Author Topic: Anyone Else Have an Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) Problem in the Winter? (Read 18424 times)

J-Mac · « **on:** January 08, 2008, 04:35 PM »

As soon as winter arrives and the heat goes on, I turn into "Electro-man"!

My family avoids me like the plague. I don't even have to touch anyone; if I just get too close the blue sparks fly, loud snaps are heard, and people are screaming at me! "Snnaapp!! Oowww! Get away from me!" I look like a complete nut (in reality I am nowhere near complete, but I am trying hard) when trying to put my key in the door lock. I try to turn on a light switch and it takes me forever, because I am putting my finger close and then pulling it away, until finally I flip it and get a giant blue spark jump out and try to take my finger off.

I purchased a little device that can go on a keyring, but I just carry it around my little finger like a ring. If I touch that to something first it gets the shock, though occasionally it jumps right out the back and gets me too. I have a "wireless anti-shock wristband" that doesn't help at all. In every room I have a small electrostatic release pad attached to a receptacle's ground plug, so I can touch that before anything else in the room. Whenever I wash my hands I get a blue spark jump out of the water stream when I get close to it. All that anyone in the house hears from me during the winter months is, "SNAP!! OUCH, @%^$$!!@&^!*^@*!&@^*!!!!!!". Over and over again.

But I can still be destructive. So far this year, even with me taking great care, I ruined a relatively small floor fan, the kind that oscillates and has a small remote control? It was locked in a stationary position and someone had apparently bumped it so it was facing the wrong way. It has a cage coated with vinyl or something, so I did not expect what happened next. I reached out to reposition the fan by turning it a little and as my fingers got to within about two or three inches and a blue flash jumped out and met my fingertips. Yeeooww! Except the fan immediately turned of and has not started again. I have no doubt that it is fried and will never work again. It is still much better than past years, though, when I have fried a digital cable box, a Panasonic AM/FM receiver, CD/DVD multiplayer -- actually part of my home theater set up -- and a 40 GB Seagate pocket drive. Sometimes something that I thought I fried will work again after a day's rest, but too many are ruined for good.

Has anyone else ever had such a problem? I actually mentioned this to my physician once and he simply laughed. One of these days I will reach out and touch his nose - see if he laughs then!

It sounds funny, I know. But it truly is maddening!

Thanks.

Jim

app103 · « **Reply #1 on:** January 08, 2008, 04:43 PM »

Sounds like you need a humidifier of some sort in your house. I prefer the evaporative type.

Outside of your house, there isn't that much you can do.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #2 on:** January 08, 2008, 04:51 PM »

I have lots of static problems with my car (and have with all the different cars I have owned in the past) - the discharge strips you can dangle off the car don't seem to do anything for me so I presume it is me discharging rather than the car!

I also wear a lot of outdoor sports type clothing and find I get zapped nightly as I get ready for bed ... (not in a pleasant way I might add

).

My cats also get shocks from me (which doesn't go down well but they forgive me pretty quickly for my quirky behaviour).

Don't know what the solution is - short of spending your life with bare feet on a floor that conducts to earth!

tinjaw · « **Reply #3 on:** January 08, 2008, 05:26 PM »

Ditto what app said. You should also look at what you wear on your feet while walking around the house. If you can wear something with pure rubber soles.

J-Mac · « **Reply #4 on:** January 08, 2008, 05:31 PM »

Sounds like you need a humidifier of some sort in your house. I prefer the evaporative type.

Outside of your house, there isn't that much you can do.
-app103 (January 08, 2008, 04:43 PM)

Got it via a central air conditioning unit that also controls humidity. Any more and we'll all be dripping!

Thanks.

Jim

J-Mac · « **Reply #5 on:** January 08, 2008, 05:33 PM »

I have lots of static problems with my car (and have with all the different cars I have owned in the past) - the discharge strips you can dangle off the car don't seem to do anything for me so I presume it is me discharging rather than the car!

I also wear a lot of outdoor sports type clothing and find I get zapped nightly as I get ready for bed ... (not in a pleasant way I might add ).

My cats also get shocks from me (which doesn't go down well but they forgive me pretty quickly for my quirky behaviour).

Don't know what the solution is - short of spending your life with bare feet on a floor that conducts to earth!
-Carol Haynes (January 08, 2008, 04:51 PM)

Sounds like you have a bit of this, Carol. Mine has always been extreme, though. I can deal with it, but not the occasional frying of components!

Jim

J-Mac · « **Reply #6 on:** January 08, 2008, 05:35 PM »

Ditto what app said. You should also look at what you wear on your feet while walking around the house. If you can wear something with pure rubber soles.
-tinjaw (January 08, 2008, 05:26 PM)

Rubber soles on carpet are deadly. Lots of static generated with rubber soles.

As Carol recommended, I go barefoot inside sometimes, but it doesn't seem to help. I have so many small to medium size ant-static pads in my house that it's kind of comical at times.

Jim

J-Mac · « **Reply #7 on:** January 08, 2008, 05:36 PM »

I keep thinking that with technology exploding as it is, there will be something discovered to take care of this. But it never seems to happen.

