Electrostatic shock

[CCY]

Is anyone out there manage to tame this monster . Very often ,on getting out of the car I got zzz..zap when I open or close the gate . So much so that I resort to using my backend to touch first before using my hands...:D

[JackRyan1975]

I either close my door with my wallet or push against the window. I'm prone to shocks. :D

[usjarian]

Another thing that I notice is whenever I go to 1 Utama Shopping Mall, either the air is really dry there or that is a high voltage area that whenever I accidentally brushed my hand on something (the staircase, the wall, or even my sister's elbow), i will get a zzzappp. :)

[PJS]

In a shopping mall, it is a combination of the materials of clothes and dry air. When u walk around in clothes made from synthetic materials there will be static build up, and sparks will fly when u touch something. :p

In cars, it depends on the interior upholstery. Velvet type of seat material tend to produce more static electricity and you hands become grounding points. Ways to avoid it is to avoid synthetic clothing(i.e polyester material pants, dresses, etc rubbing against the polyester/nylon velvet seats will create lots of static build up). Have you seen lorries with straps tied to their mudguard which rubs on the road? Those are for grounding purposes. Maybe doing the same, or adding a grounding cable from your car seat to the car body may help? hehehe, just a wild idea. :P

I wear only natural fibres in cotton & wool so I hardly ever encounter this problem. Cars with leather seats also will not see much static build up.

[orchipalar]

Err...CCY:)...should Orchi be not mistaken...in Orchi's own experience...of late for the past months...Orchi has been getting the zip n zap everytime Orchi gets in or out of own 4X4...darn Orchi had it sent to workshop to check for electro leaks...but turnout negative...err...Orchi means - nothing wrong with the vehicle...

However...ahem...been doing some readings...that our human brain transmits electro pulses to work our bodily functions...n especially the heart...wonder IF this has any bearings to the zip n zap in this case...

Or...perhaps it could just be static charges in the air these days...

Err...perhaps our dear DOC CSKok:)...might offer some clues or understandings in this issue...?!

[flaminJ]

I get these also la... very annoying la. Everytime you come out of your car and touch the door only ah, zzzzzt get so agitated at times. Anyone got a solution to this besides using bum or wallet or anything?? just how to earth the static electricity down??

[PJS]

Wear gloves! :D

[CCY]

Wear gloves! :D

Aiyoo... too shy to wear that on a guy lar ....:D

[flaminJ]

the problem is that the charge will still be in your body... when you take off the gloves and touch something else metallic, zzzt !!!!!!! *&%##$%#$# again

[kwchang]

Just remember to discharge the static BEFORE you open the petrol tank cap at the petrol station ... otherwise we have more than fried bananas on this forum. :)

[JackRyan1975]

Touch on human flesh also kena shock. Best is discharge after getting off the car by rubbing ur bum against the car before touching anyone. :D

[lokewh]

I thought I am the only one having this problem after I took delivery of my new car. :p
Now I see many of you also have the same problem. :)

Before I get down from the car, I always hit the car body lightly (like a stupid fool) :D

[CCY]

What about those air ionisers for home or vehicle ? .Can those gadget work to reduce the static buildup ?

[CCY]

I thought I am the only one having this problem after I took delivery of my new car. :p
Now I see many of you also have the same problem. :)

Before I get down from the car, I always hit the car body lightly (like a stupid fool) :D

I hit mine after looking around. Make sure no one if watching ma... else they see me wringing my zzzap..hand :D. Gotta hide my face oso.
Mine is leather seat that gives me that stinging zap . But I do not have that problem on my other fabric seat car . Same clothing worn as well.
PJS says that leather is not prone to these buildup . Then what causes it ?

[KH EE]

from http://amasci.com/emotor/zapped.html

"Static" electricity ( more correctly called "net electric charge" ) appears whenever the normal quantities of positive and negative electricity in a substance are not perfectly equal. Normally the positives cancel out the negatives, and everything behaves electrically "neutral." No mysterious sparking. But if you ever end up with more negative than positive, or with more positive than negative, then you have a charge-imbalance on your body. You will get zapped the next time you touch a large metal object.

Exactly how can this imbalance occur? Whenever we walk, the soles of our shoes steal some negative charge from the floor. We leave behind electrified positive footprints, and our bodies aquire an overall imbalance of negatives. After many footsteps, our bodies attain a high level of electric charge and a high voltage. Body-voltage can easily rise to several thousand volts, and the next time you touch someone else... ZAP!, the imbalanced charge gets shared between you and the other person. The spark is painful because it's extremely hot. It drills into your skin like a white-hot needle, creating a microscopic burned area.

