posted on February 25, 2003 04:33:09 AM new
Because there are so many smart people on this board, I came here for help. There is so much static electricty in our home this winter that we can't even touch each other without first remembering to ground ourselves. I even zapped off the TV one morning. Well, I'm getting sick of being a human lightening bolt (LOL) and need some help on solving this problem. The final straw was the zap I got touching my metal bed this morning. That's a heck of a way to wake up.
We don't want to purchase a humidifier because our utility bills are high enough thanks to the cost of heating fuel. I thought about putting pans of water by the heating ducts. Does this work? Any other suggestions out there (besides wearing a rubber suit, which my husband would find just too erotic. LOL)? It also seems to be worse in certain areas of the house. It's an old house (over 100), but I don't think that has anything to do with it.
My husband thinks it's being caused by the dry air outside. Dry? We've had 88+ inches of snow this winter. Any help would be appreciated. Where some people might enjoy that refreshing morning zap, I prefer to get my lift from a hot cup of coffee.
posted on February 25, 2003 05:56:11 AM new
Cheryl, it's caused by the dry air inside the house. Heating the house in winter dries out the air. That's aggravated by the fact that outside air is rather dry too - the colder the air, the less humidity.
A humidifier will certainly help but it can be a balancing act in a cold climate because increasing the humidity can cause your windows to steam up.
Take a look at the footwear you are wearing at home too e.g. soft slippers rubbing against carpet can pick up more static than slippers with a rubber sole.
posted on February 25, 2003 09:41:38 AM new
upping the humidity actually helps the cost of heating because you can be comfortable at a lower temperature. It also helps with dry nose and nose bleeds and winter infections becasue a dried out nose is easier to infect.
However if you have an older home with little insulation or or old windows you can have problems with consensation and mold.
plastic over the windows will help.
If you have water with very little minerals in it an ultarsonic humidifier works well. I put a small fan behind out shooting down the hall to distribute it and keep it from making a wet spot on the carpet.
posted on February 25, 2003 11:43:30 AM new
As a kid, we used to put masking tape around the doorknobs. Just a single strip along the circumference.
You might also plan on having more soup meals or to leave the bathroom door open when someone takes a shower. That will help to put humidity in the air as a side benefit to something you have to do anyway.
posted on February 25, 2003 02:51:11 PM new
mlecher
To everyone else - thanks for the tips. Actually we could probably save on electricity by plugging me into the wall! (I was going to say plugging the lights into me, but I know you guys would run with that one. Go ahead. . .run with it. LOL)
