. We have single digits and 7” of snow here in West TN. Roads are crap, so at home chilling. Perfect time for a TKCL video. TVA is saying maybe rolling Blackouts in the morning.
I just watched your video on the weather preparation and you made a comment about your PVC glue not lasting but a few weeks after being opened if you store your PVC glue upside downwards after opening it will last longer
Cool news about batteries, I was watching Stoney Ridge, Farmer, and he just got a new one and they’re starting to build automatic heaters in the batteries. It would be cool if you got some of those and could test their efficiency, I wonder how much energy the internal heaters will take from the battery 🤔
Andrew don’t laugh but I have my tractor tires filled with windshield washer fluid. I found it to be cheaper than what the tire shops wanted to put In them plus I was able to do it myself. By the way I’m in North Texas and yes it got down to 8 degrees here with the windchill a -14 at one point. We have had like 4 days now that it’s been below 32. Today is Wednesday the 17th and we will get about 32 today finally.
Interesting idea! You're definitely colder than us, we hit 17 degrees with the wind chill this morning. We will be mid 20s again tonight and this weekend. Take care
We don’t really do a lot here, any spigot going to the outside is self draining, we take off our hoses and I get those little foam covers for the faucets, but I’ve left them off a lot of years, and it didn’t seem to matter as long as you get the hoses off and drain the hoses. The waterlines are all underground and come up under the house which stays quite a bit warmer. There are vents to underneath the house, and I usually cut some plastic off and use some silicone to block off airflow under the house and that keeps it warmer if there’s a lot of wind. But most of it just kind of automatic as long as you get the hoses off and the devices drain themselves, and and all the water comes out from the house unless you have an outdoor self draining spigot so there’s really not much to do on the things I do are just kind of overkill. In California it would only freeze every couple of years when I was in Los Angeles area and we had our water heater and some pipes outside but had a separate cover on it, ours was a pre-manufactured box, but a lot of people will just build a small room around it or just Put three walls around it up against the house and that’s usually enough there and we had an insulating blanket on the outside of our water heater but the water heater is touching those pipes so you have heat in that little room, ours was small like a 4‘ x 4‘ little metal shed almost Almost look like a cabinet with a piece of slanted roofing on it and it wasn’t even insulated, but it was enough to keep some heat in and the frost off. In the 20 years I’ve lived in freezing areas. I’ve only turned on the water a couple of times to let it drip inside the house to keep water moving in the pipes, but unless your heat goes out in your house, it usually doesn’t matter because all the pipes have to be at least 18 inches underground, so if the electric goes out and we have no heater or if you’re leaving your house unheated, but usually the pipes are in a heated area so you don’t have to worry about it inside the house. I do kind of always freak out when I see your well open like that😂 I guess it triggers me 😂 I would always build a structure around it with a little bit of insulation and they sell these little plugs you put in the wallet you can just plug any little heater into and when it drops below about 40° it turns that outlet on so it’ll turn on whatever you have plugged into it, I like those little oil heaters and that’s what I would probably use. I never have, but I know some people winterize their garage and put radiators in them but my truck just gets snowed on now lol I’ve kind of been waiting. I figured it sometime. You would probably build some sort of structure over your well.
Y’all about to get we had yesterday in south Louisiana this morning everything was solid ice. I couldn’t get the door open on my truck was frozen shut. Tonight is forecast to be 10 degrees crazy weather for up as well.
You made great points!!!❤ thank you❤they did rolling black-outs here in North AL last year. Took my house 3 days to heat back up to 50 degrees. 😡 this year I have the propane buddy heater, propane logs, propane cook top
Our previous home up north plumbing was underground under frost line from the street and came in the basement wall below frost line. Slab homes the plumbing is run below frost line then insulated when it 90s up toward a utility room. Saw a few nightmares were new builders ran plumbing on an outside wall and had zero insulation. Every house of the same model had leaks.
I only put something up around the chicken coop to block the wind when it gets down pretty cold. My chickens have been fine every winter just make sure they have plenty of food and water
@TKCL Ours are in a hoop style coop and it's more open for airflow to deal with the heat rather than the cold so I just cover it some too help keep the cold wind from blasting though.
