Just an FYI - I'm an EMF consultant and I have tested several ChiliPad/Ooler systems. They have high electric fields which can be very disruptive to sleep for many. They can be hacked though by grounding with a conductive cloth in a specific way. For me, I sleep awful in electric fields, so I would recommend trying this - you will need an electric field meter however to confirm this.
Cathy Cooke, what are the specific details of "grounding with a conductive cloth" the EMF hack that worked for your ChiliPad/Ooler systems? I just tested my bed and was shocked at how high my meter read, which sucks bcuz I've become so dependant on my Ooler for a better sleep. I'm looking in to EMF barrier fabrics etc, but I'm reluctant to add any thermal barrier between the Ooler cooling pad and my body which might reduce its effectiveness. Thanks in advance!
I bought the Chilli pad a few years ago & sent it right back at the cost of $85 because I read the directions, & you had to flush the system every month! It was crazy the amount of time you'd have to spend to flush it out every month. Secondly, the parts you had to set on each side of the mattress, stuck out into the room for several feet. Ugly. I was frustrated that these instructions weren't easily known before I bought it. I never tried it, so I can't talk about that part, but those two things ruled it out for me. I'm curious about these aspects currently with the ones you recommend.
I just checked and this does recommend monthly draining the cooling unit and putting the cleaning pack in.
I don’t think that will be too time consuming, but if it is I might compromise and through a cleaning pack in once a month and drain it quarterly.
As far as ugly, I think they function well enough that you can put them under the bed, as long as there is a little breathing room and there is open air on one side. You could also put them under a night stand.
I think they are more modern and less clunky looking than the original Chili cubes, but I don’t desire them being on display.
My bed has storage under it, so I don’t have room. But my bed is also designed as a solo bed, where a nightstand is on one side and the other side the floor is not visible. So I keep them on that side, and I only see them if I’m leaning over to work with them.
But again if you had room under your bed you could hide them, and I think they would work fine if you keep the one vent facing the outside of the bed unobstructed and the others you give a few inches of room around.
That's interesting to hear, & I'll have to check the new ones out. I really can't believe that everyone is flushing them out monthly, but I assume it would void the warranty if you didn't. I wish I knew someone who had flushed theirs, to hear about exactly how difficult (or not) it is to do that. One person did say it was part of the reason they returned theirs. The comments are helpful, & the discount is really good, considering how expensive they are.
Well, I can say that I always empty out my Chili cubes before packing the system in checked baggage, because I need to remove the water weight to keep the luggage (half of which has the Chili and the other half of which has unrelated things) from exceeding 50 lb.
I would describe that as pretty easy. But I’m not sure I was following the protocol. And actually I have never done that cleaning protocol with my Chili. I will try it with the Doc Pro.
I have the Ooler and the Dock Pro. You are right about the temps being different on them. Ooler preferred temp is 62 but I can’t get too much below 70 with the Dock Pro. I think there are more tubes with the water in the Dock Pro mattress cover which makes the temp chillier. These things are game changers though. No more waking up from heat and being 55 they have cut my hot flashes by 75%. I love them. The Dock Pro is much easier to keep clean since you can clean the water tank. My Ooler has been sent back a couple of times and I think it’s mostly because I just can’t get it clean. I’m going away for a vacation soon and I will miss being cool all night!!!
I have always slept hot. But then I get cold in the middle of the night. I bought the purple mattress 4 years ago and it’s the coolest mattress I’ve ever had. Not having box springs also helps with air flow.
I purchased the chili pad OG cube model “we” for about $900 in 2019. It worked well for 6 months, then one side failed. Sent back, received refurbished unit. Then 1 month later, both stopped working. It sat unused collecting dust under the bed for a long time. Finally both went back, received 2 refurbished units and am now selling the whole thing cheap so It doesn’t end up in a landfill. Wish it worked but unfortunately it’s frustrating, expensive junk.
I bought the Ooler in May/June of 2020, in large part because of your recommendation. It was brilliant... until it failed catastrophically just 3 months after the end of the warranty. I disassembled it and have some observations for you based on what I found... Here are a few relevant photos and comments: https://imgur.com/a/vtBRNun
I would read through the other comments as several of us have shared our perspective on this. I consider the noise quieter than a fan and much quieter than an AC and would describe it as a soft whir. However, other people found it more significant.
I had a ChilliPad years ago. I was pleased with not trying to sleep on a hot mattress, but also had too_hot/too_cold issues. I was not happy with the motor noise, H2O2 cleaning, occasional leaks, & cost! I now have an alternating pressure mattress pad. The constant flow of air in the pad prevents overheating. MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE. No light, water, programming, WiFi. The KISS approach wins!
