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Technology Stocks : Y2K (Year 2000) Personal Contingency Planning -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: jbe who wrote (527)	12/7/1998 11:48:00 AM
From: flatsville	Respond to of 888

jbe--I would suggest if (ha..ha...ha...)and when the electric fails and there is a danger of pipes freezing, shut off the water main where it enters the house and drain all the pipes. Keep water in your water heater, the toilets and make certain your traps are wet to prevent sewer gas from backing up into the house. If it's really cold where you live anti-freeze in the toilets and traps may not be a bad idea, but I would ask a plumber if it will damage pipes first. (My understanding is that it does not damage pipes.) The key here is to not let them freeze in the first place. Should they freeze thaw very slowly. If you use a propane torch hold it well away from the pipe and any nearby wood. Have a fire extinguisher nearby. Many people who torch their houses using this method create a fire in the wall or the floor and don't even realized it happened. (I saw a window frame burst into flames after the person who was stripping it with a propane torch shut the torch off, turned around to go downstairs and answer a phone call. The odd thing was almost a minute went by before the fire was visible and I was looking directly at assesing the torch v. heat gun method at the time. I put it out with my 7-11 Big Gulp and some rags. No fire extinguisher nearby. I think she hit some rotten wood somewhere in that frame. She might have lost her business if I hadn't stayed on the second floor. ) -----I know some people are planning to shut off their electric main if the service is unreliable due to possible power surges which could damage home wiring and any appliance plugged in at the time? Makes sense to a point. I've seen electricity do some strange things and who knows what could happen in a y2k scenario. The truly cautious have suggested cutting gas where it enters the house as well. Frankly, I would go an appliance by appliance basis with gas if electric is not used to operate the appliance as well. -----At this point I'm concerned that drinkable water and adequate sewer service function. If these two fail, well...it will be a disaster. It is virtually impossible to cut yourself off from sewer service without major damage to the home waste system. Well and septic is where it's at. "flatsville"

To: jbe who wrote (527)	12/7/1998 12:07:00 PM
From: Scripts	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 888

Hi. I have a shut off in the basement that is below the depth to which the ground freezes. So if it looks like no heat I will drain all the remain pipes and just use the basement tap--how's that? But don't forget most residential water is pumped by electric pumps and if there is no electricity then no heat and no water either. I'm using the Montreal experience as a guide and everything should work if the Y2K disaster should occur.