Great Video! One thing about the heat tape, the instructions state that the thermostat needs to be in contact with the pipe being heated. I don't know what will happen if it isn't as I have always followed the instructions and had success.
One thing that I use to clear out the hoses is using an air compressor to garden hose adapter to blow out the line. I have several hundred feet of hoses so it works for me, but they are relatively cheap to have among your air compressor accessories.
We will be in the 20'sF at night 5 days this week. There is heat tape that you can get , by the foot, in different widths/lengths from online reptile supply places. Its meant for terrariums or reptile enclosures, plant shelves etc. You buy the plug and thermostat etc and diy it. It works fine for plumbing or other things too. When I built our first wine-o-bator (egg incubator from a wine cooler) I also used some heat tape for my heat source along w a computer fan. In WY our well house was 12 ft underground . We had waterpipes in the house that ran hot water through them to heat the floor. We had a wood stove and fireplace. We never really worried about winterizing except the horses , farm animals etc. but they had a heater in their water trough and a warm barn. Garage was also heated. I use a Propane Heater in my greenhouse on nights under 32F for all our tropicals.
@@TKCL We have had more problems with pipes down here because they werent permanently protected like the ones up north. We put the foam and a foam wrap tape on them last spring after one disaster lol. We will see how it all holds up tonight.
Andrew I love watching your content, I learn something new every time. I do have a thought for you, On the back of your house you are using the heat tape on your pipes and then using a heatlamp. If the heat lamp keeps the area above freezing will that not keep the heat tape from coming on? Just a thought.
I have the same tankless water heater. I had to heat up my propane regulator so it would light. It was throwing me a code 11. I insulated the regulator tonight. I hope it works.
What is Rinnai Error Code 11 or 12? Usually indicates a no ignition or no gas supply on your gas system. Make sure your gas supply is turned on. Check the filters grills are clean. Make sure the heater is plugged in, Switch off the power for at least 5 seconds then switch it back on.
I also wrapped the valves after I insulated them with a seat, cushion, front and back and then also put a back pill pillow and pillow on top of my propane tank.
Well, Andrew has a stash of plumbing stuff for the entire state of Florida, so you're good, folks, LOL Now seriously, I read somewhere that an entire solar power farm ( I think in Nevada) got busted by hail. Any way to protect your panels?
How often does it freeze down there? I always see people in Florida talking about how it doesn’t freeze often, but are preparing for freezing. Like the faucets we put on our house drain the water out, so it doesn’t freeze and keeps the part with water and it way under the house or the self draining freeze proof hydrants. It doesn’t seem that much more expensive to use those but it seems like every couple years. You guys are still dealing with it even though it’s not as common. Our spigots are either self draining if they come from the ground so I don’t have to worry about that. If they come out of the house they’re also self draining and I usually put those little foam boxes over them. But it seems like you guys get freezing enough to wear it would still be worth it??
Honestly we see 20s every single year several times. But that's usually only a few hours before daylight and we almost always go above freezing after the sun is out. It's a crap shoot if anything busts or not. We did have 5 days in a row below freezing last year, one day was in the teens with single digit wind chills. That's very unusual though. Sadly we just don't have the build practices or knowledge on what's the right way to install stuff for freezing. We should!
Another great and helpful video. Can you tell me what descale filter you decided on or link to a video, if you have one, on your filter system? Thanks for all the content
Those heat lamps NEED TO HAVE CERAMIC bulb receptacle not plastic. Those red 250 watt bulbs pull a lot of power the plastic will melt, catch fire, break etc.
Welcome to a taste of Wisconsin Andrew AHAHAHHAA... That insulation is just gonna delay the Freezing.. You are better off draining or let then trickle. And yes leave the pump running Moving water has a resistance to freezing. Thanks Much...
Sadly I can't drain since I didn't put in a cut off valve to the outside faucets, shame on me. I need to correct that so I can only have water running to the house.
