Method Bathroom tub + cold water + time

[snowman626]

So I've always wanted to ctb with hypothermia ever since I watched the 1997 movie Titanic, it may sound strange but I really like the scene where after the ship sank Rose laid there floating on the water humming a song or something while looking up at the stars. Just another half hour or so and she would have ctb, and it looked so peaceful.

Now I know that submerging in icy cold water is anything but peaceful, but it turns out that you can still ctb in water much warmer than that. Did you know that even in 10-15 degree Celsius water you'd be unconscious in about 2 hours and dead in 6?

Here's a full chart for reference:

This chart was found on http://www.shipwrite.bc.ca/Chilling_truth.htm

So my method is going to be this...

Fill the bathtub with water under the coldest setting, take the temperature of it using a thermometer, and use the chart above to see how long you have to submerge in it before you ctb.

Now I know you're going to say that it won't work because your body will warm up the tub of water. What you can do is unplug the drain just a little bit, then leave the cold water on the tap running just a little bit, just make it so that there is a constant flow of cold water coming in.

Also you wouldn't want to drown (for fear of brain damage in case you get "saved" before ctb), so maybe use a shirt or something and tie it loosely around your neck to something steady on the wall.

Submerging in 10 to 15 degree celcius cold water for 6 hours doesn't seem so bad? Put a TV on or something in the bathroom and watch a few movies while you slowly drift off. Play your favorite music maybe.

Actually I'm pretty sure the coldest setting of tap water will be much colder than 10 to 15 degrees, so I'll likely ctb much faster than 6 hours.

The best things about this method:

• Commonly accessible
• Relatively comfortable (you can control temperature of water to suit your level of tolerance)
  
• No risk of frost bite or permanent damage since water will be well above freezing
• Cost just about nothing

What do you think?

Edit: I just tested my tap water. Filled a bowl with water on the coldest setting and it is 6 degrees celcius. I submerged my hand in the water and it's probably too cold to bear for any more than a minute. So I warmed the water up to 13 degrees celcius and it's just about right, I can submerge my hand in there without feeling any pain.

 

[TAW122]

This sounds like an interesting idea, but also must consider the body's reaction to survive such as to get out of the bathtub or shivering uncontrollably to generate heat to survive. Maybe alcohol and sleeping pills might help in tandem with this method. Other than that, I can't think of anything else that could go wrong with this method. Also if it is really cold, it might be very uncomfortable so that is why alcohol is recommended for courage and combating the body's survival reaction to the cold.

 

[snowman626]

Also if it is really cold, it might be very uncomfortable so that is why alcohol is recommended for courage and combating the body's survival reaction to the cold.

Yeah and also maybe you can do it after a good sweaty workout, like a long run. Also a good idea to lose some weight first, the less body fat you have the quicker it will work.

 

[samuraiwarrior]

shivering uncontrollably to generate heat to survive.

You would shiver for only a few mins. Then shivering will stop and that's a good sign for us coz it means body cannot generate more heat to maintain the required body temperature and would shut down if external heat is not provided.

 

[snowman626]

shivering uncontrollably to generate heat to survive.

You would shiver for only a few mins. Then shivering will stop and that's a good sign for us coz it means body cannot generate more heat to maintain the required body temperature and would shut down if external heat is not provided.

I heard its really peaceful to die this way, it's like you just get sleepy and go to sleep

 

[samuraiwarrior]

Yeah, it's extremely uncomfortable esp the shivering part. But I think that discomfort comes more when we want to live and are exposed to cold temp. But if someone is motivated to die, they can convince themselves that the discomfort will be only for few mins. Everything I know about hypothermia is that it is uncomfortable but mostly painless.

 

[xXSarac3nSlay3rXx]

Forgive me if I don't entirely understand the mechanism of death here. Will this method cause any long term damage if it is interrupted?

 

[whatever1111]

So I've always wanted to ctb with hypothermia ever since I watched the 1997 movie Titanic, it may sound strange but I really like the scene where after the ship sank Rose laid there floating on the water humming a song or something while looking up at the stars. Just another half hour or so and she would have ctb, and it looked so peaceful.

