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More issues from the freeze

rrrr

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I have been working the last few days to get my mother-in-law's house and our rental back in operation, cleaned up the mess at home by rolling up 275' of extension cords, portable heaters, and putting away the generator, and today turned my attention to the pool. It's been shut off since Tuesday, the pumps and filters were frozen solid and there was 4½" of ice on the pool. The ½" PVC manifold feeding the pool fill and a hose bibb is broken into pieces, but the pool plumbing looked OK after a quick visual inspection.

After powering it up, I discovered the top of one of the 2" three port Jandy valves is fractured, so off I went to Leslie's, a block from my house. After working my way to the front of the line, the clerk just smiled at my request, so off I went to a budget store a few blocks away. There were people lined up three deep at the counter.

I told the salesperson what I needed, she said I could prepay, she would put me on the list, and I could expect the valve in two to three weeks.

Four years ago we did a spa delete, and the valve in question was originally used to divert the heater discharge to the spa. Since we don't have the spa anymore, removing the valve and repiping it is the answer for this problem. I'm doing that now, already had the fittings needed.

The crowds at the pool supply stores are sumpthin' else.
 
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Flying_Lavey

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I have been working the last few days to get my mother-in-law's house and our rental back in operation, cleaned up the mess at home by rolling up 275' of extension cords, portable heaters, and putting away the generator, and today turned my attention to the pool. It's been shut off since Tuesday, the pumps and filters were frozen solid and there was 4½" of ice on the pool. The ½" PVC manifold feeding the pool fill and a hose bibb is broken into pieces, but the pool plumbing looked OK after a quick visual inspection.

After powering it up, I discovered the top of one of the 2" three port Jandy valves is fractured, so off I went to Leslie's, a block from my house. After working my way to the front of the line, the clerk just smiled at my request, so off I went to a budget store a few blocks away. There were people lined up three deep at the counter.

I told the salesperson what I needed, she said I could prepay, she would put me on the list, and I could expect the valve in two to three weeks.

Four years ago we did a spa delete, and the valve in question was originally used to divert the heater discharge to the spa. Since we don't have the spa anymore, removing the valve and repiping it is the answer for this problem. I'm doing that now, already had the fittings needed.

The crowds at the pool supply stores are sumpthin' else.
I can only imagine how this is going to exacerbate the supply issues of building materials we have already been experiencing in the country.
 

traquer

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I have a realtor friend in Texas who says 1/20 homes up there are having piping/ice issues. Sucks
 

Taboma

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For the homes I saw on the news where pipes had broken in the attic, and suffering major water damage, insurance covers these claims right ? Or do they cover pipe freezing related damage ?
 

DILLIGAF

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My sister just went to the store for food. Very limited supplies along with restricting how many of something you can buy
 

rrrr

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Insurance does cover freeze damage. Homes in the Houston area have the water piping uninsulated and exposed in the attic.

This is from my pool heater discharge.



IMG_20210223_165121698.jpg
 

Waterjunky

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My sister just went to the store for food. Very limited supplies along with restricting how many of something you can buy
Limited is better than none....... Restrictions will still get her something for the next day or two.
Not fun and not what we want but it is something.
I am sure trucks are rolling from all over the US to resupply Texas. My guess is the next bottleneck is going to be getting it physically into the stores and to the consumer. Unlike the start of Covid, there is a full pipeline to supply the stores. As this is regional, other areas can push material and truck it in. When it turns nation wide like this past spring is when things get messy.

Still sorry to hear that she is struggling.
 

wzuber

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I have been working the last few days to get my mother-in-law's house and our rental back in operation, cleaned up the mess at home by rolling up 275' of extension cords, portable heaters, and putting away the generator, and today turned my attention to the pool. It's been shut off since Tuesday, the pumps and filters were frozen solid and there was 4½" of ice on the pool. The ½" PVC manifold feeding the pool fill and a hose bibb is broken into pieces, but the pool plumbing looked OK after a quick visual inspection.

After powering it up, I discovered the top of one of the 2" three port Jandy valves is fractured, so off I went to Leslie's, a block from my house. After working my way to the front of the line, the clerk just smiled at my request, so off I went to a budget store a few blocks away. There were people lined up three deep at the counter.

