Sometimes people in the south forget where they're living

[LouNY]

thanks
that appears to be a vacuum breaker on top but am curious if it require a down angle from house plumbing?her end has to go into pex

speaking of leaving things out to freeze, my second outdoor outlet is merely an extension of the one and only on outside of this cottage.
I run it two inches under mulch around to back side of house. Freezes up every winter.
Thought about what might hold up.
Craftsman 3/4 solid black rubber hose, heavy as can be, so far has lasted two winters without issue. But I do drain the ends well. But it's buried under the gardens and
I just leave it in. I'm figuring five years with the freeze/thaw cycle here. Everything moves around.

unless temps are below mid twenties for a while, usually not a problem.

Sigarms, I've watched all my older family and my wife die of cancer. Slowly.
you and I are on the same page. I've already had cancer, and so far beat it.
but if it comes back, I'm thinking of the Out Islands in the Bahamas for a final cruise.
With a suitcase of pills. The last couple of weeks are just awful on everyone.

I want to check out on a high and on my terms. Realistically, that isn't likely.
speaking of Southerners getting confused....
spent most of my life in PA, but also 7 years in coastal NC and 3 years in North Miami. Lived on a boat in FL.
Had to watch the temps in NC, got cold enough at times to drain the hoses.

do frost free hose bibs really work? Is that just a vacuum release of some sorts that lets the water drain more fully?
would changing a basic spigot valve accomplish anything if the water is right on the other side?
I'm clearly not a plumber...

Yes, they need to slope down to the outside. The actual shutoff for that valve is most of the way down in the long extension.

spent enough years as volunteer fireman to know how to drain a hose...but have lost of bunch of hose nozzles by forgetting to take them off.
Boy do they crack in a heartbeat. This year I remembered...two nozzles in basement.

had to chuckle, went through car wash yesterday thinking of this thread. Extra wax please, I think it lubes the car better and less scratching.
14 bucks. 7 bucks for economy no frills. But that includes drying off, which is where all the benefit is. So my normal car wash during the winter is 14 plus 2.

those two guys at the end drying cars looked pretty tired and it was only noon.
All that road salt means job security for them.
had to be careful pulling out on street when done, below freezing still and water on the street, those wet tire tracks. wet or ice?... wet.

 

[KennyG]

It used to be that way around here. Now, it takes a bag full of quarters to even get the thing to start. I wash my truck at home when I get around to it.

When I was in high school I worked for a contractor who was "frugal". When we washed the work trucks he would use the wand and I ran around with a rag scrubbing the truck. We washed a truck with one quarter. Those were the days.

 

[ovrszd]

do frost free hose bibs really work? Is that just a vacuum release of some sorts that lets the water drain more fully?
would changing a basic spigot valve accomplish anything if the water is right on the other side?
I'm clearly not a plumber...


I have four freeze proof spigots. The valve is inside the heated building. The pipe thru the wall drains by gravity. There's no water outside the heated wall. I've never had one freeze or give me any problems at all. I've heard of people having a hose fastened to it and it freezes because it can't self drain. But that's not the spigot's fault.....

 

[4570Man]

speaking of Southerners getting confused....
spent most of my life in PA, but also 7 years in coastal NC and 3 years in North Miami. Lived on a boat in FL.
Had to watch the temps in NC, got cold enough at times to drain the hoses.

do frost free hose bibs really work? Is that just a vacuum release of some sorts that lets the water drain more fully?
would changing a basic spigot valve accomplish anything if the water is right on the other side?
I'm clearly not a plumber...

.

A frost free spigot is about 12” long and the water shutoff is inside the building. Assuming the building is heated and is warm enough the rest of the plumbing doesn’t freeze they work flawlessly. You do have to take the hose off so they can drain. You also have to angle them down when you install them so the water can run out the tube.

 

[Jstpssng]

My wife would have a few words for you if you told her that her horses were livestock. She considers them pets as are her dogs and cats. They have their own special homes. I've never heard of somebody bringing their horse into their house.

From what I've seen, people get even more attached to their horses than they do their dogs. Perhaps because a horse can live for 30 years? It's a very rare occasion that I see anybody around here actually riding one; although the Amish do use them for pulling carriages and farm equipment.

