How to stay cool this summer as an Electrician

There is nothing worse than being stuck in a loft during a hot summer’s day or being inside a hot house performing work in uncomfortable temperatures. Below I have put together some tips that will keep you cool when working during the summer. Some of them are pieces of advice and some are products you should look at.

Body Cooling Clothing

Firstly, let’s start with body cooling clothing. Never heard of it? Good. Neither had I. But apparently it’s amazing. The clothing has 2 layers of polyester with something called Hydrogel inside. The hydrogel is an active polymer, which after contact with water, turns into a long lasting evaporating gel. The gel evaporating provides a cooling effect that reduces temperatures by 5-10 degrees Celsius. The clothing comes in shirts, vests, elbow, knee, wrist, ankle and thigh braces to ensure your entire body is cooled down by a substantial amount!

Eating Curry

You may have heard this before, but eating a spicy curry encourages sweating and evaporation, which essentially cools you down. You may find eating it to be a hot experience, but shortly after you will have a period where you will stay cool. Perhaps you could eat it in a slightly cooler environment before returning to work in that unbearable loft. So make sure you ask before accepting the job, if your customer is able to make you a good curry.

Ice Cold Fan

Another simple but effective method of keeping cool is to not only use a fan, but put ice in front of it. Use cups and fill them with ice, the fan and ice combination is truly a master discovery when you feel the cool air hit you for the first time. Whilst talking about ice, if you breathe into a cup of ice, you’ll be hit by all the cold air inside that cup trying to escape, which gives you a quick cool breeze. My advice would be to only accept jobs where you know the house has one of those big American freezers.

Take Regular Breaks

Make sure you take regular breaks if it really is too hot. Physical activity causes the body to heat up, so if you’re working long hours in hot conditions, it is essential to give yourself some rest within that working time to cool your body down. Pair this with drinking a lot of water, roughly 1 cup every 15 or 20 minutes, and you will prevent heat illness and heat stress. It’s quite a good idea to get a urine hydration chart to give you an idea if you’re not drinking enough water to stay hydrated. Just don’t get caught doing it in the garden!

Working Outside

When working outside, the most important thing to do is make sure your head is covered. This is for the safety of your health primarily, and also to keep you cooler of course. Wearing a good hat that keeps the sun off your face and head is vital if you want to prevent heat illness. When exposed to sunlight, wearing lighter coloured clothes will help prevent heat being absorbed as much as darker clothes. I would also recommend wearing sun protection cream on any visible parts of skin, as working with sunburn really isn’t something you want. I speak from personal experience!

Granted some of the above may not be an option, such as the curry and ice, but the others are genuinely good piece of advice I really do suggest you take on board. It’s a serious issue, especially in the UK, as the country seems to lose all hope when temperatures become unbearable, or vice versa when it snows, as we often aren’t prepared for those conditions. Stay safe this summer and be prepared for the heat. Remember, an ice cold beer at the end of the day can go a long way!

After more tips about staying cool this summer? Then take a look at these home air conditioning options!