I told the salesperson what I needed, she said I could prepay, she would put me on the list, and I could expect the valve in two to three weeks.

Four years ago we did a spa delete, and the valve in question was originally used to divert the heater discharge to the spa. Since we don't have the spa anymore, removing the valve and repiping it is the answer for this problem. I'm doing that now, already had the fittings needed.

The crowds at the pool supply stores are sumpthin' else.
Bummer, I was wondering this morning how many cracked pipes there were going to be in those affected areas. You just confirmed my concerns. Sorry to hear of the issues. I hope you can remedy them easily. Those peeps having to decide if they pay the heat/elec bill or the Plummer 1st. R n a tough spot. Good luck to you all.
 

monkeyswrench

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Well, think on the brightside. You possess the skills and knowledge to fix it yourself. In this case, even making needed modifications to assemble it with what is currently available. Other folks are going to have to wait three weeks, and cut a check.

It sucks, that's for sure, but you got it figured👍
 

DILLIGAF

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Limited is better than none....... Restrictions will still get her something for the next day or two.
Not fun and not what we want but it is something.
I am sure trucks are rolling from all over the US to resupply Texas. My guess is the next bottleneck is going to be getting it physically into the stores and to the consumer. Unlike the start of Covid, there is a full pipeline to supply the stores. As this is regional, other areas can push material and truck it in. When it turns nation wide like this past spring is when things get messy.

Still sorry to hear that she is struggling.

Its to be expected for sure. They are OK. Just passing it along
 

rrrr

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Well, think on the brightside. You possess the skills and knowledge to fix it yourself. In this case, even making needed modifications to assemble it with what is currently available. Other folks are going to have to wait three weeks, and cut a check.

It sucks, that's for sure, but you got it figured👍

I'm done repairing the pool piping and finished rebuilding the pipe manifold. It's been setting up for 45 minutes, so now it's ready to fire up. I inspected the filter, didn't see any cracks, but it still might blow when pressurized.

I'll report back in a while, hopefully without getting wet from water spraying everywhere.

😁

IMG_20210223_214134091.jpg
 

rrrr

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No leaks!

I'm one lucky sonofabitch. We got through this with just minor damage. The house in Farmersville is almost a miracle. It's a 1,000 SF wood frame, setting on piers 24" high, and the exterior of the crawl space is covered with corrugated metal. The water lines are run above ground in the crawl space, insulated with ½" Armaflex.

I shut off the water at the meter and opened the faucets on Sunday night. It was -4° F on Tuesday night, and the temperature didn't get above freezing for over 72 hours. I was certain all of the piping had frozen and busted.

I'm watching the pool pump now, it's running at 900 watts, which is odd. It's in manual mode, and should be running at 2,200 watts. I guess I'll have to troubleshoot the problem.

But compared to many people we are fortunate. I can't complain.
 

ka0tyk

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Just a FYI if anyone needs plumbing supplies in the tx area can you post up what’s needed and we can RDP express it to you? I’m sure my Home Depot is stacked with stuff.


 

rrrr

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Just a FYI if anyone needs plumbing supplies in the tx area can you post up what’s needed and we can RDP express it to you

That's a nice offer.

I spoke too soon about the lack of damage. I flipped on the pool cleaner pump and it sounds like the impeller has shattered. BIG grinding noises.

🤬

There's also water under the big pump, looks like it's coming from the shaft seal. I monkeyed around with the pump speed settings, and it's not responding. The bitch about the problems is that so far they aren't more than the 1% deductible on my homeowner's insurance policy. Even if they do exceed it, I'm on the hook for + - $4K.
 

ConcreteDr

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I spoke with one of our major suppliers today and a lot of the basic raw materials that supply the epoxy & polyurethane polyester and other resinous materials used in the US are severely impacted by this Texas freeze that just blew thru. Plants that were shut down just don’t start back up quickly so supply is down and prices are going up the big users are ok the smaller manufacturers are going to be on reduced supply if not shut off for some period of time it’s not good. Texas is a important component to the basic chemistry of our Country
 

Shlbyntro

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That's a nice offer.