Ah I see. With the ChiliPAD, I wouldn’t want it off, but rather raised to 60. With the Doc Pro I can just shut it off because the pad is so damn cooling.
I bought the Ooler in 2020 and loved it while it worked. It was a King unit and one side stopped working 6 months in, whereas the other side stopped working a year and half later. I struggled with customer service for repairs and was rather annoyed and disappointed despite loving the cooling of my bed for improved sleep.
I just bought the DocPro over Black Friday and used it only for 2 weeks. Two issues surfaced...I had to add between 1-3 liters of distilled water every night which i found to be excessive. Often the unit would stop working when the water ran out in the middle of the night despite filling before sleep.
Additionally, I am incredibly sound sensitive and found the DocPro to be too loud for me and it consistently kept me awake at night despite me also using ear plugs to mitigate sound.
I sent the unit back this week. I would definitely not recommend based on my experience.
I’m sorry to hear that. I think your unit definitely had a leak in the system or had a much higher evaporation rate than mine — how hot is the ambient temperature where you were using it?
I use ear plugs but you must be much more sound sensitive than I am, unless your unit was making extra noise from working so hard.
The Ooler *should* be a closed system - there should be no evaporation. If water is disappearing, there is a leak *somewhere*. Because the internal hoses are very cheap vinyl held in place with hose clamps, there are an ever-increasing number of places leaks can and will occur. Very small leaks will evaporate from inside the housing before becoming visible (so that's your evaporation, I suppose), but when the leaks grow larger they will do terrible things to hardwood floors. Ask me how I know...
Also, the radiator fins behind the fan (PC-case-type) in the unit will become clogged with dust (and cat fur! >^^< ), which will dramatically reduce efficiency of the unit. Again, ask me now I know...
I've *extensively* tried out the chilipad, oolers, and eight sleep units.
Uncommonly known: The chilipad/ooler/eight sleeps all use connectors from CPC (colder), which means you can easily use one pad on another. I've got an eight sleep unit hooked up with a eight sleep pad and a chilipad weighted blanket.
This also means you can run units in series for additional heating/cooling. I used to do that with chiliqubes before newer models came out.
Freshwater systems is the cheapest place to buy connectors - you want the CPC/DPC )single/dual 3/8" tube connectors.
Easiest trick for noise = extend the tubes, put the noisy unit in a different room.
Or you can replace fans - there is a guide out there to replace teh chilipad fans with noctuas.
The Chilipads in some ways are the nicest in the middle of the night - they have a big standalone remote.
I do really like the eight sleeps vibrating wake up alarm.
The eight is certainly way nicer to use than the chili/ooler, cant comment much on the doc pro, but it looks to be chilipads version of the eight.
Downside is these are all peltier cooler units, so they are extremely inefficient. If you live in a tropical area, you are better off putting a radiator in front of a window AC and feeding a pad with that.
I only use the vibration part, its useful when I have an early flight or something similar.
The light on the ooler is the UV disinfectant cycle.
Eight has a more powerful heating unit, I have that in Chicago.
LMK if you have any more questions, I've taken apart a lot of these. (I think we met way back at the first AHS conference, or early paleoFX, message me on twitter if you don't have my info)
That’s unfortunate. Very sorry for your experience. I wonder if they went through a poor customer service era. I remember a spate of complaints a couple years ago but it seemed contained.
Dec 24, 2022·edited Dec 24, 2022Liked by Chris Masterjohn, PhD
My Ooler failed catastrophically about 3 months past warranty. So I took it apart (https://imgur.com/a/vtBRNun). It was already unusable, so what did I have to lose? We rebuilt it semi-successfully, only to have it fail again a few weeks later... so we rebuilt it again. At this point, my husband and I can disassemble that thing in no time flat...
My analysis of the Ooler at this point is that it's a great idea implemented with Dollar Tree parts and sold at Sharper Image prices.
I've been considering something like the BedJet which is a lot cheaper and uses air vs water. They also have a hilarious commercial 🤣. Curious on your thoughts of these systems and pros/cons!
Just an FYI - I'm an EMF consultant and I have tested several ChiliPad/Ooler systems. They have high electric fields which can be very disruptive to sleep for many. They can be hacked though by grounding with a conductive cloth in a specific way. For me, I sleep awful in electric fields, so I would recommend trying this - you will need an electric field meter however to confirm this.
Thanks for sharing!
Cathy Cooke, what are the specific details of "grounding with a conductive cloth" the EMF hack that worked for your ChiliPad/Ooler systems? I just tested my bed and was shocked at how high my meter read, which sucks bcuz I've become so dependant on my Ooler for a better sleep. I'm looking in to EMF barrier fabrics etc, but I'm reluctant to add any thermal barrier between the Ooler cooling pad and my body which might reduce its effectiveness. Thanks in advance!