Good content Andrew, just want to do an FYI you can pass on to your other viewers. After draining your spickets you should always 45 all the ball valves after you have opened them all the way because a small amount of water almost always gets trapped between the ball portion and the seating portion of the valve. Also all gate valves should be opened all the way then backed down just a turn so not to trap water above the gate in the bonnet which can freeze and bust it. Hope this helps you and many others out.👍👍👍you deserve 3 thumbs up, stay warm we are coming off of a couple days of - number lows but it is still going to be way below freezing for the next week or so with some snow...
Good day to all. Man it's toste around here.
Thank you for the tips
Excellent points both, did ya learn that the hard way or from the guy that did?
Mostly from having to replace broken valves when I worked in the orchard and when I worked in the irrigation industry. Thankfully I've never had a valve fail because of something I did wrong.@@jp34604
I’m in Montana and the coldest night we had was -54 without the windchill. My well pump and tank are all underground in an insulated vault. All the utilities are in an inside utility room.
Sadly we can't do underground here, too high of a water table and too much rain. I could see that working very well.
Just FYI, I was reminded of something I really like when I saw your water pressure tank. We just changed from a similar water system to one called "a constant pressure system". That large pressure tank is replaced by a 2 or 3 gallon tank, and a variable speed contoller is put on the well pump. When in use, your water pressure is always within 2 or 3 psi of your set point regardless of the volume of water being used (within extreme limits). Your conventional system operates on a pressure switch turning the pump on or off between pressure settings that usually differ by at least 20 psi. We run at 70 psi off our well.
Also just a fun fact... in Wisconsin, code requires burying underground water pipes at 7 feet deep due to frost. (I don't think frost goes much below 4', but that is the code.)
Another thing I would add to your collection of pipe fittings is extra pipe! You can usually find 2’ sticks of whatever size you need. If you do have a split pipe, it may be easier to splice in a piece rather than trying to fumble around with a whole 10’ section of pipe! Easier to store and won’t take up as much space as your long sticks of PVC. Just a thought from a northerner that has replaced a pipe or two 😅
I have a lot of extra pipe out in my pole barn 👍
Used heat tape year round at my home in the south. We had several outdoors water lines. The tape I used had a thermostat and would only actually run when it was needed, there was no energy wasted if it stayed plugged in. It just sat there idle 340 days a year. But when it was needed, it was amazing.
That's how these work as well.
Thank You. I saw your old rain gauge. I have the same one at my house. It does a great job going to the 1/100 of an inch of rain. Keep Up The Good Work.
I often find myself comparing the gauge to my station.
Great stuff Andrew, Its always great to be prepared and not to mess around and find out. I personally find it intriguing how different utilities are across the country (rightfully so). As you mentioned, up here in Iowa we had temps with windchill down to -45 F. Stay warm down South!
Thank you for watching
Great info for those of us in the south that "normally" don't have these kinds of temperatures
Thank you for watching
Thanks for sharing a very comprehensive check list Andrew. I hope it helps some people say ohh I didn't think of that..
I hope so too
It’s 35.2° here currently at my house at the moment. Went outside and winterized my pipes before the sun went down.
In the 30s here and dropping fast, wind won't lay making it feel very cold.
Ganna be coooold in that deer stand in the morning Ol Son. 🦌🥶🤣
This wind hasn't laid, I won't be in any stand. 😉
@TKCL lol, yeah ill be in Bascom freezing my butt off. 🤞🤞🦌
Good information and reminders for us southerners Andrew. Getting chilly up here in north GA the next few days and doing much of the same. Take care!
I bet you are going to see some serious temps. We hit 17 degrees on the real feel this morning thanks to a little wind.
Hey they make temperature-controlled outlet switches so instead of a timer it runs off the temperature that's what I used for some insulated faucet covers I built (on my channel). If I remember right they turn on when it gets down to like 35 and then they won't turn off till it gets up to like 45 or something like that.
Nice! They make everything nowadays it seems.
02:48. Bad advice “ you can also drip your faucet”. When u in city of everyone drips there faucets. There is less water pressure at the fire hydrant for the fire truck trying to put out a fire!
Deal with busted pipes then. I don't live in the city.