Now I know that submerging in icy cold water is anything but peaceful, but it turns out that you can still ctb in water much warmer than that. Did you know that even in 10-15 degree Celsius water you'd be unconscious in about 2 hours and dead in 6?

Here's a full chart for reference:

This chart was found on http://www.shipwrite.bc.ca/Chilling_truth.htm

So my method is going to be this...

Fill the bathtub with water under the coldest setting, take the temperature of it using a thermometer, and use the chart above to see how long you have to submerge in it before you ctb.

Now I know you're going to say that it won't work because your body will warm up the tub of water. What you can do is unplug the drain just a little bit, then leave the cold water on the tap running just a little bit, just make it so that there is a constant flow of cold water coming in.

Also you wouldn't want to drown (for fear of brain damage in case you get "saved" before ctb), so maybe use a shirt or something and tie it loosely around your neck to something steady on the wall.

Submerging in 10 to 15 degree celcius cold water for 6 hours doesn't seem so bad? Put a TV on or something in the bathroom and watch a few movies while you slowly drift off. Play your favorite music maybe.

Actually I'm pretty sure the coldest setting of tap water will be much colder than 10 to 15 degrees, so I'll likely ctb much faster than 6 hours.

The best things about this method:

• Commonly accessible
• Relatively comfortable (you can control temperature of water to suit your level of tolerance)
  
• No risk of frost bite or permanent damage since water will be well above freezing
• Cost just about nothing

What do you think?

Edit: I just tested my tap water. Filled a bowl with water on the coldest setting and it is 6 degrees celcius. I submerged my hand in the water and it's probably too cold to bear for any more than a minute. So I warmed the water up to 13 degrees celcius and it's just about right, I can submerge my hand in there without feeling any pain.

I've been thinking about this method recently, and had the same ideas - hell, who wouldn't like to (well, I certainly would) go while listening to L. Cohen or some other favorite artist + plus booze yay!
another bonus, I don't mind the sensation of cold that much usually, and I can to some degree depersonalize from (physical) pain.

unfortunately, I haven't find any convincing information that this is feasible - if you do, please share. It's a very passive-agressive way to go, which would be perfect.

I guess the main problem is the obvious one - staying awake making sure new cool water is coming in, and then hoping the last refill will find you exhausted enough to kill you. you might fall asleep or become unconscious and then stay alive because your body raises the temperature.

how would you finish yourself off?

 

[snowman626]

I guess the main problem is the obvious one - staying awake making sure new cool water is coming in, and then hoping the last refill will find you exhausted enough to kill you. you might fall asleep or become unconscious and then stay alive because your body raises the temperature.

how would you finish yourself off?

The set up is to unplug the drain a little bit so that old water escapes, while keeping the tap water running at a pace that makes it so that the tub remains full. This way will ensure a constant influx of cold water. You just have to fiddle around with it to get water flow rate right, once it's right you can just leave it and not have to worry.

Forgive me if I don't entirely understand the mechanism of death here. Will this method cause any long term damage if it is interrupted?

If the water is 10-15 degrees celcius it doesn't seem like any long term damage would happen. I mean, no frostbite or anything. As far as brain damage and all that, I'm not sure but Ive never heard people getting brain damage from suffering hypothermia.

I've heard that with hypothermia the way the brain would get damaged is lack of blood flow to the brain, this happens after a cardiac arrest in which case you'll die from that first anyway

 

[whatever1111]

The set up is to unplug the drain a little bit so that old water escapes, while keeping the tap water running at a pace that makes it so that the tub remains full. This way will ensure a constant influx of cold water. You just have to fiddle around with it to get water flow rate right, once it's right you can just leave it and not have to worry.

oh, so it goes on all the time. hmm interesting. you might become a pioneer

 

[Jc40]

I hope you can for your sake. I tried similar in hospital of all places. I didn't do it to the degree that you are, as in length of time. Was around 7 stone then. I just ran the cold tap and sat in with a pair of shorts on, it was baltic. I was shivering and it was just a cold pain but can you really die this way? wouldn't it be a popular method? I don't know you or anyone here but I wish you luck.
Last year I tried sitting on slabs when it was snowing in shorts and t-shirt but gave up. It seems like a peaceful death though.

