Monday, Oct 23, 2006 at 21:01
The strap will only stop the car itself biulding up a static charge from the air as it moves along, but this doesnt happen much, as this effect only works on plastic, and since the majority of a car's exterior is metal, this isnt much of a problem. Also, it can only happen in really dry climates. The static that most people experience from their car when getting in or out of their car, is normally due to sliding across a
seat that is made from synthetic fibre, this act actually charges up the whole car as you slide across it and leave the car.
There is one very easy way to make sure you never get shocked. Always keep your hand firmly gripped around the metal of the door, the sill whatever you like as long as its the metal of the door, before you place your foot on the ground. This ensures you earth out the car to the ground through your foot and usually through your shoes, which you dont feel.
If you were not touching the car's metal with your hand as you got out, and just stepped out onto the ground, your leaving the car behind you, still charged. Then as you turn around and go to grab the door to shut it, remember your now earthed to the ground, ZAP! through your sensitive single finger as you go to grab the door to shut it! Some people say "
well why didnt you get zapped as you were still partially sitting on the
seat and with one foot on the ground?" Because the
seat and your shoes together add up to a really good insulator. No transfer of charge.
You may have seen the video on the net of the lady who set fire to the fuel bowser. she got out of the car, starting fueling and some time passed before she then got back into the car, slid across the
seat and then got out. This act charged up the car. she then straight away goes to grab the fuel filler, (the fuel hose was too good an insulator to discharge the charge) surrounded with fuel vapours, ZAP and then fire! The car's charge discharged from the steel of the filler, to her finger just before she touches it. This tiny spark ignites the strong fuel vapours there.
Hope this all makes sense.
AnswerID:
200565
Follow Up By: Tim@Stratford - Monday, Oct 23, 2006 at 22:08
Monday, Oct 23, 2006 at 22:08
longjohn,
Can you explain how a mate got zapped with an electric fence? He was joining the fence wire after it broke. It was a boundry fence and he couldn't isolate this section. I assured him he wouldn't get zapped as he was wearing heavy rubber gloves and rubber gumboots. The wire was on the ground but 'looped' so he grabbed this without touching the ground - still had gloves and boots on...
When he grabbed the 'hot' wire.....
well he probably yelled and cursed pretty loud, but I couldn't hear it over my hysterical laughter...
I'm a bit nervous about payback now so would like to be informed and for-warned..
Tim - Stratford
FollowupID:
459682
Follow Up By: geocacher (djcache) - Monday, Oct 23, 2006 at 22:16
Monday, Oct 23, 2006 at 22:16
Because he was wearing boots his arms and chest became part of the fence circuit when he picked up both ends of the wire.
Funny story. A mate of
mine went down a
hill from where we were flying models once. He took a long time to come back and when we went looking for him he was sitting on the ground
well down the
hill near the fence he'd had to cross.
As it turns out he'd tried to go through it. He had recently had a nipple pierced and was wearing a loose singlet top. As he slipped between the strands he caught the nipple ring on the electric strand....
As for the static straps I've only ever bought one when the wife complained about getting continually zapped by a car we owned. It worked so
well that from the time I bought it
home she never got zapped again - and it was still in it's packet unfitted when I threw it out after we sold the car...
Dave
FollowupID:
459683