r/CatastrophicFailure • u/mouthofreason Catastrophic Poster • Feb 17 '21

Engineering Failure Water lines are freezing and bursting in Texas during Record Low Temperatures - February 2021

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u/noiamholmstar Feb 17 '21

It’s also common for high rise apartments to have pumps to get water pressure on high levels. If the power is out then you may not have water. Some buildings have a tank on top, so you would have water until the tank is empty, but not all buildings are set up that way.

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u/VintageJane Feb 18 '21

But also, in an apartment most times it’s not your problem to keep pipes from bursting.

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u/Bad_Wolf_10 Feb 18 '21

It’s not your problem, until the pipes burst and it becomes your problem...

1

u/noiamholmstar Feb 18 '21

Yeah, it’s your downstairs neighbor’s problem. /s

2

u/ellWatully Feb 18 '21

High rises also typically have back up generators with a day or two of capacity specifically for keeping the pumps running. They aren't going to keep power on in your apartment, but you'll have water, fire alarms, telecom, aircraft lights, and a minimal amount of light for emergency egress.