# Winter Jobs



## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

How do you guys in cold climates figure jobs in the winter? Do you have a higher rate all year round? I couldnt imagine having to work in the snow and ice everyday. I know you do what you gotta do.


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## John (Jan 22, 2007)

jwjrw said:


> How do you guys in cold climates figure jobs in the winter? Do you have a higher rate all year round? I couldnt imagine having to work in the snow and ice everyday. I know you do what you gotta do.


I will ask you how would you bid/cost jobs when it is hot out.

Hot/cold same price...

Oh it is 2 degs out right now and I will have to do some work outside today.

Carry On...that is all.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

Summer we drive ATVs and hike. Winter we use snowmobiles and snowshoes. Not much difference to the customer unless we need a helicopter. 
Here are some photos from other locations that we call "quite your bitchin', it could be worse", now go do your job.
















Utah









Sitka Alaska








Swiss Alps


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

John said:


> I will ask you how would you bid/cost jobs when it is hot out.
> 
> Hot/cold same price...
> 
> ...


But when it is hot you usally dont have to worry about people getting sick other than heat stroke. Well maybe you do but you know what I mean
When its cold underground work would be a bit of a pain
I can think of many reasons why I think it would be much worse in the cold. That said I know you grow accustomed to your areas climate but it still has to be real hard on you guys. It gets cold here but it usally dosent stay that cold too long.


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## robnj772 (Jan 15, 2008)

The NECA labor unit reference along with almost every other one has a Weather vrs productivity calculator

For example 20 degrees at 50% humidity = Job productivity loss of 6%
90 degrees at 80% humidity= Job productivity loss of 13%

Job site factors and weather always have to be figured in when you bid IMHO. If you have ever done a service in 20 degree weather you know damn well its going to take alot longer then if you were doing it on a 60 deg day.

On a small job it may not mean much but you could loose your shirt on something big


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

robnj772 said:


> The NECA labor unit reference along with almost every other one has a Weather vrs productivity calculator
> 
> For example 20 degrees at 50% humidity = Job productivity loss of 6%
> 90 degrees at 80% humidity= Job productivity loss of 13%
> ...


And since I have done a service at 20 deg I am quite thankful I dont live farther north.:thumbup:


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

jwjrw said:


> How do you guys in cold climates figure jobs in the winter? Do you have a higher rate all year round? I couldnt imagine having to work in the snow and ice everyday. I know you do what you gotta do.


I was going to ask you the same question. How do you work in such a cold climate?:whistling2:


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

One of the very few good things about living in california...

~Matt


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

TOOL_5150 said:


> One of the very few good things about living in california...
> 
> ~Matt


I'd say the only good thing about it. Sorry but calif s****:jester::laughing::whistling2:


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## robnj772 (Jan 15, 2008)

jwjrw said:


> I'd say the only good thing about it. Sorry but calif s****:jester::laughing::whistling2:


:lol:

I sure as hell would rather freeze then live in Calif.


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

You guys sure do have some debased minds..



~Matt


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

TOOL_5150 said:


> You guys sure do have some debased minds..
> 
> 
> 
> ~Matt


 You are starting to sound a lot like Peter.:laughing:


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

william1978 said:


> You are starting to sound a lot like Peter.:laughing:


You give us too much credit Im guessing some of us dont even have minds:blink:


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## Magnettica (Jan 23, 2007)

San Diego is beautiful.


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## macmikeman (Jan 23, 2007)

TOOL_5150 said:


> One of the very few good things about living in california...
> 
> ~Matt


The other few good things I remember from my single days adventures in Marin was more single great looking women with no boyfriends than a man could ever dream of...


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

jwjrw said:


> You give us too much credit Im guessing some of us dont even have minds:blink:


 Well..........................You do have a point there.:laughing:


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

william1978 said:


> You are starting to sound a lot like Peter.:laughing:


Right now Peter is walking around the airport wearing sandals and handing out free flowers to people getting off air planes :laughing:


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## TOOL_5150 (Aug 27, 2007)

william1978 said:


> You are starting to sound a lot like Peter.:laughing:


I got nothing against Peetah :thumbsup:

~Matt


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## william1978 (Sep 21, 2008)

TOOL_5150 said:


> I got nothing against Peetah :thumbsup:
> 
> ~Matt


 Neither do I. :thumbsup:


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## robnj772 (Jan 15, 2008)

Magnettica said:


> San Diego is beautiful.


And the Nacy Pelosi isn't ..... :lol:


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## NolaTigaBait (Oct 19, 2008)

robnj772 said:


> And the Nacy Pelosi isn't ..... :lol:


I think she's a Frisco Dike.


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

NolaTigaBait said:


> I think she's a Frisco Dike.


