If you spend a lot of time outdoors during the colder months (whether for enjoyment or employment), you’ll feel the benefit of wearing a heated jacket. Gone are the days of wandering out of the house in the morning to be met with the cold bite of winter, even if it’s just to run from your front door and into your car quickly or to stop you from freezing whilst defrosting it.
Heated Jackets: Everything You Need To Know
Sceptical about heated jackets? Read on to have your questions answered.
How Do Heated Jackets Work?
Heated jackets work similarly to warm blankets and car seats. During assembly, the back of each coat is lined with an electronically powered copper heating zone, powered by a battery pack which sits within an inside pocket. They’re toggled on and off via a remote temperature control inside the jacket, of which there are up to three different heating settings to choose from.
How Long Does The Battery Pack Last?
On a full charge, you can expect up to two hours worth of continuous heating. The battery is USB powered and sold separately from the heated jacket. We recommend disconnecting the battery when you aren’t wearing the coat, as the battery can slowly drain over time.
Fun Fact: You can also charge your smartphone!
How Long Do Heated Jackets Take To Heat Up?
The heated jackets don’t warm up instantaneously; they’ll take a few minutes to fully get going to a point where you’ll start to feel the benefit. Once you’re fully warmed up, you won’t need to keep the heating functionality switched on, as the insulating theologue technology will take over and help to retain all the core body heat you’ve built up.
Can A Heated Jacket Electrocute?
No, you will not be electrocuted if it starts raining, snowing, or you are plunged into a dunk tank wearing a warm coat or other heated clothing. If the clothing is used correctly, there is not enough voltage in warm clothing to electrocute a human being. In addition, these jackets and other warm clothing use waterproof membranes to surround the heating elements to protect them from the risk of shock.
Most warm clothing operates on 5V, 7.3V, 12V or 20V batteries which are not enough to injure a person. You have to get into the 40V range before humans can be injured. All reputable heated clothing manufacturers also put safety systems in their clothing that shut the power down if it detects an issue with the battery or heating zones. Standard safety features include:
- Short-cut protection
- Smart voltage detection
- Over Charge & Discharge Protection
- Over Voltage Protection
- Overcurrent Protection
- Short Circuit Protection
- Over & Under Temperature Protection
- LoopBack Protection
While there is a small chance you will feel a slight tingle if suddenly plunged into a pool, most people wouldn’t even feel that. However, if you jump into a pool, river, ocean, or other body of water with the battery in the clothing, the battery will most likely be ruined.
Pouring rain, snow, hail or other precipitation falling from the sky will not impact you or the warm clothing’s performance. In most cases, these apparel will work even after being completely soaked, as long as the battery was not in the clothing when your dunking happened.
The bottom line is that warm clothing will not electrocute you if used correctly, and you can safely wear it on the wettest days. Find your outdoor heated vest right here at Doacewear.
Can Your Heated Jacket Catch Fire?
No. It is almost unheard of for a jacket or other warm garment to catch fire. Most heated clothing uses carbon fiber heat zones, and carbon fiber has a flashpoint above 1800°F, so it is almost impossible for the heat zones or clothing to catch fire.
In addition, most warm clothing will have an internal thermostat, which will heat it to the desired temperature setting, but if the temperature exceeds this setting for any reason. This built-in safety cut-out will turn the jacket off immediately.
There have been a few incidents of defective batteries catching on fire, but this is extremely rare and seems to happen when the battery is being charged, not while in heated clothing.
Artistry Is Key
As with everything in life, it pays to deal with reputable manufacturers who take care to make sure their product is safe. Buying the cheapest warm jacket, you can find from a questionable brand is rarely a good idea.
There was a recall of warm clothing products by one manufacturer back in 2007 due to the risk of overheating or catching fire, which highlights the fact that it pays to do your research (or let us do it for you) before purchasing a heated jacket or other pieces of warm clothing. It is advised to always stick with companies that have earned a reputation for safe and reliable products.
Are Heated Jackets Safe?
Yes. Heated jackets are safe, though skepticism about their safety is reasonable as water and electricity don’t make for a healthy combination. If the jacket were to somehow get wet inside the lining, we would advise taking the coat off and disconnecting the battery immediately, though getting wet won’t damage the blazer.
The temperature control embedded within the coat is waterproof, and you can even wash the jacket in your washing machine if the USB battery is removed before washing. It’s also worth noting that you should not use a heated coat if you suffer from a severe illness or chronic health condition such as heart disease, anemia, low blood pressure, paralysis, hypertension, diabetes or any other condition that causes poor circulation.
As for the battery, you’re protected by a variety of safety features, including:
- Over Charge & Discharge Protection
- Over Voltage Protection
- Overcurrent Protection
- Short Circuit Protection
- Over & Under Temperature Protection
- Loop Back Protection
