Please critique
I'm 63 and need to go food shopping regularly, at a super market. Other people will be there at the same time, so I assume I can get infected with COVID-19 via the airborne aerosol vector.
I was curious if I could make a DIY PPE kit out of stuff I happen to have around the house, so I gave it a shot. The idea is to pump filtered air into a clear, sealed plastic bag placed over my head, gathered at the neck, held in place by a jacket collar.
1st picture shows the system with all the parts connected. I used;
A 12V diaphragm pump, ~12L/min @ 1.5A
A set of 4, 18650 lithium batteries
A HEPA vacuum cleaner bag
A small backpack to hold the system
An adjustable headband, to hold the filtered air stream in place
A clear plastic bag that a blanket or pillow came in.
Silicone hose, a plastic adapter, some glue.
2nd picture shows me wearing the backpack. 3rd, shows me 1/2 hour in, 4th, one hour in. I managed not to asphyxiate myself!
It's hot in there, so I had to change to a lighter jacket at around the 1/2 hour mark. The bicycle helmet is just too hot, so I took apart a headset magnifier for the adjustable strap. (The air stream needs to blast on the plastic just in front of the eyes)
I tested by doing light chores; picking up, some dish washing, walking the dog. It's cool outside and I can feel the new, cooler air in a few seconds when I step outdoors in this getup. Battery voltage remained 12.2V, pump motor case <100 C after an hour of continuous operation, all zipped up in the Camelback.
I figure I can easily get through a 45 minute shopping trip wearing this -
I'm 63 and need to go food shopping regularly, at a super market. Other people will be there at the same time, so I assume I can get infected with COVID-19 via the airborne aerosol vector.
I was curious if I could make a DIY PPE kit out of stuff I happen to have around the house, so I gave it a shot. The idea is to pump filtered air into a clear, sealed plastic bag placed over my head, gathered at the neck, held in place by a jacket collar.
1st picture shows the system with all the parts connected. I used;
A 12V diaphragm pump, ~12L/min @ 1.5A
A set of 4, 18650 lithium batteries
A HEPA vacuum cleaner bag
A small backpack to hold the system
An adjustable headband, to hold the filtered air stream in place
A clear plastic bag that a blanket or pillow came in.
Silicone hose, a plastic adapter, some glue.
2nd picture shows me wearing the backpack. 3rd, shows me 1/2 hour in, 4th, one hour in. I managed not to asphyxiate myself!
It's hot in there, so I had to change to a lighter jacket at around the 1/2 hour mark. The bicycle helmet is just too hot, so I took apart a headset magnifier for the adjustable strap. (The air stream needs to blast on the plastic just in front of the eyes)
I tested by doing light chores; picking up, some dish washing, walking the dog. It's cool outside and I can feel the new, cooler air in a few seconds when I step outdoors in this getup. Battery voltage remained 12.2V, pump motor case <100 C after an hour of continuous operation, all zipped up in the Camelback.
I figure I can easily get through a 45 minute shopping trip wearing this -
Attachments
N95s are far and few between; I'd feel far more guilty using one up than going out in public "bagged" as shown. Also, I cant inadvertently touch my face to adjust a mask; "Is my mask on straight? Better check!".
The noise of this particular pump is more like a purr, than a buzz - not too bad - especially when running inside the zipped up backpack.
The noise of this particular pump is more like a purr, than a buzz - not too bad - especially when running inside the zipped up backpack.
any kids with a 3d printer around you or someone who can send this printed by postal service ?
