Just curious how different areas are.
How many work days a year do you lose due to the Weather?
Working outside in the Rain and Snow is tough, if not impossible and for Resi work I know some customers sure don't want people going in and out of their house on days like that either.
Bill
I worked outside most of last week, finishing the electrical side of a gas station install. The crew I was working with was trying to pour concrete in single digits temps. They have a $50,000.00 ground heater which will pull the frost out of the ground and leave the dirt hot!!!!!. Got most of it done friday afternoon. Good thing too as we have blizzard warnings on the coast of Maine tonight and tomorrow. Just started snowing, got the plow on, got wood in, picked up the outdoors as this might be the last time we see the ground until spring
. Winter coming always puts me in a bad mood as far as work is concerned
Bill it takes a real blizzard for our shop to call work.
Instead we are constantly reminded it is our own responsibility to determine if we can safely make it to work.
In six winters there has only been one day I recall work getting called off, I assumed work was on and made it in.
I was told to go home and they paid me 4 hours for my trouble.
Last winter the frost was 36" and the job I was on needed the ground heaters that walrus described to keep it moving.
You think 600 kcmil is stiff in normal temps try working it in 20F
Bob
We usually loose from 2 to 3 days a year, but it is more of not being able to get up and down the mountains than the weather itself. The road crews do a top notch job, but there has been times I have sat at the bottom of a mountain after sliding into the grass for three hours waiting for the salt truck to get there. Of course this turns into a social event with all the other people around.
Roger
Bill:
Last year, I seem to remember two or three days that were snowed out. Basically, if the jobsite is "open" we usually make it.
My AHJ job, we lost two days last year for snow. And Friday was a "lucky day"; the office called all inspectors in at 1:00PM. We got to leave after the daily paperwork.
Left the office parking lot at 2:30PM.....got home at 5:45PM....a 'usual' 25-35 min ride! Roades were a mess, but the TRAFFIC was a nightmare!!!!
John
Friday I had 17 inspections and 6 were pools. The snow started around here ( Northern NJ) by 12:00 today Sat. the total here is about 18". The last inspection of the day at about 4:00 PM the snow was to deep for me to do my pool bonding inspection. I think the EC will forgive me since I red tag that job. This week the weather report says the temp will hit 45 and rain by Wed.-Thur.. What a mess this could be!
Snow seems to be getting pretty rare over here, at least in the more southerly parts of Britain.
We've had a couple of frosts here overnight in the last two or three weeks, but the temperature has been up above freezing by 9 or 10 a.m., and often up to 50 degrees some days.
It's typically weather for the time of year though -- Very changeable with one day clear and sunny and the next wet and windy!
No snow yet......
I'd say we've about a foot here
and it's still sputtering...
the kids gotta eat in bad weather too...
About 20 inches here on central Long Island.
I think your maps is off a bit!
Bill
Sparky,
I heard on the news it was 24" in your area...and that was yesterday when I got up!
Over 4 feet in some spots in Western Maine(rangely lake area), I almost finished a job in So Paris Maine where they got 3 feet, am I glad I got most of the outside stuff done, anyone tell me how I'm supposed to pour sealing fittings in below freezing temps
.I'm guessing there are 30 or so ENY-2s to pour. Might have to wait for spring
Got 14-16 inches of snow at my house on the coast.
Anybody here that has never seen Snow?
I've got relatives from Orlando whose teenage kids had never seen it until visiting us recently.
They were very excited seeing it come down.
Bill
Walrus — On your seals, I've heard rumors that you can substitute tequila for water in the Chico recipe... ;-)
I don't envy you guys at this time of year
In my area, about 9 or 10 times a year we may have to start the truck a few minutes early to melt a light frost.
:
Roughed in a house (in romex) when it was -20F (no heat, windows, doors, etc.)
Didn't even consider asking the boss if he thought it was too cold for the work, it was warm in his office
" Walrus — On your seals, I've heard rumors that you can substitute tequila for water in the Chico recipe... ;-) "
One for me, one for the chico, 2 for me, none for the chico, Nope, don't think tequila works in this case
[This message has been edited by walrus (edited 12-08-2003).]
