Anchorage has been -25°F all week and I need to do meter readings at an outdoor facility. Any tips for keeping equipment working in extreme cold? My tablet died after 10 minutes outside yesterday.
Working in extreme weather conditions
Hand warmers are your friend! I keep chemical hand warmers in my jacket and rotate devices between warm pockets and use. Also bring extra batteries - cold kills battery life fast. Chugach Electric guys taught me that trick.
Montana gets that cold too. I use an insulated equipment case and pre-warm everything in the truck. Take photos quick and do the data entry back in the heated cab. Also wear liner gloves under work gloves so you can still operate touchscreens.
Washington state doesn't get as cold but we deal with constant rain. Waterproof equipment cases are essential. Lost a $300 tablet to water damage during a Seattle storm while checking Puget Sound Energy meters.
Maine checking in. Learned to keep spare phone batteries inside my jacket next to body heat. Also hot coffee in a thermos - warm hands between readings and keeps morale up during long outdoor audits.