I bought the Chilli pad a few years ago & sent it right back at the cost of $85 because I read the directions, & you had to flush the system every month! It was crazy the amount of time you'd have to spend to flush it out every month. Secondly, the parts you had to set on each side of the mattress, stuck out into the room for several feet. Ugly. I was frustrated that these instructions weren't easily known before I bought it. I never tried it, so I can't talk about that part, but those two things ruled it out for me. I'm curious about these aspects currently with the ones you recommend.
I just checked and this does recommend monthly draining the cooling unit and putting the cleaning pack in.
I don’t think that will be too time consuming, but if it is I might compromise and through a cleaning pack in once a month and drain it quarterly.
As far as ugly, I think they function well enough that you can put them under the bed, as long as there is a little breathing room and there is open air on one side. You could also put them under a night stand.
I think they are more modern and less clunky looking than the original Chili cubes, but I don’t desire them being on display.
My bed has storage under it, so I don’t have room. But my bed is also designed as a solo bed, where a nightstand is on one side and the other side the floor is not visible. So I keep them on that side, and I only see them if I’m leaning over to work with them.
But again if you had room under your bed you could hide them, and I think they would work fine if you keep the one vent facing the outside of the bed unobstructed and the others you give a few inches of room around.
That's interesting to hear, & I'll have to check the new ones out. I really can't believe that everyone is flushing them out monthly, but I assume it would void the warranty if you didn't. I wish I knew someone who had flushed theirs, to hear about exactly how difficult (or not) it is to do that. One person did say it was part of the reason they returned theirs. The comments are helpful, & the discount is really good, considering how expensive they are.
Well, I can say that I always empty out my Chili cubes before packing the system in checked baggage, because I need to remove the water weight to keep the luggage (half of which has the Chili and the other half of which has unrelated things) from exceeding 50 lb.
I would describe that as pretty easy. But I’m not sure I was following the protocol. And actually I have never done that cleaning protocol with my Chili. I will try it with the Doc Pro.
I have the Ooler and the Dock Pro. You are right about the temps being different on them. Ooler preferred temp is 62 but I can’t get too much below 70 with the Dock Pro. I think there are more tubes with the water in the Dock Pro mattress cover which makes the temp chillier. These things are game changers though. No more waking up from heat and being 55 they have cut my hot flashes by 75%. I love them. The Dock Pro is much easier to keep clean since you can clean the water tank. My Ooler has been sent back a couple of times and I think it’s mostly because I just can’t get it clean. I’m going away for a vacation soon and I will miss being cool all night!!!
Thanks for corroborating the temp difference!
I have always slept hot. But then I get cold in the middle of the night. I bought the purple mattress 4 years ago and it’s the coolest mattress I’ve ever had. Not having box springs also helps with air flow.
Thanks for sharing!
I purchased the chili pad OG cube model “we” for about $900 in 2019. It worked well for 6 months, then one side failed. Sent back, received refurbished unit. Then 1 month later, both stopped working. It sat unused collecting dust under the bed for a long time. Finally both went back, received 2 refurbished units and am now selling the whole thing cheap so It doesn’t end up in a landfill. Wish it worked but unfortunately it’s frustrating, expensive junk.
That’s disappointing to hear. Thank you for sharing your experience.
Which one runs the quietest?
I bought the Ooler in May/June of 2020, in large part because of your recommendation. It was brilliant... until it failed catastrophically just 3 months after the end of the warranty. I disassembled it and have some observations for you based on what I found... Here are a few relevant photos and comments: https://imgur.com/a/vtBRNun
Is the Doc Pro still useful for floor sleepers?
I suppose you could lay the pad on the floor, if you don’t mind sleeping on the pad rather than directly on the floor.
A question, rather than a comment. Do these mattress cooling systems make noise? I am sensitive to noise when trying to sleep. ... Thank you.
I would read through the other comments as several of us have shared our perspective on this. I consider the noise quieter than a fan and much quieter than an AC and would describe it as a soft whir. However, other people found it more significant.
I had a ChilliPad years ago. I was pleased with not trying to sleep on a hot mattress, but also had too_hot/too_cold issues. I was not happy with the motor noise, H2O2 cleaning, occasional leaks, & cost! I now have an alternating pressure mattress pad. The constant flow of air in the pad prevents overheating. MUCH LESS EXPENSIVE. No light, water, programming, WiFi. The KISS approach wins!
Thanks for sharing!
