I just needed some sleep.... Cosmo

Dave_111

I`m a one-man show too. Sometimes ya sit there twittling your thumbs, or there is so much, you can`t keep-up! I just finished putting the tube in a slab yesterday as he`s pushing me to get the concrete poured, and I still have to do the "dry" in the rest of the house. Then this other guy, who ordered his air handler in June, calls an tells me its-in!
I still got a dozen or so boiler "cleanings" to do, but when I get home I`m "beat", and I still got paperwork to do! (it`s tough to "stall" Parliament Hill, even in hockey season EH?

Cosmo_3

Tough week

Tried to get a replacement boiler started up, and even after a 10 psi air test, didn't know I had a cracked 3" cast iron Tee until I filled the converted gravity system with water and fired the boiler. I found this out at 7pm last night. Luckily it was pretty warm overnight so no biggy, but the adrenalin rush kept me awake, not to mention the paperwork, and estimates that have to be done. I went to bed @ 3am and woke up at 5 dreaming of working the job.

I got there this morning and I started noticing things like I had a circ mounted backwards, forgot to install the ESBE Thermic bypass valve, and of course I had to drain down the system (converted gravity means....lots o water), replace the cracked Tee, and make the piping changes. So by 12 o'clock today I was back where I should have been last night.

I was still not thinking clearly, and the exhaustion from four or five basically sleepless nights made me cranky, and not as sharp as I think I usually am.

So I made the executive decision that we will go home early today (left at 2pm). I was in bed @ 3pm. Slept until 7, and I feel like a new man. I am planning on taking my helper out to breakfast tomorrow to make up for my cranky attitude the past couple days. Now I hope I can sleep tonight!!!

So looking forward to everything going perfect as usual again tomorrow. This trade can get to me once in a while.....

Am I the only one?


Cosmo

Mark Hunt

No


You are not alone.

I'll sleep in March my wife says.

Mark H

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Timco

Cosmo,

I am a one guy show, and really sometimes bite off more than I can chew in a timely manner. I too am in the middle of a large converted gravity system boiler swap, and can see it dragging on and on. Last two days were 80% drive & parts, and 10% planning and 10% piping. Boiler was late. Now cust wants trv's which of course have to be installed prior to filling...if I ever finish near boiler piping, fill, p/s loops, and tie in the old to the new. On top of that, this is my first p/s system and I am concerned about layout being perfect. Having trouble sizing pri circ as well as choosing check valves. Went 007 and spring checks...hear too many ratteling swing checks. Picked up the last ESBE 11/4 TV valve, and supplier was out of 11/4 balance valves, so a good ball valve on the bypass it is. I am up at night with you....I'll see you here on the Wall. Here's to a good nap!

Tim

Josh_10

Yup.. You aren't the only one! I am sure you'll feel differently next time you flawlessly fix something no-one else could.

[Deleted User]

Burning the midnight oil...

er, I mean Natural gas:-) No oil to be found around here...

Going to bed now. G'night.

ME

Ragu_5

Cosmo....

Yeah, I'm up but it's not work; bad stomach this time. That post about takin' a break makes sense.

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Weezbo

Trust that we love our work.

yesterday in the balmy 25 below a piece of my conversation while running "Extension.. 1/2" feeders out across the shop floor to jazz up sub station headders,and thawing 60 gallon plastic water drums with to light an anti freeze mix ICE by cycling boiler water down ..not shocking the temp heat boiler when pumping the melted water + anti freeze back into the boiler and keeping the existing headders rolling with out shocking the boiler into submission when re heating the next batch to thaw out the barrels ...went like this...

"we Got to love our work ..there is no other reason , not even money could get anyone out of bed to stand up to this stuff,we, just know it is going to get worse before it gets better.......lets layout some foam insulation over the slab along the perimeter and in the next bay to slow some of the heat loss "*~/:).....

smile and others will wonder what you are up to:)
being a shade cranky ahem .. could happen. lets get back to work


p.s. i type slow ...i just happened to look at the clock ya know what ?..its 2.42 a.m. ish *~/:)

Jeff Lawrence_25

I'm there too

I'll go to bed and fall asleep at a normal time, but DING wake up between 2 and 3 AM wide awake, thinking about a particular install or something and that's it for the night.

We are still in our 'shoulder' time, where it's not too hot or cold, so most people in our industry are slowing down a bit. Today is the first day I've had since July that I don't have a full schedule. I may be able to reintroduce myself to my family.....

mtfallsmikey

May God Bless all of you!

I remember times like that only too well. Makes me appreciate the job I have now.

helpingothershelpthemselves_2

I too feel your pain.

Full days of work , service and installations, paperwork, scheduling, material lists , ordering , estimates , and preparation for teaching oil burner service two nights a week four hours per night at a local trade school. Eight hours a week of teaching equates to approximately 20 hours of preparation.
Sleep aludes me as usual, stress elevates, responsibilities at home take a back burner , but this is what we are all so passionate about, and that makes all the difference in the world to people like us . We surely are a breed all of our own .

Ken Resnick

Wayco Wayne_2

Me too

I'm making myself crazy with mistakes due to not enough sleep. When I get overloaded I wake up at 1 or 2 AM with problems on my mind. Sometimes I will take a sleeping pill to break the cycle but I dont like to since it makes me groggy in another way. Visicous cycle. And then I'm teaching on top of it all. What was I thinking??? When my students go on about how lucky I am to be working for myself, I tell them, be careful what you wish for, and leave it at that. It's not all fun and games. I havent had a break or vacation in almost 2 years. I'm going to Atlanta after Xmas to gather with family and to GET AWAY from the business. Glad you got some sleep. Get some more. WW

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Jeff Lawrence_25

The city will never be the same

Wayco Wayne and the Southern Man getting together?