@@TKCL maybe you should have said since I a pm my own well and not a city supply I drop my faucet- but do not do if u are on city water becaue it lowers the water pressure for the fire hydrants if everyone does it in the city
Great content. Up here in Saskatoon Saskatchewan our lines are buried 8-10 feet below the ground to prevent freezing, as the frost gets "pushed down" with the cold temperatures that we experience. Currently just getting over our -40 to -35 degrees Celsius temperatures, windchill around -50 but we had a very mild winter up until then. Only about -10 degrees. On the heat tape, I would look into self regulating tape if you are looking at conserving energy. It only gets warm in certain areas of the tape. And of course all our water lines are inside in front of the vapor barrier with insulation behind that.
That's another huge difference, vapor barrier must be on the outside here due to external heat and humidity. Yours is the exact opposite.
In Maryland, everything is 36" below ground including the wellhead. This makes finding the wellhead lots of fun 20 years later when no one remembers where exactly it was when it was covered over. Ask me how I know... :) (comment left)
All we can bury here is pipes, no equipment or basements due to our rain and high water table.
My man is already. Andrew thinks of everything.
I live in Maine, and know about this, so you should heed my observations.
The heated wiring for your pipes will do nothing outside the foam insulation.
Also your filters will freeze and crack without wrapping them with the wire and then covering them with some form of insulation.
The wire is inside of the insulation, only a little excess that remained was wrapped around the filters. The heat lamp and running fresh water through the filters has been working well. I need to see if they make a convenient insulation for those filter housings.
Good video Andrew! I am a 50 miles south of you. I am pulling the same dumb stuff of crossing my fingers and hoping for the best! Your advice is great.
Thanks for watching, hit 17 degrees here at 4am on the real feel thanks to a steady wind.
Perhaps another side quest to the builds, but a small greenhouse for the outdoor equipment and greenhouse style shed for the wall equipment may just pay for itself. Something that can be put up and put away in half an hr or so (also went through the rest of the video at least a small greenhouse for the wall equipment, you did mention a well house).
We do plan a greenhouse, but mainly for plants and protection.
Thats a really nice set-up on the entire property!!❤❤
Thank you
Where I am (northeast USA), it's about the same as everyone else is saying. Outdoor plumbing (water, sewer) is buried below the frost line. Yard/fire hydrants are frost proof, so the valve itself is below the frost line and self-drains when turned off. Indoor plumbing needs to be in the conditioned building envelope, and exterior walls are avoided for where possible.
I use these in my chicken coops to turn on the heaters at a certain temp or turn on the fans when needed in the summer. In three years, I have only had one fail due to a rat eating off the sensor. Pymeter Digital Temperature Controller Dual Probe Reptile Thermostat Controlled Outlet for Terrarium Heat Mat Heating Pad, Switch Cooling Fan Freezer Fridge ON & Off at Setpoints 10A 1200W
On Amazon 27 dollars
I have that same controller
I’m sure you’ve already done so but don’t forget your hand pump well. Another informative video! And just in time as it looks like you’re gonna get mid 20’s tonight and tomorrow. Not to mention the low 20’s coming at y’all on Saturday night. Stay warm and keep those cameras rolling! 😂
I took care of the off grid well a couple of months ago. We hit 17 degrees last night with the wind chill. It's already 31 here and dropping fast tonight at 8 PM. We should see mid 20s again. Saturday and Sunday also looks to be another very cold spell.
a little trick to make the outside hydrant more permanent would be to slip a bigger piece of pvc over the insulation not only protecting from freezing but damage from weed eaters and such. a shield of ridged foam in a light wood frame and covered with some sort of water proof covering the heat lamp would probably keep you fine __UNLESS you lose all electricity. here in N Oklahoma we are down to single digits with - 0 windchills !!! we put all pipes around 3ft down , heat tapes and insulation where above ground and able , a lot of our garden lines are only about 18 in down but i drain it back down. we have a 30ft stock tank for the cattle i put a 5 ft oval tank that the bottom rusted out in it around the water line that comes up inside the tank and put a jet on it to circulate the water. our dogs dont use any shelter that we put out unless it is raining sleep out on TOP of the round bales of hay!!! :) i almost never take back any extra piping supplies. hope you dont have too much cold we already have had about 10 days of below freezing Have Fun and Stay Warm :)
Great tips, thanks.
nailed it! be prepared and dont forget to top off your car and pickup batteries with a battery charger! lead acid batteries dont work so well in sub cold temps!
