PW – Update for this week (Jan 19, 2018)

[ryan 14,785]

This week I got kicked out of my office, by weather, a furnace, and kids. So I don't have a blog post or a version update, though I do have a lot of work in progress that you'll see next week (including an item from last week's roadmap that I think you'll really like). 

It's been below freezing all week, and our furnace stopped working, so now there's no heat. Something called the heat exchanger cracked, and it looked like we were going to have to get a whole new furnace. But then we learned that the one we had was still under warranty, so the manufacturer is sending a new one, but it'll take a week to get here. Luckily we've got coats and a fireplace, but houses here in Atlanta really aren't built for the cold, so it's pretty frigid at a little over 50f (10c) indoors. I hadn't really planned on typing this much, but it's keeping my hands warm, so I'll keep going.

It started snowing, which is something that doesn't happen often here. It was enough cold, snow and ice that the kids school was canceled for much of the week. So I've been having fun keeping an eye on them, but it's a challenge to keep a 7-year old and 4-year old occupied and away from TV. I grew up in Minnesota, so admittedly a part of me enjoys the cold and the snow. But unlike in Minnesota, snow in Atlanta pretty much shuts everything down. In this case, it's also been so darn cold that everyone is frozen after 10 minutes outside, so nobody wants to go out there. Today is the first day where things are starting to warm up, hopefully a trend.

When I say the weather kicked me out of my office, I also mean literally. The day it snowed, water started dripping out of the office ceiling, right onto my head, which is... not what you want to see. There was no entry or access to the space in the ceiling for me to get up there and see what was going on. So I had to cut open the ceiling drywall to get up there and have a look. After making a big mess, I got up there and shined a flashlight around, the scene was surreal. It was a 2 foot high attic crawlspace full of snow, with some snowdrifts nearly a foot high. That answers the question of where the water came from… overhead lights produced heat, melted the snow, and it poured into the office. But how the heck did snow get into my ceiling? And how do I get it out of there before it all melts and destroys my office?

As it turns out, the day it snowed was very windy. Structures around here have something called ridge vents at the peak of the roof. They run the length of the roof and vent hot air out during the summer. But if you get the right combination of wind and snow (like sideways and upwards blasting snow) it can get into the ridge vents, and into the attic… so I've learned. The conditions must have been perfect for it, because a whole lot of the snow got in. I've never seen anything like it, and hope I don't ever have to again.

I ended up spending a day carefully crawling around on joists every 16-inches in those tight and completely dark quarters, trying to get the snow out of the ceiling and insulation. With a flashlight taped to my head, toting around buckets of snow on my hands and knees, I looked pretty ridiculous. Over a day I filled several big buckets full of snow and got it out of there. It was a pain to clear it out, but certainly much better than having it melt through my office ceiling. It's not been warm enough yet to know how much snow I missed (and will melt through), but with any luck, what's left will just evaporate. That was this week's adventures, which admittedly had nothing to do with ProcessWire, but that's why this isn't a blog post. Coming next week: a new PW version (with some exciting updates), a new blog post, and hopefully a new furnace. 

[kongondo 5,871]

Hehe! You made my evening Ryan . Sorry for your troubles but it's good that you are seeing the funny side of it and making the most of the situation. I miss this side of Mr Cramer! . Perhaps it's a good thing that once in a while we let the code rest and let our hair down (pun not intended!).

Hope you get your furnace and office sorted soon.

[Sergio 504]

I'm with @kongondo! Glad you and your family are ok!  

[HerTha 15]

Hey fellow forum members: everyone in the Atlanta region go help Ryan shoveling snow!

Everyone else - visit The Store and buy a Pro moule for the disaster relief fund!

[Lenz 23]

duh, 10 °C is really a damn frigid room temperature. I also had problems with my furnace connected with a rather serious and complex water pipe break. The heating installer needs 3 weeks to repair the damage, in part because he wasn't able to discover all the defects properly / immediately...

[heldercervantes 445]

Oh how I love my country. Just came home from a night out with the wife, a nice dinner followed by a glass of Macallan on a terrace. A jacket and scarf with just a shirt underneath is enough. Got home, all the heating we have is a couple of cats and a gas heater for when it's really cold (by our standards), which is turned off, but temperature is perfectly fine. 

This while the US is going through an ice age and people are getting blown away by the wind in the Netherlands.

And after I click "Submit Reply", I'm going to change into a t-shirt, fill up a hot water bottle and go to bed, feeling blessed.

[adrian 9,737]

Happily skiing the pow at -6C here in Canada - the more snow, the better  Although having lived through a winter in Maryland where they are not prepared for the snow (the housing and the road crews), I do feel for what Ryan is going through!

 

[heldercervantes 445]

Just now, adrian said:

Happily skiing the pow at -6C here in Canada - the more snow, the better

Wouldn't mind having a go at that. Just for a weekend

[adrian 9,737]

Just now, heldercervantes said:

Wouldn't mind having a go at that. Just for a weekend

No better feeling on earth when it's really good

[rick 459]

@ryan Call your insurance agent to file a claim. Wind driven rain is covered under base policies. Make sure you photograph everything for the adjuster. Even if the initial claim doesn't cover your deductible, you can file a subsequent claim (same policy/claim number) to cover any future damage (highly likely) without incurring another deductible.

[monchu 60]

hmmm... down under we had 40c for two days it was really hot and dry 

[Mike Rockett 1,090]

Whilst you’ve got cold temps and snow, we’re in the last stretch of what’s been a week-long heatwave here in SA’s highveld. Upwards of 30°C (estimated, real-feels were up to 37°C) since Monday. Next week shall cool down considerably, apparently, and very much hopefully.

[kasu64 1]

Ryan,

The better :

Thanks to God who gave you some holydays, with your childs and wife.

Friendly from France Euskadi

 

Kasu64