Protect pipes from freezing at toilet?

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"heavy flat 3-wire cord under the door" Wasn't aware of this, will look into it, thanks.
Regarding the gas, it's been 50 years since I last rebuilt a carburetor. No urgent desire to do it again. Wonder if propane has the same problems as gas. One or two of those BBQ tanks should last me all winter.
Hmmm, propane's not looking good for winter backup. "The regulator on a propane tank is susceptible to freezing in extremely cold temperatures." from Choosing the Right Backup Fuel: Propane vs Gas Generators
More research needed.
 
Propane seems to be pretty reliable in N MN where I'm from, that what most folks use, and it gets to -40F occasionally! You don't have extremely cold temperatures in San Antonio! If your tank is low and it stays cold for a few day it might be a problem, but not if you plan ahead. I have heard of people pouring hot water on the regulators to thaw them out though. As far as rebuilding carburetors, in many case you can buy a complete carburetor for under $20 if you don't feel comfortable taking one apart. But there again, if you take precautions it should never be necessary, I have many gas engines, some as old as 50 years, that have never been worked on.
 
"Propane seems to be pretty reliable in N MN where I'm from, that what most folks use, and it gets to -40F occasionally!" That's more convincing than a dozen websites. Many thanks. I'm going to start investigating small propane generators.
 
Most of the northern part of the USA deals with cold and sub-freezing temperatures all winter long. It's not an issue generally. They build in provisions for dealing with it. Texas will have to do the same. Are the walls insulated? If not, time to do that. If you have no heat, the best thing to do is shut off the water and open your inside faucets.
 
Mitchell-DIY-Guy said:
Most of the northern part of the USA deals with cold and sub-freezing temperatures all winter long. It's not an issue generally. They build in provisions for dealing with it. Texas will have to do the same. Are the walls insulated? If not, time to do that. If you have no heat, the best thing to do is shut off the water and open your inside faucets.
Click to expand...

Yes, the walls are insulated, on our home at least. I think most are.

Curious about shutting off the water. If we did lose electricity and heat and we shut off the water at the street and open all the valves inside the house, would that ensure that pipes wouldn't burst because even if the water froze, it would have a place to go as it froze?
 
Unless your home is plumbed to gravity drain you would have to blow the lines out to prevent freezing. Just shutting off the pressure won't prevent lines from bursting.
 
I don't know about that...if the water freezing in the lines has a place to expand to-- open faucets--then you should be OK. Obviously blowing out the lines will prevent freezing too.
 
I appreciate the responses, but this thread sort of went off the rails and I'm not sure if I have an answer to my original question. That is, wouldn't turning the valve on the water line that goes into the toilet almost off (but still allowing some water through AND putting a weight on the float inside the toilet (to hold it down) keep water flowing through the line and keep it from freezing? I assume that the water that drains through this cup in the middle of the toilet is just going down through the drain...correct? Is there any downside to doing this process?

Someone else said why not just put an obstruction on the flapper, but I can't really see the traditional flapper on the toilets I have. They are fairly new and use a different mechanism than I've seen in the past.

Here is an example of what I'm thinking. I just tied some washers together to provide enough weight to hold down the float:

IMG_0698.jpg
 
For God’s sake, just adjust the fill valve float, so it topping out the tank to the overflow and keeps barely running. When things get back to normal, just reset the float. it does exactly what you are attempting to accomplish with the washers.

The yellow thing to the rear left is the fill valve. The lever coming out of the fill valve, right above your washers, has a screw which is turned to adjust the float level. Turn it counter clockwise until the water level in the tank rises to the point it is trying to fill just a bit above the level of the overflow.
 
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Ahh…that makes sense. However, what do you mean by “10 minutes max?” To keep water flowing through the line, wouldn’t you want it to continue overflowing continuously through the freeze, similar to what people do when dripping their sinks?
 
Sorry for the tone of my last post. I have had a lot less patience post Covid. And, being up in the middle of the night didn’t help.

Ten minutes max, refers to the time adjusting the float to get the level set so it runs a very small amount of water through the overflow continually. It will be one of those adjust and wait projects.

Thinking on it a bit longer, and with a fresh rested mind: You could drill a 1/16th, or 3/32nd hole in the side of the overflow, about an inch below the top, and adjust the float so it goes a bit above it, and then reopens the float valve when it stops draining out the hole.
 
Ishtarbgl said:
I appreciate the responses, but this thread sort of went off the rails and I'm not sure if I have an answer to my original question. That is, wouldn't turning the valve on the water line that goes into the toilet almost off (but still allowing some water through AND putting a weight on the float inside the toilet (to hold it down) keep water flowing through the line and keep it from freezing? I assume that the water that drains through this cup in the middle of the toilet is just going down through the drain...correct? Is there any downside to doing this process?

Someone else said why not just put an obstruction on the flapper, but I can't really see the traditional flapper on the toilets I have. They are fairly new and use a different mechanism than I've seen in the past.

Here is an example of what I'm thinking. I just tied some washers together to provide enough weight to hold down the float:

View attachment 32715
Click to expand...
I believe you have the correct idea. Just open your valve a hair until you hear some water coming through. When things warm then
take your weight off and turn the valve on all the way. But like twowax said. If you put something under the flapper then the water
will go down the drain slowly. If you don't do this the tank will eventually fill up and just run over the overflow. That's your choice.
 
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TomFOhio said:
I believe you have the correct idea. Just open your valve a hair until you hear some water coming through. When things warm then
take your weight off and turn the valve on all the way. But like twowax said. If you put something under the flapper then the water
will go down the drain slowly. If you don't do this the tank will eventually fill up and just run over the overflow. That's your choice.
Click to expand...

Thank you for this. This is what I was trying to understand.
 
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