Cool ice pack or fan vest?

Off topic, but on the theme of trying new technology for safety and health, I tried buying one of these "chairless chairs" to evaluate. At the time, they were marketing them, but had none available for purchase.
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Could be an excellent device for groundies that like to sit on their asses as much as possible.
 
Tom Dunlap said:
An idea what they cost? I found: $2,300..yes, twenty three hundred USD
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That sounds about right. It was chump change in the grand scheme of things when I was it that position.

I remember an engineer who procrastinated on a project and didn't get two large Ingersol-Rand air compressors ordered when he should have. Special air compressors only manufactured in Europe. Had to pay an extra $50k each to have them air freighted instead of sent on a boat to meet our required delivery date. Another time, we needed a special circuit board that was in Texas. Had a chartered jet fly it to Birmingham, then a helicopter brought it to the plant. When down time can run $40-50k/hr, a normal extravagance can be a bargain.
 
Mark Chisholm said:
I've seen some studies where they've used these for athletes in between events or exercises and it is said to increase their work ability a good amount.
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Related and anecdotal, I bought a coolvest for an employee and it made them hotter. It seems that the vest was keeping in their body heat. I wonder if the vests are better while taking a break instead of while working.
 
colb said:
Related and anecdotal, I bought a coolvest for an employee and it made them hotter. It seems that the vest was keeping in their body heat. I wonder if the vests are better while taking a break instead of while working.
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You have to put cold cold-packs in the vest!!!! :^)
 
colb said:
Related and anecdotal, I bought a coolvest for an employee and it made them hotter. It seems that the vest was keeping in their body heat. I wonder if the vests are better while taking a break instead of while working.
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I bought one last year, and wasn’t impressed either. I have a pretty serious layer of natural fur though, so I’m pretty well insulated, I’m guessing that may have been a contributing factor in my case.
 
Was there some job pressure associated with $40 to $50k/hr downtime? I know the answer... rhetorical :)

Perhaps you were experiencing the accelerated aging syndrome in that job.

For Iraq, the pilot vests were a combination of liquid in tubes and evaporative. I think neither approach had enough oomph on its own. There's papers about the topic of personal cooling. The neatest component is the tiny mag-coupled fluid pumps that do away with shaft seals.
 
Bart_ said:
Was there some job pressure associated with $40 to $50k/hr downtime? I know the answer... rhetorical :)

Perhaps you were experiencing the accelerated aging syndrome in that job.

For Iraq, the pilot vests were a combination of liquid in tubes and evaporative. I think neither approach had enough oomph on its own. There's papers about the topic of personal cooling. The neatest component is the tiny mag-coupled fluid pumps that do away with shaft seals.
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Seems like we got a few magnetically coupled pumps when I worked at a power plant. But I was always fascinated by the scale of things. Our biggest steam turbine cranked out about a million horsepower at 3600 rpm. And you wanted it to run like that for many months straight.
 
Dan Cobb said:
Seems like we got a few magnetically coupled pumps when I worked at a power plant. But I was always fascinated by the scale of things. Our biggest steam turbine cranked out about a million horsepower at 3600 rpm. And you wanted it to run like that for many months straight.
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Power plants are fascinating. When I was in college (electrical degree) we toured a local hydropower plant, all the way down through the generators, turbines, and all the switchgear. It was amazing, especially the scale. Six foot diameter drive shafts that ran from the turbines up to the generators, and they had one of the generators torn down, re-winding it and pouring new bearings. Power generation is impressive.
 
colb said:
Related and anecdotal, I bought a coolvest for an employee and it made them hotter. It seems that the vest was keeping in their body heat. I wonder if the vests are better while taking a break instead of while working.
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As a guess, she/ he probably wore it too long.
Try it yourself. I do.

Having an air conditioner running only cools things if it is in working order.

I love having them. All my employees have, too. If you let them melt all the way, they are hot. Don't do that.
 
southsoundtree said:
As a guess, she/ he probably wore it too long.
Try it yourself. I do.

Having an air conditioner running only cools things if it is in working order.

I love having them. All my employees have, too. If you let them melt all the way, they are hot. Don't do that.
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It was a while ago, but my memory is that we transferred packs from the freezer to a small ice chest, then used the vest for 20-30 minutes before noticing pre-heat-exhaustion discomfort, then returned the vest.

It sounds like you have much more experience with them, and that it is positive.
 
Not a replacement for lots of hydration.
Was he drinking alcohol the night before?
Hydrating before work? At work? After work?

Doesn't like correlation, not causation.

I can't remember, but I have probably had them for over 5 years.
 
southsoundtree said:
Not a replacement for lots of hydration.
Was he drinking alcohol the night before?
Hydrating before work? At work? After work?

Doesn't like correlation, not causation.

I can't remember, but I have probably had them for over 5 years.
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I'd be getting into speculation...
 
southsoundtree said:
Was he drinking alcohol the night before?
Hydrating before work? At work? After work?
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Concerning these questions, I'd be speculating since it was a couple years ago... I'm very deferential to the amount of experience you and your crew have with the vests. Mayhaps my employee was an odd duck...

I sure could have used something today. Dropped off my son at basketball practice and went to give this 20 ft. cedar it's second prune:

20220628_144842.jpg

It had bushed out a lot more over the last two years than I anticipated, after a really hard whack on the first go. Can barely tell I was ever there...

Anyways, over the course of the first hour I managed to exhaust myself in the afternoon heat. Dove into the van for 5 minutes for some A/C. Over the next hour, I drank well over a gallon of water, took some breaks on the shaded travertine, and then in my stupor I fell down the quary wall/embankment 15 feet into a wood ant nest. Fortunately, basketball camp was only 3 hours, so I had to leave after 2 hours... Can't wait to get back on it tomorrow though. It's a cool tree with lots to offer now, and especially after the third prune. I'll try to post an after pic. I had to remove a low branch that was crossed up over another one, so I'm hoping it doesn't look too raised on the left side this time...
 
If you're working in a heat- challenged environment, like pavement, asking a customer if you can use a sprinkler in the work area is one way to cool the immediate area. Walking through the sprinkler on occasion helps, too.


Running cold water from an outdoor faucet over forearms and wrists, neck and head helps.

Clothing choice is important, too.



Alcohol during the summer is a problem for hydration.
 
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