How cold is too cold?
When do you call it quits for the day due to weather. We are currently experiencing windchills of minus 34 Celsius and had to call it quits due to equipment failure (not to mention frozen faces and fingers).
IF YOU LOVE TO LEARN, YOU WILL SUCCEED!
Replies
Generally productivity goes so low at anything below freezing that outside of an actual emergancy or a willingness to pay double it is isn't worth it. Of course around here below freezing is a few hours or a day or two at most. Mostly we try to schedule work indoors when it gets cold. Life is tough in Florida.
Life is tough in Florida.
LOL
Dad used to rell me that when the men spent their time around the burning barrel instead of working becuse of frozen fingers [which he never blamed them] it was time to roll up. Thats abouot as simple as it is . Of course he was looking at productivity.
Brother got a hog farm and had to be out there in zero degrees becuse of water freeze up. I helped him one Sunday had water sows with 5 gallon buckets. Im trying to think the water froze a skim over in 5 minutes. I dont remember how cold it was but would guess 0 with some strong wind. Anyway, he told me that he always froze to death framing in the winter and it just wasnt necesary as he found clothes people in the Northern states wear and paid the high price .
I still dont know alot about it , but Ive done some reading where explorers can make it through a snow storm with proper clothing . Ive done a little reading about the Iditarod Alaska dog race where temps can be 60 below. They never mentioned what they wore but that temp was time to quit mushing . Awsome . Dogs all wearing boots but still. One book I read , Libby Riddles was racing at 20 below with the sun shinning and said it was a good day for a race . Those dogs travel about 15 miles per hour if I remember correctly. I dont know about being on a sled but a ATV is very cold riding at 0 goin slow. Its got some heat rising off it too. You can stop and warm up with the motor cooling.
But we were talking about working werent we?
Tim
Mushing dogs generates its own kind of heat! Like the shovel has a built-in heater.the dogs boots are not for the cold. They are to keep them from being cut on th eice
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I know 11 people who have run the Iditarod. You are right that no one races at -60F. Actually -50F and lower and they spend all their time just staying alive. One woman described running along the sled at -55F for 2 hours to warm up until they (traveled in a group of 3 for safety at those temps) were falling asleep while running then sleeping for 2 hours until they were so cold they had start running again. Again and again. That was the last Iditarod she ran.Piffin's right, the booties aren't for cold at all, but to protect the dog's feet from ice crystals.From 15F down to -15F the dogs are really happy. >20F and especially >30F and the dogs can't run as much because they overheat.Below -20F, the dogs get fleece jackets.Note that the musher has to feed, bootie, harness, unharness, and melt snow for water for 6 to 16 dogs throughout the day and night.My doc has run it a few times. He is a soccer player and in great shape with seemingly no weight to lose. He lost 3 belt notches in 14 days traveling 1100 miles.David Thomas Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska
David, It's always fun to hear about the Alaskan extremes. :-)
There's that Jack London factoid in "To Build a Fire" that one's spit freezes before it hits the ground at -75F.I tried a variant of that one time driving up the Alcan in January. Pissed on the ground at -44F. It DID NOT freeze before it hit the ground. It DID freeze on my Carhartts when it splattered up off the ground.The other thing I learned on that trip is that a Camry can maintain 100F above ambient. 100 above 0F is 100F and that is pretty toasty. But 100F above -44 is only 56F and that is pretty cold when you're sitting still for hours and only inches from glass that is below 0F. I was wearing insulated coveralls and gloves with the heater on full.David Thomas Overlooking Cook Inlet in Kenai, Alaska
I will always miss the bears of Kodiak. While living on the rock, our house was right off a bear trail and the cubs would wake us up on calm nights with their grunts and whining as they mossied down the trail.
The funniest story happened just down the street with a fellow walking home from Safeway with a bag of groceries. A bear ran out of the alders, snatched the plastic bag from the guy's hand and took off back into the bushes. :-)
Our favorite bear was a big sow with three two-year old cubs that weren't afraid of anyone and just went about their business. What a big gal! She was once weighed by the wildlife guys at 1100 lbs.
