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sirpoopingpooper t1_j206645 wrote

Reply to comment by [deleted] in Winter weather upends water systems across the Deep South by getBusyChild

Exactly... lowest temperatures recorded at ATL in the past decade (in C):

2022 -13

2021 -5

2020 -6

2019 -6

2018 -11

2017 -9

2016 -7

2015 -12

2014 -14

2013 -6

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2022 wasn't even the lowest temperature in the past decade and the lowest record temperature at ATL was -21 (1985). I get that this cold snap was a bit longer than is typical, but it's not really that far out from "normal" levels cold. When you design for 90% confidence that something won't break, 10% of the time it will. And when we're talking about building design (which tend to be around for decades or more), you're basically guaranteeing failure at some point.

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lizardtrench t1_j210q30 wrote

The relevant data here would be longest sustained below freezing temps, not absolute. He acknowledged it normally gets below freezing, just not for this long. Which is critical, since water takes quite a while to lose its heat.

(Anecdotally, I have family there that had a pipe burst in their house, which they've been living in for more than 25 years without any issue.)

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gabby395934 t1_j20qda5 wrote

That's not true, the lowest temp in Atlanta in 2020 was 22°F. The last time we got down to single digits in Atlanta was in 2014. Also those temperatures would only last no more than a day. This was a multi day event ending with snow Monday night.

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sirpoopingpooper t1_j20xwg8 wrote

>That's not true, the lowest temp in Atlanta in 2020 was 22°F.

...Which is -6C...

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>This was a multi day event ending with snow Monday night.
>
>I get that this cold snap was a bit longer than is typical

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Maybe this is more like a 5% event rather than a 10% event...but still for multi-decade construction, this is a design failure...

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gabby395934 t1_j20zzcm wrote

That's not cold enough to break water pipes, but when the high is in the teens °F for days it is.

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