 

[snowman626]

but can you really die this way? wouldn't it be a popular method?

You can really die this way, but there are variables that come into play such as your body fat percentage, your age, your health, etc. That chart is just a rough guide and isn't a guarantee, there's always the oddball who survives past the longest time in the coldest water.

I think this isn't a popular method is because most people don't enjoy being in the cold and this would be rather uncomfortable. But this isn't painful though if you find the right temperature. For me 13 degrees C is my sweet spot, no pain when I dip my hand in the water for prolong period of time, but still cold enough to get the job done according to the chart.

Another idea might be to allow your body to slowly acclimate to the cold temperatures by filling the tub with warm water first and then get in, then just slowly replace the warm water with cold water until you reach cold enough temperature to ctb.

 

[snowman626]

just wanna bump this to see if anyone new have any comments on it

 

[Jon86]

I believe this would be near impossible. I've taken ice baths after work (construction) and the water warms up fairly fast. To actually sit in a bath tub in water long enough to die would be harder than dying by self-immolation because it would take so damn long, unless you were fully submerged (head and all).

 

[snowman626]

I believe this would be near impossible. I've taken ice baths after work (construction) and the water warms up fairly fast. To actually sit in a bath tub in water long enough to die would be harder than dying by self-immolation because it would take so damn long, unless you were fully submerged (head and all).

the water warms up fast because you're sitting in an ice bath with still water. with my method there is constant cold water coming into the tub with the old water leaving the drain, so the temperature can remain cold indefinitely. yes it would take a long time to die, about 6 hours, but the good thing is that it's not painful. im interested in receiving criticism about this method because i want to make sure it really works, if theres any problems id like to know what they are so i can think of ways to overcome them.

 

[Jon86]

the water warms up fast because you're sitting in an ice bath with still water. with my method there is constant cold water coming into the tub with the old water leaving the drain, so the temperature can remain cold indefinitely. yes it would take a long time to die, about 6 hours, but the good thing is that it's not painful

Do you live in a cold area? I've taken many a cold shower and work outside in the cold/rain in Canada. The cold is painful, the willpower to stay in the cold for 6 hours would be ridiculous. Unless your Wim Hoff, this scenario is silly imo. Getting drunk/high and passing out in a snowbank in Canada would be a better way to go. Book a ticket to Winnipeg get blackout drunk in the woods and fall asleep forever, that would work.

 

[snowman626]

Do you live in a cold area? I've taken many a cold shower and work outside in the cold/rain in Canada. The cold is painful, the willpower to stay in the cold for 6 hours would be ridiculous. Unless your Wim Hoff, this scenario is silly imo. Getting drunk/high and passing out in a snowbank in Canada would be a better way to go. Book a ticket to Winnipeg get blackout drunk in the woods and fall asleep forever, that would work.

you dont need water that's extremely cold to die. according to the chart you can submerge in 15 degree celcius water and still be dead in 6 hours. I've tried submerging in 15 degree celcius water before, it's the sweet spot because for me it's just warm enough to not be painful but yet cold enough to still be able to kill you.

a cold shower where you're using the coldest setting would be unbearable for 6 hours, yes, I tested the lowest tap water temperature where I live it's about 5 degrees celcius and I cannot bear that for more than 30 seconds. But at 15 degrees celcius it's totally different, I can submerge my body in that for hours and not feel painful.

 

[Longman]

Submerging in 10 to 15 degree celcius cold water for 6 hours doesn't seem so bad? Put a TV on or something in the bathroom and watch a few movies while you slowly drift off. Play your favorite music maybe.