That's Alaska!
Don
David Im trying to remember a poem .
Somthing about comming to Alaska and once youve seen it you will yearn to be back or you will be back , cant remember ?????????????????????????????
Tim
Thought I'd post a picture from my summer work- rebuilding stone shelters at 10,000 feet on the side of Mt. Rainier. It's the second year that i've led this project, and we had pretty good weather this year- quite a few weeks sunny, calm weather. Last year the weather was brutal- two weeks of good weather and two months of below freezing temps and 30-60 mph winds.
When it was snowing and blowing, snow would form drifts up to 10 feet deep in some places (up over the tops of the buildings around me in the photo) but the ground would be bare in other places. We would spend all day digging out our tools and trying to start the generator.
Coldest it got this year was about 5 degrees fahrenheit and 50 mph winds. What makes it uncomfortable is that there is no place to get warm- it's just a few stone buildings perched on the side of the mountain, miles from the nearest road. Steep miles laced with crevasses and cliffs, that is.
zak
Fill out your profile so we know where your at.
I guess with windchills of minus 34 your not down here in TX, it was a cool 55 today but I managed. <G>
Doug
55 HA! It was about 18 this morning in MA. Man you got it rough:)
It was -9 F this morning in Iowa. It warmed up nicely to about 8 for acouple of minutes before it started to drop again. We worked on a deck. When you got to get it done you just go do it. By January we might consider this warm. Or it'll be so warm in January that we will thing ourselves fools for not waiting.
it was a cool 55 today but I managed
Glad you did, my morning was a bit of a surprise.
Was 44º at 0038, did not seem so bad, normals are 63/43 right now, and nothing on the weather about colder. That was last night.
This morning, the alarm goes off, and the thermometer repeater shows it's 28º outside. 28º! Argh, awk, did not protect outside pipes (just what the monring needs, worry on top of adrenaline <grrr>). Pipes ok, or seem that way. Turns out that entire 16 degree drop was from midnight to sun up--go figure. Airport is reporting 58º as of 1400.
Now, it's supposed to be quite fun here soon. Supposed to be 42º (again <grrr>) tonight, then 49º tomorrow morning with showers and a cold front changing to "winter mix" by nightfall and hitting 29º for a low. Followed by 41/23 on Thursday.
"Winter mix" & "central texas" can equal "too cold." (Won't stop the unqualified drivers from being on the road, either . . . )Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
worth repeating...
'Nemo me impune lacesset'No one will provoke me with impunity
I'm hoping for some cold weather come Friday night!
Texas State plays UNI, my alma mata, in a semifinal football game and I want some of that cold weather to make the home boys feel comfortable.
Funny thing is UNI has an indoor stadium, so they probably wont appreciate the cold either.
Doug
2 F here right now, guess its to cold!
Cant even get that little Blue car to work in this weather.
Thats when you go sking isnt it ? <G>
Tim
Nice to see you in high spirits tonight Tim.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
it's been -18 F or so every morning for a bit here...we're coping. i built some stairs on a deck on monday, and standing around cutting the stringers was pretty chilly, but as long as i'm moving around i'm pretty comfortable down to about 0 or 5 below. i backcountry skied on sunday at 0 degrees with around a 35 mph wind--it was cold, but well worth it.i guess nowadays contractors have decided that the reduced productivity of working through the winter costs less than suspending projects entirely. having a heated trailer to escape into makes all of the difference....
Tim,
This year is starting out as on of the Best Ski years ever! Record snow amounts at most of the ski areas. Vail (biggest resort in Colorado) has had over 12' of snow so far this season.
For more on the Snow.... http://www.coloradoski.com
I'm green with envy. We get the cold, but not the soft white stuff. Our snow is a heavy nasty corn, that has to be groomed.
