Re: static free work area

Tom, I actually believe what I know he means by "...the copper wire
that go to my fuse box.." As you have posted, a cold water pipe is
USUALLY the best ground connection, unless you live in New England,
where the water service from the street arrives via PVC or HDPE pipe.
As it turns out in my home, the copper pipe on my water service was
actually eaten away by the electrolytic currently flowing through the
water, becasue the main feed from the street was some form of plastic
pipe.

After replacing roughly 15-feet of 3/4" copper pipe that over the years
had turned to tin foil thickness and developend pinhole leaks
throughout its length, I replaced it. I next drove a ground stake
through a hole drilled through the cellar floor and connected it to the
water distribution system using a short length of #1 stranded copper
wire. End of problem!

While I certainly would not want to work with potentially explosive
compositions in my basement, I commonly do with far more ESD sensitive
electronics components and computers. For this purpose, an anti-static
strap connected to ground through a suitable resistance and shoved
under the wrist band of my watch works just fine, even when only
connected to the VERIFIED ground on a nearby electrical outlet. As you
point out, the most important factor is to assure you and the thing you
are working with are at the same potential. That's where the conductive
and grounded workbench surface becomes important.

In the past when I've had to do work in the field, just grounding
yourself by touching the metal chasis of the equipment you are working
on is usually sufficient. Still, when working with explosive materials,
it is wise to not take chances and follow all the rules, because your
first mistake could be your last!

Kindest regards, Harry C.

p.s., Even though my computer is in the basement, I always ground
myself by touching a large, nearby metalic object like a file cabinet,
before laying hands on the computer keyboard! :-) Sometimes I get a
spark, sometimes not, but I always follow the same pattern or protocol.

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: PEX clamps
    ... It didn't have a long track record, ... years for radiant heating and potable water supplies. ... First, copper is getting rather expensive these days (pipe, wire, etc.). ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: PEX PEX PEX
    ... then individual pipe runs to each faucet. ... Or is it just "chancy" to daisy-chain PEX ?? ... Saves time (you don't have to wait as long for the hot water to get to ... You can put insulation on copper or other ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: Gator-Bite and Distorted Copper Pipe
    ... of soldered copper pipes freeze when I didn't drain them properly. ... All that pipe is hung from the floor joists ... under the house, not an inch of which is wrapped. ... has the elastic capacity to expand when water freezes within. ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: copper or cpvc water pipes?
    ... with oversized copper pipe when prices for copper hit rock bottom just ... Pex won't collect so much calcium/magnesium on the ... If your solar water flows through at temperatures above ...
    (alt.home.repair)
  • Re: Disconected grounding wire?
    ... Beside my Gas water heater I found a loose bare copper wire. ... Both the hot and cold pipes in the house are copper. ... Does the hot water tank offer enough of a connection to ground the hot if I correct the cold grounding or should I get two clamps as there is enough slack to reach both pipes. ...
    (alt.home.repair)