Static electricity in house

[JFletcher]

I encountered this same thing in an orchestra rehearsal hall once. Turned out the guy was a really poor conductor.

I was trying earlier to get the 'bad conductor' joke (the really long one) in here; you did it much better than I could have. Kudos.

 

[junkhound]

When we lived in Reno, at certain times of the year, you made sure that you slapped the door knob first or quickly grabbed mom's arm before she kissed you goodbye. Sometimes you would see a 3" or longer spark jump from your finger and getting shocked on the lips hurts.

I would love to see any photo or documentation of a 3" esd spark !
3/4" is about the max arc for a static arc on the ground anywhere near the altitude of Reno, the 3" is another example of internet hyperbole.

There ARE surface brush discharges that appear to be many inches long from electrostatics, but those are along surfaces, not between people.

 

[roger]

Some types of carpet have been known to be the culprit.

And all you need to know about why carpet causes static electricity is here.

[/video]

Roger

 

[K8MHZ]

And all you need to know about why carpet causes static electricity is here.



Roger

That's a classic!

 

[drcampbell]

 

[kwired]

I would love to see any photo or documentation of a 3" esd spark !
3/4" is about the max arc for a static arc on the ground anywhere near the altitude of Reno, the 3" is another example of internet hyperbole.

There ARE surface brush discharges that appear to be many inches long from electrostatics, but those are along surfaces, not between people.

Ever been outside during a lightning storm?

 

[GoldDigger]

Or built your own Van de Graaf generator?

 

[GoldDigger]

More seriously, there may well be a limit on the length of spark a person could generate by simple triboelectricity in a home or work environment.

 

[junkhound]

FWIW

Reno, 4600 ft altitude, pressure about 640 Torr; very dry, 2% RH.

Max person charge about 35 kV from ESD; person to person in same triboelectric physical area will be same polarity, so assume one person grounded.

Paschen curve intersect for 35kV points and visible arc is 1200 T-cm pressure-spacing product.

1200/640 = 1.9 cm, or about 3/4" for visible arc.