Stacy's mom has got it going on.
I bet those boys that drive that little blue car are having a tough time in this weather!
I notice when the temp drops below 50 some of our friends from the south seam to have a difficult time dealing with it.
Just to put things in perspective,
Just got done listening to the weather, weather man says its going to be around 10 degrees in the morn, you wont want to be out pumping gas in those conditions!!!
Buncha sissy's
I think I'll put on a pair of shorts and ride my bike over to get breakfast.
Doug
- 14 with the Wind right now.
Wednesday is going to be a good day to catch up on the paperwork.
Yea, it was 50 in Arkansas . It was a rough morning though at 20. <G>
Tim
Depends.
If I'm busy I try to stay inside under 40. When I'm slow. I go until the fingers freeze. I've left more than one layer of skin on an aluminum stage.
Stacy's mom has got it going on.
Well, the coldest I ever worked had wind chill ratings around minus 86°F. Since you are this cold already and reporting in Celsius, I assume you are a Canadadian.
for me, below zero F is slowing things down considerably. We are not too uncomfortable working here ( Maine) down to about five degrees Fahrenheit if the wind is not too high.
But over the years, I have figured out that production pretty well ceases once you hit thirty below.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Dunno that theres any particular mark on the thermostat where its determined whether we work or not.
There`s just those days where, no matter how much clothing you`ve got on, or how near by the salamander is, its just too unproductive to bother.
Somewhere down in the teens with a stiff wind is likely a given.
J. D. Reynolds
Home Improvements
After Pop died 2 years ago, brother, self, and BIL moved all the tools and bikes out of Pops garage workshop so Mom could finally park a car in the garage after 60 years.
Central, IL, Jan 30th, 2004, -5F. Took all day to remove the old carriage house doors and install a roll up garage door, should have been < 2 hour job. The 3 inch out of square door opening did not help. Glad I do not live there, although BIL and brother do, they seemed to move slower than I did being from the balmy PNW (but had lived there 20 years and spent months at a time at missile sites in ND in Jan and February).
Even worse than that however was frameing at 34 F in steady drizzle in Seattle area. Got to the point where about 6 PM, relatively wet all over and in the dark, you could recognize the onset of hypothermia, knew to quit and get into a hot truck cab or get hurt.
Had to change the brakes on a '78 Dodge once in Mohave desert area in the summer after they crapped out coming down out of the mountains. 112 F open air, changed brakes on blacktop motel parking lot, actually worse than the -5F garage door.
Seventy degrees. Hey I'm fussy.
http://tinyurl.com/755qq <------ Check out this auction.
-19 degrees this morning ambient temprature guys moved snow and framing crew took the morning off and came back to work at noon when the temp warmed up to 0. working tomorrow regardless have to clean the jobsite that got 2 feet of snow and 1 inch of ice. House has just got trusses good thing we will haven't sheathed it yet. High this week is in the 20s.
Im a sucker for the cold. Or is it that im a sucker for the money. So maybe its never too cold. But when the guns are fireing or your haveing to take them back to the trailer every 15 minutes and set em by the air comp. and generators and then burn your fingers on the exhaust manifolds...... maybe thats a good time.
Lot of times even the rest of the guys dont want to go home. Whats waiting for them at home might be worse than a little frostbite.... bills to pay... mortgages... and that nagging wife with the screaming little runts haning on her hips. That'll keep any guy out in the cold much longer than he should be.
Usually when the Lull is too cold to start... or operate... then its probably too cold. Gives you time to come home.. visit break time.. and look at the pictures of that one guys homes. THAT guy thats building in Hawaii.