Yes on the Frisco and I think THEY don't want her either :laughing:


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

NolaTigaBait said:


> I think she's a Frisco Dike.


 
God who could DO that? She could haunt a 5 story house!:laughing:


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## robnj772 (Jan 15, 2008)

At least we are keeping this on topic

She is definitely a winter job

I bet she has the coldest bed in all of California


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## NolaTigaBait (Oct 19, 2008)

Come on Rob, you'd give her a pity screw....Do it for your country.


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## robnj772 (Jan 15, 2008)

NolaTigaBait said:


> Come on Rob, you'd give her a pity screw....Do it for your country.


I think my thermometer would get frostbite


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## B4T (Feb 10, 2009)

robnj772 said:


> I think my thermometer would get frostbite


:laughing::laughing: 

you could always try a little Botox in your mercury :whistling2:


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## Magnettica (Jan 23, 2007)

macmikeman said:


> The other few good things I remember from my single days adventures in Marin was more single great looking women with no boyfriends than a man could ever dream of...


Ahhhhh.... that too! 


But in Port Hueneme, Ca they really put out. One of the best summers ever was my summer out there in 1990. Great base out there too an awesome E-Club!


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

TOOL_5150 said:


> You guys sure do have some debased minds..
> 
> 
> 
> ~Matt



I'm glad someone else noticed.


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## robnj772 (Jan 15, 2008)

Magnettica said:


> Ahhhhh.... that too!
> 
> 
> But in Port Hueneme, Ca they really put out. One of the best summers ever was my summer out there in 1990. Great base out there too an awesome E-Club!


 
I was only in San Diego a few times. Was in San Fran. Monterey was real nice. 

Ship I was on was home ported in Pearl Harbor. Hawaii beats California hands down.


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## Magnettica (Jan 23, 2007)

Oh without a doubt. I never knew you were Navy.


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## Magnettica (Jan 23, 2007)

I was Alameda for few weeks too.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

Magnettica said:


> Oh without a doubt. I never knew you were Navy.


The proper term is _former squid._


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## robnj772 (Jan 15, 2008)

Magnettica said:


> Oh without a doubt. I never knew you were Navy.


I was an OS2(SW) on the Uss Leftwich a spruance class destroyer out of Pearl from 1991-1996

Then I was army national guard M1 tank gunner from 1996-2001.


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## Magnettica (Jan 23, 2007)

Navy Seabees, RNMCB-21, Lakehurst, NJ. Construction Electrican

(1990-1993) The draft dodger president made major cutbacks to the military in 1993 and I was one of them. 

Operation Desert Storm at Fleet Hospital 15, Al-Jubail, S.A. 

So I'm not a squid, but a Seabee. 

We build, we fight, we party all night!


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## robnj772 (Jan 15, 2008)

I spent most of desert shield and storm within sight of the Iraq coast. 

We weren't the first ship to fire our tomahawks BUT ours hit first we were so close.

That same draft dodging president was why I got out in 96.I was going to go naval reserve back home then request to go back active once I got back to the east coast. Backfired on me,there were no jobs for OS's.Couldn't get a job firring missiles and tracking planes.So I got a job as an electrician and went into the National guard.

The rest is history.

To keep this on Topic. Being in Hawaii so long it took me a few years to get used to the cold again on one hand. On the other when it is bitterly cold I swear I can here someone signing cadence and I get flashbacks of being at Great lakes boot camp in January. I feel bad for the guys who have to work outside out there god was that cold.


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## Magnettica (Jan 23, 2007)

Getting back on topic.... when it gets cold you get used to it. Obviously not many people are enquiring about putting in a lamp post in January just like they're not thinking about landscape lighting. That's been my experience. It only gets really cold when I work late inside a home and I have to run out to the the truck for something and I don't put on my coat. It is what it is as they say it is.

Also, it gets a bit nippy in the truck at 7AM so I start at 9AM now.


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

I pulled NM one time and the jacket was cracking we tried several rolls and same thing. This was in Virginia maybe 12-18 degrees. What do you guys in really cold climates do with pulling cable and conductors?


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

I was going out to go snowmobiling this morning but it is -15F as I type this. When I have to work in this you take a lot of warm up breaks.


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## bobelectric (Feb 24, 2007)

2° in Eighty Four,Pa.15330


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## eddy current (Feb 28, 2009)

brian john said:


> I pulled NM one time and the jacket was cracking we tried several rolls and same thing. This was in Virginia maybe 12-18 degrees. What do you guys in really cold climates do with pulling cable and conductors?


