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Showering at the South Pole

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Re: Showering at the South Pole

#31

Post by Baeocystin »

_boffin_ wrote: post #11
eigenhombre wrote: post #6

Am tickled to see this here, having done these calculations myself in the same place several years running (due to summer visits at the Pole for work from 1997-2011). The author doesn't mention workouts. There are good gym facilities at the Pole, and there's nothing like a half-minute shower (the author's "Option 2") after using them. Now that I know there is an appetite for shower recipes, I'll share mine from 2011[…

Did anyone ever engineer the shower heads to reduce the GPM and thus, increase their shower time?

At 1.3gpm, you're already well into this-is-an-unsatisfying-flow-rate territory. I stayed at a camp once that had .9gpm showers, and even though our time limits were a lot more lenient than what is described in TFA, it was close to the point where I would have rather had a bucket and a sponge.

1.8gpm is the current standard for California, just as an example, and I would say subjectively ~2.5gpm is where you hit genuinely satisfying amounts of water.

Re: Showering at the South Pole

#32

Post by dalys »

pottertheotter wrote: post #20
eigenhombre wrote: post #6

Am tickled to see this here, having done these calculations myself in the same place several years running (due to summer visits at the Pole for work from 1997-2011). The author doesn't mention workouts. There are good gym facilities at the Pole, and there's nothing like a half-minute shower (the author's "Option 2") after using them. Now that I know there is an appetite for shower recipes, I'll share mine from 2011[…

Thanks for sharing. In the picture of Gary, what is the contraption in front of his mouth?

Guessing it is a breathing mask like https://www.airtrim.se/eng/default.asp to make the air you breathe in warm and moist. Common for athletes here in the Nordics. Not sure about the exact science but I remember hearing exercising outdoors starts to be bad for the lungs around -15 to -20C (5 to -4F) Because the air is so dry.

Re: Showering at the South Pole

#33

Post by Baeocystin »

lawlorino wrote: post #25

Quite enjoyed the writing and it’s a fun topic to think about. Would doing a daily “submarine shower” [0] be the best strategy here for maximising cleanliness? This would be use fifteen seconds with water on to get as wet as possible all over, turn water off and apply soap and shampoo, then water on for the last 15 seconds. (Note I’ve never actually tried this so ymmv) [0] https://sketchplanations.com/submarine-showe…

We used to do that as a way to conserve our minimal hot water, and while I can't say I enjoyed it per se, it was more satisfying to have a real blast of water when you could, than just dribbling it out at a paltry rate. And you were able to get clean.

Re: Showering at the South Pole

#36

Post by ocdtrekkie »

umvi wrote: post #9

...why not just have a nuclear reactor to provide an infinite heat source? Submarines at the bottom of ocean have more shower time than south pole stations.

"why not just use a nuclear reactor" might be the most insane "why not just" I've ever seen in my life. :D

Re: Showering at the South Pole

#37

Post by amarant »

_boffin_ wrote: post #11
eigenhombre wrote: post #6

Am tickled to see this here, having done these calculations myself in the same place several years running (due to summer visits at the Pole for work from 1997-2011). The author doesn't mention workouts. There are good gym facilities at the Pole, and there's nothing like a half-minute shower (the author's "Option 2") after using them. Now that I know there is an appetite for shower recipes, I'll share mine from 2011[…

Did anyone ever engineer the shower heads to reduce the GPM and thus, increase their shower time?

Someone made an even better solution, surprised it's not used at the South pole actually!

Originally developed for the ISS, this shower system filters and recycles shower water, saving both water and energy!

https://orbital-systems.com/

Re: Showering at the South Pole

#38

Post by yjftsjthsd-h »

metadat wrote: post #35

With water being so scarce, what are the toilet bowls filled with? I'm not clear whether all water is rationed down there, or only hot water.

It seems likely that the standard for that it lower; you kind of need clean water to bathe, both practically and for sanitary/health reasons, but you can flush toilets with dirtier water. ...Actually, now I'm wondering if you could run toilets with water from showers.

Re: Showering at the South Pole

#39

Post by dalys »

I actually like taking short showers, as a sport! I've optimized it during the years I just timed my 'short' version shower and I made it in 1m 22s, including the 5-10 seconds of letting the water heat up.

1: Drench yourself in water.

2: Use soap where you have apocrine sweat glands ONLY, i.e. groin and arm pits.

3: Rinse soap.

4: Rinse hair and massage with your hands simultaneously.

5: Done.

I used to cover my whole body and soap carefully and rinse it off, but after realizing the foul smelling sweat glands only are in the groin and arm pit area, I realized it's unnecessary.

What about shampooing the air? I don't. I usually only do it before going to the hair dresser, once every two months or so. Does it get super oily? No, you can train your hair not be, if you don't shampoo. Here's how (for people ok with short hair). Just do it after cutting your hair really short. Stop shampooing and instead just rinse it really good. After the shower it's important to rub the hair with a towel really good though. It's much easier with short hair. You can also train long hair by just extending the period between shampoos slowly, there's a ton of YouTube videos about it.

Re: Showering at the South Pole

#40

Post by LoveMortuus »

"Every 14 days: 480.2 seconds. That’s 8 minutes (!!!), 0.2 seconds. Congratulations! You’ve scrounged and saved, and you’ve managed to accrue enough shower-seconds to take an average American shower!

You’ve sacrificed your health, well-being, social life, and potential future job prospects, but you can enjoy a truly obscene amount of shower, guilt-free."

I'm a bit sceptical about the "sacrificed your health" part, I don't have any sources (which is always a good way to start a debate - joke) but I don't think much physical harm can come to you if you don't shower for more then 14 days. Sure, people around you probably won't appreciate it and will probably say something, but I do believe that not showering for extended periods of time is physically safe.

Do correct me, if I'm wrong.

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