Working in cold weather

[ivsenroute]

I can barely stay outside for a 30 minute inspection when the wind is blowing and the wind chill is below zero.

This picture is a month old and these guys are still not done. I feel sorry for them working all day in this crap bending rigid and the ground frosting overnight. I am sure this would get done a little faster and be a little neater if the temperature was up.

I have a lot of respect for those still working in sub-zero temps.

Article 514 installation btw

 

[ItsHot]

What is the location of the picture? It looks cold!!

 

[ty]

First off, Under Armour is essential. So is a face mask.

We would probably barracade that area in with plywood and use salamander heaters.
Yes, heat rises, but it would still warm up the work area.

 

[Pierre C Belarge]

I was taking pictures on a waterfront job last week. The wind was gusting around 30mph, and the air temperature was around 18F.
One of my eyes kept watering and freezing, not to say the ear and my head exposed to the wind side was frozen in minutes (no hat...I hate hats), I think the windchill was around 0F that morning.

 

[Hendrix]

I was taking pictures on a waterfront job last week. The wind was gusting around 30mph, and the air temperature was around 18F.
One of my eyes kept watering and freezing, not to say the ear and my head exposed to the wind side was frozen in minutes (no hat...I hate hats), I think the windchill was around 0F that morning.

Many years ago I was working on runway lights in Feb.. Talk about cold!!

 

[laketime]

Who does underground work this time of year in an area as cold as that? Sounds like poor planning.

 

[ivsenroute]

Who does underground work this time of year in an area as cold as that? Sounds like poor planning.

Real poor planning. This area is like the frozen tundra of the Poconos. The EC was from Georgia so all of his guys were beside themselves with the cold.

They had to make a 2,000' pull from the co. owned 14,400v xfmr to the 240/120 xfmr back in November when the weather was just turning bad. The wrong cable was sent from GA so they opted to come back late December to make the pull. We highly advised them to get the correct cable asap and make the pull now. They did not listen and ended up digging through the frost and busting up the concrete encased conduit so they could add 2 more pull points.

The wire does not come off the reel very easy when it is 12 degrees F and the wind is blowing at 20mph. Lesson learned.

 

[btharmy]

Who does underground work this time of year in an area as cold as that? Sounds like poor planning.

Probably submitted the quote in may, customer him-haws around for a couple months, gets more quotes, uses allocated funds for another project then a couple months later decides they have the money after all. By now it's mid December. "And, oh, by the way, this needs to be done before the end of the year".

 

[Cold Fusion]

... By now it's mid December. "And, oh, by the way, this needs to be done before the end of the year". ...

Yep that's the way it is. And I finally quit reminding them that at -25F it costs twice as much as 25 above. And at -50F it costs 5X to 10X.

We can even pour at -20F. Instead of $200/ yard placed, it's between $500/yd and $1000/yd.

And they still want it done NOW.

I love it.

cf

 

[dmagyar]

Pouring concrete for Nuclear reactor during winter

Pouring concrete for Nuclear reactor during winter

I was out on a job in Washington state before the 3 mile Island accident. On unit 2 for WPPS the phase of the job mandated that they had to pour concrete for all of the containment lifts in rotation around the circumference then successively build up. One month it never got above zero. On top of that they used space heaters and blankets to keep heat and water on the cement as it cured, ice was everywhere. Our job was keeping the space heaters working, and repairing the 480 volt cords that were continually getting pinched and pierced by the rebar. That was the coldest winter working outside for me.

 

[jwr570]

Originally Posted by laketime
Who does underground work this time of year in an area as cold as that? Sounds like poor planning.


JUST LIKE DOING UG IN ARIZONA IN THE SUMMER!!!

 

[Electron_Sam78]

Who does underground work this time of year in an area as cold as that? Sounds like poor planning.

I do! I do! That pic looks exactly like what I'm working on right now - the frosty ground I mean. We had no choice though, it's a campground that shut down December 1st and we couldn't start work til after it shut down for the season. We've been digging with a backhoe and it has to scrape the first 6 inches first since it's frozen solid

 

[cowboyjwc]

I know what you guys mean, today it's going to be 65 all day and it was only been in the 70's most of last week. It's raining today and we still have to work. I'm thinking of calling my union rep.:grin:

 

[nyhockey]

I know what you guys mean, today it's going to be 65 all day and it was only been in the 70's most of last week. It's raining today and we still have to work. I'm thinking of calling my union rep.:grin:

Rain Gear or go home, someone else will do it.

 

[petersonra]

I find that the cold does not bother me so much. But cold and even a little breeze just sucks the heat right out of me.

I walk the dog every mroning and she feels the same way. Zero with no wind is fine with both of us. Zero with a 5 or 10 mph breeze is not so acceptable.

Its got to be hard to work in those kind of conditions with adequate clothing on. Most places I have been where they are trying to work like that they have put some kind of shelter up and brought in portable heaters. Just putting up some tarps will help keep the wind off and make it far more tolerable.

 

[RichB]

-40

-40

Worked at a railroad rebuild facility in Montana in the early 90's. Instead of a round table they had a transfer table that used hard drawn overhead conductors--480VAC 3Phase. The little bronze wheels would wear out on the axles and on the groove on the copper, then the oak shaft would get caught and break. Had to go up 25 feet and try to change them out.--Could only work about 10 minutes max and that included climbing up and down, then 45 min to and hour warming up and back again. Took a 30 minute job in the summer time and turned it into about 5 hours, and all the time the locomotive shop guys were wanting to move chooches (Pronounced chew ches lol)!

 

[cowboyjwc]

Rain Gear or go home, someone else will do it.

Bad thing is, I'm the someone else. The weather here has been really nice lately, but we're supposed to get some thing like 10" of rain next week. The cold really doesn't bother me, but get some dampness in the air and my body just starts to ache.

And like petersonra said, the wind can make a huge difference.