Keep the truck running with electrical tape and wire lube on the dash to keep it warm. :thumbup:

Friday I was pulling cable from manhole to manhole in minus 31 degrees celcius.(aprox minus 28 farenheit) We had 4 rw90 10 awg conductors and 7 cat 5's to pull for security cameras at a bus station. The rw90 was fine but the cat5 was cracking a little. Only temporary until the new bus station is built. Lucky for us our rope was frozen in the conduit and will have to go back on Monday and thaw it out. Monday is *only* going to be minus 17 celcius. (aprox 2 farenheit)


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## Magnettica (Jan 23, 2007)

eddy current said:


> Keep the truck running with electrical tape and wire lube on the dash to keep it warm. :thumbup:



I like it! :thumbsup:


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## nitro71 (Sep 17, 2009)

You better bid higher for extreme weather. I don't care how big you think your tool is but the weather affects everyone. Cold weather will also break your tools.


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

cold weather makes it more interesting. just did a cell site with 9 degrees, and -12 wind chill. at 150 feet, its a lot colder. so cold, we snapped the greenlee knockout, snapped 5 drill bits, the drill batteries where to cold to even function. we had to heat them up, just to use them

thats what i call fun


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## eddy current (Feb 28, 2009)

Our cell phones were running out of power as well. Pain in the a$$ when you can't talk to each other while doing a wire pull.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

The cold got me today. I snowmobiled to a remote site to work on a repeater in a unheated building. I was running diagnostic on the radio with my laptop and I found the touchpad was not working very well with my cold fingers. The high today was 8 F. Just got home and am enjoying a wee bit of bourbon to warm up.


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

drsparky said:


> The cold got me today. I snowmobiled to a remote site to work on a repeater in a unheated building. I was running diagnostic on the radio with my laptop and I found the touchpad was not working very well with my cold fingers. The high today was 8 F. Just got home and am enjoying a wee bit of bourbon to warm up.


buy an old panasonic toughbook...

best laptop for cold, rain, and anything you can throw at it


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

I is a Panasonic Toughbook.


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

drsparky said:


> I is a Panasonic Toughbook.


if it didnt work, then there is something wrong with it. ive seen them work in -60 degree weather.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

You're right, I had it in the office yesterday and the mouse pad is acting up. At -60 I am not working outside with bare finger even for a few seconds.


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## jbrookers (Dec 7, 2008)

John said:


> I will ask you how would you bid/cost jobs when it is hot out.
> 
> Hot/cold same price...
> 
> ...


 That is horrible. IMO, anything less than 50 is uncomfortable. Below 20 is stay home. Below 10 is move.


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

jbrookers said:


> That is horrible. IMO, anything less than 50 is uncomfortable. Below 20 is stay home. Below 10 is move.


Wuss. :whistling2:


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

LawnGuyLandSparky said:


> Wuss. :whistling2:


 
When I was first starting out an old timer told me

When the first snow flake hits the ground and you are still on the job, that is God's fault.

When the second snow flake hits the ground and you are still on the job, that is your fault.


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## LGLS (Nov 10, 2007)

brian john said:


> When I was first starting out an old timer told me
> 
> When the first snow flake hits the ground and you are still on the job, that is God's fault.
> 
> When the second snow flake hits the ground and you are still on the job, that is your fault.


And, on the way home you'd better buy some milk, eggs and bread lest you and the family starve to deach while staring at death's door.


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

yesterday we got almost 2 inches... just while on the job..

you guys must have it nice not working when its snowing, or slightly cold.


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## jwjrw (Jan 14, 2010)

mikeh32 said:


> yesterday we got almost 2 inches... just while on the job..
> 
> you guys must have it nice not working when its snowing, or slightly cold.


 
NO you guys just have it real bad! thats why I started this thread. Hats off to you guys!:thumbup:


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

nooo. it was really nice. it was like 25. 

growing up in this **** makes you immune.


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## drsparky (Nov 13, 2008)

-15 degrees this morning, froze up the heating pipes. This weekends project, properly insulating the water lines feeding the radiators.


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## user4818 (Jan 15, 2009)

drsparky said:


> You're right, I had it in the office yesterday and the mouse pad is acting up. At -60 I am not working outside with bare finger even for a few seconds.


There's something fundamentally wrong with the idea of going outside when it's -60.


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## mikeh32 (Feb 16, 2009)

Peter D said:


> There's something fundamentally wrong with the idea of going outside when it's -60.


hahaha. i only saw it because i worked at panasonic. 

im outside today working on cars, and its about 10 degrees


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## brian john (Mar 11, 2007)

My sister lived in POint Hope Alaska the lowest temperature she saw there was -65, at some point I think numbers mean nothing as you freeze you cahonnies off.


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## GoodLookingUglyGuy (Feb 3, 2010)

I guess I have it pretty easy -10 f to +115 f I'll take cold over hot any day. you can dress up for cold only so far you can dress down for heat


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