-21 degrees here…

[mister_coffee]

[mister_coffee]

Some basement in Winthrop, probably:

[mister_coffee]

I'm honestly surprised we aren't hearing more reports of underground pipes freezing. Between the very low temperatures and very thin snow cover that is to be expected, really. Yes, yes, I know that you're supposed to put your pipes eight feet underground. But I know a lot of contractors have cut corners on that.

[Rideback]

With the Arctic sea ice disappearance impacting the jet stream that has now promoted a 'wobble' or drunken uncle effect of the jet stream this kind of a winter freeze is looking to become more of a norm than an outlier.

Yes, the tanks have a better chance of performing if they're buried and if they're topped off before the arrival of this kind of blast. The lessons from this last week have been dangerous but we're learning. Good thing too, because if we start to lose snow levels we'll be losing insulation for the next Arctic freeze.

[mister_coffee]

Propane boils at -43.4F. So in practice you are going to start having problems at around -25F, since drawing off propane from the tank reduces the tank pressure which has a cooling effect. That cooling effect is much more pronounced when the tank pressure is lower, so that's why they tell you to fill up your propane tank before a cold snap.

Best to bury the tank underground. Even better to have your cold snaps when there is a decent amount of snow on the ground. Both dirt and snow are pretty good insulators.

[Rideback]

Not covering a tank, especially if it hasn't been recently filled, would seem problematic in the overnight hours when there is no 'sunshine to warm the tank'. When a homeowner starts to run a fireplace and/or a freestanding unit for extended periods it's then running the LP through the system at a higher rate>making it even colder. From reading this article, I'm sticking with the idea of getting a blanket for the tank to use for the coldest time, especially since we didn't get more snow, we simply got clear & frigid nights.
https://www.hopenergy.com/preventing-pr ... %20install.

[pasayten]

How Do Temperature Changes Affect Propane?

Propane is one of the safest and most convenient ways to heat your home. In most cases, propane systems require little more than routine maintenance and annual fill-ups to stay working their best year-round. That being said, there are some things to consider during the winter months when temperatures drop.

Propane reverts to a liquid at -44°F — temperatures that are rarely encountered in the mid-Atlantic region. However, colder conditions do cause the volume of liquid propane to shrink, which can lower the internal pressure of a tank. Low internal pressures will affect gauge readings, making it seem like you have less fuel than you actually do. An experienced delivery technician will account for this when checking and filling your tank.

In most cases, cold weather pressure changes aren’t significant enough to affect your system’s ability to heat your home. However, in extreme cold, it is possible that heater performance will suffer and that, on rare occasions, failure will occur. Fortunately, there are ways to protect your propane tank in the cold.

AVOIDING COLD WEATHER PROPANE PROBLEMS
Preventing pressure changes in a propane tank isn’t difficult, but it does require some vigilance, particularly when temperatures drop into the negatives. To avoid a problem:

Keep your tank full. A full tank means a greater volume of liquid petroleum, which in turn will be less susceptible to shrinkage.
Don’t cover up the tank. If your tank is above ground, using a tank cover — or allowing snow and ice to build up — prevents sunlight from hitting the tank and keeping it warm. As a result, the pressure loss might be more severe than if it were exposed to sunlight.
Following the above tips will not only prevent cold weather pressure problems, but they’ll also minimize wear and tear, improve efficiency and extend the life of your heating system.

[just-jim]

.
I always understood propane ‘quit’ at -40F. But you may be more correct, Pearl.

Many years ago - a cold winter here, 1978-79 I think? - I recall 3 or 4 weeks of -10 or 20 every night and highs not above 10. I had a friend living in Jackson Hole, WY that winter. It hit -70 there. She said people were building wood fires under their propane tanks….I can’t imagine that was a very smart move!!

That same winter, another friend in Salmon, ID said it hit -50 there. First the whole town water system froze…bing, bing, bing right down each street in town, one house at a time. Then, the sewer system froze, likewise. I drove thru there to visit him the next summer; every street in town was torn up.

[PAL]

I was told that propone doesn't function at -30. Our tank is buried and we had no power Thurs. and Thurs.night, and it was a good thing we had it. We have a ductless heat pump system that we turned off as it would use more energy trying to keep up. Fortunately we kept our base board heaters as another backup. And so much for solar panels, which work great when we have sun but with no sun for quite awhile, our batteries were down to 85% and we didn't want to risk draining them completely if we were to rely on solar totally.
Also have a masonry heater which helped keep us toasty too.
We were -21 Fri. night -3 was the high Sat.
Just wait til it's 25 degrees at the end of the week. Summer!
Pearl

[Rideback]

I've heard complaints from community members that their LP fireplaces and stoves have stopped working. Apparently, when experience super cold overnights the flow needed to keep the fireplaces going also is freezing the LP. Suggestions were to break up the ice in the tank...if you can, and to get a tank blanket (likely at the hardware store) to cover the tank itself.

[pasayten]

Power was restored around 9:45am...

Don't forget to let some water drip thru your line(s) to keep them from freezing...

[mister_coffee]

There is still power at the upper end of the W Chewuch here.

I saw a few Co-op rigs working on power lines on the E Chewuch this morning.

[Rideback]

Got a text from Co op bout 9:15 that they were aware of a power outage E & W Chewuch. Needless to say a whole lotta pipes are gonna be freezing up.

Despite seeing some mushy cloud formations to the south it's still supposed to only get to 1 today and then drop into dbl digits overnight. I was complaining to a friend in Montana who informed me that they hit -57 in some areas. Unfortunately with the Sea Ice melt in the Arctic we're now in the jetstream wobble that just might make this winter extreme become a new norm.

[pasayten]

-21 degrees…. No wind so no chill factor yet…
East Chewack about 3 miles north of Winthrop.

How about your area?