Question about Heated seats on lifts

joshua_segal

So, I was on the Sunburst at Okemo with its lovely heated seats, From where is it getting its power? I couldn't see a place for or battery or imagine a battery that could hold enough juice to last a cold day

skelley19

I am not sure about the Okemo chair but I think I remember in reading up about either the Kanc8 or the Tecumseh 8 that the chairs got charged in the barn at night. Probably a large flat rectangle battery similar to an EV that would hold a charge all day.

conrad

There is a battery on the chair somewhere. They may get a full charge overnight, but I believe they charge as they travel through the terminals as well. They might not even rely on an overnight charge at all. It must be kind of like how bumper cars get their power. You can see the black wire that connects the battery up to the power source. I guess if it isn't able to charge enough, well then you're seat just won't be heated the full length of your ride. I would guess the heaters would go off on the downward trip. But I have no specific knowledge of Sunburst so please don't take me literally, just speculating. This power source may also power a motor that raises the bar automatically, I'm not sure.

tedede

No batteries on the chair, they get warmed up in the terminal and the head dissipates on your ride up. There are three power rails. Both sides and the arc.

https://www.doppelmayr.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Sitzheizung_ENG_20092013_RZ.pdf

joshua_segal

conrad;c-58308 wroteThere is a battery on the chair somewhere. They may get a full charge overnight, but I believe they charge as they travel through the terminals as well. They might not even rely on an overnight charge at all. It must be kind of like how bumper cars get their power. You can see the black wire that connects the battery up to the power source. I guess if it isn't able to charge enough, well then you're seat just won't be heated the full length of your ride. I would guess the heaters would go off on the downward trip. But I have no specific knowledge of Sunburst so please don't take me literally, just speculating. This power source may also power a motor that raises the bar automatically, I'm not sure.
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Your answer makes sense, because they don't always put the chairs in the barn overnight. Still, I didn't see a chord from the chair or a charging point on or near the grip.

joshua_segal

tedede;c-58309 wroteNo batteries on the chair, they get warmed up in the terminal and the head dissipates on your ride up. There are three power rails. Both sides and the arc.

https://www.doppelmayr.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Sitzheizung_ENG_20092013_RZ.pdf

Thanks, Ted. That's a very interesting pdf that you cited.

tedede

Blow up your photo and look above the "47" chair number and you'll see the "cord". While a warm buttocks will make many a lift rider sing, I doubt the average heated chairlift sextet could form a "chord".

tedede

joshua_segal;c-58311 wrote Thanks, Ted. That's a very interesting pdf that you cited.

My pleasure. I've considered the same question and a dull afternoon afforded me a little research time.

joshua_segal

tedede;c-58312 wroteBlow up your photo and look above the "47" chair number and you'll see the "cord". While a warm buttocks will make many a lift rider sing, I doubt the average heated chairlift sextet could form a "chord".

Nailed by the grammar police!

skelley19

I just looked back and couldn't find anything about the Kanc8 or the Tecumseh 6 (not 8 as I said earlier) charging in the barn. Maybe it is how MND will do it on the Tecumseh and I read about that previously or maybe I just completely misremember? Here you can see the terminal charge wire on the Kanc8:

Cannonball

Gets charged each time the chairs come through the bottom terminal with enough heat to make the trip to the top

newpylong

Pretty awesome technology compared to the old Skyeship in '94 with the batteries that lasted a season.

conrad

Surprised to learn no batteries! But it makes sense!

conrad

This video does a great job explaining the system used on Sunburst and confirms that while Doppelmayr might not use batteries, Leitner Poma does indeed. Or at least they did in 2014.

Perhaps the blue box on the bottom is the battery?

tedede

There are no batteries. The guy on that video is wrong.

Generating the amount of heat needed for a chair that large would require a battery 20x the size of the blue box pictured.

The seat is heated, you plop your butt on it. It stays warm for the next 4-6 minutes. There is insulation under the seat and a bubble over you.

Chuckstah

https://www.nj.com/skiing/2014/12/how_they_heat_the_seats_on_oke.html

This explains the heat fairly well. No batteries.

conrad

Funny, that is the same source. Perhaps the guy was just trying to make things understandable to the layman in the video, but fully explained it for the article. But it makes so much sense that they wouldn't use batteries. I guess the safety bars must open in the same way doors open on gondolas, by a mechanism in the terminals.

obienick

Here’s a video inside the terminal of D-Line seat heating. Electricity through those two orange rails provide power. Based on the orange grip springs this would be the Kanc8

Beast Patroller

i guess you can call me old fashion, but I don't see the attraction of the heated seats. I've been skiing for 55 yrs. and when it's cold (or wet) I'll just slap on my pair of "hot buns" and I'm good to go. Though I'll admit I do like the bubble lifts on a cold/windy day or when it's snowing or making snow.

joshua_segal

Beast Patroller;c-58766 wrotei guess you can call me old fashion, but I don't see the attraction of the heated seats. I've been skiing for 55 yrs. and when it's cold (or wet) I'll just slap on my pair of "hot buns" and I'm good to go. Though I'll admit I do like the bubble lifts on a cold/windy day or when it's snowing or making snow.

I too have 55+ years of skiing behind me and felt the way you did, until I sat down on the Sunburst at Okemo on a cold-windy day. I became an instant convert!