Cold weather wiring

[blue spark]

We rough in the cold alot. But we carry 300000 kero powered btu's to make it a little easier. I am now deaf however

 

[peter d]

We rough in the cold alot.

You're kidding right? You mean to say it gets cold in Minnesota?

 

[Dennis Alwon]

I am now deaf however

What? :grin:

 

[cschmid]

Lmao if you do not pull wire under 15 degrees here you would be without work for months it has not got to 15 degrees here for 2 weeks now and does not look like it will until next week and they think it will get to 18 on monday..it will be below zero tomorrow again..this will make four out of five days this week..when you use torpedo heaters they make lots of noise..we use propane ones and can get the gas service companies to set us a tank for temp heaters..we have a trailer that is insulated and has a heater in it we keep the trailer warn and all our wire and supplies in it..take out only what we need and open it up saparingly..not a huge heater in it 2000 watts, just enough to get us by..

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Lmao if you do not pull wire under 15 degrees here you would be without work for months it has not got to 15 degrees here for 2 weeks now and does not look like it will until next week and they think it will get to 18 on monday..it will be below zero tomorrow again..this will make four out of five days this week..

All I can say is "WHY". Why would anyone want to work in those conditions. I did my share of work in below zero in NY when I was young and had hair. Now that I am bald I have good reason to stay away from that stuff. :grin:

 

[480sparky]

All I can say is "WHY". Why would anyone want to work in those conditions. I did my share of work in below zero in NY when I was young and had hair. Now that I am bald I have good reason to stay away from that stuff. :grin:

Three reasons:

1. It stays colder longer up north.
2. There's still work to be done.
3. Work = money.

 

[Dennis Alwon]

Three reasons:

1. It stays colder longer up north.
2. There's still work to be done.
3. Work = money.

It was a rhetorical question. The real question is why would you want to live there? Just kidding another rhetorical question.

You should move down south to Nc. We have every poisonous snake found on the east coast. We have a very high rate of Rocky mountain spotted fever and we have those wonderful chiggers who love it when you sit in the grass.

But we do have mountains on one end of the state and the ocean on the other. We even get snow occasionally, in fact we had flurries yesterday and we are expecting 70's on Monday. They say if you don't like the weather here wait a day or two and something new will come around.

 

[480sparky]

You should move down south to Nc. We have every poisonous snake found on the east coast.

No thanks.... I'll stick to tornados. At least I know they're there!

 

[cschmid]

All I can say is "WHY". Why would anyone want to work in those conditions. I did my share of work in below zero in NY when I was young and had hair. Now that I am bald I have good reason to stay away from that stuff. :grin:

work oh yea we do that when we need to.. other wise we go fishing, snowmobiling, fourwheling and playing playstation..oh yea dont forget chores and cutting fire wood for fireplace..oh yea it is still coooooold out there..

 

[Greg Swartz]

Been there, done that!

Been there, done that!

The only problem I ever had pulling wire in the cold was one particularly nasty witer in Soutern New England. We were pulling 4/0 SER from the exterior main to the interior panel. When we tried to wrestle the cable in to the 2x6 wall (making a 90 from the back of the cabinet and running up the wall) the outer jacket split open on us in 2 diffenet places about 8" in each place.

Now I can't remeber if we scrapped the entire piece of cable and waited for a warmer day to repull it or just got some gray tape from the van and wrapped the cable. Hmmmmm

I've had 4/0 and 2/0 split on me too.
Can't say I've had anything other than the outer sheath on romex split though...

 

[iaov]

Three reasons:

1. It stays colder longer up north.
2. There's still work to be done.
3. Work = money.

I hate the cold but I do it because I'm a big woose about eating everyday and living indoors.

 

[iaov]

All I can say is "WHY". Why would anyone want to work in those conditions. I did my share of work in below zero in NY when I was young and had hair. Now that I am bald I have good reason to stay away from that stuff. :grin:

I asked my wife why we live here and she said its because our ancestors were idiots and we are not any smarter. I do like knowing that anything that might bite me in a crawl space or an attic around here isn't going to kill me. I did some work in southern Mo. last summer and found watching out for poisonous critters sure adds a whole new dimmension to electrical work. Its 19 degrees below zero (F) here as I write this and I'm going to try not to leave the house today!!

 

[iaov]

All I can say is "WHY". Why would anyone want to work in those conditions. I did my share of work in below zero in NY when I was young and had hair. Now that I am bald I have good reason to stay away from that stuff. :grin:

You're a smart man Dennis.

 

[cschmid]

I asked my wife why we live here and she said its because our ancestors were idiots and we are not any smarter. I do like knowing that anything that might bite me in a crawl space or an attic around here isn't going to kill me. I did some work in southern Mo. last summer and found watching out for poisonous critters sure adds a whole new dimmension to electrical work. Its 19 degrees below zero (F) here as I write this and I'm going to try not to leave the house today!!

I only have eight below today but it is well pump time today..with wind chill it is like 25 below..I dont want to go out either but am going crappie fishing this afternoon..but there are tricks to be had to working with some big wires..like taking cattle panels and fashioning a shelter around your work and covering it with a trap than putting torpedo heater in opening and warming it up..so if you need to make living you can but it costs more to to do that..

 

[electriciangirl]

It's actually warmer way up here by the lake, about five above. I'm going to an indoor kitchen remodel.

Why do I live here where it gets so cold? Because it's gorgeous here. Lake Superior is beautiful, the woods are lovely. There's nothing poisonous, there's no tornados, no hurricanes, only thunderstorms and snow storms.

My husband worked in Tennessee last summer and ended up with poison oak, poison ivy, and chiggers all at the same time. I'll take the cold.

 

[360Youth]

I guess the biggest key is to keep warm and keep moving. Dennis is right about the weather here. The temperatures here is like the rain in Fla. One of the few places you get wet and a tan at the same time. I did a job years ago that was bitter cold and I was wiring up the panel. I can still feel the pain in my feet of standing in one spot on the concrete. :grin: Be careful and safe.

 

[360Youth]

... only thunderstorms and snow storms...

Let's examine that statement for a while, shall we. :grin: :wink:

 

[electriciangirl]

Let's examine that statement for a while, shall we. :grin: :wink:

All right, here's the examination --thunderstorms very rarely claim lives and the amount of damage they do is minimal compared to some other weather, are also mild in comparison. The main problem in snowstorms is the people who don't know how to drive or have to drive and get into trouble. The worst that's happened to me in a snow storm is I couldn't leave my house for a day, except on skis.

 

[ptonsparky]

We left a roughin one morning when the jacket on the romex shattered as we pulled it out of the coil. I was young & stupid at the time, but not that stupid. We found something else to do for a day or so.

 

[cschmid]

oh yea little cross country skiing that is fun too..I like to take my camera it is cool (he he) literally too..it is strange cold here right now normally when it is below zero it is dry cold this is damp cold brrrrr..but I have never check out the minumin wire temp before must do that..