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Although I live in a fairly temperate location where winter temperatures seldom get below 10*C. for the last week it has been downt to 4 *C during the day with a bitterly cold wind chill factor. It got me wondering how those people in the colder climates manage with their day to day installations. I know that you can "dress up" to suit the conditions but it seems to me that would be like trying to do brain surgery dressed in a ski suit. On the other hand during summer it can get to 60*C + inside a roof cavity but that is really no different to going to a sauna & as long as you keep the fluids up there is usually no problems. I really can't imagine what it would be like to be up ladders running cable in sub zero temperatures. I'm sure I would hate it.

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Outdoor installations often have to wait on the weather. Environmental housings and domes have to stay dry inside and thus shouldn't be installed in rainy weather. Below freezing, wire can become brittle and caulking/sealant might not set up properly, or may simply crystalize. And of course, when snow and ice come into play, there are safety concerns. We started one week-long out-of-town job last October, and the second day there the snow came to stay... since we had to install the cameras off ladders and run some cabling across the roof, the exterior cameras ended up being put off until... well, about a month ago.

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I have to admit, if the weather is fine I try to do outside work while it lasts. You can work inside when it's snowing or raining but no so easy outdoors. If you have to climb quite high up, the wind is colder up there and there is nothing to shield you.

 

I have a pair of gloves with no fingers on them, fortunately I have not yet needed them. Its also not advisable to fit cameras outside in the wet as often they need opening and setting up ( Housed cameras) and moisture is not helpful.

 

Sometimes it is just a matter of waiting on the weather as Soundy said. No point risking your life or safety slipping off a ladder. I have to say it has never really been a serious problem, although it does rain here quite a lot.

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A few times I've been forced out into the winter weather to replace cameras (regulatory requirements and all).

 

When it's about 20F, with 20mph winds, no amount of clothing helps when you're 15 or 20 feet up in the air!

 

Thankfully I have remedied the three offending cameras, and all is quite well now.

 

Otherwise, I don't do ANYTHING outside when the temp is below 40F.

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Gotta be careful going the other way, too - working out in the heat, you definitely have to take precautions. We did one warehouse job, my coworker spent the better part of a 12-hour day in a zoom-boom lift, 20' up an all-white, south-facing wall... so he not only got the direct sun all day, he got it reflected right back from the other side too. By the end of the day he was so punch-drunk from the heat, he drove the lift off the sidewalk and dropped one wheel into thick, fresh sod

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Gotta be careful going the other way, too - working out in the heat, you definitely have to take precautions.

Yep - I know that very well living in FL. We don't need to deal with the cold weather, but it's 85F+ for most of the year. When working outside, wearing a light cap with a sunsheild (similar to a foreign legion hat) or wearing a wet towel over your head/under your cap, sunglasses, sunscreen and keeping well hydrated are important.

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Gotta be careful going the other way, too - working out in the heat, you definitely have to take precautions.

Yep - I know that very well living in FL. We don't need to deal with the cold weather, but it's 85F+ for most of the year. When working outside, wearing a light cap with a sunsheild (similar to a foreign legion hat) or wearing a wet towel over your head/under your cap, sunglasses, sunscreen and keeping well hydrated are important.

 

85*F is only 30*c. That is just a pleasant summers day here. It regularly gets to 38*c (100*F) & like you say, sun protection & lots of fluids will see you right

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Carhartts work well down 0F. below that it's 15 minutes outside working, 15 minutes inside warming up.

 

Where I am it's been over 100F here lately, I'll take cold weather work over this miserable stuff any day. I can always get warm, it's tough to cool down.

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This discussion is kinda missing something without Rory's complaining about his bone-chilling winters in the low 70s....

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This discussion is kinda missing something without Rory's complaining about his bone-chilling winters in the low 70s....

I can take up that slack.

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