When times were bad I was lucky enough to find work 1991 . Worked for a jerk . We were building a bank out in Natick , Mass. Exterior walls brick , no doors and windows installed . Minus 19 degrees , 30mph winds , wind chill god only knows . All the subs went home . I was the only carpenter on site . I called the home office and told them everyone had gone home . The boss said put your belt on and get back to work . I'll never forget how cold I was . About an hour later the Super came up to the second floor where I was working . He heard noise in the building that's why he came up . Asked what in the world are you doing ? I explained that my boss told me to get back to work . He informed me that I could not work alone in the building , under the present conditions . He also said that my boss was a jerk and that he overides my boss on the project . He said I could spend the rest of the day in the trailor with his laborers and himself . The super ordered chinese food and a case of beer , it was great .
Mike - Foxboro
I don't mind at all working down to about 30° or so. It takes a bit longer to get moving in the morning, but is O.K. after that. I'll work down to about zero without much complaint. But wearing heavy clothes slows me down some.Anything below zero and it had better be pretty danged important. A stiff wind obviously makes a lot of difference. But I learned to make the best of it - Trying to find ways to stay out of it or block it somehow..Being on a farm, I'm used to working when it's too cold or too hot. The worse the weather is, the longer it takes to get the animals taken care of. Pulling a calf at midnight when it's -10° is no fun, but I've done it. Just dealing with water when it's below zero is a challenge in itself.
this morning it's 9 * F
I usually don't work more than a 2-3 days a month from thanksgiving untill St. Patricks day
but I agreed to help out a old customer who I did a lot of work for in the past
His man has a broken hand---and so I agreed to vinyl side a garage with attached porch. I was supposed to start today.
But---since its 9* F------ that's way to cold for me----so I call the old customer to tell him am going to wait for a bit of a warmer spell
I do feel a bit bad because the customer is a custom garage builder and HE can't get paid untill I side the garage-------------
However---if HE had let me know 3 days earlier---before the cold snap---it would be done by now.
Stephen
Doesn't that vinyl siding shatter in that kind of temperature?Birth, school, work, death.....................
http://grantlogan.net/
LOL,
I assume so
that's why I am home.
on a related note
the city picks up our leaves on specified days---- I have about 7 BIG trees.
today is the day they are supposed to come for mine---put the notices up yesterday.
I have mountains of leaves out on the devilstrip waiting for pick up.
this morning I am out on the devilstrip with a coal shovel pushing scraping heaving piles of frozen snow covered leaves out into the street as per city instructions.
wonder if the Parks crew will come pick 'em up before the Streets crew snow plows 'em back into my yard.
I used to enjoy having 3-4 months off every winter----but the last 2-3 years---well , I am so freakin bored.
all my chisels are sharp, all my plane irons honed, I am riding my exercise bike 2 plus hours a day---and I am so freakin bored already LOL
Stephen
That sounded like what I used to do .
I worked 9 months abd took off the winter to hunt and trap.
Its funny that the work got done and the bills got paid . The charging rate for a painter should be 9 months for 12. I did it by choice as I could have done many other things . In the summer I worked 7 12s so I deserved it. Then some wize azz mentioned drywall.
Tim
Well, ya got to be careful. The first time I did siding it was 5 degrees(great time to learn). We kept it inside in the heat and brought it out to install.
I'm a slow start in the winter but once I get going, the gloves come off(literally i'm not out there fighting) and its just another day.
Now that I think of it i've always worked outside, started on a farm, dock work, moving company, on site recycler, and now this!
There is a question about your seasoinal method of contracting that has been nibbling at the back of my brain for awhile now.How do you stay in shape?
Roofing is one of the most strenuous trades I know. There was a time...but now I'm getting old grey and fat. Anyway, I'm jjust imagining how hard the first job or two must be in the spring unless you have a gym membership.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Piffen,
I am certainly no physical fitness expert------ and the guys who saw me up at Calvins in the summer would probably tell ya I am on the heavy side------ a skosh over 6 ft. and about 245#
in the past I swam in the winter----about 2 miles a day------then that Gym closed for a major remodeling/overhaul-----
One mild winter I walked about 8 miles a day on a trail
last winter I had knee surgery so I spent it riding a exercise bike to re-hab the knee---about 45 minutes a day
this winter I ride the exercise bike about 2 plus hours a day------- 1 hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon-------
I have always lifted weights on the weight bench at home
but---at age 43--- some facts must be faced
about 1/3 of my total hours worked are now spent on overhead----- ordering materials, selling jobs, tax and investment concerns.
