Methods to prevent static electricity when using a vacuum cleaner in the dry winter
This explains methods to prevent static electricity when using a vacuum cleaner in the dry winter.
Problem: I'm scared to use vacuum cleaners in winter due to static electricity.
It's a cold, dry February in Korea.
My previous vacuum cleaner broke, so I bought a new cordless one.
Ever since, while using this vacuum cleaner, I sometimes feel a sudden electric shock at the handle.
Even wearing thick gloves while cleaning didn't stop the tingling sensation from the electricity.
This ongoing issue has made me fearful of using the vacuum cleaner.
What could be the cause ?
At first, I suspected that there might be an insulation defect causing leakage near the handle of the vacuum cleaner.
So, I checked the battery's output voltage and found it was 24V, not high enough to cause severe tingling sensation on the skin.
Curious if others were experiencing similar symptoms, I searched online.
I found several cases of similar experiences, and it was common enough to be listed in the frequently asked questions (FAQ) section of the service center.
The cause turned out to be static electricity.
The manufacturer's FAQ indicated that this symptom could occur when vacuuming over thick mattresses.
Furthermore, the service center did not offer any particular remedies.
This issue has been happening for several years now, and I was disappointed to see that it has not been improved upon.
It seems other manufacturers are experiencing the same issue.
Methods to prevent electrostatic discharge
I've reluctantly decided to attach a grounding wire directly myself.
I had some leftover electrical wire at home, so I cut it to a suitable length.
I stripped about 3 centimeters of insulation from one end of the wire, and taped the exposed metal wire to the handle of the vacuum cleaner.
It's important to ensure that the metal wire is tightly adhered to the vacuum cleaner.
This ensures that the static electricity will flow through the wire, preventing it from flowing into the human body.
Then, I stripped about 5 centimeters of insulation from the other end of the wire.
The metal wire on this side must touch the floor being cleaned.
To ensure good contact with the floor, I added several small nuts to weigh it down.
With these steps, the grounding wire installation on the vacuum cleaner is completed.
Has the static electricity disappeared after attaching the grounding wire ?
I tested using a vacuum cleaner on the mattress to see if the static electricity was eliminated.
Oh, fortunately, the static has completely disappeared!
The wires are a bit bothersome, but it's better than feeling the sharp static shocks.
Although the static electricity will likely disappear when the humidity increases after the winter,
considering that the vacuum cleaner is used on mattresses, it seems necessary for the manufacturer to improve on this issue.
Principles of engineering for static electricity prevention with grounding wires
Let's explore the principles of grounding wires that help prevent static electricity.
The reason why static electricity is felt from the vacuum cleaner on the human body is
because a high voltage/microcurrent flows from the vacuum cleaner through the body to the floor,
as shown in the green path in the following diagram.
When a ground wire is attached to a vacuum cleaner, it allows current to flow not only through the human body but also through the ground wire.
As illustrated in the figure, two pathways (green, yellow) are formed for current to flow from the vacuum cleaner to the floor.
Attaching the ground wire causes most of the current to flow through the ground wire instead of the human body.
Let's understand why this phenomenon occurs.
The amount of current flow is determined by the voltage and resistance.
- In formula, it can be expressed as
Current = Voltage / Resistance. - The unit of measure for resistance is Ohm.
The resistance of the human body ranges from thousands to millions of ohms, while the resistance of a wire is less than 1 ohm.
This means there is a difference in resistance of several thousand to several million times.
Due to this difference in resistance, the static electricity generated by a vacuum cleaner is hardly transmitted to the human body and is mostly transferred to the ground wire.
The current division rule allows for easy calculation in the following scenario:
- Static charge : 100
- Body resistance : 1,000,000 ohm
- Ground wire resistance : 1 ohm
Charge flowing through the ground wire = 100 * 1,000,000 / (1 + 1,000,000) = 99.9999
Charge flowing through the human body = 100 * 1 / (1 + 1,000,000) = 0.0001
Thus, more than 99.99% of static electricity is transmitted to the grounding wire and hardly any to the human body.
Using this principle, static electricity can be prevented through the grounding wire.