Roger
Thanks for link,never seen or heard of that stuff. Next time at supply house I'll ask.
Walrus — that was the best I could come up with on short notice. {Prestone substituted for tequila just doesn’t have the right effect.} Electricians at petrochems on the North Slope [of AK] must have some clever way of doing it.
Yesterday it was about 75 and a slight breeze under sunny skies. Almost time to mow the lawn again...
Mike,
Thanks, I needed that!
Bill
Walrus, you're welcome. It is more expensive and if you only had one or two to do it might not be worth the extra cost per seal off, but if you were doing the number you mention and you could do them all before lunch, it would save alot of labor cost.
I kind of like your tequila method.
Roger
we got about 12" here in Vermont, the coast got it worse...
i rough out cold frames too. the bset thing to use for some
localized heat is one of those little gas heaters that screw on top of the standard barbyQ grill gas bottle.
inexpensive, and less fumes than kerosene...
[img]
http://store4.yimg.com/I/air-n-water_1769_3626899[/img]
the good thing about working out in adverse weather is
people leave you alone to do your job , and one can get mighty goofy with the woolies
~S~
Hey, that Map changed....
Bill
Hey,
You guys dug out yet?? C'mon, we've gotta a 9 o'clock tee time..
:
Those portable gas heaters will bend pvc pretty good too.
I'm dug out as much as I'm going to dig.
It'll be warmer later on in the week and a lot will melt away. I expect by next weekend most if not all will be gone. Then I can find all the stuff I left laying around outside ...
Bill
It's a rather pleasant afternoon here today: Light cloud, but mostly bright and sunny, temperature just before 3 p.m. is up around 50, and most importantly it's dry and there's no wind!
they are calling for 12" of snow tonight and more after that.that's a dusting for us.last year one storm left 7" in an hour and 4' in a 24 hour period.made the 50 mile commute a bit wearysome.it seperates the men from the boys as far as work is concerned.at times like that i am happy about my change of career
Hey, that Map changed....
nothing i did Bill, it's probably pre-programmed to change per those fickle weathermen...
~S~
Roger — I see that the pre-mixed Chico does not require fiber-“dam” packing in horizontal runs…that’s worth something in almost any weather. On pre-thawing sealing fittings before the pour, Walrus: is there a welding machine on site to pump some current through the metal seal and raceway? Such a preheat may be practical on an industrial site.
Yes, snow...rain...sleet...and wind with our dipping temperatures and to top it all off one of my very own den's 8-year old Cub Scouts was lost overnight in the mountains (at over 8000 ft above sea level, we're talking COLD!). He and his mom & aunt had gone to cut two Christmas trees in the same place they've gone for years but the boy got separated just yards from the car in a white-out at about 3:30pm. They knew he was dressed well with heavy pants and coat and a good warm cap. They found him the following morning about 11am when he was walking down a road near where the car had been and asked him how he had done through the night. He had hollowed out a cozy spot in a log and slept there until mid-morning. We don't teach mountain survival in the Cub Scouts but I'll bet we talk a bit about it in the next den meeting!
My brother was out for 20 hours on the mountain as part of the backcountry-certified Search and Rescue team and his comment was that everyone thought this youngster was smart and strong for having been able to think straight enough to keep himself warm and protected and that the boy appeared to have fared quite a bit better than a few of the rescuers.
He sure had us worried but now he'll be a local hero. I knew if anyone had ever told him anything about what to do in the woods or how to cope with being lost, he'd be a little bit better prepared than the average 8 year old as he's one of the few that actually pays attention in our activities.
posted by Bjarney
is there a welding machine on site to pump some current through the metal seal and raceway? Such a preheat may be practical on an industrial site.
I like your creative thinking.
A safe and quick way to heat the local area.
It did remind me of an unsafe way a friends Dad (a mechanic) would get brake bleeders loose.
He would take a jumper cable from the positive on the battery and hook the other end right on the bleeder screw.
I would never hang around his garage.
Bob
no welder on site, some of the sealoffs are installed in conduits which are hooked to the extracable portion of a pump installed in a gas tank filled with several thousand gallons of gas. I let you hook the clamps up ok
.