3D print antimicrobial masks - 3D Printing Media Network
A doctor is 3D printing face masks to help meet the desperate need for protective gear - KRDO
Maybe someone here at diya in your state or area may help you by printing it, you pay for the plastic wire and postal service ? You don't need a 100 % oxygen proof mask as it's not a toxic gaz but more to stop micro drops... and if it's not a lift, a supermarket is safe enough with a mask
3D print antimicrobial masks - 3D Printing Media Network
A doctor is 3D printing face masks to help meet the desperate need for protective gear - KRDO
Maybe someone here at diya in your state or area may help you by printing it, you pay for the plastic wire and postal service ? You don't need a 100 % oxygen proof mask as it's not a toxic gaz but more to stop micro drops... and if it's not a lift, a supermarket is safe enough with a mask
"a supermarket is safe enough with a mask". That's what I was using on previous trips - a balaclava with safety glasses. I looked plenty weird in that getup and it was mostly to prevent me from inadvertently touching my face -
Since I read the statement by someone who got infected (loosely paraphrased) "No one was visibly coughing or sneezing and we all got it", I've come to realize that both vectors need to be "covered" as I believe I also read the aerosol one is probably the most prevalent.
Certainly I hope my idea isnt severely flawed in some way I cannot see or didnt anticipate. I only have the materials I have on hand - Hopefully I put them together in an effective way!
Since I read the statement by someone who got infected (loosely paraphrased) "No one was visibly coughing or sneezing and we all got it", I've come to realize that both vectors need to be "covered" as I believe I also read the aerosol one is probably the most prevalent.
Certainly I hope my idea isnt severely flawed in some way I cannot see or didnt anticipate. I only have the materials I have on hand - Hopefully I put them together in an effective way!
Joe, I admire your innovative spirit! But shouldn't you have rubber gloves on too:
Something here reminded me of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who inherited hard times during "The Great Depression" of the 1930's:
So far, so good. We got through it...
Oh wait, it gets worse...
It's hopeless! We are doomed!
Something here reminded me of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who inherited hard times during "The Great Depression" of the 1930's:
So far, so good. We got through it...
Oh wait, it gets worse...
It's hopeless! We are doomed!
I agree, just do a delivery or one where they load the items in your trunk in the parking lot.
Is someone going to spray you down with disinfectant before you remove the setup and get back into your car? Otherwise anything that got on it or the rest of your clothes will be coming with you.
If anything makes it through that top notch, highly tested vacuum cleaner bag it will love the super humid environment inside that hood.
"Since I read the statement by someone who got infected (loosely paraphrased) "No one was visibly coughing or sneezing and we all got it", I've come to realize that both vectors need to be "covered" as I believe I also read the aerosol one is probably the most prevalent."
Read where and from whom? If it were that airborn then pretty much everyone on the cruise ships would have gotten it rather than just a handful of people.
"as I believe I also read" sigh....
Is someone going to spray you down with disinfectant before you remove the setup and get back into your car? Otherwise anything that got on it or the rest of your clothes will be coming with you.
If anything makes it through that top notch, highly tested vacuum cleaner bag it will love the super humid environment inside that hood.
"Since I read the statement by someone who got infected (loosely paraphrased) "No one was visibly coughing or sneezing and we all got it", I've come to realize that both vectors need to be "covered" as I believe I also read the aerosol one is probably the most prevalent."
Read where and from whom? If it were that airborn then pretty much everyone on the cruise ships would have gotten it rather than just a handful of people.
"as I believe I also read" sigh....
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He may not be totally wrong on that. Data recently reported shows that the virus replicates in the upper respiratory tract early in the infection. Even just breathing can aerosolize virus that can hang for a small amount of time. It would be hard for asymptomatic spread to happen if that were not true.
The Diamond Princess data would lead me to believe there is more aerosol transmission, not less.
In SARS 1.0, a lot of people from the Amoy Gardens apartment complex were infected by aerosols from the toilet/plumbing system. It's quite amazing if you read the case study on it; they could even show based on prevailing winds why some buildings were spared. The papers theorized that it could have spread almost 200m in the air. Considering this virus is quite similar in it's survivability, it's a bit frightening.
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Yes, I should. At that point I was just seeing if I could take being bagged for an hour - you gotta try these things out before "exiting the capsule" for real.
I get the wife to go out.
jeff
My wife and I go together. Have been thinking of taking advantage of the senior hours. She picks and puts things in the cart, I push and work the self checkout touch screen.
You do you, but I'm ordering from Amazon or Whole Foods delivery before I walk into a supermarket looking like a space cadet gone wrong.
