how to ground myself in a REALLY static heavy enviroment?

[jboydgolfer]

Hello TPU,

As the title says, Im forced into a corner here. I have been in the hospital for over a week, and need to build My nephews PC before Xmas. I have everything needed, component-wise, but in my new place, 95% of the House is carpet, and Base board electric heat, which as Most of all of us know,='s Extreme static electricity.

To be totally honest, Ive never given a second thought to static , but in this new place, every time i touch a light switch, a family member, or any other thing, i discharge static, and Im concerned about building a new PC with all the damn shock potential, since i dont want to damage anything. Needless to say, ive never bought, or even thought about buying a static strap, but Im sadly in a position that i feel i might need one now.

what can i do to get around this issue? I know i can touch something to ground myself before handling parts, but i was thinking of something i can do beyond that. i.e a makeshift static strap etc...

thanks in advance.
& Merry Christmas

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Tape a bare wire to your skin. Connect the other end to the screw that holds down the cover plate for an outlet or light switch. Of course, you have to be comfortable that the house is wired correctly....

 

[Jetster]

Get a strap but realize it needs to go to a natural ground. ie faucet or pipe. Or make one.

Some will tell you to plug the unit on and just ground to the case but that is not my suggestion. Never work on something that is plugged in

I agree with ^ if your house is wired correctly the screw on the outlet should be grounded

 

[alucasa]

Have a girl near you.

/joke

 

[silentbogo]

$1 strap, and clip it to the nearest heating/water pipe.
Alternatively - build it in the kitchen or bathroom. Pretty sure there is no static there.
You may even discharge yourself by touching the nearest water pipe or a faucet.

 

[Ferrum Master]

Have a girl near you.

BEST RECOMMENDATION.

It needs a lot of work to get rid of that. Just get used to it .

 

[P4-630]

Long time ago I worked at Xerox making copiers, we had to wear this:

 

[natr0n]

Build it in patio/porch if possible. Might be cold outside where you are.

 

[jboydgolfer]

Build it in patio/porch if possible. Might be cold outside where you are.

yeah VERY cold. im in massachusetts. + its raining. It looks like im either going to need an alternate site to build in, (mother in laws house) or just do it the old fashion, ground every time before handling method.....Not certain of the wiring in this place....thanks all.

 

[infrared]

I usually put the PSU in the case first, then remove fuse from plug, plug it into psu so the whole case is now grounded. Then before you pick up anything, just touch a bit of exposed metal on the case to discharge yourself It's probably not as good as having a wrist-strap and antistatic mat to work on, but it's better than nothing.

 

[jboydgolfer]

antistatic mat

are those just rubber or something?? i might be able to use that method, if i have something in my storage unit.

Edit
I know I have a bunch of vinyl composite tiles, a.k.a. VCT. I bet they would work ....that's what my old houses kitchen was floored with & I never had static issues there

 

[infrared]

I think they're just slightly conductive to prevent a charge building up, not normal rubber unfortunately. >This kinda thing<. I guess it's not really helpful showing you that the day before xmas tho.

Moisture helps static dissipate, maybe working on a slightly damp towel or something? Weird suggestion, but if static in your home is as big a problem as you say it might be worth doing.

 

[EarthDog]

Just don't shuffle across the floor like an old man that can't lift his feet and you will be fine.

If you insist, simply touch the case before working on it to normalize the electric potential. Or, as someone else said, put the psu in and plug it in... done. Grounded. It's PLENTY safe to work on it plugged in.

For the record, I have never killed anything via static electricity. Never wore a strap, never will.

 

[Ferrum Master]

Long time ago I worked at Xerox making copiers, we had to wear this:

View attachment 82375

Well actually evan at home I wear specialized ESD shoes lol I had one pair for my ex too

http://www.bokar.com/,193,Quality-ESD-Shoes.html

 

[Bill_Bright]

Some will tell you to plug the unit on and just ground to the case but that is not my suggestion.

