Re: [Killietalk] Shipping boxes; was NEW Flat rate priority mail boxes

[Wright Huntley <whuntley at verizon_net>]

"L. Langione" <lonlangione at suscom_net>

> Some heat pack need atmospheric air to keep on generating heat. When you put
> them into enclosed boxes, they only heat until they use up the available
> air.

Good point, Lonnie. *All* heat packs use oxygen from the air, AFAIK.

I recently received some fish, shipped Express, with a 60-hour heatpack 
that was still warm. The fish were in breather bags, clearly distressed. 
They were warm enough, and the heat pack was still generating gentle 
heat. It quickly got warmer after I opened the box, tho. I then put in a 
freezer zip-lock and it as quickly got cool.

In the next few days, I lost all three, as they were apparently injured 
beyond recovery by the shipping.

My only conclusion was that the heat pack may have used up almost all 
their oxygen. I rarely have used heat packs and then never, ever put 
them inside the styro with the fish. I put the heat pack in the 
cardboard box, on top of the styro's lid. Even regular fish bags 
transport quite a bit of oxygen, and a heat pack (inside the leak 
barrier) can rob fish even when breather bags are not used, IMHO.

Also, perhaps one should make sure the cardboard box is not taped air 
tight (poke a few strategically-placed holes) so the heat pack keeps 
working.

Wright

--
Wright Huntley - Rt. 001 Box K36, Bishop CA 93514 - whuntley at verizon_net
                      760 872-3995

 "France has neither winter, nor summer, nor morals. France is 
miserable because it is filled with Frenchmen, and Frenchmen are 
miserable because they live in France." --Mark Twain

               http://www.libertarianism.com/



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