SOME CURES
The simplest cure: before touching a doorknob, a car door, etc., first touch it with a metal car key. The fiercely hot spark will blast the tip of the metal key rather than blasting your sensitive fingertip, and it will painlessly discharge your body's charge. (Grip your keys firmly so no spark appears between the keys and your skin.) Once you've been discharged, you can safely grab the doorknob. However, if you walk around some more, or if you sit upon a plastic car seat, you'll again need to use the keys discharge yourself.

To prevent sparks entirely, we must somehow stop the charge separation process. This can be done by:

* Changing your shoe soles to another type (try leather)
* Raising the humidity in the room
* Spraying carpets, floors, and chairs with an antistatic coating
* Installing a balanced-polarity ionizer fan
* Wearing metal-coated shoe soles (try alum. foil, but it's slippery)
* Wearing a grounded wire connected to a wrist strap

As with the car keys, the problem can also be prevented by discharging your excess body-charge in some way that doesn't cause pain. This can be done by:

* Grabbing the metal car door as you climb out of the car.
* Holding your car keys, a coin, or a metal pen, touch it to grounded metal objects.
* Knocking your knuckles against doorknobs (fewer nerve endings, less pain.)
* Wearing a metal thimble, touch it to grounded objects.
* Installing conductive carpeting, then wearing an ankle-strap w/shoe plate.

Simple solution: whenever sparking is possible, carry a metal object such as a pen or a set of keys. Hold them firmly and use them to touch any large metal objects. If the spark is blasting the end of your car keys, then it isn't burning a hole in your finger. And right after the spark has occurred, you can grab that metal without a problem.

For car-door sparks: if you touch the metal shell of the car as you climb from your seat, there will be no high-voltage buildup and no painful spark. This is good news for the passengers in your car who might not be carrying any keys or coins.

DANGER: GASOLINE FIRES. What happens when you climb out of your car at the gas station? Usually you'll zap yourself on the car door, or on the gas pump handle, or on the metal door that covers your gas cap, and usually nothing bad happens. However, suppose your passengers climb out of the car just as you're unscrewing the cap, or just as you jam the gas pump nozzle into your tank? The whole car becomes momentarily charged. ZAP! Or, suppose you turn on the gas pump and then climb back into your car. When you climb out again, you body is highly charged from the car seat. The very first thing you do is to reach into the cloud of gasoline vapors to grab the metal handle of the gas pump. ZAP! FOOSH! This obviously is a very rare event. However, it does occur sometimes, especially in the winter.

[usjarian]

This news is probably not related to the zip zap that we are discussing here but I sincerely feel pity for the girl who got electrocuted. Should TNB be responsible for ensuring the public's safety, or should we be responsible to check if there are any trees that could fall down and break the electric lines?

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/National/20050510080510/Article/indexb_html

[KH EE]

Just remember to discharge the static BEFORE you open the petrol tank cap at the petrol station ... otherwise we have more than fried bananas on this forum. :)

go here:- http://www.pei.org/static/fire_reports.htm

so far, only 2 US deaths - a person & a dog!

[CCY]

KH...any more info on these 'balance-polarity ionizer' thingy . Can that solve the zapping problem ?

[KH EE]

any more info on these 'balance-polarity ionizer' thingy

sorry, can't get thru the link provided by my earlier posting. anyone?

[orchipalar]

Err...TQ guys n gals for your inputs...for sometime since Orchi thought Orchi was the only person turning negative(-) n green...ahem...the feeling was scary n sorta like being in isolation or something like that....

Ahem...strange though...it never happens when Orchi touches a person...err...otherwise...it be true to the saying that...sparks would fly...n Love is in the Air...:rolleyes::D

[CCY]

Err...TQ guys n gals for your inputs...for sometime since Orchi thought Orchi was the only person turning negative(-) n green...ahem...the feeling was scary n sorta like being in isolation or something like that....

Ahem...strange though...it never happens when Orchi touches a person...err...otherwise...it be true to the saying that...sparks would fly...n Love is in the Air...:rolleyes::D

Aiyooo....orchi ...nanti kena roasted by your other positive part's stinging sparks .:D
Any idea how to swamp these charges away or better still prevent the opposite charge from building up to the sparks flying stage ah....

[PJS]

[* Grabbing the metal car door as you climb out of the car.
* Holding your car keys, a coin, or a metal pen, touch it to grounded metal objects.
* Knocking your knuckles against doorknobs (fewer nerve endings, less pain.)
* Wearing a metal thimble, touch it to grounded objects.
* Installing conductive carpeting, then wearing an ankle-strap w/shoe plate.]

