All packed up and ready since daybreak to set up a traverse around a 100 ac parcel but the rain will not stop. I'm running out of time to get out of the woods by dark.
I don't work in the rain and the main reason is that I paid for my equipment myself and have spent good money in the past getting a soaked instrument repaired when it could have been avoided.
On a rain day here, its a good chance to clean the office, instruments and get that dreaded filing done.
It has not rained in awhile, so my desk and office looks like crap.
Its not worth it and any client that can't wait for it to clear up is not worth having.
Randy
I gotta agree with Randy on not working on the rain. Equipment is too expensive to work in the steady rain. A sprinkle is not too bad, but there is always stuff to do in the office.
I have a lot of respect for the guys in the northwest where they work in the rain and their procedures, but in my neck of the woods, the rain is not frequent enough to absolutely work in the rain. All my contracts have an inclement weather clause in them.
...in a perfect world:
If it's already raining, stay in till it stops.
If you're in the field and it starts, finish if you can - depending on how hard it's coming down.
Things change depending on circumstances - but I've waterlogged my instrument and DC before, and I would never do that again.
what equipment?
Just a compass, machete, bow saw and a hammer for setup. What equipment do you bring for setting up a large parcel? I'm more worried about me being soaked all day. And getting back across the river which looked easily wade-able yesterday.
It's pretty early for any Pacific NW surveyors to have seen this thread but when they wake up and check in they will be getting a good laugh. Trust me, your equipment will survive years of working in the rain, no problem, if properly dried at the end of the day.
That said, Pacific NW rain is usually more of the drizzle kind whereas elsewhere it tends to come in heavy showers. So I get it.
> It's pretty early for any Pacific NW surveyors to have seen this thread but when they wake up and check in they will be getting a good laugh. Trust me, your equipment will survive years of working in the rain, no problem, if properly dried at the end of the day.
>
> That said, Pacific NW rain is usually more of the drizzle kind whereas elsewhere it tends to come in heavy showers. So I get it.
Sound more like Florida rain right now. [sarcasm] I'll make sure and dry my machete and bow saw off at the end of the day. Wouldn't want to have to buy another bow saw blade, they went up to $4![/sarcasm]
what equipment?
Perry,
I see what you mean. Being solo, I generally set up my traverse as I am shooting, very rarely do I set up a traverse then go back in and run it. I see your point.
Also, we don't generally get the drizzle here. It is generally either raining or not. Very rarely do we have just light sprinkles, or the slow steady light drizzle that some areas get. We seem to either get steady rain, or hard storms.
Good luck!
turning to snow
Looks like the rain is turning to snow. I'm outta here.
what equipment?
Being solo, I generally set up my traverse as I am shooting, very rarely do I set up a traverse then go back in and run it.
Don't like that, and hate it even more when some young hot-shot crew chief decides to do it that way. It usually ends up with some legs being 1000' and some, as he's trying to close it, being 50-60'.
It's fine for you, as you're your own crew, and you know what you want. I just think that things come our so much better when you set it up beforehand. And I don't think that it ends up taking any more time. Plus, the more times you walk a piece of land, the more you know it.
I don't know but Topcon/Sokkia provides IP66 total station series. I guess an IP66 rated total station can do the job in the rain.
what equipment?
Good points JPH. I do adjust things depending on the job. One of the benefits of being licensed, and being solo. I know what has to be done, and how to get it done.
If we did not work in the rain, we would not work 9 months out of the year. You have not surveyed until you have done construction layout in the PNW in January. Mud up to your knees, 1C and raining. We used to joke about California surveyors having rain days. But it looks like maybe we are the freaks.
Long live GorTex
If I had a nickle for every time I have heard how you PNW boys work in the rain, I could at least buy a good breakfast and watch it rain from the cafe. lol.
Kudos to you guys, but maybe that's why I don't live in a rain forest.
Here, we can have a rain that lasts a few days, but its rare, so I will live to survey another day after it dries out.
Randy
Holy.... LMAOROTF. I understand but that don't work out here.
It Rains from October to May constantly, sprinkled with snow and ice. If we don't work in it, no-one gets paid. We buy good boots, good rain gear and layer up. At then end of the day the equipment gets dried out and it will be ready to go the next day. Some days you may sit in the truck through a rough downpour but when it lightens up a bit, your back at it. Traverse legs get closer and at least in our case we supplement redundancy and checks with static GPS for cross ties on large traverses.
When I worked in So Cal, the crews didn't work in the rain. Union rules. Some guys would make a go of it on a light rain but for the most part "safety dictated no work". I didn't argue with it since most people in LA freak out in the rain so there's lots of accidents. The good thing with that policy was it only rained like 5 days the entire year down there.
I say Grab a thermo of your hot beverage of choice. Strap up the boots, layer up, and go get it!!
Cheers
I just don't work in the rain because I don't like it. I don't really like working in the heat, either. Not crazy about working in the cold. The wind's not too good either. You know what, I don't like working!:-P
The family story about my Great, Great, Great Grandad is that when he had a Donation Land Claim near Oregon City and was plowing he noticed the water following him down the furrow and decided to sell the place and move over the Cascades to the Dry side. Glad he made that choice.
jud
I can attest to that. Worked one fall/winter around Portland, and it was the coldest few months that I can remember. 33° and raining - just warm enough to not snow, but you got soaked - chilled to the bone.
what equipment?
> One of the benefits of being licensed, and being solo. I know what has to be done, and how to get it done.
There's a lot of truth in that, Jimmy. Once you've put in your time, proved yourself, etc, then you can get away with some of those bad habits that you don't want to see anyone else do. I've got a few of my own - but not telling right now.
what equipment?
You got that right, another benefit is no one around when you have those oh duh moments! I have an award in my company called the Dummy of the Day award. Being solo, guess who usually gets it!!!:-P
Have a good one!