ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — Residents at the Townhomes at Double Creek in Round Rock got a notice they would be without water, as freezing temperatures are expected throughout Central Texas come Sunday. Sandalwood Management oversees the property, it says the original notice wasn’t clear and said staff will only turn water off if it drops below 20 degrees. It added that would likely only be overnight. At least one other complex has taken this measure before, trying to prevent pipes from bursting, which KXAN reported on in 2022. KXAN reached out to the Texas Apartment Association. It said it doesn’t have a policy regarding shutting water off or preparing for winter weather. However, Building and Strengthening Tenant Action (BASTA), said it’s illegal unless there’s an emergency or repairs being made. “Leaving people without water just to prevent those busted pipes shouldn’t be happening,” Jazmin Rivera a tenant outreach specialist with BASTA said. “People should have the right to water and to feel safe and secure in their homes…we would definitely recommend for tenants to contact 311 to get a code inspector out on the property.”
I’m from Maine but I saw this in /c/all. Turning off the water is asinine. What you want to do is keep the water dripping when it’s super cold at night and your pipes won’t burst. This apartment complex should tell everyone to let their faucets drip, not run, drip. That will let enough flowing water move through the pipes to prevent bursting. It’s weird they wouldn’t do this first and then if the residents can’t understand or don’t follow instructions you would maybe shut off water pipes.
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When I visited Texas they didn’t strike me as any more or less stupid than other americans. But that is why I said if the residents don’t follow instructions then you go to shutting off the water. At least give them the benefit of the doubt at first.
The part of Texas that’s dumb is the people in charge and their approach to common problems. This water shut off is one such example of ignoring known solutions to a potential problem and instead being willful to the detriment of others.
Another example is their power situation - unique to Texas for a variety of their own reasons. Texas doesn’t give the benefit of the doubt to others because they don’t think that others can solve the problem. They make moves and ignore all outside feedback.
People here are ignorant to mitigating situations that arise from cold temperatures. It’s not that we’re stupid. That’s is an ignorant generalization to make.
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Turning off the water at the main and draining the pipes will ensure there is no water in the pipes to freeze.
Sure, if you blow it out with air and check every P-trap. Otherwise you’re risking worse damage then just letting the water trickle. Turning off the water and blowing it out with compressed air is what you do if you’re leaving for an extended period of time in the cold, not something you do for overnight dips.
How would you know if they did?
Well, the water leaking from their apartment would be a good sign that they didn’t leave their faucets running. Charge for repairs to those that don’t open their faucets and soon you won’t have that problem. As to ensuring everyone leaves their faucets running, just send out a text or email or even go knock on doors and leave notes if it’s an apartment complex.
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