Solar oven made me sick

ClareBroommaker's picture

My husband usually manages the solar oven, but today it was windy and, for the first time, it got blown over so I went outside to aright it and see if the buttercup squash had spilled. I looked at it wrong and got a strong beam of light flashed right in my eyes. My husband came out right behind me and was jiggling the reflectors trying to smooth one that had bent. I casually tried to watch and got strong light flashed into my eyes again. Then I turned away to pull some weeds, and when finished, as I walked past the oven I must have glanced over there again, and --yiigh!-- another blast of light.

Well heck, just facing the direction of the low sun on clear day can make me headache-y and nauseated. Getting blasted three times has made me sick for three and a half hours. I went to bed for a while and that seemed to help, but I still feel gross.

Be careful with those reflectors. Ours is not parabolic, so it is not a focused beam, but just mirror-like veins.

ClareBroommaker's picture

Thought I'd add that as we are very close to the winter solstice and the sun is low in the sky, we find the oven can still do its thing. We just brought in a a large sweet potato cooked today. Have I mentioned that we were able to cook our Thanksgiving turkey in it?

Blueberry's picture

When around a solar oven I use something like this. http://www.grizzly.com/products/U-S-Forge-5-Deluxe-Brazing-Goggles/G7520

ClareBroommaker's picture

Hmm, I think solar goggles would need to be full spectrum filters. But then, could I see what I was doing? I need to learn to not look at the thing after it is set. Turn off curiosity about how the thermometer inside it reads or how steamed up the cover might be.

David Trammel's picture

I'll have to see if they come in something other than a full face helmet, but when I bought my last welding helmet it has an electronic view plate. Its connected to a very fast electric eye. When not welding, or being subjected to a very bright light, the lense is just barely tinted. You can see through it to position the welding rods. As soon as the welding flare happens it darkens down to protect your eyes.

That might be ideal for you, since you could see to check the thermometer, but wouldn't catch any harsh light by accident.

ADDED:

They make the lenses in sunglasses now!

https://www.amazon.com/Darkening-Welding-Protective-Anti-Flog-Anti-glare...

lathechuck's picture

I have a fresnel lens, about a foot square, for solar energy experiments (soldering, mostly). While using it, I wear dark goggles, but when it's not it use, I hang a sheet of paper over the lens to guarantee that stray light doesn't accidentally get focused and start a fire. If I had a solar oven, I'd shade it with an umbrella, or tarp, for the few moments needed to tend it.