Very true
Hello Andrew how are you doing buddy? That was good advice man. You'll be surprised how many people are unprepared. It is extremely cold at my house right now at 18° Degrees outside with 6" inches of snow that we just got this morning. This is some extreme cold weather man. All 6 of my boys Won't let me go outside because they don't want my feet 🦶 & toes to hurt from the cold weather. They said that they would want there wide feet 🦶 to hurt wearing boots then my feet 🦶 & toes to hurt. This is one reason why I love my boys. I can't believe how this cold weather is all over the east coast man. You take care and stay warm buddy.
We need to find you some heated flip flops
@@TKCL That is so funny Andrew. That is what I really need too man Some heated flip flops 🩴. But you are right man. But my family did get me some close toes sandals that covers my toes up & they are Leather too so they keep my toes very warm. But my kids still don't want me to go outside in the cold weather. Only to get in the car & that it & not hanging outside. This is the best Christmas gift this year man. Now I can really get back to running my Truck 🚛 business.
Good information video. Thank you as a reminder. When you build your well house, don't forget to leave enough room for the doors, so you can move equipment in and out and don't forget the hatch on top of the roof above your well.
I plan to make the entire house and or roof removable for servicing the well by the well companies trucks.
Alberta Canada (the most American like province) is going through rolling blackouts right now.
The only reason they still have any power is that pesky, dirty, going to kill us every 5 years coal plant they still have.
Great tips by the way. I have lots of those things even though I'm in an apartment right now lol.
That's just sad to hear
Hi Andrew, that was a good review. Take care and stay warm. ❤️❤️👍👍🇨🇦
Thanks for watching
The heated water buckets work really well . Won't warm the water, but will keep it from freezing solid
Being prepared and ready is key! Yall stay warm. 🇺🇸💪
My kitchen water froze up yesterday. I shut off the hot water tank port (so it stayed semi-full) opened the bathtub faucet to relieve the line and shut the water off at the main, and it will stay off until tomorrow, provided its as warm as they say. I am using pre-filled gallon jugs, a lesson learned from every winter here even though ALL the water pipes are insulated with foam covers as well as blow-in! Literally every time the furnace clicks on I hear an old-time cash register Cha Chinging
Yep no doubt it's expensive to run through storms like this. Electricity and gas usage at highs for the year.
Excellent video! Central Missouri just had 3 days where it didn’t get above zero…
Yikes!
I'm surprised the heat table instructions didn't say to NOT cross the tape back over itself. Everyone that I've ever used warned against doing that. I like your plan to mount the heat lamp on a stake away from the house. I nearly burnt my back deck down due to placing one of those flood type aluminum lighting reflector too close to my deck boards (trying to keep a faucet from freezing). Be safe!!
We drip our faucets and leave the cabinets (with sinks) open to get heat. Insulate pipes and heat tape like you showed....its just all running inside the home
Wow the pipes inside will bust is cabinets are not left open?
@@TKCL Outside wall. Closed up cabinets will let the cold bleed inside a not so well insulated home.
At My old place the house had a 24" overhang of the Foundation. all of the Downstairs was open ceiling even out over the overhang with just a little Fiberglas insulation stuffed in it
the kitchen lines came up through the Floor into the Cabinet. never Froze. the overhang and the downstairs was all finished off and they froze every year cause the warm air downstairs could get to the pipes.
I had to replumb the lines to the very front of the cabinet to be on the inside of the rim joist.
Great video, Andrew’s Plumbing Store.
Sure is
Yes it’s totally different up here. Everything is inside a heated structure or a minimum 36” below ground. Hopefully you made it through the cold snap okay.
No issues
"WINTER" storm tips!.... from Buffalo, nooo, from MT, noooo, from N or S Dakota.... noooo, oh... from FL... aaaanneewayy, ive got some great hurricane tips coming for next spring... smFh...
I've been expecting stupid comments like this. Had you actually watched the video, there are some valid points no one really discuss for preparedness, after the fact and new homeowners.
