Topic: Playing with electricity - wise or not so much?

[gregimotis]

1)  I have a metal rack that gives everybody who touches it a zap of static electricity.

2) I have a three-prong electrical outlet.

     a) My understanding is that the third prong on such an outlet is a groud

3) I have a six foot extension cord damages one end to make it unusable



Couldn't I plug only the third prong into the wall socket and attach the wire at the other end to my metal rack?  For some reason, I want very badly to do this.

[nickjtc]

Is the rack insulated from the ground in any way (rubber feet or whatnot)? If it isn't then I don't think your idea will make any difference.

[SD750F]

Okay way too many questions here...

Are you sure that you are feeling a static potential??? Maybe you have a bad spark plug wire and getting a little kick from the coils???

And wouldn't you need a very long grounding cable when you ride???

Had to ask...

Scott

[kettlesd]

Okay way too many questions here...

Are you sure that you are feeling a static potential??? Maybe you have a bad spark plug wire and getting a little kick from the coils???

And wouldn't you need a very long grounding cable when you ride???

Had to ask...

Scott

I hope this is not the problem and he is trying to cure it by plugging into the house ground - he'd need an awful long cord!!!!! I am thinking he means a utility rack for tools and stuff?

[Roach Carver]

or this kind of rack?

[Pinhead]

Yes, you could connect the "third prong" to the rack to help dissipate static electricity. That third prong is the "neutral" that goes to earth somewhere outside the house (and on each and every power line). It'd be the same thing if you had metal conduit around your wiring. The third wire (usually green) is attached to the conduit and also earthed. That should eliminate your static shock.

[scunny]

it's the volts that jolt and the mills(amps) that kill
I would ask why people are getting a shock from your rack, have you something electrical on it, or have you a nylon based carpet and it's the people who hold the charge and get a shock when they touch your rack. jeez I just about did a TT impersonation 

[Steve F]

I think the rack is already acting as the ground, and you're discharging the static potential that your body is storing TO the rack.  Adding a ground may just make it an even better ground for the static to go.  I wouldn't advise wiring a cord to the rack to plug into an outlet....too easy for things to go wrong, like energizing the whole rack with AC.        Avoid static build up by adding moisture to the air with a humidifier.

[scunny]

it's a well documented fact that beer fumes are moisture laden.
SteveF is right, don't f#$k with electricity

[TwoTired]

Details are sparse.  So, on the assumption this is talk of a rack in an house, I'd also guess that there is a carpet floor involved, too.

So it would work like this.  Person shuffles along carpet and picks up a static charge (bunch of homeless ions milling about with no place to go).  When said person touches the rack with a ratio of ions more or less than the person carrying the homeless, the person either collects or sheds ions,  Zap!   If the rack is already grounded, the charge drains away to earth which has lots of area for homeless ions to dance into the wee hours of the millennia.  If the rack is insulated, it stores ions delivered by the shuffling person and the next person to come along who doesn't have the same ratio of ions either collects or sheds ions, zap.

Earth grounding the rack may help sometimes to lessen the zap.  Or, it might increase the zap intensity.  But, make certain that your damaged extension cord ONLY makes a connection to that third, earth ground wall outlet socket hole.  You don't want 115v AC running around loose in the house, unless you want a MUCH more intense ZAP taking place.

Also, electrons can jump into the atmosphere and does so at an increased rate when more conductive particles are present in the air, such as water molecules (Humidity).

Probably the best way to reduce your zapping problem is to humidify the air in your house. 
Or, replace your carpet with one that has embedded carbon fibers.

Cheers,

[clarkjh]

So it would work like this.  Person shuffles along carpet and picks up a static charge (bunch of homeless ions milling about with no place to go).  When said person touches the rack with a ratio of ions more or less than the person carrying the homeless, the person either collects or sheds ions,  Zap!   If the rack is already grounded, the charge drains away to earth which has lots of area for homeless ions to dance into the wee hours of the millennia.  If the rack is insulated, it stores ions delivered by the shuffling person and the next person to come along who doesn't have the same ratio of ions either collects or sheds ions, zap.

Boy, that brings back memories.   I use to load those plastic chairs in school with static, I could get the static change to bridge a half inch gap.  Could usually hear the person who got hit yell from the next class.

James

[Tim2005]

I'd definitely not do this, as if something else on that circuit develops a fault then the rack could become live. Ground cables have insulation on them for good reason! 

[gregimotis]

...too easy for things to go wrong, like energizing the whole rack with AC.

Well, people would quit touching my rack, then.   

[DammitDan]

Or, replace your carpet with one that has embedded carbon fibers.

Would rubbing charcoal or ash into your carpet produce the same result?

[TwoTired]

Or, replace your carpet with one that has embedded carbon fibers.

Would rubbing charcoal or ash into your carpet produce the same result?

I theory, yes to charcoal, as it is by definition, carbon and mostly conductive.  Probably darken your carpet and clog up your vacuum, too.
Ash is is not well defined as to material content.  It may be insulative or conductive.  Ash is a remnant of combustion, and that part of the fuel that didn't burn.  If there were metals in the fuel, for example, the ash could be conductive and give those homeless electrons a multitude of highways to travel and keep them from congregating in one place looking for a place to jump.

Cheers,

[eldar]

So where is this rack? I think that is the vital question that needs to be answered.

[mrbreeze]

I would.....A. leave it the way it is......a little gag to play on your friends (if it just a harmless static shock) or B. try putting a rubber mat down under the legs of this rack. Hope you solve your dilema!!!

[eldar]

Could do wood too, to insulate the rack.