Jim

Dell[a] · « **Reply #8 on:** January 08, 2008, 05:55 PM »

J-mac, were you ever struck by lightening anytime in your life? hanging out with you must be an electricfying experience

tinjaw · « **Reply #9 on:** January 08, 2008, 07:01 PM »

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100 Anti Static, Skid Shoe Covers Large Blue NR New - eBay (item 300180083257 end time Feb-04-08 16:07:54 PST)
http://cgi.ebay.com/...083257QQcmdZViewItem

a_lunatic · « **Reply #10 on:** January 08, 2008, 08:54 PM »

I wear only cotton clothing as with any synthetic clothing rubbing against another synthetic material it makes me into a "Electro-man"

J-Mac · « **Reply #11 on:** January 09, 2008, 12:24 AM »

J-mac, were you ever struck by lightening anytime in your life? hanging out with you must be an electricfying experience
-Dell[a] (January 08, 2008, 05:55 PM)

No!

Though there have been harrowing times, no lightning.

Jim

J-Mac · « **Reply #12 on:** January 09, 2008, 12:26 AM »

I wear only cotton clothing as with any synthetic clothing rubbing against another synthetic material it makes me into a "Electro-man"
-a_lunatic (January 08, 2008, 08:54 PM)

Same here - 100% cotton. Though that has always been because poly's were always so hot in the past. nylon, polyester, etc. - anyone remember when those first came out? Mostly for the "wrinkle-free" properties? You'd sweat just looking at them!

Jim

lanux128 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 09, 2008, 06:08 AM »

wow! this is just crazy. i've never experienced winter so i didn't know about this side-effect. but i discharge static all the time even though i'm in a humid area and my fingertips get extremely ticklish at times..

tomos · « **Reply #14 on:** January 09, 2008, 06:58 AM »

i've never experienced winter
-lanux128 (January 09, 2008, 06:08 AM)

actually

I have lots of static problems with my car (and have with all the different cars I have owned in the past)
-Carol Haynes (January 08, 2008, 04:51 PM)

I have that too and know of others with the same problem - have read [and experienced myself] that it's worse autumn (and spring i think) for "continental" climate at any rate and is to do with weather but definitely todo with person too.
I try flicking/tipping the car with my fingertips before I put key in cause sometimes I get a shock so bad I have a very sore finger for the rest of the day..
I'm sure it's entertaining for any passersby..

not as good/bad as J-Mac though

lanux128 · « **Reply #15 on:** January 09, 2008, 07:15 AM »

i've never experienced winter
-lanux128 (January 09, 2008, 06:08 AM)

-tomos (January 09, 2008, 06:58 AM)

it's true!

check out the Frappr map thread..

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #16 on:** January 09, 2008, 07:18 AM »

The winter problem arises because you inevitably wear multiple layers and man made fibre layers rubbing together turn you in to a Van der Graff generator

i've never experienced winter ...
-lanux128 (January 09, 2008, 06:08 AM)

Some people have all the luck!

Actually I love winter - but in the UK we don't get proper winters any more, at least not with snow and blue skies. If we are lucky enough to get snow (and I live in the Pennines - little mountain range running from the Scottish border to the Midlands so should get snow if anywhere does) it always melts or turns into brown mush within a few hours or a day at most - never enough time for stuff to properly freeze for skiing or ice climbing! Most of winter in the UK is just cold, damp and miserable with grey skies - so you ain't missing much!

lanux128 · « **Reply #17 on:** January 09, 2008, 08:01 AM »

i've never experienced winter ...
-lanux128 (January 09, 2008, 06:08 AM)

Some people have all the luck!
-Carol Haynes (January 09, 2008, 07:18 AM)

on the other hand, there is rain throughout the year..

Rainfall is well distributed throughout the year and falls on as many as 150 to 200 days almost everywhere. In most places there is a definite double rainy season, with the heaviest rains falling in the two periods March to May and September to November.
-bbc weather

• http://www.bbc.co.uk...ts.shtml?tt=TT002590

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #18 on:** January 09, 2008, 08:37 AM »

i've never experienced winter ...
-lanux128 (January 09, 2008, 06:08 AM)

Some people have all the luck!
-Carol Haynes (January 09, 2008, 07:18 AM)

on the other hand, there is rain throughout the year..

Rainfall is well distributed throughout the year and falls on as many as 150 to 200 days almost everywhere. In most places there is a definite double rainy season, with the heaviest rains falling in the two periods March to May and September to November.
-bbc weather
• http://www.bbc.co.uk...ts.shtml?tt=TT002590
-lanux128 (January 09, 2008, 08:01 AM)

Sounds pretty much like where I live ... been raining on an almost daily basis for months (with about 2 weeks of nice weather at the beginning of December). July and August I thought the UK had shifted into the monsoon belt (and so did most of northern England with the worst summer flooding on record).

lanux128 · « **Reply #19 on:** January 09, 2008, 09:04 AM »

July and August I thought the UK had shifted into the monsoon belt (and so did most of northern England with the worst summer flooding on record).
-Carol Haynes (January 09, 2008, 08:37 AM)

must be the weather phenomenon Al Gore had been giving speeches about..

cranioscopical · « **Reply #20 on:** January 09, 2008, 11:22 AM »

No! Though there have been harrowing times, no lightning.
-J-Mac (January 09, 2008, 12:24 AM)

There's your problem, then... head outside during the next big thunder storm!

Ehtyar · « **Reply #21 on:** January 09, 2008, 09:20 PM »

Oh wow, I thought it was just me!!! I'm holidaying in the US atm (winter) and I can't believe how much i seem to be zapping everything. Guess I need one of those humidifiers too.

Ehtyar.