Thanks for all the info and reminders....I know some people will need it...sometimes it's the little things people forget that can cause the most problems.
Very true, all it takes is one electrical or plumbing problem to create a long term issue.
We are about 24 miles or so from you, so I am really interested in your build content, etc. We are completely off-grid using solar for power. We had to go drain all the water lines and tank on the well, etc. Great tips!
Glad you enjoy the content. Whereabouts are tall located?
@@TKCL Dowling park. Just picked up some Schneider equipment, and have 9500W of solar panels with iron ridge stand to set up. You could come to my place and film it. lol Looks like the map says more like 40+ miles. I still feel like we will be neighbors ha ha
@user-um5lx8wl9y lol yeah your closer to an hour away. I know the area well, lived in Mayo for 36 years.
In, my first , first. We have single digits and 7” of snow here in West TN. Roads are crap, so at home chilling. Perfect time for a TKCL video. TVA is saying maybe rolling Blackouts in the morning.
Definitely don't be on the roads, southern states are not set up to handle the snow it seems.
Store your glue with the lid facing down and it won't go bad for months........
Thank you for that tip, never heard of it before but I can see why that works.
I just watched your video on the weather preparation and you made a comment about your PVC glue not lasting but a few weeks after being opened if you store your PVC glue upside downwards after opening it will last longer
I just heard that tip, awesome! Almost 40 years old and never heard that before. Learn something new every day!
Cool news about batteries, I was watching Stoney Ridge, Farmer, and he just got a new one and they’re starting to build automatic heaters in the batteries. It would be cool if you got some of those and could test their efficiency, I wonder how much energy the internal heaters will take from the battery 🤔
I am curious myself about the usage, no doubt it will reduce the systems capacity. But it's nice that it sill allows you to run.
Andrew don’t laugh but I have my tractor tires filled with windshield washer fluid. I found it to be cheaper than what the tire shops wanted to put In them plus I was able to do it myself. By the way I’m in North Texas and yes it got down to 8 degrees here with the windchill a -14 at one point. We have had like 4 days now that it’s been below 32. Today is Wednesday the 17th and we will get about 32 today finally.
Interesting idea! You're definitely colder than us, we hit 17 degrees with the wind chill this morning. We will be mid 20s again tonight and this weekend. Take care
We don’t really do a lot here, any spigot going to the outside is self draining, we take off our hoses and I get those little foam covers for the faucets, but I’ve left them off a lot of years, and it didn’t seem to matter as long as you get the hoses off and drain the hoses. The waterlines are all underground and come up under the house which stays quite a bit warmer. There are vents to underneath the house, and I usually cut some plastic off and use some silicone to block off airflow under the house and that keeps it warmer if there’s a lot of wind. But most of it just kind of automatic as long as you get the hoses off and the devices drain themselves, and and all the water comes out from the house unless you have an outdoor self draining spigot so there’s really not much to do on the things I do are just kind of overkill.
In California it would only freeze every couple of years when I was in Los Angeles area and we had our water heater and some pipes outside but had a separate cover on it, ours was a pre-manufactured box, but a lot of people will just build a small room around it or just Put three walls around it up against the house and that’s usually enough there and we had an insulating blanket on the outside of our water heater but the water heater is touching those pipes so you have heat in that little room, ours was small like a 4‘ x 4‘ little metal shed almost Almost look like a cabinet with a piece of slanted roofing on it and it wasn’t even insulated, but it was enough to keep some heat in and the frost off. In the 20 years I’ve lived in freezing areas. I’ve only turned on the water a couple of times to let it drip inside the house to keep water moving in the pipes, but unless your heat goes out in your house, it usually doesn’t matter because all the pipes have to be at least 18 inches underground, so if the electric goes out and we have no heater or if you’re leaving your house unheated, but usually the pipes are in a heated area so you don’t have to worry about it inside the house. I do kind of always freak out when I see your well open like that😂 I guess it triggers me 😂 I would always build a structure around it with a little bit of insulation and they sell these little plugs you put in the wallet you can just plug any little heater into and when it drops below about 40° it turns that outlet on so it’ll turn on whatever you have plugged into it, I like those little oil heaters and that’s what I would probably use. I never have, but I know some people winterize their garage and put radiators in them but my truck just gets snowed on now lol
I’ve kind of been waiting. I figured it sometime. You would probably build some sort of structure over your well.
