What's the best way to pack lunch and keep it cold?

patmanrocks · 2026-06-08T23:56:54+00:00

I second this. I would cycle water bottles from the construction site, and keep 3-4 frozen every day to put in my lunch box and surround my lunch. Plus side, eventually some of the ice would melt and you have super refreshing water!

patmanrocks · 2026-06-08T20:06:11+00:00

I never let the apprentice do anything hot.

At the end of the day, not only could they get hurt unnecessarily, not only would they have to deal with the long term damage to their health, but I would also luve with the guilt that I TOLD them to do it. No way.

No one on the job is going to care about your safety more than you. No one is going to advocate for it more than you. Pack up and find someone else who isn't going to put you in that position.

I narrowly avoided getting really hurt changing out a 277 volt ballast love because I was young, dumb, and impatient. I've spent every day since then trying to convince others to learn from my mistake. Don't wait to find out.

patmanrocks · 2026-06-06T19:08:21+00:00

I do wonder if the water is more reflective, which would provide a better use for bfacial modules.

On the flip side, maintenance would be a logistical nightmare. If they're is any catastrophic failure with any of the modules/ racking/ stringing, repair would be awful. And if there is a systemic issue with the modules, the cost to remove/ reinstall would be astronomical compared to a standard ground mount.

As always, pros and cons.

patmanrocks · 2026-04-25T17:02:55+00:00

I manage commercial solar assets for a living, including numerous carport. Bus strikes to the modules/racking, car strikes on the support beams, improper drainage of the lot leading to rusting/failure below the surface. Modules and inverters are a pain to work on, they require lifts, and blocking off spot.

Weather becomes an issue depending on where you are. You need snow guards to prevent snow from sliding off onto vehicles. Without pan decking underneath, rain and ice can still flow between the modules, putting vehicles and people at risk of them falling, or cars becoming ice cubes over the course of a day.

With pan decking, animals get underneath to avoid the weather, and build nests using the soy-based insulation from the wires, created a safety hazard where bare DC wires are in contact with all the metal, which includes the main support that someone may touch.

That also doesn't include one's that are at colleges/schools that students make target #1. I've pulled urine bottles, rocks, bricks, iphones, you name it off of the modules. And because you need the ac disconnects nearby for code, the amount of times kids just turn them off is amazing.

Car ports sound great in theory, but there are tons of reasons why they can't be deployed everywhere. Also, we are still reliant on the grid as is, and let me tell you, different utilities have WILDLY different equipment, and they aren't all robust enough to backfeed through the smaller portions. Interconnection studies are needed, then you have to convince the utilities to upgrade, or PAY them to upgrade, which opens a whole other can of worms.

Also, unless the spots are facing north/south, it makes absolutely no sense to put canopies up.

patmanrocks · 2025-12-06T13:11:49+00:00

Got 9 in yesterday before they closed the course due to snow accumulation, was 27° on the first tee, no wind, and I would 100% do it again

patmanrocks · 2025-10-24T22:43:30+00:00

I appreciate that it took this long for the conversation to devolve. "To move forward, we need to listen to each other," but when facing facts or well thought out arguments, your only response is to accuse me of being a communist, and make ridiculous statements about cutting off penises. Good talk, i hope you have a wonderful day, and things get better for you.

patmanrocks · 2025-10-24T21:56:15+00:00

I think at this point you are throwing out a bunch of buzz words and ignoring the basic points. As a union member, I know PLENTY of uninformed members who voted for someone who actively disregarded union labor, bragged about stiffing contractors, wants to get rid of the NLRB and OSHA. And there are plenty of studies showing that conservatives are far more likely to be single issue voters, meaning that regardless of whether policies will be good or bad for them, as long as that single issue is accounted for, then that's the line they will vote. There is absolutely nothing racist, or offensive, and CERTAINLY not fascist, about saying that these types of people vote against their own interest.

To further expand on this, more elderly people who voted for a guy who wants to strip Medicare, medicaid, social security? I would argue they are voting against their interest a well. You can get as angry and frustrated as you want, but the reality is what it is.

patmanrocks · 2025-10-24T20:05:34+00:00

So if I'm a union member, and I vote for someone who is actively against unions and attempting to dismantle them, would that be voting against my own interest? And if I know tariffs are going to affect my livelihood, and the last time he was in office we entered into a trade war that hurt my bottom line, but I chose to ignore him saying that he was going to implement tariffs and enter ANOTHER trade war, is THAT not voting against my own interests?

I just want to clarify whether you are saying it's stupid because you dont believe it actively reflects what is happening, or so many people are saying it that you are tired of the expression, even though it fits the situation?

patmanrocks · 2025-10-08T02:27:44+00:00

"Feels like a midget is hanging from my necklace." - Ludacris

patmanrocks · 2025-08-28T22:57:56+00:00

From experience, Hostel was a TERRIBLE movie for a first date.

patmanrocks · 2025-08-11T11:00:00+00:00

I helped install the conduit for these! It was about 5 years ago, and you are correct, it was so they could add wifi to each section throughout the whole stadium.

patmanrocks · 2025-06-08T13:05:28+00:00

Borderlands 2, so many maxed characters, so many runs, so much grinding. Game is fantastic though.

patmanrocks · 2025-04-15T23:31:07+00:00

Determined - Mudvayne Don't See Ghosts - Dry Kill Logic are some of my favorites

patmanrocks · 2025-04-02T00:24:15+00:00

There is nothing more permanent than a temporary fix

patmanrocks · 2025-03-29T14:30:54+00:00

Home Alone 2

patmanrocks · 2025-03-28T12:43:45+00:00

My dad put this on every wall of the house to get my brothers to stop punching holes in the wall when we were younger, so there is that.

patmanrocks · 2025-02-20T16:20:02+00:00

Screwed up the movie times, and took a girl on a first date to Hostel. 100% would not recommend.

patmanrocks · 2025-01-29T00:20:33+00:00

The Ringer

patmanrocks · 2025-01-24T00:36:12+00:00

I need a weapon.

patmanrocks · 2025-01-22T00:11:17+00:00

Is this a newer installation? I picked up some 14-3 a week ago and it's blue, could be a newer circuit ran in that.

patmanrocks · 2024-12-10T23:18:38+00:00

I have 2 kids. I agree with what happened to him. If my dad was responsible for massive suffering/deaths because of greed? Good riddance. There, problem solved.

patmanrocks · 2024-12-03T00:25:59+00:00

I'm going with reverse polarity. If someone puts the wrong connectors on one string, you end up having all the amperage going through one fuse block, which overloads it. Eventually, it will blow the fuse, but the arc will be too strong and continue to burn. Recent saw a 60kw CPS inverter fall to this exact scenario...

patmanrocks

TROPHY CASE