EDIT: I did know a woman once who kept a chicken in the house. While I confess to starting chicks and poults inside, it doesn't last long.

 

[stumblinhorse]

Doesn't irritate me at all. I actually have a couple of cousins who are married up in age who don't have kids and posts about their pets as "their children" on facebook and that does irritate me as they aren't children and I keep my mouth shut LOL

It also irritates me when a vet tech calls me "daddy" when at the vets and I responded to one in a not so nice fashion that I didn't screw a dog to get this animal.

Fact is, dog or a cat is an animal, not a human being IMO.

That said, if I assume the responsibility to take in a animal as a "pet", I will still treat that pet like a part of the family in that it's my responsibility to care for that animal and provide it medical treatment when necessary.

How many people let their "pets" run free, not even thinking about spaying or neutering their pets and contribute to the amount of unwanted "domesticated pets" in the United States? One of my oldest dogs is a blue tick hound my one son found with my father on our property while practicing to hit golf balls. Reality is he most likely wouldn't survive even in one of our winters in NC at his age now. However, he became my responsibility when we decided to "bring him in" years ago. Sorry, it makes no sense to me to take in a pet and either let it roam free without any supervision if not in a fenced in area or give it some shelter from the elements.

I could raise animals for slaughter for food but don't. If I did, I would still try my best to raise them humanely as possible and then give thanks for their life so that we could eat.

Hopefully you understand my view point a little better.

Well I will put it this way for me. My horses have done more and been there more for me than any human on this planet, besides my wife. I have a deep connection and they are not my “pet” they are my partners. I would do more for them than I would for any other person.

I agree they are animals and they are outside in many a -40*F day without a blanket or a stall. But they are treated fairly and the best they can be. I clean out their area at least daily and make sure they have food and clean water regardless of the weather.

I also raise animal for slaughter. They again are humanly treated and are outside in conditions that most humans could not survive in.

I know I am an exception to most people and do things that most if not any people do.

That said I don’t live in the middle of nowhere with regular winter temperatures below 0*F because I like people or being around them

 

[Sigarms]

Well I will put it this way for me. My horses have done more and been there more for me than any human on this planet, besides my wife. I have a deep connection and they are not my “pet” they are my partners. I would do more for them than I would for any other person.

I agree they are animals and they are outside in many a -40*F day without a blanket or a stall. But they are treated fairly and the best they can be. I clean out their area at least daily and make sure they have food and clean water regardless of the weather.

I also raise animal for slaughter. They again are humanly treated and are outside in conditions that most humans could not survive in.

I know I am an exception to most people and do things that most if not any people do.

That said I don’t live in the middle of nowhere with regular winter temperatures below 0*F because I like people or being around them

You're a good man.

The way I see it, a animal doesn't know how much money you have, nor do they have a social agenda.
Generally you know exactly where you stand with a 4 legged critter to boot.

 

[stumblinhorse]

You're a good man.

The way I see it, a animal doesn't know how much money you have, nor do they have a social agenda.
Generally you know exactly where you stand with a 4 legged critter to boot.

You can‘t force a horse to trust you. You have to earn it.

 

[ovrszd]

Well I will put it this way for me. My horses have done more and been there more for me than any human on this planet, besides my wife. I have a deep connection and they are not my “pet” they are my partners. I would do more for them than I would for any other person.

I agree they are animals and they are outside in many a -40*F day without a blanket or a stall. But they are treated fairly and the best they can be. I clean out their area at least daily and make sure they have food and clean water regardless of the weather.

I also raise animal for slaughter. They again are humanly treated and are outside in conditions that most humans could not survive in.

I know I am an exception to most people and do things that most if not any people do.

That said I don’t live in the middle of nowhere with regular winter temperatures below 0*F because I like people or being around them

98% of the livestock ranchers in my area treat their animals just as you do. I don't think you are exclusive in that regard.

 

[stumblinhorse]

98% of the livestock ranchers in my area treat their animals just as you do. I don't think you are exclusive in that regard.

Agree I try to tell most people that 98% of cattle have it better than most city “pets”. If big business could figure out how to raise cattle in tiny enclosures, they would have done it already. Most cattle get to live and see places that most city pets dream about when you see them sleeping with their legs moving around.