[Noisebridge-discuss] Heating without electricity + watt/hour meter

Christie Dudley longobord at gmail.com
Wed Dec 9 00:44:52 UTC 2009


I wasn't suggesting that we had to adhere to code, I was suggesting that
there's a reason that code exists.

To say that "people don't complain so it's not a problem" suggests that we
want people not to come to the space. Is that really the "feature" you're
after?  I'm not suggesting that it's a good idea to heat the space up to a
comfortable 70 degrees when it gets all freezy cold out. 50, even 60, is NOT
comfortable and people will still probably want to leave their mufflers on.
They would still want to go to a bar if they're drinking, although I would
point out that those who mind the cold the least are those with alcohol in
their bloodstream (as it dilates capillaries and makes them feel less
cold).  I'm just saying that it's the better part of wisdom to have the
capacity to keep the space at a level that it's not hazardous to people's
health to be there.

Even if you're perfectly healthy and bundled up, spending hours on end at
that temperature where your face and hands are exposed increases your risk
of getting sick.  Even healthy people are more prone to catching cold when
trying to work in these conditions, especially when your body is not used to
it (like none of us are).

And then there's the danger of using shop equipment with all this extra
clothing on.  I would strongly recommend putting a heater in or near  the
dirty shop so as to facilitate the bare arms required to operate the lathe,
etc. not to mention the fact that it's in about the center of the space, so
would help keep the entire space warm.

I would even posit, according to Vlad's estimation, that people will hack
their own solution if we don't find a more well-planned solution.  I've
already heard some discussion about building induction heaters, which sounds
neat but more than a little dangerous.

Christie
---
Why I take the road less traveled?  Oh, that's easy.  I'm claustrophobic.


On Tue, Dec 8, 2009 at 3:39 PM, Josh Myer <josh at joshisanerd.com> wrote:

> On Tue, Dec 8, 2009 at 3:20 PM, Christie Dudley <longobord at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Not to be too disparaging on "bundling up", I'd like to point out that it
>> doesn't work for everyone.  Just like negligence in the elevator working and
>> other "non-able-bodied" concerns, we're neglecting the health of the
>> not-terribly-healthy segment of the noisebridge population by asking this of
>> them.
>>
>> National residential building code says that there has to be a way to keep
>> any space above 50 degrees at 3' above floor level. (I'm not sure what
>> commercial standards apply)  I don't think it's a waste of noisebridge
>> resources to purchase a $3-400 propane heater, a tank and enough propane to
>> run it when the temp drops below 50 inside.
>>
>>
> And commercial kitchens have to use bleach on all prep surfaces every
> night.  Fortunately, we're not a commercial kitchen or a residence, so those
> codes don't apply to us.  Whew.
>
> I'm all for being sensitive about people's needs, but I haven't seen anyone
> directly complain, "I'm not going to noisebridge to do something awesome
> because it's too cold for my ${condition}."  I _have_ noticed people leaving
> noisebridge to go out and drink elsewhere, so I'm currently considering the
> cold to be a feature, not a bug.
>
> It is just the beginning of winter, but it's also about as cold as SF ever
> gets, and has been for a few days now.  The space is unlikely to get any
> colder than it is now, and adding curtains and baffling to the
> windows/skylights will help retain the heat we have in the space.  If, after
> that's done,  the cold is still keeping people from contributing to the
> space in a meaningful way, let them speak up and solve the problem.  Until
> then, I'm happy to kick in a couple loaner beanies.
> --
> Josh Myer 650.248.3796
> josh at joshisanerd.com
>
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