I'm actually hoping I do get looks of Really? Because yes, it really is as bad as I'd look. You can go out if you're taking measures to assure you're not going to infect anyone else and no one is going to infect you. Otherwise, should stay home. Even Jackson Browne says so.
I agree regarding any virus picked up on clothes, shoes etc wont be any different than if I went to the store with just a mask.
They talk about "viral load", which I assume is the amount of virus you pick up by attending some situation with other people. They say there's a difference in whether you get sick depending on how much you initially take in. Though the hepa bag I used isnt vetted by anyone in this regard, I have to believe it's better than breathing in "straight" air. And, it's what I had on hand to construct something with. I could instead just made a mask out of it, but I wanted to try for something better, albeit less convenient / more weird.
The source of the statement was a link buried somewhere in the now closed thread. It simply resonated with me; "so that's why all those Biogen folks got sick; they were all in a room together having an all-day-long meeting". That's all it took - being together over time. Perhaps they did some stupid "team building" exercise that involved everyone touching everyone else, but I think it was the aerosol vector that got their viral loads on.
I do realize what's available to read on the subject covers all 4 quadrants and you really have to put your BS filter in effect. There are some who think, obviously, "no problem meow". I think Big Problem what can I do to mitigate it just using stuff I have on hand?
People like to talk and those talking in an enclosed space are aerosolizing any virus they may have in their throat. So hang out with a bunch of people in an enclosed space is a recipe for getting yourself sick. I assume stay at home fixes that.
There was a while when my wife insisted we close the toilet seat lid before flushing, as she had read it's not healthy to let aerosolized material just spray all over. I always wondered why toilets even had lids - I always assumed it was for an extra, convenient place to sit down after a shower!
I also thought I had read ALL cases are due to aerosol transmission and no confirmed cases of smear transmission, but "God only knows". In my bag, I'm temporarily protected from both vectors - I can even adjust my glasses w/o accidentally touching my nose.
Another thought on the N95 mask - there's no way anyone could do real work say, on patients in this bag thing - but the mask is ideal for that. When I was last employed, the expectation was to suit up in a Cat IV arc flash for working on anything greater than 50V. That thing was terrible to wear and work in - no incoming airflow at all.
Good tip about lowering the toilet lid. Thanks.
Just to remind ourselves of Joe' splendid engineering skills, which are making us think about all this:
Our local food shops are trying to keep everybody 2m apart and contactless as much as possible. It's very hard to get used to.
We are wiping down surfaces with bleachy stuff then washing our hands on return to our flats and rooms. Communal toilets and showers and laundries are just a problem. One poor soul is stuck in his room, on medical advice, with the snuffles and has problems breathing at the best of times.
With the benefit of hindsight, which is always 100% perfect, We should have cleaned up our act a month ago. All we can do now is slow this horror down, IMO.
I think Mr. Churchill said something in 1940: " We must focus on the arenas where we have hope of Victory and take our beatings where we must. And hope for some turnaround. The Battle of Europe is lost. The Battle of Britain is about to begin."
Just to remind ourselves of Joe' splendid engineering skills, which are making us think about all this:
Our local food shops are trying to keep everybody 2m apart and contactless as much as possible. It's very hard to get used to.
We are wiping down surfaces with bleachy stuff then washing our hands on return to our flats and rooms. Communal toilets and showers and laundries are just a problem. One poor soul is stuck in his room, on medical advice, with the snuffles and has problems breathing at the best of times.
With the benefit of hindsight, which is always 100% perfect, We should have cleaned up our act a month ago. All we can do now is slow this horror down, IMO.
I think Mr. Churchill said something in 1940: " We must focus on the arenas where we have hope of Victory and take our beatings where we must. And hope for some turnaround. The Battle of Europe is lost. The Battle of Britain is about to begin."
CONGRATULATIONS. INCREDIBLE CREATIITY AND SKILL
And clearly it attacked the technical problem the right way.
Thanks for providing full component details so others can try to clone it.
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