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Thread ID: 21799	2002-07-04 05:45:00	Antistatic Procedures	prism (840)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
59781	2002-07-05 00:49:00	Well here's some fun reading to help you solve your kitchen problem. In this case, related to cars seats, but the ideas would apply to your kitchen. THE CONTROL OF BODY VOLTAGE GETTING OUT OF A CAR (www.jci.co.uk) and then there is this: Static Electricity" means "High Voltage (www.amasci.com) An extract: When you scuff your shoes upon a rug on a dry winter day, your body typically charges up to a potential of several thousand volts with respect to ground. Touch a grounded object, and a spark will leap between the object and your fingertip. This kind of electric spark can only exist when a high voltage is present. The tiniest spark requires about 500 volts. Big, nasty, painful sparks require lots more voltage, up to several thousand volts. But even when no sparks are jumping, there is a high voltage between your charged body and the ground, and you body is surrounded with an invisible electric field.	Biggles (121)
59782	2002-07-05 01:02:00	well you obviously havn't seen it when a car hits a phone pole and it hits the electric circuit, instant 10000 volts into your home, jumps those small cicuit breakers and the fuse box, lightning strike achieves the same result. lots of ways it can happen, but anything plugged in when it happens generally gets around 1 to 5000 vaults :> I have seen it alot, it disapates over distance but if your house is withing 500m of the accident........	mutts (790)
59783	2002-07-05 02:51:00	> > Never underestimate the power of the force (static > > electricity, that is). > > OK, so it's in a different league, but for some > reason just lately I've been getting a shock in my > finger everytime I first touch something metal in the > kitchen (cork tile floor) after walking around the > house a bit (on carpet). > > It hurts and makes me jump! :-( > > Goodness knows why it's only been happening just > recently, but I want to know how to prevent it... Well there is an easy fox for that Susan. Stop dragging your feet on the floor:p Also you may have just got some new clothes which are more prone to electricity.	-=JM=- (16)
59784	2002-07-05 03:00:00	> Well there is an easy fox for that Susan. Susan! are you really a fox?...... JM - its not called static electricity for nothing, perhaps Susan is static too long (not moving about enough).	godfather (25)
59785	2002-07-05 03:38:00	Hi Susan, This may sound amusing but you may need to water your carpet. I have been in office situations where static was a big problem and solved by spraying the carpet - I think there is a proper long term substance you can use but a thin spray of water will do just fine to see if this is in fact the problem.	prism (840)
59786	2002-07-05 03:47:00	> Stop dragging your feet on the floor I don't, JM!! I can't stand people shuffling and dragging their feet on the floor (particularly when their trou is hanging around their toes) and I'm a great believer in practicing what you preach. So, I do pick my feet up. > Also you may have just got some new clothes which are > more prone to electricity. Dream on! How can I afford new clothes for me when these two sprogs spend me money faster than I can earn it? It's them who gets new - designer - clothes. :-( Besides, I am saving my shingle for my new PC. ;-) Hang on, I have been wearing some woollies that saw the light of day for the first time since last winter, though. Wonder if they are the culprits? ?:| Nah, it's more likely the new ventilation system that we installed a month ago kicking it. It's drying the house out so-o-o-o nicely. Quite shocking how well it's working then! :D	Susan B (19)
59787	2002-07-05 03:50:00	> Susan! are you really a fox?...... Yup. Foxy lady. :D > JM - its not called static electricity for nothing, > perhaps Susan is static too long (not moving about > enough). You could be right, but then how come I don't get shocks when I'm sitting still? :O	Susan B (19)
59788	2002-07-05 03:54:00	>Nah, it's more likely the new ventilation system that we installed a month ago kicking it. It's drying the house out so-o-o-o nicely. could well be. also if your skin drys out more it allows for a bigger static build up.	tweak'e (174)
59789	2002-07-05 03:58:00	Hey Prism, thanks for that - you're the first person to actually offer a possible solution to my problem! Not sure if I'm game to try that one though, it sounds too temporary . What happens when the water evaporates? What I would like to know is simply what can I touch that will discharge all this static buildup so that I can pick up a stainless steel knife or touch the s . s . benchtop without having my fingers bitten? I remember all those cars that used to have rubber "tails" dragging on the road to discharge electricity from them, so maybe I should have a rubber tail instead of my bushy fox one? :D	Susan B (19)
59790	2002-07-05 05:11:00	Several interesting points have been raised (and razed) in this discussion . Firstly, it is correct that non-registered persons may not repair electrical appliances (for reward or not) for persons other than themselves, and their immediate family . Appliances that they do repair must be tested in accordance with Electrical Code Of Practice (ECP) 51 (available through bookshops or downloadable from the Electrical Safety Services website . Secondly, no matter what blue-coat on Target says, Safety stickers are not mandatory (yet)- but they are a good idea . All computers are required, as electrical appliances, to comply with the requirements of the NZ Electricity Regulations and must comply with AS/NZS3760, the standard which sets out requirements for tsting appliances . Thirdly, the lead I referred to is usually supplied with the earth mat - I too would be dubious of any non-qualified person fitting the earth to the correct pin of a plug, but connecting to the earth of a socket outlet is probably the safest way to get a good earthed connection . Fourth - I was careful to suggest that the advantage of a proper static-free workstation is that the computer is worked on in an unplugged state . Safety is the prime requirement . Fifth (and Finally) - static will kill PC components . This is not a maybe . components can be killed with as little as 100 volts of static . The act of pulling sellotape off a reel generates around 15000 volts of static! Plastics are a great generator of static . Even if the device still works after you have worked on it, static may have degraded it and shortened its life, resulting in an unexplained failure . (I once went into a local PC shop to buy some RAM - they brought out an ice-cream container full of unwrapped RAM sticks - I didn't bother!) Just to add - without meaning to sound too self-important, my qualifications are that I am a registered Electrical Inspector, with over thirty years experience in the electrical trade . I teach electrical engineering at a tertiary institution, including static-safe working procedures, so I consider that this is one of the few areas on this forum where I can contribute something useful in return for all the help I have received . Cheers, andy	andy (473)
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