The state may never recover....

amhwrite

Me too!

I also get those nights where I fall into a deep sleep around 9:30 or 10:00pm then, about 2:30am I'm up wide awake going over the upcoming job in my head! Also, the last five years or so, I never sleep past 5:00am, regardless of what time I go to bed or if I have one of those wake up at 2:30am episodes. I don't know if age brings this on or what, prior I was lucky to roll out of bed by 7:00am! I lived the closest and was always the last guy at the shop! No more stress! Who knows?

Cosmo_3

Thanks Guys

Thanks for all your posts. Glad I am not alone.

Well I just ate dinner, and now I am off again for a no-heat call on an Energy Kinetics installed by someone else.

Hope it's simple.........

Cosmo

rucomfy

Two words....

that never appear in the same sentence with my name in it.
Simple or easy. Good luck Dude. You are not alone.

Tombig_5

Work Dreams

Glad to know I'm not alone when my first and last waking thoughts are about the work. Thankfully I don't remember most of my dreams or I'd really think I was crazy.

Cosmo_3

Dreams

I can't tell you how many times I have had work dreams. Especially the night before a boiler replacement, I go over the next day in my head to make sure I have everything I need.

Now that we are on that subject I will make a personal revelation. About 3-4 years ago I did a big under subfloor extruded plate job. After 5- 12 hour days of constant over head plate fastening using a pneumatic stapler, I was seen standing on my bed (edit- the bed was my rolling baker's scaffold) in the middle of the night acting out installing Joist trak in my sleep at 4 am............


Cosmo

Mark Hunt

Full disclosure


When my wife and I were first married I talked in my sleep every night. I worked for someone at that time, not myself.

One night I actually got out of bed and began pointing to the mistakes. My wife watched all of it until I finally got back into bed and slept the night away.

Stress does wacky things to people.

My suggestion?

Listen to Trans-Siberian Orchestra 24/7.

Mark H

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Pat Clark_2

We get to sleep in late

here in Alaska. While you guys are up and working, just remember, we are still snug in our beds waiting for the day to begin. And of course, when it gets real cold, we just throw another dog on the bed.

And yes I wake up in the middle of the night and think about jobs that need to be done.

Pat (Alaska Time) Clark

Mark Hunt

Alaska Time!!!!!!!!


As Pink Floyd said, "Wish you were here".

Shoot me an e-mail. I lost your addy.

Mark H

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Pat Clark_2

On its way

Hey, when you comin up to go fishin?? You'll need an ice auger if you come now.

Pat (Alaska Time) Clark

Mark Hunt

Only ice we got here


now is in my drink!! HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Soon as Weezbo clears out the chicken coop, I'll book the flight.

Mark H

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S Ebels

One of those days.......everyday lately

Here's how today went

7AM At warehouse to unload the van. Finished a big job yesterday and hauled all the tools and parts home late last night.

8AM Back to the office for phone calls to customers, inspectors, make out a few misc service call bills, finish an estimate. Sent the boys down to the warehouse to continue unloading and loading up for the next job

9:30AM Down to warehouse to help with loading and cleaning, putting away a bunch of UPS shipments that showed up. Boxed a couple orders to be shipped out.

10:+ Emergency service call, no hot water in a dairy barn. Sent boys to unload van at new jobsite.

12:30 back to office to check answering machine/return calls

1PM home for lunch. Wife is working today (she hand trims parts for vintage Corvettes) Thought I'd do her a favor and set some frozen bread dough out to raise.

1:30PM Boys went on another hot service call and I went to dial in a oil boiler we had installed last week.

3:30PM met boys at new jobsite to go over piping layout for BB. Made homeowner aware that installing ceramic tile in three rooms had made our job a tad bit tricker as far as getting the tube through the floor. He didn't understand.

4-ish remembered I was supposed to meet with a contractor and gas compnay at another job site at 3:30. Found out truck rides nice at 80 down a gravel road. Arrived to find out neither the GC or the gas company had showed in the first place.

5-ish Drew says. We should go to the shooting range and check our deer rifles. So we did.

6:15 Daughter calls on the cell and says come over for supper. She cooked a roast from the bear her hubby shot this fall.

6:40 Met Kath at the kids house and had supper with them. The bear roast was great. Went home to spend some time figuring a new estimate

7:30 Committee meeting a church. Sitting there reminded me that I have to take it easy on the old back cause it was barking at me pretty good.

9:15 Thought I'd run monthly township payroll checks, forgot to check what period the computer was in and made them all out for October. Voided 22 checks and re wrote them.

10-ish Had a strange feeling I had forgotten something..........Ran to the oven to find each pan of bread dough raised to the size of a watermelon.

10:30 Writing on the Wall while I wait for the dough to re-raise. Probably bake it around midnight.

Gotta be at the jobsite at 7 tommorrow

Gotta love it I guess and try to stay thankful that I have lot's of work and things to do. Been feeling pretty well used up lately in spite of the attempt to keep smiling.

PS 11:42 the bread is done. I'm going to bed.

Wayco Wayne_2

OMG

that is too funny. Those plate jobs take forever. I know how you feel. WW

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Wayco Wayne_2

Yes

I've been meaning to ask. Do they have beer in Georgia??? :P WW

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Tombig_5

Bread

Steve, quit loafing around and get to work!

Jeff Lawrence_25

Not that you'd want to drink it,

But there are at laest 2 beer plants in Georgia, one not too far north of Atlanta.

Oh yeah, there's beer here.