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Thread: Static electricity from vacuum cleaners

  1. #1
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    Static electricity from vacuum cleaners

    In using a shop vac to vacuum in the garage on a cold dry day, I sometimes shocks of static electricity when I touch something that is grounded, like a work light or exposed wiring in the attic. I've also gotten static shocks from using an ordinary vacuum cleaner on outdoor carpet in a carport. I associate this problem with the mostly plastic construction of modern vacuum cleaners. Is there a simple way to prevent it? - some sort of anti-static spray?

  2. #2
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    Replace the hose with a rubber one or put a copper wire inside the one you have.
    https://www.dustlesstools.com/blog/h...r-vacuum-hose/

  3. #3
    It is the dust and air going through the plastic hose. I suppose you could run a ground wire along the hose to help dissipate it. For an upright one, I suppose it could be the beater brush on the carpet, or maybe air and dust through the body of the vac; not sure how you fix either of those.

    One of the more annoying winter static rituals I have found is getting shocked every few minutes pushing the cart at the local grocery store. It doesn't always happen, but there is apparently some humidity level that allows the friction between the wheels and the carpet to build up a static charge that then zaps me through the cart handle.

  4. #4
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    The issue is that the hose is non conductive.

    I have a festool shop vacuum, the hose is conductive and is connected to ground by the vacuum, no static issues.

    To do this you need a vacuum with a 3 conductor cord to provide the ground connection...............Regards, Rod.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Seemann View Post
    It is the dust and air going through the plastic hose. I suppose you could run a ground wire along the hose to help dissipate it. For an upright one, I suppose it could be the beater brush on the carpet, or maybe air and dust through the body of the vac; not sure how you fix either of those.

    One of the more annoying winter static rituals I have found is getting shocked every few minutes pushing the cart at the local grocery store. It doesn't always happen, but there is apparently some humidity level that allows the friction between the wheels and the carpet to build up a static charge that then zaps me through the cart handle.
    You could put a chain around your leg and have it dragging on the ground, just like the trucks do. That might help the situation. Or at the very least it’s a good conversation starter with the women.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Andrew Seemann View Post
    One of the more annoying winter static rituals I have found is getting shocked every few minutes pushing the cart at the local grocery store. It doesn't always happen, but there is apparently some humidity level that allows the friction between the wheels and the carpet to build up a static charge that then zaps me through the cart handle.
    Your grocery store has carpeting?? I can't imagine a worse floor covering for that env.
    Brian

    "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger or more complicated...it takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." - E.F. Schumacher

  7. #7
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    When I first installed my pvc pipe system for my dust collector it generated lots of static. After a short while airborne dust collected on the outside of the pipes and the static was gone and hasn't come back.

    Try this with your shop vac & hose. Get a bucket of saw dust and rub the outside of your shop vac & hose with the saw dust.

  8. #8
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    At the lab the carts for liquid hydrogen had conductive rubber wheels and they had a soft wire cable dragging on the floor. Remember when police cars had that ground wire dragging under them. I always though it was to protect the radio.
    Bil lD

  9. #9
    Worst static shocks I've ever gotten, and still get, are simply from pulling 2 sheets of plastic apart. The worst is when one or both of them have metallic surface like imitation brass or aluminum engraving stock. A spark between those can travel over 3", and the jolt is right up there with getting nailed by a spark plug wire! I have a 20x24" sticky-mat for holding parts for engraving, when pulling it off the hard anodized aluminum engraving table, simply pulling it off the table creates about a thousand static sparks between it and the table; if I pull too fast I'll get jolted pretty good.

    Our malte-poo, she'll walk from the couch the wife's sitting on to my recliner, and before she'll walk onto ME, she'll dangle her paw about an inch from my belly for a couple of seconds, because she's afraid of the spark that almost always happens

    Getting a static electricity making machine like a vacuum cleaner to NOT shock you-- I'd try rubber gloves
    ========================================
    ELEVEN - rotary cutter tool machines
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    THREE- make that FOUR now - fiber lasers
    ONE - vinyl cutter
    CASmate, Corel, Gravostyle


  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    At the lab the carts for liquid hydrogen had conductive rubber wheels and they had a soft wire cable dragging on the floor. Remember when police cars had that ground wire dragging under them. I always though it was to protect the radio.
    Bil lD
    Many of you are too young to remember vinyl seats in cars. Many people were routinely zapped as the would get in or out of the car due to the static created between their clothes and the plastic seats. Many cars would have conductive rubber strips hanging off the frame of the car to dissipate the charge on the car. My wife purchased a 53 olds with those seats before we weremarried and she was getting zapped until we installed a conductive rubber strip under the car.
    Lee Schierer
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  11. #11
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    Static electricity could rob me of my hearing via my cochlear implant by damaging it. Understand that static electricity in electronics doesn't have to be catastrophic but can also be additive to eventually render something damaged beyond use. Buffing on my lathe projects I have to wear a static discharge wristband that is grounded to the lathe by a springy cable. It's the same type device I wore when I was installing and servicing MR & CT scanners.
    Ken

    So much to learn, so little time.....

  12. #12
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    Thanks Lee. You are correct they were rubber not metal. Didn't they have something at a toll booth to ground the cars to prevent shocks as money was handed over.
    Bil lD
    Last edited by Bill Dufour; 01-05-2021 at 3:20 PM.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    Thanks Lee. You are correct they were rubber not metal. Didn't they have something at a toll booth to ground the cars o prevent shocks as money was handed over.
    Bil lD
    I remember seeing something sticking up in the middle so the lane at toll booths and it might have been for that purpose, but most likely wasn't effective due to the dirt/undercoating on the under carriage of most vehicles.
    Lee Schierer
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    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

  14. #14
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    AFAIK they still say if you are in your car and a powerline falls onto it stay inside. the rubber tires insulate you from the ground so you are safe until you set foot on the ground.
    Bill D
    Last edited by Bill Dufour; 01-06-2021 at 2:49 PM.

  15. #15
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bill Dufour View Post
    AFAIK they still say if you are in your car and a powerline falls onto it stay inside. the rubebr tires insulate you from the ground so you are safe until you set foot on the ground.
    Bill D
    The same is supposed to be true of a lightning strike on your car or airplane if you are inside. I don't want to try either.....
    Lee Schierer
    USNA '71
    Go Navy!

    My advice, comments and suggestions are free, but it costs money to run the site. If you found something of value here please give a little something back by becoming a contributor! Please Contribute

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