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Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 7:34 am
Huk, my plumber said that because I have copper pipes they wont easily burst. Copper keeps water from freezing in the outdoor pipes too. I would imagine houses in cold areas have thicker pipes. My next door neighbor did have a water pipe burst in his basement however.
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Hukdonreality
Member
09-29-2003
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 7:57 am
Hmmm, maybe it is either copper pipes or thicker pipes or something. Yeah, there are the occasional burst pipes, but I rarely hear of that happening. Why don't you be a good sport, Dogdoc, and replumb your neighbor's house? 
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 9:28 am
Sis called me about 7:30 to tell me to look outside....it's snowing big, fat snowflackes. Weather report says it's supposed to continue all morning and at least part of the afternoon. None on the ground yet. Guess I'm taking the kids to school, haven't heard otherwise, but if this keeps up, will probably end up having to pick them up later. If it was just my kids, I wouldn't send them at all, but neighbors kids need to go if possible.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 10:17 am
Kids are at school, it's nasty out there (for the so cal desert anyways!) It's been snowing steadily at least since sis called me. Its starting to stick to things like the top of my fence, tops of bushes, and parked cars. Just called my aunt to tell her I'll give it til 9, if it doesn't stop by then, I am cancelling her dr appt at 10:30. No reason for her to be out in this and a little more selfishly, I'm worried about the schools closing and needing to pick the kids up while being at the doctors with her. Hukd, I think the burst pipes have a lot to do with folks out here using pvc instead of copper and the fact that we're not really expecting weather like this. A lot of the older houses don't have insulation (not sure about the newer ones,) don't have pipes wrapped, and have exposed pipes that aren't covered. We're (general we) just aren't prepared for it and don't take steps to prevent it. Year before last during Christmas I was taking care of mils house while they were out of town. Told Darren when he got home we needed to go back out cuz I'd heard water but couldn't find it. Turns out they'd wrapped their pipes....everything except the waterline to the a/c and step fil had also forgot to turn that one off and it broke. It's just not stuff we really have to think much about. My neighbor, who's kids I just took to school, works for the water company. When they called to ask him about going to school, he warned them he'll be late coming home tonight because they are swamped dealing with broken pipes all over town. Through the years, he's come and helped Darren wrap pipes when he's been doing plumbing (also have an insulated box that sets over the outside faucets/pipes for the sprinklers.)
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Merrysea
Moderator
08-13-2004
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 10:29 am
Nic, our low is lower - it's 29ยบ here right now!
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 10:36 am
PVC pipe is used in a lot of areas in southern California (and other areas of California, I'm sure). It expands and contracts, and can crack when water in the pipes freezes. And no, most places out here don't have basements. Pipes are in the ground until they hit the house. And FWIW, I think it takes a bit more prolonged time than we usually have for pipes to burst. If your temps drop below freezing for only a couple of hours one night, I don't think they'll burst. If the temps stayed below freezing for more than a day, yeah... problems. During the wildfires (both October wildfires here), my father and I were scrambling to cover his irrigation pipes with dirt, so the fire wouldn't melt them! So we had the opposite problem! (BTW, no he doesn't cover any exposed pipes when the temps get below freezing out there, because it's not a prolonged period. We don't usually have freezing daytime temps. Thank gawd!)
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 10:57 am
Heh, it's 33 here...still snowing. I cancelled aunts appt. It's sticking in places (none on the street yet or grass which are both wet and puddly from the rain. Theres a good inch along some spots on my fence. Darren is waiting to see if they'll close his plant. They're getting a bit of snow in Mojave, but a lot of the guys live in Lancaster/Palmdale (which has a lot of snow and school is closed.) There's also a few who live in Tehachapi and Bakersfield but I believe they were already sent home. They'll close the plant completely if they think it'll be dangerous for the rest to drive home safely. Bil's already on his way home. They're having police escorts through the grapevine and he was gonna try to get back before they shut it down. I really don't mind the snow if I don't have to go out in it. But, I've got four kids at two schools I have to pick up, so I'm minding it quite a bit right now, lol.
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Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 11:03 am
Well Huk, the neighbor with the burst pipe has since died. My plumber is a hunk. I never mind calling him when I have a problem.
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Hukdonreality
Member
09-29-2003
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 11:04 am
O.k., PVC piping makes the bursting understandable. Our pipes are also underground until they hit the house, so I'm not sure how that relates. I live in a house built around 1900, all cement block with not a speck of insulation except up in the attic. Brick exterior, tiny airspace, then lathe and plaster interior. Pipes entering this house should burst if any pipes do, but they don't. Has to be the PVC factor then, while ours are all copper. So funny about things closing down when the snow just starts to stick on things. We have piles of it! Our cars here come with all-season tires which I doubt are different than what come standard on cars sold elsewhere. Before these, we used to have to put snow tires on for the winter. Must be it's just that we are experienced driving in the stuff, huh?
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 11:15 am
LOL Huk, we get snow once every 5-7 years! While the area is far more diverse than it was when I was a kid, there's still a lot of us who have never lived anywhere else. I've driven in snow exactly twice and once was this morning with it coming down, not on the ground, lol. I wouldn't know what a tire for snow was if you walked up and hit me with it, and definitely have no clue how to put chains on the tires. If this goes on much longer and we get enough to stick, they'll not only cancel school today, they'll cancel it tomorrow as well. We're ridiculous, lol, I'll admit it. My phones been ringing off the hook with people wanting to know if schools been cancelled yet. We're getting regular updates (about every 10 minutes) on the radio about school and road closures, all of the private schools and sylvan learning center have been closed if anyones interested.
