April Banter 2023

[RDM]

27 minutes ago, H2O said:

Standard depth for water mains was 4’. Deeper than that was called over depth and the contractor charged more so every attempt was made to be at 4’. Gas was supposed to be min 3’ along with electric and telephone. Cable was notorious for being more shallow. 
 

Even at 4’ water mains here are subject to the impacts of the freeze thaw cycle. Most main breaks were between Nov-Mar due to the heaving of the soil. Part of what we did was replacing the older mains that became more prone to breaks from cold weather. 

Good to know - thanks for the insight.  Know all too well what you mean about cable and phone.  Sliced through our twisted pair before with a round point shovel some years ago.  Verizon would not fix it because we already had fiber.  Then a few years after that sliced through the fiber because it was only a few inches below grade.  They installed a temp fiber cable above ground until they could bury a new permanent line.  Kept the temp cable for the next time.  

[Kay]

there are a bunch of swallows flying around my yard in the rain

[MN Transplant]

8 hours ago, RDM said:

H2O,

    Always hoped that FF Water was working with VDOT on scheduling repairs around paying schedules for the reason you raised (not sure if you worked for FF Water or another org).  Seen a lot of examples that implied that coordination was a bit askew.  

    A question....   That's a really nice looking trench MN Transplant posted.  Looks to be about 2 feet deep - or so.  What is the standard depth for water mains around here?  Someone told me it is 2 feet, but that seems shallow.  Nat Gas is 2' min depth according to Wash Gas rep.  Back home in Ohio H2O and Nat Gas depth is 4'.  (much colder there).  

    Had major issues back in 78 when we didn't get above freezing for over a month.  The frost line got down to below 5 feet, which burst a lot of mains.  Trying to fix a broken main when the ambient temps are below 0F must be one of the most miserable jobs ever.  

 

 

The trench was definitely on the order of 4' deep.  The guys who were down in there were up to their chests.  Our gas lines must have been deeper because they only had to dig around the existing water supply line to the house and not the gas line.

[CAPE]

Much later than usual, but with 4.5" of rain over the last week, the seasonal woodland wetland has gone from a few shallow puddles to an expansive area of water a foot or more deep. Just trudged around in my knee boots and seeded it with larvicide. 

#droughtover

[CAPE]

1 minute ago, nw baltimore wx said:

At the peak now, just a bit of a phase shift compared to normal.

[nw baltimore wx]

1 minute ago, CAPE said:

At the peak now, just a bit of a phase shift compared to normal.

I think I posted the wrong one.

[CAPE]

9 minutes ago, nw baltimore wx said:

I think I posted the wrong one.

The x axis is about spot on as a reference for the typical period of time the water table breaks and remains above the surface in that area. Late Jan through May.

[RDM]

15 hours ago, MN Transplant said:

The trench was definitely on the order of 4' deep.  The guys who were down in there were up to their chests.  Our gas lines must have been deeper because they only had to dig around the existing water supply line to the house and not the gas line.

Good to know - thanks.  Was looking at the compactor in the background for a comparison, but that can be deceiving too.  Appreciate the update on the depth. 

[CAPE]

Founders KBS(the original) for HH.

[nw baltimore wx]

2 hours ago, CAPE said:

Founders KBS(the original) for HH.

Happy Hour in Jim Thorpe.

 

I had three. And a beer.

[Stormchaserchuck1]

Just saying, if you feel like something is "taking you away from this world", do work. Do work to be here. simple. too many people complain I think about judgement. 

[Stormchaserchuck1]

NFL is weird. Both sides are weird and I'm weard for talking about it. The Lamar thing is so awkward, yeah he wants 1/4 billion dollars lol. Wish he can repeat that 3TD-rushing game from his rookie season against Cleveland, flipping into the endzone. 

[nw baltimore wx]

14 minutes ago, Stormchaserchuck1 said:

NFL is weird. Both sides are weird and I'm weard for talking about it. The Lamar thing is so awkward, yeah he wants 1/4 billion dollars lol. Wish he can repeat that 3TD-rushing game from his rookie season against Cleveland, flipping into the endzone. 

I remember when he flipped against KC and hurt himself. I’m a fan of winning, but do it with humility.

[CAPE]

19 minutes ago, nw baltimore wx said:

Happy Hour in Jim Thorpe.

 

I had three. And a beer.

That's a place I have been wanting to go. Seems to have a cool vibe and very scenic.

[CAPE]

My wetland a month ago, which looked the same 10 days ago, save for more green. Very usually dry.

 

Same area today- more typical for this time of year. Changed in a hurry since last weekend.

 

 

[nw baltimore wx]

1 hour ago, CAPE said:

That's a place I have been wanting to go. Seems to have a cool vibe and very scenic.

It’s been raining the whole time but after Iceland, I couldn’t care less. Good hiking and cool town.

[Jebman]

Don't look now, but Palisades Tahoe is about to get shellacked by an early May snowstorm that just might dump up to 12 inches of fresh snow on the mountain come next Monday thru Wed nights!

I LOVE Palisades Tahoe! Don't you?

[Stormchaserchuck1]

It's pretty amazing that droughts never stick. 

[Stormchaserchuck1]

4 hours ago, nw baltimore wx said:

It’s been raining the whole time but after Iceland, I couldn’t care less. Good hiking and cool town.

Iceland looks awesome. It looks like you picked a good time to go there. 

[Jebman]

Now they are calling for up to sixteen inches of snow at Palisades Mon thru early Thursday!

[Stormchaserchuck1]

I remember the blizzard of '96..

2-4"!

3-6"!

6-12"!

12-18"! omg blizzard watch.. it will keep going higher. 

18-24"!! blizzard warning

I thought we would go to 30-36"

[nj2va]

Wow down go the Bruins. What a series by the Panthers. That was a fun game 7 to watch as a neutral fan. 

[MacChump]

On 4/23/2023 at 10:28 AM, 09-10 analogy said:

That's one of the few parts of the movie I didn't like: how easily the Lord of the Nazgul, who was basically a rogue Numenorean with a neat ring, schooled Gandalf. Gandalf, especially in his reincarnation as the White, was a demigod, more or less, in the class of Sauron himself; both were Maiar, after all. In the book JRRT left their confrontation at the gate unresolved, as the LOTN was called away by the arrival of the Rohirrim right before they threw down. Maybe, amped up by Sauron's power, the LOTN would have prevailed over Gandalf, but he wouldn't have been much use afterwards. As the Grey, Gandalf beat the Balrog: another Maiar. As the White, in the book and movie, he broke Saurman, another Maiar and formerly the head of the wizards' order, rather easily. So I really think Gandalf wouldn't have had that much trouble with the LOTN, who was after all just a man with an extraordinarily powerful trinket. (After all, as the Grey, Gandalf held off six or seven Nazgul on Weathertop, and they "retreated before my wrath.") It certainly wouldn't have been the squash match Peter Jackson made it. Sorry about the tirade but this scene took away from what was, otherwise, a fantastic rendition of the books. 

nerd

 

 

 

 

 

 

also: great post, agree

[MillvilleWx]

If anyone was curious about my situation:

My interview went very well last week, in my opinion at least. I have not heard back or know anything yet. I'm sure the selection was made, but it's in someone else's hands now. Finishing up my stretch of mids this morning. Traveling to a wedding this weekend with my wife. I'll report back if I find out anything. 

Have a great day everyone!