The cold discussion prompted this. Have never done any frameing or building over about 105F, but did once spend 2 weeks in Tempe AZ when the Pheonix airport shut due to temp being over 125F, 1994 as recalled.
What is the hottest anyone has worked over 6 hours in heat, 6 hours at 105F was about my limit in Illinois when it VERY rarely got that hot all day.
Did work on a missile in a 150 F temperature chamber once for 1/2 hour, about 1 gal water intake.
If anythng would be a killer it would seem to be dehydration, cannot imagine the water intake needed to maintain survival while working physically in 125F. Was doing office work inside, Temp had dropped to maybe 115 by quitting time. Was staying at an Embassy Suites, free drinks at happy hour you know. DW stayed in the AC room, bar was outside. 8 Coronas and 8 double screwdrivers in 2 hours, I’da’ driven a car, no problem, it all went right out thru the skin.
Replies
My first real job was in a mobile home factory just S. of Tempe. Expensive double-wides. Got pretty hot inside those halves with the poly installed, ready for transport. Passive solar, just what you need summers in the Arizona desert.
Fortunately my job wasn't punch work. 140º wasn't uncommon inside those things. A couple of the guys could actually manage over an hr in there.
I used to desert mtn climb in July and August. Waited until 5pm or so. Rarely anybody else out there. No ac in the bug. You acclimate. And carry citrus (for the VW).
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
it's not the heat ... it's the humidity!
ahh ha ha ...
anyways ... when I lived in Houston ... I worked as a carpet cleaner for some time. Wasn't bad when I was doing it everyday ... killed me when I switched to working in the office Mon thru Thurs and cleaned in the field Fri and Sat's.
being a kid from Pittsburgh that doesn't mind working outside thru the winter ...
I'm suprised I survived it.
Man ... did I come home drenched to the bone with sweat. Got acclimated ... but took a while.
funny thing ... only time I ever passed out from heat exhaustion was here in Pgh. Pouring concrete ... about 99.99 degrees ... and humid. Working on our knees ... head down in a storm drain ... finishing the concrete as it set up way too fast ...
looked at my boss ... mumbled something about being dizzy ... and took a nose dive. Spent the next 3 days in bed ... burning up inside but shivering with the AC blasting ... and sweating thru the whole thing. Plus dry heaves ... gotta have the dry heaves ...
I musta been bad ... he actually visited me ... and payed me for the whole day!
Jeff
Buck Construction
Artistry In Carpentry
Pittsburgh Pa
Jeff is right .
100 degrees , 75percent humitity in the sun , 6 hrs .
Coulda worked 12 hours with very low humitity. Youre hot but dont sweat . The sweat non stop drains yer batteries.
Tim
Actually, in high heat/low humidity you DO sweat -- a lot -- but it evaporates quickly and keeps you (relatively) cool.In high humidity your sweat doesn't evaporate, it doesn't cool you, and the undissipated heat of your body drains your batteries.
There ya go . <G>
Tim
Looking at the other end of the spectrum, the rule of thumb for arctic engineering is that efficiency drops 1% for every 1F below 60F. So efficiency is about 40% at 0F. And approaches zero as temps approach -40F. Which is about right. At 40F, you spend all your time staying alive.
Does it work on the other? 60% efficient at 100F? 35% at 125F? I think the no-work level is reached before 160F though.
But to answer your question: I wasn't getting paid, but I was working. South Rim Grand Canyon to the Colorado back to the Rim in a day. 95F in the shade, but there isn't any shade on the South Kaibab. And dropping the 5,000 vertical feet made it about 115F. Wasn't so bad going down, but going up in that heat was tough. Drank 1.5 gallons of water each and another few quarts went for a (disappointing to view) wet T-shirt contest.
Any of you guys ever sweated so much while framing that your fingers cleaved to your hammer and had to be pealed off? This has happened to me on more than one occcasion, before we started using nail guns.