Arcing
Arcing
(OP)
Hello everybody:
A friend ask me about a curious situation he is suffering these days. The story is as follows: Ever since one month or so, he has been experiencing a sort of electrical shock at the moment when he gets down of his car.
Sometimes (not always) when his hand is close enough to the metal of the door, he says that he can feel (see and hear) the electrical arc.
He has been driving for more than twenty years (three of them with the present car) and this is the first time he is bothered for that situation.
I have told him that it probably is a case of static electricity developed by him while driving by the action of rubbing the steering wheel.
I know that this type of problem can be solved by strengthen the earth connection between the chassis and the motor frame of the car. He made so but, the annoying arcing is still going on.
I would like to be adviced on this subject in order to give a hand to a worried friend.
Thanks in advance
A friend ask me about a curious situation he is suffering these days. The story is as follows: Ever since one month or so, he has been experiencing a sort of electrical shock at the moment when he gets down of his car.
Sometimes (not always) when his hand is close enough to the metal of the door, he says that he can feel (see and hear) the electrical arc.
He has been driving for more than twenty years (three of them with the present car) and this is the first time he is bothered for that situation.
I have told him that it probably is a case of static electricity developed by him while driving by the action of rubbing the steering wheel.
I know that this type of problem can be solved by strengthen the earth connection between the chassis and the motor frame of the car. He made so but, the annoying arcing is still going on.
I would like to be adviced on this subject in order to give a hand to a worried friend.
Thanks in advance





RE: Arcing
Cheers
Greg Locock
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RE: Arcing
Static generated between clothing and seat.
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RE: Arcing
RE: Arcing
The sequence is this:
Open the car door and touch a bare part of the body to a metal part of the car BEFORE putting the feet on the ground.
The panel immediately behind the driver's door is a convenient place.
Pete.
RE: Arcing
Thanks a lot for your comments.
Greglocock and patprimmer: my friend says that for the last five years he has been using the same clothes, at work and on weekends; he usually dresses with not too different clothes.
MiketheEngineer and Peter7307: thanks for your helpful suggestions. I will feed back the results.
At this moment I wonder, is it possible that someone driving the same car by three years, dressed with the same type of clothes can be, suddenly, on the last two months, develop a reaction to static? Can this reaction to this phenomenon disappears in the same way that it appears?
Thanks.
RE: Arcing
Wear on the seat fabric so the natural or cellulosic fibres wear more exposing the synthetics more.
I don't believe he never changes his cloths. They might look similar but the might have a different composition re fibre type.
He might also have installed seat covers.
The seat may have had an earth that has been disturbed by something as simple as greasing the adjustment mechanism.
He may have been earthed but has since changed shoes.
It didn't happen, it now does. Something changed, unless of course you want think it is supernatural.
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RE: Arcing
To me this is normal. It happens with every car I've ever had and with any car I've ever rode in (in the winter)
RE: Arcing
Believe it if you need it or leave it if you dare. - Robert Hunter
RE: Arcing
see also: http://w
RE: Arcing
mcgyvr: my friend lives in a zone with an average air dry bulb temperature of 30º C, an average wet bulb temperature of 24º C and an average Relative Humidity of 70%.
He is telling me that, for example, these days the ambient temperature is around 37º C and a RH of 43 %.
ewh: the last replacement of tires was on August 2007.
Thanks.
RE: Arcing
RE: Arcing
RE: Arcing
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RE: Arcing
Thanks again for all the comments.
patprimmer and ivymike: Surprisingly he is using new shoes but, he is suffering the same thing even though he is wearing the old ones.
The car always has had the seats wrapped with covers. There is no any change with this.
IRstuff: He has had this same car all this time and he got it new.
ivymike and thruthefence: in your opinion, where is the more convenient place to install that ground strap?
RE: Arcing
RE: Arcing
It will be the cloths and the seat cover or upholstery. Whether he knows it or not, something in that combination has changed.
If the seat covers are removable, treat them with an antistatic.
Different fibre types have different potentials to gain or lose electrons to each other. Different surface treatments and finishing treatments also influence that. Different residual chemicals also influence it. It could be as simple as a change in laundry products.
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RE: Arcing
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RE: Arcing
We had some packaging at my last place that had been around for years with no problem. It started getting used in a desert area and there where static problems.
As best anyone can tell it was due to the humidity, or lack there of, not allowing the charge to leach off as fast as normal.
KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
RE: Arcing
RE: Arcing
RE: Arcing
I have noticed it for some time now. And I think more is involved than what others think. We now have more EM in our environment than ever before, it could be from increased cell phone towers, and also from such things as satellite microwave transmissions to earth, such as military, GPS, broadcast etc.
I never flet a shock from exiting a car in the 1960's and 70's. Now its all the time.
RE: Arcing
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RE: Arcing
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RE: Arcing
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RE: Arcing
Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com
RE: Arcing
Thanks to all for your comments.
The last weekend I spoke with my friend and he told me that he is following the advise of Peter7307 and ivymike and, apparently, the problem has disappeared.
Even though, he has the idea to install a ground strap in the rear side of the car in order to avoid arcing when start to charge fuel at the gas station.
I wonder, how about the antenna of the radio, it can acts as a ground strap?
Once again, thanks.
RE: Arcing
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