the remainder of my time is devided about 2/1---roofing/carpentry----- over the next few years I hope 2 reverse those roofing /carpentry numbers ( they used to be about 9/1 )
Of course now---a lot of those roofing numbers are actually spent on the ground scmoozing the homeowner or a neighbor while a sub crew works roof top. Increasingly I pick my battles---and ironically I find that the less I physically work, the more money I make. Generally a sub crew will do 90% of a project and I reserve for myself the part of the project where I can add the most value----- the part that must be done perfectly---chimney flashing, rubber roof, custom bends, siding R & R etc.
I also am interested( extremely) in japanese woodworking and doing things by hand------- I prefer working solo as much as possible because it gives me the freedom to do things THIS way because this is the way they SHOULD be done, they DESERVE to be done. Working with a crew always entails some degree of compromise forced by economics----- " we will do it this way---it's faster and more cost effective".
skill level?---maybe where you were 15-20 years ago. LOL
Best wishes, Stephen
15-20 years ago - would that I'd had your organizational and planning ability! I'd be retired by now.It is not often I see a shingle guy as large as you! I mentioned the same thing when I saw CU up here. Most shinglers are 155# and wiry.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Piffen,
here most shinglers are also alcoholic, tatooed and missing teeth---- I don't fit in those categories either LOL.
Actually---it's the curse of genetics---the family build. I would be wiry at 190-210
At 155 I would be dead.
I will let you in on a little secret---- a month ago or so Blue and I were talking about limmiting the weight we carry in our tool belts.--- I started thinking maybe that was a misguided approach---really limmited in how much weight you can save THERE .
so in the next month I pedaled off 15#s and was amazed how much more nimble I was.
Stephen
You are talking about painters there Haz!;)I was at my prime for roofing, shingles anyway, at 155 or so. Thenwhen i started doing more remo and framing and concrete, I beefed up a bit to 170, and didn't suffer from it, but all the meds I took this past year slowed me down a lot. Then the vacation to Ireland ( Have you ever had a real Irish breakfast? Try eight of them in a row!) and I came home at 194#So I dropped back to 184 pretty quick but the heartt procedure slowed me even more and what with Thanksgiving, I ate my way back to 190.I started on my wife's treadmill ( which she almost never uses) this week to get back in shape. On monday a half mile got my heart rate up to 157. yesterday, I did a mile and a quarter and only hit 120 and breathing easier than the first couple times.
Wife says I'm pushing myself too hard, but I don't like feeling sapped from being out of shape.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Wife says I'm pushing myself too hard, but I don't like feeling sapped from being out of shape.
Wife dont like me out of shape . Im in the worst shape Ive ever been in. I get tired and sleep alot .
Tim
I get insomnia from the aftereffects of the anesthesia. Also probably because I am now totally off almost all my previous meds, some of which were designed to slow me down.. but the insomnia makes me tired. I'm hoping some of the physical exertion will get this straightened out.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Congrats to you Haz! I'd love to drop an additional #15. I'd be flying over the joists. I've chipped away about 10 by changing my eating habits but I havn't made the commitment to exercise yet. I get very bored with anything other than a robust sporting event. Since I've retired from Soccer, I've put on about 25# that just won't go away.
I've eliminated everything from my toolbelt including the belt itself! Lol! I'm using a wonderful leather dress belt that I used to use on my dress clothes. It works perfect and weighs a few onces less. I gotta take a picture or my "rig". I'm sure it's worth a chuckle or two.
blue
>I mentioned the same thing when I saw CU up here. Most shinglers are 155# and wiry.<A lot of shinglers like that crystal meth. It keeps one's weight down and help's get rid of excess teeth. I've lost about 20 lbs since you've seen me. I'm down to a svelt 230.
