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For the most part, the Frost Line is 42 inches, which is usually not going to freeze. Even if it freezes, it should only be for a day or two and then can thaw quickly with 3.5 feet of insulating soil above it. But it has happened. Minnesota changed their frost line for new construction to 5 feet many years ago. Perhaps it is time to revisit the frost line in the northern counties of NY. Ours are old and grandfathered in under the only 36 inch law. Next time I get the fields done, we are going a foot deeper to 48 inches.
My brother lives in Northern Michigan and they are down 5 feet there.
This winter has been very much like a Minnesota/South Dakota/Nebraska winter rather than a New York winter, primarily because of the almost unrelenting below zero temps. I have not lived through this bad a winter since my days as a grad student at U of Nebraska-Lincoln back in the 1970s.
If I had liked Midwestern winters, I would have stayed out there.
More towns are dealing with frozen pipes near me, Morristown, Chaumont and now Watertown has about 40 houses that do not have water. The water tower in Three Mile Bay froze too.
The superintendant is saying that the frost is down about five feet right now and basically this is going to be a problem for people for several weeks. We need alot of warm weeks to warm up the ground. This really has been a severe winter even for Northern New York. I may cry tears of joy when I finally see some bulbs come up.
The city of Bradford, PA, just over the state line from NY and next door to Allegany State Park, suffered a water main break this past week that emptied their reservoir, leaving 18,000 people without water for several days. It's fixed now, but they're still under a boil water notice.
The city of Bradford, PA, just over the state line from NY and next door to Allegany State Park, suffered a water main break this past week that emptied their reservoir, leaving 18,000 people without water for several days. It's fixed now, but they're still under a boil water notice.
Terrible. I'm fortunate to have never had to go through that.
Town water lines aren't safe either. My father, uncle, and BIL spent over 24 hours working on town waterlines in sub zero temps last week. Made me shut up (in person, not here on cd) about hating the cold. I was warm in the house playing cards and eating warm food while they were out in the cold.
And even the "old timers" I know have had enough of this winter.
As I have said in another post-its all fun and games until the septic pipe freezes and then I get a little bit crabby.
Thanks for giving me a better perspective on my frozen sump pump line.........bailing 4-8 buckets of water a day isn't looking too bad anymore!
I have a mini glacier in the back yard where I have been throwing the water.
Yep, not bad at all when I think of the septic or well lines freezing up.
I have lived in this house since 1983 and last winter was the first time it ever happened......I thought it was a fluke because of all the below zero days last year, then this year it froze up two weeks earlier than last year.
Will be digging the line up this summer, thinking a dip/belly has developed and the line needs reset.....fingers crossed that will solve the problem.
Until things thaw out, I will just keep telling myself that bailing and carrying buckets of water up the basement stairs is such good exercise and I'm burning extra calories. LOL
Well alright Annie53, anytime I can change perspective, HA-the joys of winter.
Here is my latest..........
We heat our home with this... Central Boiler: Classic 6048
Four days ago, I go out to put wood in it and water is spraying into the firebox.
Long story short, my husband had to weld thick steel plates around the whole firebox because they are thin as can be. This is not the first time it has happened. We are not the only ones who have had this problem.
So in the meantime with no heat in the house, while he was welding, the septic froze AGAIN and to add insult to injury, a water line inside my house broke spraying water all over the place.
My little tip for anyone considering a outdoor wood boiler-weld the firebox with steel plates.
The winter's, and season's, here in NYC appear to have gone from 4 seasons to 2, Winter, bitter cold with too much snow and extremely artic temps, straight to Summer, with temps feeling like a warmer Spring! I love the Summer, I used to also loveSpring, but it disappeared!! Stay warm, everyone!! Regards, Debbie
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