New to Florida HEAT!

Just hauled La Bella Vita for a few months. I need to do some work, but WOW it get's hot during the day! I plan on painting the bottom myself. I've done it plenty of times. In NY I had a sweatshirt on and long paints. Also, I usually like to wax the hull myself. It gives me the time to really get a good look at the condition, plus I know it gets done correctly. Again, never in this heat and humidity.

I was thinking of setting up a kiddie pool and a solar shower. Get to the yard early AM and as it heats up, just go over to the kiddie pool and get a quick dunking with the shower. Drink plenty of water and just grind thru it all.

Friends have all conceded to paying someone for these services. I calculate a savings of $2000 between paint and wax. I would buy the paint one way or the other. The labor for waxing is $450 and $1700 for 2 coats of ablative. (labor only)

Anyone in the HOT locations do their own work? I guess heart attack should be in the formula? Heat stroke?

Buddy
La Bella Vita

Florida Heat

If you think its hot now, wait till late August through early September. Thats the peak hurricane season.... it brings new meaning to the words heat and humidity.

You need to learn a new word:

Siesta!!!

Just got back from being in Sfla, Keys and Bahamas. Mid day sun was unreal. We took lots of siestas. Sfla heat mid day was worst of the three.

I've lived in Florida all my life and you do acclimate to the heat. I do most of my work and try to start very early in the day. Wear a hat, sunscreen, and loose fitting/breathable clothes. Drink plenty of fluids! I was working on the boat yesterday installing a new bow roller and was drenched in sweat. My wife burned the soles of her feet on the decks while helping.

Work at night and the heat will be less but the bugs may be worse.

For a northerner, Florida in uninhabitable between about May 1 and Nov 1. Work in that heat? forget it. A couple of weeks spent working on my boat there in June was a near death experience.

I limit outside projects to a couple of hours in the morning during the summer. Other than that, it’s inside projects with the AC on full tilt. It’s possible to stay cool outside during the day, but it involves a regular size pool and large quantities of gin, tonic, ice and limes.

I plan to haul mine out in the winter. Florida is opposite of the Northern states. We stay inside in the AC during June, July and August. The nice weather comes the following 6-7 months. I lived in PA for 66 years and left the cold winters after retirement.
Had enough snow shoveling.

Molly said:

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I was thinking of setting up a kiddie pool and a solar shower. Get to the yard early AM and as it heats up, just go over to the kiddie pool and get a quick dunking with the shower. Drink plenty of water and just grind thru it all.

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The kiddie pool thing just increases the local humidity which is very high already. The ambient humidity reduces the cooling effect you get from wetting yourself down. All that's going to happen is you'll find yourself soaking wet the whole time.

I find the heat/humidity in So. FL unpleasant from about mid March to about the end of Oct. I would do major maintenance on my boat during the winter.

As others have said. Start very early and knock off by noon. Drink lots of fluids and work in the shade as much as possible. Tarps are fairly cheap and help cut down the direct sun. Also fans help if you have power.

Sissies........Try south Texas in August. We have been having a mild summer here till the last week. The apparent temp is over 105F quite often. And yet we work in it.....for about an hour ......and then we spend half an hour in the AC at 79F cooling off. I remember my first summer in Texas was in Dallas (NorthTexas) and I arrived in mid September to a radio announcement that there had just been 90 consecutive days with the actual temp being 100F or more. Back in those days, the 50s, the apparent temp was not measured. But as the Arizonans say, "its just Dry heat"

Yeah I’m south Texas working outside right now like an idiot at noon. Apparent temp is 100. Taking a break now in the shade and reading TF.

Florida heat

I can assure you.... South Florida and South Texas are pretty much the same. Ive lived in Florida since 1955. Get up early work before the heat kicks in and then again you can get an hour or two in the afternoon after the summer rainshowers pass. You will still sweat like there is no tomorrow, but the heat wont be so bad. I wear a straw lifeguard hat and sweat wicking shirts... the best thing about it is that first beer when youre done.

cardude01 said:

Yeah I’m south Texas working outside right now like an idiot at noon. Apparent temp is 100. Taking a break now in the shade and reading TF.

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My condolences. Where are you in south Texas? If its boat work and there are cold Margaritas for break time, I might come help. ....LOL. I am on the north side of Corpus Christi Bay and I wont even sweep the deck today before 6PM

Suck it up buttercup!

dennismenace111 said:

in the afternoon after the summer rainshowers pass.

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whats rain?

Many years ago, I lived in Dallas. In the summer I found it too hot by about 8:30 am. Likely worse now.

ssobol said:

Many years ago, I lived in Dallas. In the summer I found it too hot by about 8:30 am. Likely worse now.

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Its cooler in Dallas now. All that global warming is just Dallas exporting product.

jimisbell said:

My condolences. Where are you in south Texas? If its boat work and there are cold Margaritas for break time, I might come help. ....LOL. I am on the north side of Corpus Christi Bay and I wont even sweep the deck today before 6PM

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I’m working on a rent house in Victoria. I wish I was doing boat work— my boat is still in south Florida on Longboat Key. I think it’s just as hot and probably more humid where my boat is. The humidity here is only 57% today. Not too bad when in the shade.

