static electricity seems to trip breaker

[Natfuelbilll]

Customer swears that a static spark from his fingertip to light switch will cause the branch breaker to trip.

Any experiences on this, or is he over-caffinated?

[gar]

090305-1059 EST

Define the breaker. If it is a standard thermal breaker, then no way because there is not enough energy in that spark. If it is an electronic breaker, then it is possible.

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[charlie b]

I don't know whether this would explain it either, but any chance this is an AFCI breaker?

[Natfuelbilll]

just a plain vanilla thermal

[Sharpie]

did you lick it to find out?:grin:

[Rewire]

This sounds like the story someone posted about the lady who said the breaker tripped when the phone rang which turned out to be a bad recep behind the couch she sat in tripping the breaker when she got up to answer the phone.

[sgunsel]

That static spark could be up to 10,000 volts or so, AND a couple of microamps. NO way it would trip a circuit breaker.

[charlie b]

OK, my next dumb suggestion: If he were to be wearing rubber soled shoes, so that there is no spark being built up, can touching the switch still trip the breaker? Could be loose wiring inside the switch. Now that I am typing, it also occurs to me to ask if the breaker that trips is the one that serves the light that is controlled by this switch?

[Rewire]

could it be the extension cord running under the carpet?

[sgunsel]

Wearing rubber soled shoes will gaurantee that you build up a static charge.
Whatever shoes you wear, discharge any static by touching a grounded object, such as the enclosure first. That will immediately dissipate any static charge. Then you will have to find the real problem, possibly a bad breaker. I'd replace the breaker and see if that fixes the problem.

[wawireguy]

My vote is for loose wire or ground that is touching the hot inside the box.