WindEnergy7 FitBit Surge best fitness tracker

[WindEnergy7]

I install home wind turbines and solar panels and I am using the fitbit to count times I go up a ladder to a roof to install the roofmill product.  I went up a 32' ladder and its only giving me 1 set of floors.  I am confused, if it counts steps then the number of steps up the ladder would count about 25.  If it counts the distance in altitude from floor to rooftop, by time I carry a solar panel to the rooftop it should give me 2 floors. ?  I also notice if didn't count going down the ladder which is just as hard in many cases?  Any thoughts?

[Racerx67]

To be honest the floors count is just a little bit of fun I guess.. The calories are counted based on heart rate anyway. So 1 floor or 100 floors is not going to add to the calorific burn. 

[HelenaFitbit]

Hello @WindEnergy7! I have to say, your job reminds me of my past job! 

Your Fitbit Surge detects floors using an altimeter, which is a sensor that calculates altitude based on atmospheric pressure. Atmospheric pressure decreases with increasing elevation, so the tracker calculates elevation gain based on the reduction in atmospheric pressure. Your tracker registers a floor when it detects continuous motion combined with an elevation gain of about 10 feet.

Your tracker may give you credit for extra floors for a variety of reasons. Occasionally your tracker may detect pressure changes unrelated to elevation gains, such as a gust of wind, weather change, or opening a door. If a weather front comes through, or you walk in a wind, you can get floors. 

There is a way to get rid of the Floors on your account, but you will be deleting some steps along the way. Personally I do not recommend this option since you will overwrite some hard earned steps. Also, your floor count does not get factored into calorie burn. 

Let me know if you have any questions, good luck!

[WindEnergy7]

I don't know.  Other day I was installing wind turbines.  Like I say thats what I do is install wind and solar systems.  Its hard work so I want it to actually register well based on my work activity.   So, I was in a 80' articulating lift.  I went up 80' to put up the TowerMill wind turbine because if it uses an altimiter its not getting good read because it said only 3 floors.

later in the day I was atop a 12' roof and it was registering 2 floors going up the ladder onto the rioof with solar panels.  But it registers nothing when I go back down the ladder to get more solar panels?  Going down a ladder is hard work and almost as hard as climbing up?

[HelenaFitbit]

Thank you for your response @WindEnergy7! I completely understand that you wish to track the caloric equivalent of climbing a ladder and we can certainly help you track it. 

However; Floor measurement doesn't count towards your caloric burn of the day; a high heartrate, movement and BMR do. Also, the floor counting will depend on the air current flowing through the Surge's Altimeter to measure your Floors climbed.

Now, I know this is a demanding task and I really want your calories to count for this! So the best recommendation I can offer is to log this through a Manual Log through the Fitbit App. How would you know the calorie burn for this? The guys over at CalorieCount have the right number for you. 

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have any questions

[WindEnergy7]

Yes Helena thats what I want, you would have to look at my website to really see what I am talking about.  There are install videos of WindEnergy7 solar panels and wind turbines there. So, when I take a WindEnergy7 Opti-Volt7 44lb solar panel up a ladder onto a roof its a load.  Taking solar panels to the roof is the hardest part its a ladder climb normally about 12 ft, with a large VERY awkward solar panel, like carrying a glass door up a ladder, they are 40"x70" or so.  Arms wide and hard to balance. 

The home roof mount wind generators are about 85lb without the blades.  Usually those go up held over a shoulder with one hand free.  But scaling a 12' ladder with 85lb on a shoulder is quite a load.  There are pictures and videos of that on my website and on youtube also.  We install these wind turbines and solar panels all over the US.  I have been doing this for 8 years and it's a lot of fun.

I am really enjoying the FitBit and statistics and I use it with MyFitnessPal and my meal log.  I have lost over 10 pounds now installing these roofmount wind turbines & solar panels, working out mostly walking, and keeping my meals logged.  Thanks for your help.  I will look into your ideas.  I guess like I do with meals once I get it figured out what the proper calories burned are I can at a minimum log it like I do my meals.  I have to figure it is taking my heart rate so I have to figure out that is already getting statistical burned calories partially used I guess.  What are your thoughts on that?

[WindEnergy7]

Right, Thanks Racerx67, so my heart is banging when I go a 12' ladder climb carrying a WindEnergy7 solar panel up top.  And that heart rate is getting logged.  But is it more than that to actually capture the calorie burn.  Its cardio intense PLUS heavy weight loading.  How would I try and calculate or even guesstimate and then make a task in MyFitnessPal or FitBit that I can maybe plug in the number of solar panels and small wind turbines with like the height of climb or something.

I am thinking the heart rate is automatic, then I add atop some estimation of the solar panel and small wind turbine load and climb?  Any ideas or input?  There are pics and videos of the hardware and task if you want to look but the solar panels are about 44lb or so and the small wind turbines are about 85lb.  Its quite a load up the ladder.

[HelenaFitbit]

Thank you for your response @WindEnergy7! My dad has done several installations of wind turbines and solar panels for NRECA and boy, they are heavy! I completely understand that you'd want to track this, since they are a full workout to pack, unpack, carry and mount. 

Now that you've mentioned that you're using MyFitnessPal; this is the only case where you can log it through MFP so it can transfer the caloric value to your Fitbit account. The good thing about this is that MFP has an editable exercise calorie log, and it'll change when you add the values in it. 

Congratulations on your weight loss! Keep it up