The warmer the water, the longer will be all stages of hypotermia - and the most unpleasant "shivering" stage (that's just my assumption).

 

[snowman626]

The warmer the water, the longer will be all stages of hypotermia - and the most unpleasant "shivering" stage (that's just my assumption).
View attachment 10421

I dont know why but i dont really find the shivering cold type of unpleasantness that bad. I think after awhile you just get into a zone and just reflect on your life knowing its all over soon. Kind of a pleasant way to go imo

 

[housecat]

I remember experiencing stage 2 hypothermia (so far as I can tell) as a child. We were camping and the weather was so terrible that I was laying in a puddle of water. I was cold but ignored it, later I felt comfortable and drowsy. I was asked if I was okay, and sleepily said I was fine and just lay there. I guess I didn't look right and was put in a car, where I probably felt more cold despite being warmer. It is hard to remember details, and I do not know how cold it was or how long I was there, but I do remember the drowsy state; it was kind of nice and I kind of wanted to be left there. I suffered no after effects so far as I can recall.

 

[Superfluous]

I like the concept. Just out of curiosity, how will you ensure that the rate of flow from the tap will exactly equal that exiting the bath over such a long period of time?

Also, I think it would probably take longer than expected compared to full submersion in water. The reason being that a substantial part of your body (back and buttocks) will be in contact with the bath itself, and as baths are made from materials that do not conduct heat well, those parts of the body will retain heat for longer.

 

[snowman626]

I like the concept. Just out of curiosity, how will you ensure that the rate of flow from the tap will exactly equal that exiting the bath over such a long period of time?

It will require lots of testing to get it just right. I tried this years ago by stuffing a piece of duct tape over the drain and then poking a few small holes in it. Then just monitor the flow rate and adjust the tap accordingly.

Once it seem stable just let it run for like 12hrs or even a whole day to ensure it keeps going like that without issues, then when ur ready u can jump in the next day.

Good point about the back/butt touching the bottom of the bath, gonna have to think about that one..

 

[onamy]

You could make the water colder with ice.

I did some physics calculations. If we say that 1 kg/litre of -15C ice is melted and warmed up to 10C, that takes 333kJ energy for the melting and 73.55 kJ for the temperature changes = roughly 400kJ/kg. For a 200 litre bathtub delta t (in kelvin/celsius, same size unit) is 400kJ / (4.22 * 200 litres) = 0.4739 Kelvin/Celsius change.

I checked that in my smallish freezer there would fit about 20x 1 litre milk cartons. According to manual i would take around 4 days to freeze all that. and it would make the bath water 9.48 C colder (it won't go below zero but would stay zero until all ice has melt) It depends a lot on your tap water temperature because that can vary even more (tap water could be anywhere between 7 and 20 C).

You could buy more ice. I checked that in my nearby stores (expensive country) it would cost something like 3€ for 1 C temperature reduction. But in the best case you have a large chest freezer that would fit double or triple of that amount.

a 75 kg human heat capacity (3.5), in a 200 litre bathtub, temperature change from 36 C to 13 C would warm up the water by 6037kJ --> 7.15 C. Additionally, if we count 200W of continuous heat power (very rough estimation: Ambient heat power is around 100 watts, peak heat when excercising is 500W, but the body wouldn't keep that peak up for long), it will warm the water 720 kJ = 0.85 C per hour. So basically not a very significant amount. Most of the heat comes from the heat stored in the body, so taking a long cold shower before going in the bathtub would probably save a few C.

Then you'd need to take into account that the water is going to warm up on its own because the ambient temperature is warmer. Maybe a few C / hour

If your target were the 0.3-4.5 C water temperature for 2 hours and the tap water temperature were 10 C (on the cold side of the spectrum), then with 200 litre tub size and 75 kg human, you'd need around 50 kg of ice for a target temperature of around -1 C (meaning 0 C water with still some ice remaining) in 2 hours, which would be pretty generous time and temperature since the time of survival might go closer to the first option in the table. That that's over 1/4 of the volume of the tub. A gigantic ice block wouldn't melt fast enough, you probably need smaller bricks.

