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Cold Snap Broken Cable Leaves Hayden Without Power

By Andrea Vogt andreav@spokesman.com

An icy blast of Canadian air plagued plumbing Sunday and is partly to blame for an early morning power outage that left thousands of Hayden residents without electricity.

A cable hook on a distribution line malfunctioned at the Dalton substation, shutting off power to 3,000 customers north and northwest of Prairie and Government Way, Washington Water Power spokesperson Dana Anderson said.

WWP on-site supervisor Vern Newby said the cable’s steel may have contracted in the cold, causing it to snap at a weak spot.

Many Hayden residents used the 5:30 to 9:30 a.m. blackout as an excuse to go out for Sunday breakfast.

“We were swamped,” said Carolyn Smalley, a waitress at the Hungry Horseman cafe in Dalton. “Everyone was coming in to get warm.”

Waking up with no power Sunday morning was the least of Ed Wilson’s problems.

“My battery was dead this morning and my other car wouldn’t start,” said Wilson, who was braving cold temperatures in Hayden to repair his car. “It’s some nasty weather.”

The answering service assistant for C & R Plumbing said on-call plumbers were flooded with repair requests all day.

Some residents unsuccessfully tried to solve plumbing problems themselves. In Post Falls, firefighters quickly extinguished a small fire on Mullan Avenue that was started when a space heater thawing frozen pipes caught an adjacent dryer vent on fire.

The Canadian air mass is expected to remain in the region until Tuesday, National Weather Service Meteorologist Todd Carter said. Residents should take extra precautions to be prepared, dress warmly and avoid exposure.

“We are telling people just to look out,” Carter said. “Because even winds at 10 mph can significantly decrease the wind chill now.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color Photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: TIPS FOR KEEPING COLD WATER FLOWING State Farm Insurance and the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Information Bureau provide these suggestions for handling plumbing in cold weather: Preventing frozen pipes - Exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing. Outside pipes should have faucet covers or be wrapped in paper or plastic bags or rags. Hoses should be put away for winter as they are an easy access route for cold air. Indoors, pipes can be wrapped with heat tape. Warm water can be allowed to drip overnight from a faucet, and cabinet doors should be opened to allow heat to get to uninsulated pipes under sinks and in exterior walls. All air leaks should be sealed with caulk or insulation to prevent cold air from blowing inside. Dealing with frozen pipes - Faucets should be left turned on and a plumber should be called. If water pipes have frozen and burst, water should be turned off at the main shut-off valve in the house. Pipes can be thawed with warm air from a hair dryer, using caution. Warm the pipe as close to the faucet as possible, working toward the coldest section of pipe. But do not use electrical appliances in areas of standing water and do not try to thaw a pipe with an open flame.

This sidebar appeared with the story: TIPS FOR KEEPING COLD WATER FLOWING State Farm Insurance and the Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Information Bureau provide these suggestions for handling plumbing in cold weather: Preventing frozen pipes - Exposed pipes are most susceptible to freezing. Outside pipes should have faucet covers or be wrapped in paper or plastic bags or rags. Hoses should be put away for winter as they are an easy access route for cold air. Indoors, pipes can be wrapped with heat tape. Warm water can be allowed to drip overnight from a faucet, and cabinet doors should be opened to allow heat to get to uninsulated pipes under sinks and in exterior walls. All air leaks should be sealed with caulk or insulation to prevent cold air from blowing inside. Dealing with frozen pipes - Faucets should be left turned on and a plumber should be called. If water pipes have frozen and burst, water should be turned off at the main shut-off valve in the house. Pipes can be thawed with warm air from a hair dryer, using caution. Warm the pipe as close to the faucet as possible, working toward the coldest section of pipe. But do not use electrical appliances in areas of standing water and do not try to thaw a pipe with an open flame.