Yes. Sorry, forgot to mention that important step!
Ah I see. With the ChiliPAD, I wouldn’t want it off, but rather raised to 60. With the Doc Pro I can just shut it off because the pad is so damn cooling.
I got around the issue of the ChiliPad being too cool at 4am by using a plug-in mechanical wall timer that I set to about 3:30
What did you have it do, shut off?
I bought the Ooler in 2020 and loved it while it worked. It was a King unit and one side stopped working 6 months in, whereas the other side stopped working a year and half later. I struggled with customer service for repairs and was rather annoyed and disappointed despite loving the cooling of my bed for improved sleep.
I just bought the DocPro over Black Friday and used it only for 2 weeks. Two issues surfaced...I had to add between 1-3 liters of distilled water every night which i found to be excessive. Often the unit would stop working when the water ran out in the middle of the night despite filling before sleep.
Additionally, I am incredibly sound sensitive and found the DocPro to be too loud for me and it consistently kept me awake at night despite me also using ear plugs to mitigate sound.
I sent the unit back this week. I would definitely not recommend based on my experience.
I’m sorry to hear that. I think your unit definitely had a leak in the system or had a much higher evaporation rate than mine — how hot is the ambient temperature where you were using it?
I use ear plugs but you must be much more sound sensitive than I am, unless your unit was making extra noise from working so hard.
I live in atlanta and the temperature had not been too hot lately. I imagine it evaporated too quickly as you also suggested.
I am definitely very sound sensitive and I use ear buds so I sent the unit back with this feedback to the company.
The Ooler *should* be a closed system - there should be no evaporation. If water is disappearing, there is a leak *somewhere*. Because the internal hoses are very cheap vinyl held in place with hose clamps, there are an ever-increasing number of places leaks can and will occur. Very small leaks will evaporate from inside the housing before becoming visible (so that's your evaporation, I suppose), but when the leaks grow larger they will do terrible things to hardwood floors. Ask me how I know...
Also, the radiator fins behind the fan (PC-case-type) in the unit will become clogged with dust (and cat fur! >^^< ), which will dramatically reduce efficiency of the unit. Again, ask me now I know...
I've *extensively* tried out the chilipad, oolers, and eight sleep units.
Uncommonly known: The chilipad/ooler/eight sleeps all use connectors from CPC (colder), which means you can easily use one pad on another. I've got an eight sleep unit hooked up with a eight sleep pad and a chilipad weighted blanket.
This also means you can run units in series for additional heating/cooling. I used to do that with chiliqubes before newer models came out.
Freshwater systems is the cheapest place to buy connectors - you want the CPC/DPC )single/dual 3/8" tube connectors.
Easiest trick for noise = extend the tubes, put the noisy unit in a different room.
Or you can replace fans - there is a guide out there to replace teh chilipad fans with noctuas.
The Chilipads in some ways are the nicest in the middle of the night - they have a big standalone remote.
I do really like the eight sleeps vibrating wake up alarm.
The eight is certainly way nicer to use than the chili/ooler, cant comment much on the doc pro, but it looks to be chilipads version of the eight.
Downside is these are all peltier cooler units, so they are extremely inefficient. If you live in a tropical area, you are better off putting a radiator in front of a window AC and feeding a pad with that.
Very interesting! Yes, the doc pro does warm to wake like the 8, although I don’t think it vibrates. I’m not sure as I don’t use that function.
I only use the vibration part, its useful when I have an early flight or something similar.
The light on the ooler is the UV disinfectant cycle.
Eight has a more powerful heating unit, I have that in Chicago.
LMK if you have any more questions, I've taken apart a lot of these. (I think we met way back at the first AHS conference, or early paleoFX, message me on twitter if you don't have my info)
I remember you. Thanks!
My ChiliPAD failed two weeks outside of the warranty period. No sympathy from customer service. I would definitely NOT buy again.
That’s unfortunate. Very sorry for your experience. I wonder if they went through a poor customer service era. I remember a spate of complaints a couple years ago but it seemed contained.
My Ooler failed catastrophically about 3 months past warranty. So I took it apart (https://imgur.com/a/vtBRNun). It was already unusable, so what did I have to lose? We rebuilt it semi-successfully, only to have it fail again a few weeks later... so we rebuilt it again. At this point, my husband and I can disassemble that thing in no time flat...
My analysis of the Ooler at this point is that it's a great idea implemented with Dollar Tree parts and sold at Sharper Image prices.
I've been considering something like the BedJet which is a lot cheaper and uses air vs water. They also have a hilarious commercial 🤣. Curious on your thoughts of these systems and pros/cons!
Haven’t used bedjet so can’t compare. Sorry!