Structure is in my future plans, or a quick install foam box. I also use those spigot covers and forgot to mention them.
Y’all about to get we had yesterday in south Louisiana this morning everything was solid ice. I couldn’t get the door open on my truck was frozen shut. Tonight is forecast to be 10 degrees crazy weather for up as well.
We won't be that bad, but Florida isn't prepared for 15 degree wind chills. Plants, homes, animals and more just aren't use to it. Stay safe!
You made great points!!!❤ thank you❤they did rolling black-outs here in North AL last year. Took my house 3 days to heat back up to 50 degrees. 😡 this year I have the propane buddy heater, propane logs, propane cook top
That's just crazy! Absolutely dangerous for some.
@@TKCL exactly. You cannot tell me a heat pump is more costly to heat than it is to cool in 105° weather😳😡
Antifreeze needs to be tested in your car to make certsi it is good to below zero temps.
Our previous home up north plumbing was underground under frost line from the street and came in the basement wall below frost line. Slab homes the plumbing is run below frost line then insulated when it 90s up toward a utility room. Saw a few nightmares were new builders ran plumbing on an outside wall and had zero insulation. Every house of the same model had leaks.
Good point and makes sense.
This is a great video. Thank you I kn[w you have saved many.
Glad it was helpful!
Great information. thanks for sharing..
Thank you for watching
Great info sir. Thanks.👍
Thank you for watching
I only put something up around the chicken coop to block the wind when it gets down pretty cold. My chickens have been fine every winter just make sure they have plenty of food and water
We have the hen house with straw if they really need a safe space.
@TKCL Ours are in a hoop style coop and it's more open for airflow to deal with the heat rather than the cold so I just cover it some too help keep the cold wind from blasting though.
Can you do a video on cleaning your tankless water heater, please.
Wish granted ua-cam.com/video/WLJlbM36Kzc/v-deo.html
Great Video! One thing about the heat tape, the instructions state that the thermostat needs to be in contact with the pipe being heated. I don't know what will happen if it isn't as I have always followed the instructions and had success.
It should just kick on quicker. Uses a little more power.
Great video!! Love the channel
Thank you for watching
Hi, Andrew! Looks like you’ve got everything cared for. Praying you have no damage. I would never make it up North. I am not fond of snow.
I don't think I'd like the snow either.
Snow is awesome, when you're just visiting. See it every couple years in PA on our Christmas trip.
You cant see it but you got a standing ovation from me Andrew! This was a Fantastic video!!
Thank you for watching
One thing that I use to clear out the hoses is using an air compressor to garden hose adapter to blow out the line. I have several hundred feet of hoses so it works for me, but they are relatively cheap to have among your air compressor accessories.
I have those same fittings, but with my drain at a low point gravity works perfectly for me.
@@TKCL - Good luck with the cold snap. Greetings from Canada.
Thanks, we will be just fine. No doubt your dealing with some serious weather.
The weather is unpleasant up here but like you said in your video things are built with the cold in mind so all is good.
Another thing to do is anti-gel your diesel for those in prolonged cold.
Very true, I do put stabil storage for diesel in mine. We don't get cold enough here.
@@TKCL did you have to do anything for your Sandpoint well?
We will be in the 20'sF at night 5 days this week.
There is heat tape that you can get , by the foot, in different widths/lengths from online reptile supply places. Its meant for terrariums or reptile enclosures, plant shelves etc. You buy the plug and thermostat etc and diy it. It works fine for plumbing or other things too. When I built our first wine-o-bator (egg incubator from a wine cooler) I also used some heat tape for my heat source along w a computer fan.
In WY our well house was 12 ft underground . We had waterpipes in the house that ran hot water through them to heat the floor. We had a wood stove and fireplace.
We never really worried about winterizing except the horses , farm animals etc. but they had a heater in their water trough and a warm barn. Garage was also heated.
