…to no water… pipes are frozen, and yes, I DID leave the faucets dipping… this abominable weather!!!.
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Could be water flow is frozen before your house.
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6 heaters placed in different spaces around my place in DFW today to keep things thawed. Plant rooms (2), well house (2), chicken coop (1), and…house. Steady 13F since 3AM. But…the grid hasn’t gone down, so I am grateful.
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I hope that if that’s the case it’s not my lines but the city’s
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The AC just kicked in at my house in south Texas, but the next three days it won’t be needed.
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When I lived in Wyoming in the 80’s we had to leave a small trickle of water, not just dripping. I just read in Lander Wyoming the city is adding an extra two thousand gallons of water to the minimum charge to have residents leave a pencil width stream in facets, especially those on an outside wall. Also to leave open the cabinets in bathrooms and kitchen.
When the water froze coming into my house during Texas’ big freeze I poured hot water over the inlet pipe to see if it would melt the blockage. It worked within a minute I had running water coming through the open faucets.
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Oh no, has been really cold past few days in the northwest also some pipes frozen.
If possible to drain water from system overnight like fire hydrants don’t hold water above ground then pipes won’t freeze if they are empty. Or heavier insulation for pipes/outdoor faucet covers.
I’m not in charge of draining fire hydrants, the city is, and as for pouring hot water over the pipes, I need to conserve my emergenyc water as it is, much less boil it and trying to find the inlet pipe… and now, one TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE, MY CAR BATTERY DIES… SO I’M REALLY stuck.
Yes I opened the cabinets too. Folks, you forget I was born and raised in South Dakota. I DID ALL THESE THINGS AND STILL THE PIPES FROZE
That is awful hope that didn’t cause damage and they will thaw out soon. Also frustrating to have car battery die just had same thing happen luckily have a backup battery. Hope you can get a new battery for that pronto.
Check with the neighbors if they don’t have water the problem probably isn’t at your house.
May want to keep a 12volt battery charger handy.
Uhm… that’s what I have… and the car STILL wouldn’t start!
Is it snowing where you live? What is your outside temperature?
For a failed battery car can usually only be started with jump from other car with running alternator or jump pack battery, won’t hold a charge from wall charger.
Alternatively roll start on a hill or tow from other vehicle with a tow strap may work to start engine (with manual transmission only of course).
Of course not your responsibility to deal with city water system / fire hydrants, I just meant that if it is possible to drain water from house system then that is way to avoid freeze risk.
The way to do that would be to shut off water from city first then open faucet in basement/as low as possible to drain water out of the pipes.
Obviously not helpful when pipes are already frozen. Hope the rest of your day is better than this bad morning.
Cold weather plays havoc on batteries older than three years especially in areas of extreme cold and heat. We used to install engine block heaters and plug our vehicles in at night to reduce the cranking power needed to start the vehicle. Engine oil was changed to a 5-30 viscosity for the winter.
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… has anyone checked to see if there are any captured documents from Paperclip scientists that might help us during this cold period. I mean, after all, their technology sent us to the moon. Surely, they had some ideas as to keeping water and power systems functioning during cold weather. Baby it’s cold outside (in space). 
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I admit that this isn’t the -40F weather we had in the Adirondacks, but if I had not just installed a garage-style heater under my house in the crawl space, I would be facing the same dilemma as you, Dr. Farrell. As it is, this is the first cold spell that my heat in the house has actually kept the temperature up and you can actually feel the fireplace heat in the living room. My house is basically a “tear down” (investigating the chain of title I found a 2 year lien on the house as the builder and former owners went through litigation. We bought the house because access to the land was through the rest of the ranch - house was a “bonus”. Termite damage on one wall is pretty significant, stairs are dangerously wrong dimensionally, way under insulated, etc.) But hey, I live here. I think the electric heater, suspended from the floor joists (protected with a piece of drywall) is a solution for many of these types of houses not built on a slab. It is right near the “door” (requires a drill to seal) and under my bathroom. PERFECT
BTW, Dr. Farrell, the map link , Ventusky, shows your state to be wildly variable. Like other “weather events” you are likely in the thick of it.