South FL; Get up at first light, set up your work and begin as the sun rises. Get back inside and A?C space by 1030

cardude01 said:

I’m working on a rent house. I wish I was doing boat work!

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I have several rentals and I write into my expenses, someone else doing the work...........

As someone who grew up in the South, including central and South FLA, doing manual labor outside ALL DAY long, I can offer some advice.

Start early helps and while the temp should be lower, the humidity can by higher. Many times working in S. FLA, it was "hotter" in the morning because of the humidity even though the temperature is lower. Around 11:00 the humidity would burn off and it was "cooler" until early afternoon.
This can be localized of course but be aware that it exists.

Stay out of the sun and in the shade when possible. If no shade, wear a hat AND a cover over your neck. The sun on the back of your neck will heat you up FAST. If I have to work out in the sun for any length of time, I wear a hat, soak a small towel in water and then fold that towel so it will be on my head, under the hat, and extended to cover the back of my neck. The water in the towel evaporates and keeps you cooler.

Wetting a shirt also works. Pouring water on your head/body before a work period and before taking a break helps cool down.

Take breaks. If I am running a chainsaw or other power equipment, a break is required after an hour or so. Maybe less.

Drinking water helps but drinking too much water without minerals and electrolytes is asking for big trouble. I can't stand sports drinks, literally, they make me sick, so I eat foods with lots of potassium. If you are having muscle cramps after working in the heat it is almost certainly from lack of potassium. Bananas, raisins, almonds, dried apricots, dried figs, dates, walnuts, etc, are high in potassium. During a break, I force myself to eat a little bit of food, not only for the potassium, but also for the calories. After cooling off, back to work.

Pay attention to your heart rate. If I start to overheat my heart rate goes up and it is time for a break.

Pace yourself.

Later,
Dan

Florida doesn't even come close to the Texas hear, 100+ degree days. Now, one says "Florida" and there are several very distinct climates in Florida. There is the Tampa Bay area, the Panhandle, the East Coast, and then there is South Florida, West Palm to the Keys. Today, Fort Lauderdale is 90 degrees with a nice 14 mph breeze off the ocean. Never had a 100 degree day. Now, we're not there for such a beautiful day, but tomorrow in Montreal is 87 degrees and a 1 mph wind, but gusts up to 5 mph, so will feel hotter than Fort Lauderdale.

Our weather patterns aren't even the same as the other parts of Florida. Look at maps and you'll see most systems cut through about mid state. Love living in the tropics of South Florida.

Please, we beg you, keep selling how horribly hot it is down here. Help us avoid additional people and crowds. Thank you.

I used to do all my own bottom work in s fl during thanksgiving holiday. Not quite as brutal. Bottom work is the worst. Wearing tyvek full suit and mask. Tyvek doesnt breathe. Drink lots of water. Open up the suit often or u will die.

I know of one man who after a long run, drank a bottle of ice cold water, to cool down and replace the liquid lost but, promptly suffered a heart attack brought on by the cold water. He did recover.
The ingestion of liquid is recommended to replace the liquid lost but, ice cold doesn't seem like a good idea.

jimisbell said:

whats rain?

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Lol That's something mother nature uses to increase the level of missery.
I grew up and lived in central FL till I was 37. A short rain storm is the worst. Just enough water to steam off in 30 minutes and max out the humidity scale. Makes working out side miserable.

OldDan1943 said:

I know of one man who after a long run, drank a bottle of ice cold water, to cool down, and promptly suffered a heart attack brought on by the cold water.
The ingestion of liquid is recommended to replace the liquid lost but, ice cold doesn't seem like a good idea.

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That is a very good point.

Once upon a time, I had an outdoor, summer job working west of Ft. Lauderdale. At lunch one day, I chugged down a nice, icy cold root beer. I had convulsions and passed our for a short time. Scared the woo hoo out of my coworker. It was over quickly and the only thing I could figure out is that the ice cold soda cause my stomach to tense up. I was perfectly fine but it was not a fun experience. Never again chugged an ice cold drink after getting overheated.

Later,
Dan

I feel for you folks trying to do work outside in the heat. I have to go to a wedding tomorrow afternoon in Snohomish. The forecast is to be in the upper 80s and I’m dreading it. Outside wedding. I don’t do heat.

We get some warm weather in the summer on occasion, but not HHH weather. While very humid here in the winter, it isn’t all that humid in the summer.

If it is cool, you can always put on another layer. I’d hate to be trapped indoors due to hot weather.

dhays said:

If it is cool, you can always put on another layer. I’d hate to be trapped indoors due to hot weather.

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Wifey B: If it is hot, you can always take off another layer. I'd hate to be trapped indoors due to cold weather.

I think many of us are comfy in what we're most use to. Now, can one change and adapt? Sometimes but sometimes not. I don't know why.

BandB said:

Wifey B: If it is hot, you can always take off another layer. I'd hate to be trapped indoors due to cold weather.

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Cant remove anything else, legally, once one is down to their underwear.