I use a Propane Heater in my greenhouse on nights under 32F for all our tropicals.
No doubt your WY home was set up way different than down here.
@@TKCL We have had more problems with pipes down here because they werent permanently protected like the ones up north. We put the foam and a foam wrap tape on them last spring after one disaster lol. We will see how it all holds up tonight.
Andrew I love watching your content, I learn something new every time. I do have a thought for you, On the back of your house you are using the heat tape on your pipes and then using a heatlamp. If the heat lamp keeps the area above freezing will that not keep the heat tape from coming on? Just a thought.
It should yes, but some pipes are a few feet away. I guess it's also a backup incase the bulb goes out during the night.
I have the same tankless water heater. I had to heat up my propane regulator so it would light. It was throwing me a code 11. I insulated the regulator tonight. I hope it works.
That must be a pressure code??
What is Rinnai Error Code 11 or 12?
Usually indicates a no ignition or no gas supply on your gas system.
Make sure your gas supply is turned on.
Check the filters grills are clean.
Make sure the heater is plugged in,
Switch off the power for at least 5 seconds then switch it back on.
I also wrapped the valves after I insulated them with a seat, cushion, front and back and then also put a back pill pillow and pillow on top of my propane tank.
Thanks
Awesome video. 😊
Thanks for the visit
Thanks for the visit
Thanks for the visit
Well, Andrew has a stash of plumbing stuff for the entire state of Florida, so you're good, folks, LOL
Now seriously, I read somewhere that an entire solar power farm ( I think in Nevada) got busted by hail. Any way to protect your panels?
Mine are removable, but I must know it's coming. Otherwise my next array will be built to allow quick protection to be added.
How often does it freeze down there? I always see people in Florida talking about how it doesn’t freeze often, but are preparing for freezing. Like the faucets we put on our house drain the water out, so it doesn’t freeze and keeps the part with water and it way under the house or the self draining freeze proof hydrants. It doesn’t seem that much more expensive to use those but it seems like every couple years. You guys are still dealing with it even though it’s not as common. Our spigots are either self draining if they come from the ground so I don’t have to worry about that. If they come out of the house they’re also self draining and I usually put those little foam boxes over them. But it seems like you guys get freezing enough to wear it would still be worth it??
Honestly we see 20s every single year several times. But that's usually only a few hours before daylight and we almost always go above freezing after the sun is out. It's a crap shoot if anything busts or not. We did have 5 days in a row below freezing last year, one day was in the teens with single digit wind chills. That's very unusual though. Sadly we just don't have the build practices or knowledge on what's the right way to install stuff for freezing. We should!
Another great and helpful video. Can you tell me what descale filter you decided on or link to a video, if you have one, on your filter system? Thanks for all the content
Here is the filter I installed, I put it on the line feeding my water heater as scale build up is the killer of water heater coils. amzn.to/3RUhXQA
Thank you very much. I really appreciate you.@@TKCL
The man has a PhD from the School of Hard Knocks
We all do in some way or another. Key is to pay attention and learn from it.
Those heat lamps NEED TO HAVE CERAMIC bulb receptacle not plastic. Those red 250 watt bulbs pull a lot of power the plastic will melt, catch fire, break etc.
It is ceramic on the 250 bulb, the others are 100 watt bulbs.
@@TKCL I knew you were aware but John Q Public unfamiliar with it doesn't
Andrew hearts tiffany wrote on the work bench. Anyone point that out before?
Nope you're the first
Dont forget your solar powered emergency well?
I drained it a month or two ago.
Welcome to a taste of Wisconsin Andrew AHAHAHHAA...
That insulation is just gonna delay the Freezing.. You are better off draining or let then trickle.
And yes leave the pump running Moving water has a resistance to freezing.
Thanks Much...
Sadly I can't drain since I didn't put in a cut off valve to the outside faucets, shame on me. I need to correct that so I can only have water running to the house.
Five days without water you learn a lot. just saying
Been there and done that through many hurricanes and one ice storm here. That's why we have some much items for preparedness.
Just a suggestion. How about introducing yourself in your videos you might have new people that don't know you 🤔
Believe it or not I use to do that and people actually complained 🤷