Hand warmer in the undies?

[olphart]

I was standing in the checkout line at the hardware store and saw handwarmers on sale. It got me thinking, "I have those nice big hand warming pockets in my Thermal Fusion and I could just slip one of those in there, and I'd be even toastier on those 37 degree dives."
I looked in here to see if anyone had tried it and found a good reason not to, but apparently no one has.
I can't see how they'd get too hot, or they wouldn't do well in gloves. They're sealed packages, so even if they did get wet, no nasty chemicals would cause problems. Having a nice warm feeling right at your core has to be a good thing...

Anyway, unless someone in here has tried it and tells me, "Yer gonna die!" I'm going to have a go and report back after my next dive.

 

[nimoh]

I believe those packets need oxygen to produce heat (but this is based only on my own experience). I have used them diving twice and they were much warmer at the start of the dive than at then end, and I attribute this to using up all of the oxygen in my suit (I pump pure argon into my suit during the dive).

For those that complain that they got too hot, I wonder if they are pumping something like EAN32 into their suit and the higher oxygen content causes them to get hotter?

Although I haven't gotten around to it, I was planning on putting about 15-20% oxygen into my argon bottle and trying that on a dive to see if that makes a difference.

I have nothing to back any of this up, just speculation.

 

[tbone1004]

If you're pumping argon in, they won't last particularly long. If you're pumping air or nitrox in, the higher PPO2's will cause them to burn hotter and faster potentially causing nasty burns. Not worth the risk, and there is we don't do it. If you need heated undergarments the UTD one is actually quite inexpensive and you can grab a cheap can light on ebay for $100-$150 and get a battery that way if you are halfway skilled with a soldering iron

 

[tkdgodess]

You can buy boot warmers for an enclosed environment. They dont burn as hot as hand warmers but you can still feel the warmth. I stick them on the outside of my socks on my toes, then put on weezle socks. Also in my dry gloves stuck on the outside of my glove liners on the back of my hands. Also stuck them on my torso.. No burns using argon, 32%, Trimix. Costco sells them by the case. I only use on planned very long dives, my toes and fingers stay flexible longer.

 

[TSandM]

If they are the chemical type where you click a disc and they heat, there is no reason not to use them. The iron filing ones that are sold for skiing can overhead with high ppO2s, and burns can result. I don't know if you could get burnt through a TF, though, and I doubt they get hot enough to set the undergarment on fire.

 

[dumpsterDiver]

I used a re-usable chemical pack many dozens of times inside a wetsuit when doing long dives. They provide heat for about 45 minutes and then they "freeze up" actually the salt solution precipitates and they get stiff. I had a pretty large one that I put over my chest but had a vest between my skin and the pack.

 

[Jack Hammer]

There has been a few incidents uding hand warmers in drysuits. Generslly a bad idea. IIRC, an Irish tech diver was severely burned, maybe 5 years back. I personally know a few people who've recieved minor burns using handwarmers in their suits (seen it firsthand). None of them still use those that I am aware of, they've either gone to heated suits or use the reusable gel pack types.

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