Proper Grounding

[Vrizla]

I have read in many books and articles about grounding your work table, yourself, containers etc. What exactly do you ground them to?

Also could the ingredients in anti static spray interact with any pyrotechnic compounds? Most people suggest s[raying everything.

Edited March 27, 2010 by Vrizla

[dagabu]

I have read in many books and articles about grounding your work table, yourself, containers etc. What exactly do you ground them to?

Also could the ingredients in anti static spray interact with any pyrotechnic compounds? Most people suggest s[raying everything.

 

No idea but I have not seen anything happen that I didn't like. The static spray is really nice when I want to mix "F" in a baggy.

 

D

[Miech]

It doesn't matter what you are grounding yourself to, as long as anything is grounded to the same point (which usually will be earth).

[Vrizla]

Does anyone here actually have a grounded set up. And how do you do it? Do you have something that plugs into the ground plug of an outlet. I would think that would be the best way unless your set up is outside which I eventually want.

[mike_au]

The ground pin on a power outlet is probably not a bad option, but I don't think all countries have one. Here in Oz we have an active, neutral and earth, I believe some countries combine the neutral and earth or something so I would be a bit careful if your plugs are like that. Taps (as long as they use copper pipes) are a common earthing point (and where most houses are earthed anyway), you could drive a star picket really really deep and attach to that, or just get a conductive mat for your work area and make sure that if you leave the mat for any reason that you touch an "earthed" (to the mat) resistor as soon as you get back.

[Arthur]

Look at the electronics suppliers for ESD protection. Wrist straps, floor mats, bench mats ground spikes and plugtops specially for connecting to the electricity supply ground.

 

Do note that somewhere there should be a resistance of about 1 - 10 MEG ohms in the system. This is to allow the small charges of static to dissipate but NOT to allow fatal current to flow through the body if you also happen to touch a live item.

 

I've visited Kimbolton Fireworks factory and some of their buildings have a grounded copper touch plate on a post by the shed door then inside you are on a conductive rubber mat.

[dagabu]

Yup, the states, the ground MUST go to ground via a ground rod and copper wire. I use a three prong plug that has no hot or neutral wires, just ground and run a lamp cord to my ESD mat for computer work. There is a copper bar (1x3") that sits on the mat for touch grounding. I have never lost a stick of RAM to the Static Gods as of yet.

 

I dump a quart of water on the concrete floor of my shop if the humidity is less then 60%. In 10 minutes, there is NO possibility of static.

 

D

[Swede]

In the US, the Ground and neutral lines are physically separate wires in the wall, but oddly enough, if you open your circuit breaker box and take a peek at where the white (neutral) and ground (green or bare Cu) wires go, you'll see they are combined on bus bars that are grounded to earth. So essentially, yes, they are both grounded, but they use separate wires for appliance safety. Other countries may vary.

 

I think you'd be totally safe to buy a 3-prong male plug, and use only the ground prong. Wire that to an aluminum or Cu sheet, or even Al foil for a ghetto setup, and that should prevent static in that surface. Obviously, don't do something dumb like tie a wrist strap around yourself and then plug that into a hot outlet socket. If you don't know EXACTLY what is going on in those outlets, it would be safer to run a wire to a water pipe, hose bib, or a section of Cu pipe hammered into the dirt.

 

I agree, if you are serious about static, look to the computer and semiconductor industry for fancy mats, straps, etc. They even have ESD-safe ziploc bags. Think of those grey bags that your PC sound card comes in, for example.

[Vrizla]

Thanks for all the input. You guys pointed me in the right direction, as always. I have never come across a forum as good as this one.

[Lagrange]

you can always ground to the municipal acqueduc if the pipe to the aqueduc is in metal of if yor house is well built with acqueduc grounded. Edited April 20, 2010 by Lagrange

[Arthur]

In a room like a storage magazine, with NO electricity supply, the ground touch plate can be copper to the earth directly. Where you have an electricity supply like a workshop, the grounded touch plate and the grounded work surfaces should be connected to the mains earth connector via a resistor of about one Meg ohm this is to prevent the static earth becoming a shock risk if you also have a live fault in the building. 1meg will dissipate static instantly but will not pass a lethal current if you touch live and the static ground surface.