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Dogdoc
Member
09-29-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 11:16 am
My house was built in 1927. Several years ago (10-15) I bought a new washing machine. The delivery man came. He went to hook it up. With a nasty tone he said to me "Why didn't you tell me you have copper pipes? I have to come back." Some people just aren't nice.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 11:45 am
Well that was rude Dogdoc. I know a lot of people here who when they have to do plumbing stuff are starting to switch over to copper. My sister in law called the school (Kota's) to see if they were closing. Her daughter, my niece, is in afternoon kindergarten and she was wondering if she had to take her. They told her they'd received an email from the district that they wouldn't be closing the schools. That was about half an hour ago. Sis just called me, she picked my oldest niece up and told them she wouldn't be bringing her little one in for kindergarten. Secretary said don't worry about it, just got a call from the district that they're starting school closures in 15 minutes (same district by the way, lol.) Not only that, said the secretary, but this is most likely the start of Winter break, if they cancel today and close tomorrow, they'll close Friday as well. So I'm sitting here waiting for the phone calls to pick the kidlets up. I'm hoping they don't wait much longer. I wouldn't have sent my kids this morning (and if I did would have picked them up once it started sticking) but this week I'm responsible for the neighbor kids. Neighbor wife is out of town, hubby works so I'm taking and picking up. My kids have nothing to do in school this week, their son had a test today and daughter a project (oh, wait, Kota had a project too today,) and he didn't want them to miss that. Ya'll who live in snowy areas must think I'm nuts, lol. It's ok, I am. Even when we do have snow though, it doesn't snow like this. It hasn't let up a bit since I got out of bed (and don't know how long it was snowing before that.) Weather reports say this should continue through tomorrow morning. Last time I remember snow like this I was about Dakota's age.
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Hukdonreality
Member
09-29-2003
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 12:04 pm
I don't think you are nuts, it's just impossible for me to relate since I grew up in snow country! You miss out on all the fun of doing donuts in the parking lots! Just drive more slowly and anticipate that stopping time for either cars in front of you or to make a turn are longer. When making a turn from a complete stop on a snow covered road, be much lighter on the gas then normal and don't freak out if the car feels like it's sliding a little bit. What's the worst that could happen, you'd have to back up and try again! Just don't take risks with thinking you have plenty of time, since the other drivers aren't used to breaking in the snow either! Have fun!!
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 12:11 pm
LOL thanks! Called Kota's school, they said not closing. Called Caleb's, they're waiting on the call from the district. Little "adopted" sis just got the call from the high school district to pick up her husbands niece from school at 11:30, high school district is calling a half day. Sis is trying to convince me to go get the kids right now, before it gets worse. I would, but for the neighbors kids. If they don't cancel, I'll wait a while longer, if it gets to the point I start to get nervous about driving, I'll go get them, rather the district shuts them down or not. Right now I'm not too nervous about it. Hehe, I went over to let the neighbors oldest daughter know if it keeps going I'll pick the kids up (she's there with the youngest sister while mom is gone) and she's out front with the little one building a snowman! It's only about a foot high, but it's a snowman, lol. A look down the street:

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Hukdonreality
Member
09-29-2003
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 12:18 pm
awww how cute, you can almost see it!
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 12:35 pm
LOL! I just went out to get gas (have a quarter of a tank, but I'd rather do it now than wait til it's really bad...and couldn't get it cuz the atm is down and I didn't take cash) and the roads aren't that bad yet. My street is slushy, main streets are ok. Not much visibility though. I can't believe the school district hasn't cancelled school yet. By the time they get out, the main streets will be slushy and they'll have to worry about the buses. The radio had a whole list of closures on my way home (college, adult ed classes, high school district extra ciricular activities, etc.) Right now looks like our school district is the only one still open.
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Vacanick
Member
07-12-2004
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 12:45 pm
War .. which part of the state are you in?? I love the snow. Just a little, not a lot.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 12:49 pm
Lancaster/Palmdale (Antelope Valley,) about an hour and a half north of LA.
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Vacanick
Member
07-12-2004
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 12:56 pm
Very cool! 
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 1:32 pm
Very cold! Got a call from Kota's school...school district is not closing today, they're worried about kids going home alone. However, if you want to pick up your kids early, thats fine. Told sis I would go get them, but I have to think about the neighbor kids too and right now they're all ok in school. If it gets any worse, calling their dad to go by the school and ok me picking them up (I am listed on their emergency cards to get them) early.
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 1:37 pm
And another from Caleb's just now, same message. Oddly enough, the Rosamond school district just closed even though they have less than us. Bizarre.
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Costacat
Member
07-15-2000
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 2:14 pm
How's the weather? One word: sucks!!!!
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Dfennessey
Member
07-25-2004
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 2:17 pm
In Massachusetts they are calling for 8 to 12 inches of snow on Friday and then a potentially major snowstorm on Sunday night.
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Scooterrific
Member
07-08-2005
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 2:23 pm
It's nasty ass weather (can I say that?)
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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 2:42 pm
It is nasty ass weather! Are you guys getting a ton of rain Scooter? And more important, how are ya'll doing with all this mess? It's started snowing harder here a while ago. Kids have less than two hours of school left. I'll let them finish out the day, but if this is going on tomorrow morning, they will not be going. I was already planning to keep them out Friday, I have no problem keeping them home another day.
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