Static electricity SOLVED p4

A humidifier on its own will be a big help. I'd start with that and not worry about anything else unless it was proven to be necessary.

The humidifier will also make things generally more comfortable, of course.

Carry a coin or metal bottle opener, use it to ground yourself occasionally by holding it firmly and touching something else with it instead of your fingers.

Get a humidifier

...

Some brands of "Polly Esther" carpet are virtual Leyden Jars. Humidifiers work but they cost power. In the Sierras I used to put a 5-gallon tub of water atop a heater. The humidity frequently sank to single digits.

It was a hoot - with the malamute. His coat would crackle then he would scream when he touched his nose to an object.

I used silicone SPRAY LUBRICANT on the rugs. It works. A very very light dusting. Magic and it lasted all winter. I killed the fans, held the can four feet above the carpet pressed the nozzle and started walking. Seems to get on shoes and the worst offender - SOCKS and then help eliminate everywhere else.

How to tell if static electricity is bad?

Rub an inflated balloon against your shirt and stick it against a wall. If it does not fall within an hour - you have a problem.

Stick house with a furnace? - just install a humidifier on it.

GordonThree wrote:
Carry a coin or metal bottle opener, use it to ground yourself occasionally by holding it firmly and touching something else with it instead of your fingers.

:R

Not sure if you are joking but that is a terrible idea that only fixes a "symptom" on a temporary basis.

Too low of RH is bad, plain and simple for people, pets and electronics.

Too low of RH allows dust and dirt to fly around easier, excessively dries out your sinuses, dries your skin and increases static electricity discharges to the point of causing damage to electronic devices.

Too high of RH is also not good, creates a breeding ground for molds, dust mites and so on..

What is a good RH range?

Typically 35%-45% is a good range that keeps dust from flying into the air as easy, doesn't dry out your sinus's nor create good breeding grounds for mold or dust mites.

Fixing RH in the winter can be a challenge since cold air does not support as much moisture..

Humidifiers are your friend in the winter.

Plenty of designs, many portables use a filter media which will need changed often. The downside with these designs is being able to FIND the proper media. Seems like manufacturers change designs every year and the filter media for old models is often discontinued..

Cool mist vaporizers tend to use a ultrasonic device to break up the water into a fine mist, they can clog easily especially if you have hard water (well water) with a lot of minerals.

Steam vaporizers are inexpensive, create steam but use a lot of electricity, may or may not work well with city water without adding a little salt.

Then there is whole house humidifiers which are added to your forced air furnace, modern designs however use a lot of water. This is done to prevent mineral buildup in the filter media but if you have metered water or are on a water well you will see an increase in water bill or electric for the well pump.

So far, my favorite design is a recirculating water unit which also uses filter media.

The pump recirculates the water which keeps mineral build up on the filter media low.. Makes for a long life of the filter media, I only change at the beginning of heating season.

This is one that I have used..



Lasko model 1128

Found HERE

WILL get the job done, but be aware, this one IS HUGE and it IS LOUD even with three fan speeds it sounds like an airplane taking off but I can vouch that it will put out a lot of humidity!

After owning that one for a couple of years, I decided to design my own using that same recirculating water idea..

Took an old Dehumidifier carcass that had lost freon and gutted it using only the case and fan.. Added a small fountain pump to push water up to the the top and out a simple manifold to spill over the filter media.. Fan draws air through the filter and out the top.. Water falls back into the bucket.

Designed it to use the same filter media as the Lasko, bought the filter media direct from Lasko (much cheaper and works better than after market media).

Does a pretty good job with much less noise than the Lasko.

Dry air, the sky must be falling.

Been dealing with it for decades here in the back woods of Northern Michigan. Never seen it as a life threatening issue.

I love how the forum can take a grain of sand and blow it into a huge problem.

A spray bottle of water would be handy for dealing with the carpet stairway and clothes that spark.

A pan of water on the cast iron radiator or a tea kettle on the wood stove has always worked fine ,doesn't cost anything and there is no filter to change.