I disagree with this completely. We are not talking about getting zapped from applied AC power, but preventing a static discharge from our bodies from destroying ESD (electro-static discharge) sensitive devices like CPUs, GPUs, memory modules, motherboards, etc.

To prevent a static discharge, the goal is to put you and your computer "at the same potential". Voltage will only jump (arc) when two conditions are met. (1) The potential must be large enough to jump (arc across) the gap, AND (that's "and", not "or") (2) there must be a difference in potential. That is, the two sides of the gap must be at different voltage levels.

These two conditions are easily eliminated simply by you touching the bare metal of the case. That puts you and the case at the same potential - therefore no arcing.

Grounding to Earth ground can actually be more problematic (unless doing maintenance on "high" voltages) since electricity always tries to seek Earth ground. If you are not digging around inside the PSU, you are only dealing with low voltage DC.

Remember, airplanes, cars, etc. work just fine (and safely) and static free without being grounded to "Earth" ground. So you want a "common" and "floating" ground between you and your case and that will discharge any static in your body, and prevent the build up of more static. Keeping one hand touching bare metal works.

A wrist band is typically good enough but they come with caveats too. They need to be snug and your wrist needs to be clean. But more importantly, the bands need to be clean too. Overtime, grime and skin scum causes resistance - a bad thing. Some motherboards come with cheap, disposable wrist bands. IMO, they are for one time use.

infrared has the right idea about moisture. Get a spray bottle of clean water and lightly misting the carpet will greatly reduce static and help prevent the build up of static (at least while still damp). You can also mix in a teaspoon or so of fabric software for better static suppression.

 

[AsRock]

Hello TPU,

As the title says, Im forced into a corner here. I have been in the hospital for over a week, and need to build My nephews PC before Xmas. I have everything needed, component-wise, but in my new place, 95% of the House is carpet, and Base board electric heat, which as Most of all of us know,='s Extreme static electricity.

To be totally honest, Ive never given a second thought to static , but in this new place, every time i touch a light switch, a family member, or any other thing, i discharge static, and Im concerned about building a new PC with all the damn shock potential, since i dont want to damage anything. Needless to say, ive never bought, or even thought about buying a static strap, but Im sadly in a position that i feel i might need one now.

what can i do to get around this issue? I know i can touch something to ground myself before handling parts, but i was thinking of something i can do beyond that. i.e a makeshift static strap etc...

thanks in advance.
& Merry Christmas

OOh i feel your pain, cat likes it lmao. How ever the wife don't and i hate it when shopping any thing metal in the shop including tinned stuff ZAP! to the point others actually hear it.

Still today i am sure i killed a USB port some years back, some say it's not possible but it is. Reason it's never happened again is that i always earth on a PC case ( or Hifi gear ) before building or changing any thing, never had the issue since, well except in the shops lmao, ooh and do i get funny looks.

 

[jboydgolfer]

Well actually evan at home I wear specialized ESD shoes lol I had one pair for my ex too

http://www.bokar.com/,193,Quality-ESD-Shoes.html

 

[thebluebumblebee]

Have a girl near you.

That normally creates more ... static.

fabric software

Geek slip?

clip it to the nearest heating/water pipe

Water pipes used to be considered a good ground and were actually used as such. Now, with all of the plastic piping, their use as a ground is no longer allowed. My house originally used the water pipe, but when I did some electrical work a few years back, I was required to drive 2 - 8ft copper covered rods into the ground and connect my ground to them.

 

[jboydgolfer]

That normally creates more ... static.

Geek slip?

Water pipes used to be considered a good ground and were actually used as such. Now, with all of the plastic piping, their use as a ground is no longer allowed. My house originally used the water pipe, but when I did some electrical work a few years back, I was required to drive 2 - 8ft copper covered rods into the ground and connect my ground to them.

That's a good point I knew about that but I hadn't thought of it to be completely honest.