Wearing a pair of pants today that I haven't been able to get into for a couple of years.Birth, school, work, death.....................
http://grantlogan.net/
Thats what I call a good boss <G>
Tim
Depends on what you are doing.
Working.......when the water freezes.
Fishing, hunting, camping, kayaking.....don't know....Never had to quit having a good time because of the cold.
Worked in northern Alberta one winter, -50C° before wind chill factor. First day we got to the site, we turned off the car, didn't start for a week, later found out everybody kept their cars/trucks running all day and plugged them in at home at night. Job was never stopped due to weather or temperature, worked all winter.
Here in sunny CO, los hermanos del stucco were slapping on the mud the other day at 15F. They use a special magic plastic sheet that concentrates the Moon's rays and keeps everything from freezing. When the wind pulls the plastic loose and it sticks on the fence, the spell is even stronger...
I used to work with an old guy named Paul, who was very overweight, and who never got cold. He always wore a T-shirt and a blue denim work shirt. I worked with him enough that I was able to tell the weather by looking at Paul.
If it got down to freezing, Paul would roll the sleeves of his shirt down. When it got down to 20, Paul had little lined vest he would put on. (It looked funny to see the rest of us in big parkas and stuff, and Paul in his shirt and little vest.) And I always said that if I ever came in and saw Paul with a coat on, I'd turn around and go home, because it's too cold to work.
Allen in Boulder Creek
How cold is too cold?
When it's as cold as a woman's heart!
Boy, I must be getting soft or old, or both. It's probably about 20 degrees out, with a slight wind, and I actually put a sweater on.
My buddy asked me if I want to frame with him next week - a fire job 1st to 3rd floors. I said yes for some cash, now I'm second guessing myself. Too many winters working indoors. We'll see what happens. (Maybe I can figure out a way to put the sheathing up first, so it's not so breezy when we are laying out the frame!!)
Don K.
EJG Homes Renovations - New Construction - Rentals
Too cold in South Texas this week. Temps in the mid 30s. I may be spoiled.
You are!
I love it.
Doug
Depends on your frame of mind. I have installed windows and framed a barn at 0 Fahrenheit when it was my own project but I also bailed out at 15 degrees hanging siding for a client simply because the productivity dropped off and the workmanship started to go down the toilet.
Stagecoach,
Drove by a job sight this morning, -3 f , crew scraping snow off , to get the day started. I am glad I was the one in the truck, driving by!! When my hands are cold/ frozen ,it's all over..
Northeastvt
Cold is working in a German forest
as a pole lineman in the US Army climbing hundreds of trees to remove
communication wiring we laid previously during a war game maneuver
The whole damn Division packed up and left, leaving just six of us to 'police' up the %^&$#$%# area. Took us six days and it turned bitter cold after the first day %^&#@ trees were frozen so that our climber spikes wouldn't penetrate the %$#^& bark.
Nights were Really COLD we took sections of shelter halves and buttoned them together to form a tent just big enough to fit six men and our stuff huddled together in a ball.
One 'volunteer" had the job of pumping up and holding our little
camp stove to create a flame all night and stay awake while the others slept
Colder'n a welldigger's asp!
Steinmetz.
4Lorn said it. Anything below zero and you're wizzing into the wind.
I've been outside on the north side of a house for the last 2 weeks and it's been in the teens thru thirties. Just dress warm and make sure the feet don't get wet. Eating hot food for lunch really helps. Wind chill is a huge factor.
I once did a large job in sub zero with the wind chill at 20 or so below, and it went on for weeks with no break in the weather. I must have aged 5 years from that one, and lost my shirt in the process.
The body does get used to it, but the older I get the better the inside work looks. Save that sub zero stuff for the spring or the young monkeys with no sense.
When I can't pee (because its frozen) then its time to stop working.