Now, I forgot to take into account that the human would take about 75 litres of the tub. So you need larger tub for that, or more ice. Also, some temps I calculated to 10C, not 0. So add around 20 kg more ice. Maybe doable if you have a large freezer, but probably very uncomfortable, and freezing all that ice coult take over week. If there's winter in your location with consistent temps below zero, you could freeze the ice outside, though in that case it might be easier to find a body of water to commit suicide in. You might prefer the privacy of your own tub though.

 

[Empty Smile]

I'm not disputing this method, but wouldn't it just be easier to wait until winter and go get lost in the woods when the temperature is well below freezing?

I've heard that you just fall asleep and die peacefully, and it wouldn't take up to 6 hours to happen.

 

[snowman626]

I'm not disputing this method, but wouldn't it just be easier to wait until winter and go get lost in the woods when the temperature is well below freezing?

I've heard that you just fall asleep and die peacefully, and it wouldn't take up to 6 hours to happen.

Yes I like that idea too. Id wet the clothes and take strong sleeping pills then fall asleep under a tree. This is actually my method. The bathtub is a backup method just in case I can't wait till winter and need a way out

 

[Superfluous]

I'm not disputing this method, but wouldn't it just be easier to wait until winter and go get lost in the woods when the temperature is well below freezing?

For those of us who live in countries where we don't have winter or snow, this may be an interesting alternative method. Saying that, the temperature of the "cold" water coming from the taps is probably too high for it to be effective without additional cooling.

This is actually my method.

Was that the inspiration for your username?

 

[snowman626]

For those of us who live in countries where we don't have winter or snow, this may be an interesting alternative method. Saying that, the temperature of the "cold" water coming from the taps is probably too high for it to be effective without additional cooling.


Was that the inspiration for your username?

Lol my name is random. Just a coincidence

 

[Empty Smile]

For those of us who live in countries where we don't have winter or snow, this may be an interesting alternative method. Saying that, the temperature of the "cold" water coming from the taps is probably too high for it to be effective without additional cooling.

I thought the same thing about the tap water. Even though he fills it up, and has it to where it's constantly running, I don't think it would get cold enough to cause hypothermia. Think of when you get into a pool, water stays the same temp, but your body gets used to it and you can stay in there for hours.

So yea, unless he figures out a way to bring the temp way down, I don't know what the success rate would be.

Yes I like that idea too. Id wet the clothes and take strong sleeping pills then fall asleep under a tree. This is actually my method. The bathtub is a backup method just in case I can't wait till winter and need a way out

You wouldn't even need to wet your clothing. Take a nice strong whiskey with you, drink up and take a nap. The whiskey will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but the extreme cold is whats going to actually lower your core body temp.


I hate being cold, so this isn't one of my options, unless it's a last resort.

 

[BridgeJumper]

Id rather jump into a freezing cold river, then you cant get out. With a bathtub youll just walk out to get warm, unless you OD or hog tie yourself or some shit.
And how do you make the water stay cold long enough to kill you in room temperature?
Last time I jumped into the river I was shivering so hard it looked like a seizure, even my jaw was clenched and I had ptsd bathing and drinking water for months.
Supposedly hypothermia is a peaceful way to go if you do it right, used to be my bffs fave method

 

[snowman626]

You wouldn't even need to wet your clothing. Take a nice strong whiskey with you, drink up and take a nap. The whiskey will make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, but the extreme cold is whats going to actually lower your core body temp.

Im still paranoid about animals. I dont want to wake up to find some cougar or bear chewing on my limbs. I think I'll find a really big lake and go there in the middle of winter, I'll bring an inflatable boat and just paddle into the middle of the lake. take my whiskey/benzos or whatever and then just lie there in the middle of the lake looking up at the sky while I fall asleep. Will probably do this at night so there's less chance of being found, though i'm not sure who would be paddling around a lake in winter. Looking up at the stars while I fall asleep... ahh what a great way to die