Static electricity

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Bubbalowe
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Post by Bubbalowe » Thu. Dec. 02, 2021 11:53 am

Anyone ever get shocked touching their stove? I have carpet in living room but only time there is shock is touching stove initially, after first shock it's discharged. It doesn't until a month into season so thought maybe air was too dry but it only happens touching stove. There is a phenomena smoke stoke lightening, anyone heard of a coal stove drawing well enough to generate static electricity?


 
Hounds51
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Post by Hounds51 » Thu. Dec. 02, 2021 1:16 pm

Your air is dry. It happens to me every burn season. I even shock my wife with the static electricity. I do keep a pot filled with water but it still doesn't help with the static. I just live with it.

 
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coaledsweat
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Post by coaledsweat » Thu. Dec. 02, 2021 2:18 pm

You should probably run a humidifier once you start heating season. Never mind the shocks, the wood your house is made of will be a lot happier.

 
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Post by Jerrybro » Thu. Dec. 02, 2021 4:09 pm

Actually, you’re shocking the stove. The stove is grounded, as you move around the house your clothing is building a static charge. Back in the 70s we used call women wearing polyester pants, pantyhose, wool sweaters and rubber souled shoes walking battery chargers.

Adding humidity to the air would help, until then touching the stove with something metal before touching it with your hand will eliminate you feeling the charge dissipate.

 
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Post by fig » Thu. Dec. 02, 2021 8:17 pm

My coal furnace in the basement shocks the piss out of me. I thought the wires were chaffed somewhere at first then realized it was just static electricity. It’s seriously strong. I even zapped the cat down there a few times. That’s alway entertaining.

 
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Post by Jerrybro » Fri. Dec. 03, 2021 9:53 am

I keep a pot of water on the stove, it seems to generate all the humidity needed here.

 
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McGiever
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Post by McGiever » Fri. Dec. 03, 2021 11:15 am

fig wrote:
Thu. Dec. 02, 2021 8:17 pm
My coal furnace in the basement shocks the piss out of me. I thought the wires were chaffed somewhere at first then realized it was just static electricity. It’s seriously strong. I even zapped the cat down there a few times. That’s alway entertaining.
Add a copper ground wire from a added or existing bolt or screw connection at furnace frame to a bare copper pipe or wire outside of service panel. Same hazard you have spoke of or experienced do still exists as you connect this bare copper wire.

Static usually would not trip a breaker or blow a fuse, But a live wire being grounded certainly will trip a breaker or blow a fuse

Note: Do not do this unless understanding the risks of being electrocuted.
Last edited by McGiever on Fri. Dec. 03, 2021 10:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.


 
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warminmn
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Post by warminmn » Fri. Dec. 03, 2021 12:58 pm

+1 on McG's suggestion and the water, humidifier ones. I prefer to ground things if possible.

Back when I had a pellet burner it had a really small glass fuse (like an old car uses, not a house) that I blew once from static electricity when I touched it. It protected the circuit board so that was fine with me.

 
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Hambden Bob
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Post by Hambden Bob » Sat. Dec. 04, 2021 6:30 am

Enough Ta' Make Ya' Old!! I seem to remember that as a kid,certain carpet fiber's where more prone to turn You into a Human Car Coil! We learned this the hard way when The Old Man broke down and bought Ma new carpet for the living room and hallway. Toss in the moisture drop brought on by the Air Scorcher we had,and there Ya' go!!

 
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Post by Bubbalowe » Sat. Dec. 04, 2021 9:55 am

Jerrybro wrote:
Thu. Dec. 02, 2021 4:09 pm
Actually, you’re shocking the stove. The stove is grounded, as you move around the house your clothing is building a static charge. Back in the 70s we used call women wearing polyester pants, pantyhose, wool sweaters and rubber souled shoes walking battery chargers.

Adding humidity to the air would help, until then touching the stove with something metal before touching it with your hand will eliminate you feeling the charge dissipate.
Considered it but stove sits on concrete pad and connects to double wall stainless ran inside a masonry chimney, don't know where ground would be. Will follow up to determine if stove is ground/earth.

 
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Post by Hounds51 » Sat. Dec. 04, 2021 10:11 am

I think my stove manual (Legacy TLC 2000) instructs the owner to ground the stove to earth ground, (which is also your electrical service ground). I think there is a place somewhere to ground the stove. I am not sure if this would help though, as the air/static may have a different potential than the stove ground. I think Harmon/Legacy want to use this for lightening protection, but am not quite sure. I never grounded mine.

 
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Post by Sunny Boy » Sat. Dec. 04, 2021 10:48 am

The metal object you're getting a static shock from is often getting the zap from you. You just feel the high voltage transfer.

And the object does not have to be grounded. Metal doorknobs of wooden doors, pets sniffing your hand, all will do the same even without a path to earth.

When winter dry air sets in, whenever I walk out into the kitchen from the carpeted TV room, I quickly tap a finger on the kitchen sink. No feeling a zap if done quick enough.

Had cheap shag carpet everywhere but in the kitchen in my first house. After a few winters of us getting zapped whenever we went to touch anything (or each other), it got torn up in favor of bare wood floors.

Paul

 
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Post by ShawnLiNy » Sat. Dec. 04, 2021 2:34 pm

About 8-10 years ago I attempted to make a vacuum powered ash removal system out my basement window to a barrel outside using about 12’ of hose and 2’ of 2 1/2 “ pvc ( aside from the obvious disaster of completely clogging the filter or creating a 100’ dust cloud ) dry ash / granules when moving through plastic /pvc hose generates such a strong steady charge it feels like your getting zapped by a live wire . Normal ash vacs appear to have a grounding coil spring inside a double insulated hose

 
Hounds51
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Post by Hounds51 » Sat. Dec. 04, 2021 3:20 pm

ShawnLiNy wrote:
Sat. Dec. 04, 2021 2:34 pm
About 8-10 years ago I attempted to make a vacuum powered ash removal system out my basement window to a barrel outside using about 12’ of hose and 2’ of 2 1/2 “ pvc ( aside from the obvious disaster of completely clogging the filter or creating a 100’ dust cloud ) dry ash / granules when moving through plastic /pvc hose generates such a strong steady charge it feels like your getting zapped by a live wire . Normal ash vacs appear to have a grounding coil spring inside a double insulated hose
It's really amazing what can produce electricity.
Maybe the green power people ought to look into this stuff?
Then maybe not.

 
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Post by CoalisCoolxWarm » Sun. Dec. 05, 2021 5:29 pm

You can do what we used to do as kids. Keep a 2ft fluorescent light tube nearby and when you think you have static, pick it up by the tube.

NO SHOCK. It will light up as it dissipates the charge and is a really neat trick!


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