Yes, wearing an ankle strap w/shoe plate is the way to go, hehehe. If you've ever been to an electronics factory where the operators handle electronic parts, u'll notice that they were these stirrup looking nylon straps on their ankle, and those who are stationary in front of a workbench/conveyor will wear a grouding wrist strap. :p

But wearing gloves will still work by preventing your skin to be the grouding point, it will spark from thee glove instead of finger tip, not unlike those who rub their bums on the car. :D

Don't wear those pink rubber gloves lar, wear a cool pair of black leather driving gloves lah! :cool:

But seriously, maybe u should reduce the aircon temp in the car so it is not so cold and dry. Or perhaps leaving the window open for a short while for the humid outside air to come in to neutralise the static charge shortly b4 u plan to stop the car?

[ivanhow]

What about those air ionisers for home or vehicle ? .Can those gadget work to reduce the static buildup ?

Believe this gadget thingy helps build-up of the charges into the air, coupled by the dry cold air from the aircon. It's easy to get body charged tremendously. My gut feel is that the ionizer increases the tendency of accumulated static charge and shock. I once was in a colleague's car with an ionizer in aircon car. You bet, that zap was unforgettable! :eek:

[Alexius Lim]

Believe this gadget thingy helps build-up of the charges into the air, coupled by the dry cold air from the aircon. It's easy to get body charged tremendously. My gut feel is that the ionizer increases the tendency of accumulated static charge and shock. I once was in a colleague's car with an ionizer in aircon car. You bet, that zap was unforgettable! :eek:

:eek: i wonder where else got zapped! how ivan? :p zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt!

btw, if you all really - really got a fetish for getting zapped, next time you fly MAS or any long flight - wear cotton pants, cotton shirt and synthetic socks, and walk (shuffle your feet ) onboard one full circle and then come shake hands wiff your honeymoon partner... and see sparks fly (esp at night!!!) ... :p gurantee no need BirthControl on the honeymoon! :D LOL! all the yunno what :p got electricuted!

[CCY]

Believe this gadget thingy helps build-up of the charges into the air, coupled by the dry cold air from the aircon. It's easy to get body charged tremendously. My gut feel is that the ionizer increases the tendency of accumulated static charge and shock. I once was in a colleague's car with an ionizer in aircon car. You bet, that zap was unforgettable! :eek:

So does it means that those gadjets are useless . Worse still increases the buildup of those zapping charges ?
The puzzling question is that it does not ...does not happen in all cars/vehicle that comes in fabric or leather :confused:. Is there anything to do with the car/vehicle itself ? Maybe something in the car/vehicle is compounding the problem other than the type of seat . The electricals n electronics n sensors in the cars ?

[ivanhow]

So does it means that those gadjets are useless . Worse still increases the buildup of those zapping charges ?
The puzzling question is that it does not ...does not happen in all cars/vehicle that comes in fabric or leather :confused:. Is there anything to do with the car/vehicle itself ? Maybe something in the car/vehicle is compounding the problem other than the type of seat . The electricals n electronics n sensors in the cars ?
Err.. CCY, :) Guess ur right. The type of material you wear and the fabric it rub against also determines the level of charge. When you leave the car seat, that's the time you are separating the +ve from the -ve charges. Before that, it's just the level of polarization induced by the dry air rubbing against the fabric u're wearing. The ionizer helps ioniz the air by inducing charged ions into the air. That's why they r called ionizers :D .These ions get collected on your fabric as they flow along. To prevent the charges accumulating, wear conductive material, or have the carseat coated with conductive material. A damp cloth in the car might help increase the humidity so that charges might not accumulate so easily. Water (moisture) is a somewhat better conductor than most fabric. See if this helps?

[mad1126]

Sometimes I get the shock from my bedding material, My blanket,pillow etc....
when I shut of the light and I slightly brush me hand on the Pillow it will spark and I can see the sparkle as if it is a fireworks.

Just to check anyone having the same experience. :( Kind of scary for me.

Now I feel even my daughter have this kind of problem.

[CCY]

Sometimes I get the shock from my bedding material, My blanket,pillow etc....
when I shut of the light and I slightly brush me hand on the Pillow it will spark and I can see the sparkle as if it is a fireworks.

Just to check anyone having the same experience. :( Kind of scary for me.

Now I feel even my daughter have this kind of problem.

Wow...thats scary duh...

Is it that your room is too dry because of the air conditioning and having a carpeted floor ?

[mad1126]

just air con no carpet