I spoke too soon about the lack of damage. I flipped on the pool cleaner pump and it sounds like the impeller has shattered. BIG grinding noises.

🤬

There's also water under the big pump, looks like it's coming from the shaft seal. I monkeyed around with the pump speed settings, and it's not responding. The bitch about the problems is that so far they aren't more than the 1% deductible on my homeowner's insurance policy. Even if they do exceed it, I'm on the hook for + - $4K.

I have mixed thoughts on using it and don't need it for myself, I was pretty fortunate. But I received an email from my bank yesterday regarding on how to apply for "disaster relief compensation"

 

PDQH2O

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That's a nice offer.

I spoke too soon about the lack of damage. I flipped on the pool cleaner pump and it sounds like the impeller has shattered. BIG grinding noises.

🤬

There's also water under the big pump, looks like it's coming from the shaft seal. I monkeyed around with the pump speed settings, and it's not responding. The bitch about the problems is that so far they aren't more than the 1% deductible on my homeowner's insurance policy. Even if they do exceed it, I'm on the hook for + - $4K.

I had something similar happen. The sound from my pump, which ran almost a week straight during this freeze, sounded like the bearings went out (big grinding noise) and the pump finally stopped altogether. People are shocked when they discover I know nothing about electrical devices. Started looking on the web and found diagnosing tips to check the the motor and pump. The motor shaft spun freely and there were no signs of bad bearings or broken impeller. Discovered that most likely my capacitor died, supposedly a very common problem in pools and probably due to the rolling blackouts just a bit west (Collin) of you. Capacitors apparently don't like power outages.

Good testing advice on the web and now believe that it's a $10 capacitor. Ordered one and will be here Saturday. Then it'll be about a 5 minute repair. Also bought a new motor/pump just in case, due to parts scarcity.
 

rrrr

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I spoke too soon about the lack of damage. I flipped on the pool cleaner pump and it sounds like the impeller has shattered. BIG grinding noises.

🤬

I called this one correctly. The impeller separated from its shaft mount. Removing the broken piece from the shaft will be interesting.

IMG_20210224_125520355.jpg
 
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rrrr

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I cut slots in the stub piece, and split it apart. There's an access cover on the rear of the motor that allows access to the shaft, and it has wrench flats machined on it.

I put a wrench on the flats, and using Channellocks, grabbed the brass impeller insert. It came off easily. Now I just need to find an impeller. I think Amazon is the easiest method.

IMG_20210224_131423614.jpg
 

rrrr

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I spoke with one of our major suppliers today and a lot of the basic raw materials that supply the epoxy & polyurethane polyester and other resinous materials used in the US are severely impacted by this Texas freeze that just blew thru.

Plants that were shut down just don’t start back up quickly so supply is down and prices are going up the big users are ok the smaller manufacturers are going to be on reduced supply if not shut off for some period of time it’s not good. Texas is a important component to the basic chemistry of our Country


The zero fossil fuels advocates don't have a clue how much oil is inextricably intertwined with our lives. Chuck Schumer is criticizing Texas, and saying more wind power is the answer.

Fucking clowns.
 

monkeyswrench

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The zero fossil fuels advocates don't have a clue how much oil is inextricably intertwined with our lives. Chuck Schumer is criticizing Texas, and saying more wind power is the answer.

Fucking clowns.
Funny, but some basic chemistry classes could do these fuktards well.
 

707dog

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Refineries and process plant is and will be having the same issues, 2 of our plants try to come online over the weekend not happening pump seal leaks and chem transfer piping cracks
 

RichL

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The zero fossil fuels advocates don't have a clue how much oil is inextricably intertwined with our lives. Chuck Schumer is criticizing Texas, and saying more wind power is the answer.

Fucking clowns.
That guy is such a complete douche.
 

Ace in the Hole

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That guy is such a complete douche.

Understatement of the century...

I did 3 service check appts today for people having issues. ERCOT surged the ever living shit out of the grid with these blackouts. Insurance claims are gonna be nuts. We install a surge protector on our systems...its a simple button reset..so it's saving a lot of our customers money vs cooked inverters etc.

Every single client i met with today new or previous had at least one broken pipe or fitting.. 7 out of 7. Ive said before...water will be the long term issue.
 
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