Good idea though if in another area. Right now it looks like warm day is in order.
In the city where I live they used to send a crew with a portable welder to thaw water service lines. They put one clamp on the service line at the meter and the other on a nearby fire hydrant and presto, not only was the line thawed but if you turned the welder up enough they could have hot water too. The welder was an old military surplus unit and could take a lot of abuse.
You may not see that anymore, while doing that some houses burned down.
I know, they quit doing that about 25 years ago thankfully before they burned anything up.
"They" did this to a neighbor last winter. Worked great. Scared the heck out of me though.
A welder friend of mine, now retired, used to make a lot more money thawing pipes in the foothills west of Denver than he ever did welding with his truck-mounted portable.
Walrus said:
…hooked to the extracable portion of a pump installed in a gas tank filled with several thousand gallons of gas.
So I guess that that shoots plan B out of the saddle—using a road flare? ;-)
Another 15 to 20 inches of snow up here, 40 mph winds and life is good
. The kicker is rain on weds. and thurs.. This has to be the stormiest fall in quite some time here in Maine.
This has to be the stormiest fall in quite some time here in Maine.
I have a hard time thinking of December as Fall, but I guess you're right. It's certainly one of the Snowiest Long Island has seen in a long time!
We've had about 26 inches of snow so far in the last 10 days, but there's nothing left on the ground.
Bill
Bill and others,
What's the weather like over where you guys are, now?.
Beginning christmas night and extending into yesterday, Salt Lake City recieved one of its top ten storms in recorded history. I got about 14-18 inches at my house in about 10 hours.
I had to work on Friday, but we ended up shutting the city hall down at about noon.
Christmas day Honolulu-- 85degrees, sunny.
Merry Christmas to all.
No snow here yet, but the cold weather is really stunting the growth of our flowers.
Just look at this puny thing:
Why, it barely fills the chair!!
...S
Electure,
admit that you photoshopped that!
I end up with a few stops per day and do not like to work in real bad weather. Being on the road a lot, service work many days, it's not worth the risk. An accident could total the van easy and then your scrambling for a rental, or you yourself could get hurt and end up missing more work. For the few times a year we get bad snow, and it may be a year or 2 inbetween, I stay home.
No, I didn't change a thing.(It's off of a banana tree that blew over during our recent little "rain storm")
I'm just teasing the folks that think I'm nuts for living in Southern CA.
My backyard...S
[This message has been edited by electure (edited 12-29-2003).]
Trumpy,
Tomorrow, 12/30/2003 we're expecting a high of 51F - Long Island, NY
Crazy Weather!
(but I'll take it)
Bill
Very changeable here in eastern England. Christmas Day was very mild -- Bright and clear, temperature up into the 50s, and people walking on the beach. The 26th was gray, wet, and windy.
The forecast for tonight is down to 23 degrees in some places -- Not very often it gets that cold over here!
It looks like its time to breath new life into this thread. We ended up walking through snow to trick-or-treat the other night
11/01/04
Yup woke up to Denvers first snow of the season this AM. Around 6" in my neighborhood.
No snow here yet but when it gets cold enough I will make my own!
- Scott (Electricmanscott)
Kent: If you're in Denver and are getting the storm that just crossed us in Salt Lake, I would venture to say it's not over yet
No snow here yet. Looks like we'll hit 72° near the end of the week. Might have to put on a jacket in the morning. "Viva Las Vegas!!!"
Oh sure! go ahead and rub it in. GGGGrrrrrrr! 18 degrees here this AM
Looks like we'll hit 72° near the end of the week. Might have to put on a jacket in the morning.
72 is practically a heatwave! I'm taking jackets
off at that temperature!
Rather dull and gray today, but still pretty mild here. Not much chance of snow for a while yet.
http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/03496.html
The folks in east-central Indiana can rest easy this winter. I bought a new 4x4 truck. The last time I bought a 4x4 we had practically no measureable accumulation until I traded for a 2x4 van.
Calling for a major snowstorm up here in Maine on thursday night thru Saturday. Starting as snow changing over to rain and then back to snow. yuck, little early for that crap
Don't have my plow on which means its going to happen for sure