I Have to imagine you can use the old telephone lines. Everyone seems to have them ,even in newer houses there seems to be a plug on every floor for the old-style phone lines. I've even seen the power company use the old nynex grounds because they're so good .... in my old house it was like a 2 foot steel pole straight into the ground outside underneath my meter

 

[Bill_Bright]

Water pipes used to be considered a good ground and were actually used as such. Now, with all of the plastic piping, their use as a ground is no longer allowed.

This is true. Note "hot" water heating pipes where NEVER allowed, though radiators were often used anyway. Only cold water were at one time used because cold water pipes entered the home from at least a couple feet underground (deeper in cold climate regions). And they were made of copper. Hot water pipes were not allowed because there was no continuity from the hot to cold side, except through water in a glass lined tank. While water does conduct, it does not conduct good enough to be used for a ground.

 

[Jetster]

I think the point of grounding on metal water lines was in case the pipe becomes energized. I know they use to require a ground within 5 ft of a house. Bill is there a difference in conductive properties of types of water, hard, soft,

 

[Bill_Bright]

I think the point of grounding on metal water lines was incase the pipe becomes energized.

Energized? Huh? No way! Why and how could copper pipes that get buried in the ground without any type of insulation (the entire length of the pipes) become energized? They wouldn't - water pipes in the home would never become energized unless someone was trying to murder you!

Cold water pipes were used because (1) plumping came to houses before electricity. (2) When electricity came to houses, it came as 2-wire (hot and common) only. But because of the impurities in water, not to mention leaks and broken solder joints and shoddy plumbing repairs, ground wires were added. Then the issue of plastic pipes made 3 wires mandatory.

Bill is there a difference in conductive properties of types of water, hard, soft,

Yes, but that's irrelevant to this discussion. When it comes to grounding, you want 0.00Ω resistance to ground. That can only be closely achieved with top quality conductors, like continuous solid (not stranded) copper wire.

Water will conduct enough to electrocute you, but not enough to provide a sufficient ground.

 

[Jetster]

One way it becomes Energized is if you drop your hair dryer into a sink or bath. But there are other ways

The Bonding Solution
Non-metallic pipes not only disrupt a potential electrical grounding source, they can also generate a static charge from the friction caused by liquids flowing through them. As a result, the plumbing system bonds back to the electrical system, and both are grounded through a secondary electrode. Bonding is a non-corrosive grounding wire that runs from a metal plumbing pipe back to the metal box of the home’s main electrical panel, to the wire that leads to a grounding rod outside the structure or to the grounding rod itself. Creating the bond allows a circuit that carries potentially dangerous electrical charges away from the plumbing system and to ground. (Energized)

Secondary Electrodes
A secondary electrode is a length of metal, typically 8 to 10 feet, driven into the ground. When correctly installed, only enough of the rod remains above ground for attachment to a heavy gauge wire. The other end of that wire attaches to the home’s electrical system and bonds to the plumbing system. Standard building codes accept steel conduit, steel rods and coper-clad steel as grounding electrodes. These devices are also called secondary electrodes, since some electricians still ground electrical systems to the home’s plumbing. Electrical codes require the use of a second electrode in these instances.

Tying Into Plumbing
Either grounding or bonding devices secured to plumbing must be tightly clamped to an entry pipe near the point where the pipe enters the house. A grounding wire wrapped around a pipe is not a substitute for proper clamping. Neither plumbing nor electrical systems can be bonded or grounded to anything other than a properly grounded electrode. For example, incoming natural or propane gas lines may travel the proper distance underground, but they are not acceptable for electrical grounding systems, since these lines carry combustible fuel.

 

[Mr.Scott]

Energized? Huh? No way! Why and how could copper pipes that get buried in the ground without any type of insulation (the entire length of the pipes) become energized? They wouldn't - water pipes in the home would never become energized unless someone was trying to murder you!

Lightning strike.

 

[Bill_Bright]

Neither would "energize" the pipes. Wires in the wall that are actively carrying current in a live circuit are energized.

The point of grounding on pipes was to use the pipes of as a ground. Not to energize them. But that proved to be ineffective.

And in any case, the point of this thread is how to prevent static from the body zapping electronics. So back on topic.