Static: All I wanted to do was flush

The BBQ Pit
1

Static. Little kids, whether they know about it or not, use it to raise their hair with a balloon. Grade school teachers use it as a simple “ooh ah” experiment for the lil’uns. Laundry detergent companies advertise that their product reduces it. Ordinary folks experience it all the time when they touch a doorknob and get a painful spark. Lately, I’ve been getting static shocked right and left. Doorknob, closet handle, lab chair, you name it, I get a little pop. It doesn’t make it any better that I have to pass through six doors to get to my dorm room.

Now I can live with this punishment for wearing a fuzzy sweater, but it’s gotten personal.

There I was, finishing up a nice leisurely dump. No way was I going to get shocked here with bathroom tile all around. There has to be carpet or something on the ground to build up the charge difference, right? Nah, the little electrons followed me into the bathroom, waiting until the right moment to surprise me. I reached back to flush, and ZAP! They got me with my pants down, literally!

So now I declare war on you. I’ll wear my leather sandals, even in the bitter winter cold, spray water around in my room, wear gloves, stop shuffling my feet around, anything to stop the shocking.

2

For what it’s worth, linoleum can be a risk factor in static accumulation.

I, too, have experienced periods when I’ve been surprised by static discharge in unusual contexts. Once it dawns on me that I’m going through one of them, my preventive measure is to retrieve my keys from my pocket, grasp one key firmly, and touch its tip to a reliable grounding point (towel rack, toilet paper roller holder, faucet, you get the drift).

3

Oh, and as regards activities to avoid: I’d refrain from rubbing my pelt with a glass rod as much as possible. When I read *Ben and Me{/i] as a child, I recall that Ben would sometimes do that to the mouse, much to the mouse’s annoyance. I imagine gopher fur would produce pretty much the same effect.

:smiley:

4

Hooboy, I just had a very twisted mental image pop into my head reading that. Shocking even, I guess you could say.

5

Funny about that… so was I

6

Yes, it can lead to hairy palms and blindness. :smiley:

7

Get yourself one of these.