gofar99 Messages: 1955 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi Everyone...just venting. I moved to Arizona to get away from shoveling snow. It is much easier to shovel sunshine. But in the winter it gets so dry....walking across the rug will build up enough static charge (really bad for vinyl record reproduction) that a spark as big as a Tesla coil might make occurs. Massive. I have ground contacts near all my gear to discharge it before actually touching anything sensitive. Also nasty in my workshop. I have to use a grounded surface for building anything solid stage that can't take mega volts of shock. My cats are not too fond of winter either. I don't have personal experience...but getting a jolt through a whisker always gets them to jump.
I was also going to suggest the same thing. I personally have never had to deal with such a situation, but you should really give that a try and possibly save yourself some pain. Good luck!
gofar99 Messages: 1955 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
I Had one and it got to be a pain refilling it all the time. Besides I was just venting. Winter only lasts about 3 months here. The rest of the year the humidity is fine.
Wayne Parham Messages: 18793 Registered: January 2001
Illuminati (33rd Degree)
I'm with you on all counts, Bruce. I hate the cold, hate the snow and have problems with static when it's too cold and dry.
In my last home in South Tulsa, I had a humidifier built-in to the central heat and air system. That was awesome, because it was plumbed into the home's water lines and kicked on automatically when humidity dropped. So it maintained constant humidity in the home.
Here in Northwest Arkansas, my home doesn't have this so I'm thinking of installing one. It doesn't seem to get as dry here, but still, I think those built-in humidifiers are great.
I've had this problem in the past when we were renting a home full of shag carpets and had some particularly dry winters. Man, it was awful. We ended up spraying our carpets with an anti-static chemical. It helped a lot!
I love winters - perhaps because I have a tendency to hibernate! The cold doesn't bother me unless it's also very damp.
Humidifiers are great, by the way, I have one. They aren't expensive to run and I use mine in the small laundry room to dry clothes on the airer when it's raining and I can't hang them outside.
I also love summers - and they wouldn't be the same without a long, cold winter!
gofar99 Messages: 1955 Registered: May 2010 Location: Southern Arizona
Illuminati (5th Degree)
Hi, The cats still don't have effective grounds. I considered attaching a long wire to the tails with a metal weight on it that would drag on the ground...but thought better of it. I figured they would wrap the wire around my legs and trip me in return.