Any suggestions for a respirator for aids / cochlear implants. Ready to invest in one . The one I tried at TAW really interfered with my aids. I know I could turn without my aids but like listening to pod casts while in the shop. Thanks
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Respirator for hearing aids / cochlear implants
- Thread starter Ted Pelfrey
- Start date
Perhaps you could explain the issue further for those who don't have hearing aids (yet)?
I have hearing aids but take then out any time I'm in the shop and insert foam ear plugs. Can't wear a respirator as it throws my glasses out of focus, hence, N95 dust mask.
Ted, not sure if you could comfortably wear a Bionics face mask. If you can that’s the headgear my Peke Safety PAPR uses.
I use the Sundstrom SR 500/570 with Zekler over the ear hearing protection. I have hearing aids with speaker in the ear and safety glasses. I have not had any issues with this combination of stuff. I don't usually listen to content while turning.
Fortunately I am not in the hearing aid club. But, dust isn't proving to be an issue for me, either. I've got a few threads in the past year or two where I tell of my strategy of dust control, but this message below proves the effectiveness. I'm not wearing a respirator system, my shop air is cleaner than out in my back yard.
Post in thread 'shop dust collection' https://www.aawforum.org/community/threads/shop-dust-collection.25027/post-284555
Post in thread 'shop dust collection' https://www.aawforum.org/community/threads/shop-dust-collection.25027/post-284555
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Dave Landers
Beta Tester
If your interference is electrical (as in the fan is making your aids buzz or something) then try one of the units that have the fan in a fanny-pack.
Peke Safety Clean Air HEPA. That's the unit I have (without hearing aids - yet). Works great. No fans or batteries on my head. Battery life is exceptional. The Uvex Bionics headgear is a plus for me - fits just like what I wear otherwise, and replacement lenses are easy to get etc.
Peke has several options for headgear - they do not offer the Bionics anymore. But when I talked to Shanna in Sept, he said he still had a few in the back and you could call if that's what you wanted.
I use a Trend Air Shield Pro and have to remove my hearing aids otherwise the fan noise becomes unbearable.
Jim, can you tell/show me what Zekler product you are using, and how you get them to fit with your Sundstrom?
Ted, I use the Peke Safety Power Cap and I really like it. It is light weight, comfortable, effective and the battery lasts me all day. I often forget that I'm wearing it, and it does not interfere with my glasses. There are no wires or hoses to mess with. It is way far less expensive than other respirators.
With my hearing aids on, I wear silencing ear muffs arranged so that the band goes behind my head instead of over it, and the Power Cap does not interfere with the ear muffs. Using bluetooth and my phone I listen to music if I'm doing something that requires concentration, or if concentration is not an issue I listen to library books.
I can still hear any warning sounds coming from the wood, the lathe or the tools. It works great for me, and I have several turning friends who are happy that they followed my recommendations.
With my hearing aids on, I wear silencing ear muffs arranged so that the band goes behind my head instead of over it, and the Power Cap does not interfere with the ear muffs. Using bluetooth and my phone I listen to music if I'm doing something that requires concentration, or if concentration is not an issue I listen to library books.
I can still hear any warning sounds coming from the wood, the lathe or the tools. It works great for me, and I have several turning friends who are happy that they followed my recommendations.
For many years I ignored suggestions, by club members, that we buy respirators to better protect our lungs. A couple months ago, as I was turning Christmas ornaments, I sanded over 5 hours. I ended up with a disturbing cough. I finally opened my billfold after I researched respirators. I have been using the Peke Safety Power Cap for about a month. It has been a great improvement because, unlike Steve's shop, the air in my shop is not better than outside.
Glad to, but it won’t be until this evening. I have conflicts until then.
I should have mentioned it a fit issue , not a ringing issue. It’s mostly my cochlear side.
Thanks guys.
I’m going to Raleigh this June . I would imagine there’ll be several to try there.
It’s a fit issue with the one I tried at TAW. No ringing. Especially with my cochlear side.
Ted, I suspected it was a fit issue. My thought is that a Bionics mask might work, you could probably add 1/4” foam on either side of the cochlear if needed to bridge the headband out. You’re welcome to come over and try mine on.
I looked those up today. Looked like plenty of clearance around the ears. Probably what I’ll go with. Thanks all for the input!
Mark,
I purchased the Sundstrom PAPR and hearing protection from Woodturners Wonders several years ago. My Zekler over the ear hearing protectors are Model 403H. They attach to the helmet using a slot and bayonet (see photo). Glad to answer any additional questions.
Jim
Third vote for Peke Safety Powercap. I wear reading glasses under mine, and they're not tiny cheaters. The Powercap is very lightweight and the battery last a long, long time.
Ha! Yes, my workshop is a miracle of atmospheric sanitation.I have been using the Peke Safety Power Cap for about a month. It has been a great improvement because, unlike Steve's shop, the air in my shop is not better than outside.
No, it's not. I know this is getting far off topic from the original message, but I do attribute the low measured airborne dust levels (at and below 2 microns in size) to my philosophy and practice of capturing and containing dust immediately at the source. I don't want to bore anyone with repeated drum beating of my Raffan-inspired dust hoods, but those threads of mine are easily found in addition to the thread I linked above.
In short, I am surrounding my lathe headstock and bed area with a box, and at the back of that box is the inlet to my dust collector. Air can enter the box from only one direction, and the spinning wood is surrounded by that airstream. If the wood is spinning, the dust collector is pulling air. Dust is unable to escape the box, dust sourced by cutters and abrasives, and the air quality meter sitting off the upper right side of the lathe just keeps fluttering in the low single digits (micron sized particles per cubic meter).
The day I brought home that meter, the outdoor environment was measuring between 15-20 particles per cubic meter of 2-micron and smaller, the particle size that can get to the deepest parts of your lungs. The meter readings in my shop are constantly in the 2-5 range. Mowing my lawn would likely prove to be a far greater threat to my lungs than working wood in my shop, where every machine that can produce wood dust has some form of dust collection hooked up to it. Wildfire days, worse. Dry, windy weather conditions, worse.
Donning a multi-hundred dollar air purifying helmet for a singular process inside of a polluted environment, and then removing the helmet in the shop when you end the process, still has you in that polluted environment if you haven't been capturing and containing the dust at the source. The answer really is simple- take small efforts to improve your current dust collection at the machines (see my other threads), turn on the dust collection when you turn on your machines, and you won't pollute your shop environment in the first place.
Thanks for reading this, and for considering my observations and findings. Be safe. And now back to our regular programming.