Static Shock When Vacuuming

while vacuuming ash out , if you keep your "free hand" in contact with the stove you generally will not get shocked, the static is coming from the ash itself. i get this in my shop a lot especially when im cleaning a stove with a larger amount of ash. this happens even with the vac and the stove plugged into a grounded plug or if the stove is not plugged in at all.

This is a result of conveying particles along the inside of a plastic (a great insulator) tube, especially in low humidity situations. One way around it is to run a wire down the inside of the hose and ground it. Not all that practical for a movable device like an ash vac. I don't see it because I use an ash vac with a metal tube that gets grounded through me to the stove. You could do the wire trick and ground it to the stove, if it is really annoying.

Better vacs are available that will disipate the charge. They use conductive hoses and tie into the grounding system. Its a common problem when vacuuming dusts like drywall and fine sawdust. There are even some kits you can buy to adapt other vacs.

Vacs like the festool http://www.rockler.com/festool-ct-mini-dust-extractor or bosch airsweep are available with antistatic hose

shocks such as this are good to keep the blood flowing - no worry

I touch an electric fence now and then just for the memories of childhood

put a 1M resistor between you and gnd, than it wont hurt so bad !

On a serious note, look into an ESD wrist strap, make sure its a decent one. Techni-tool has them pretty cheap that have the 1M resistor built in. than gnd it to the earth gnd on an outlet. You could probably tear apart your sweeper and gnd it to the earth of the motor, it will be independent of the canister.

wsar10 said:

put a 1M resistor between you and gnd, than it wont hurt so bad !

On a serious note, look into an ESD wrist strap, make sure its a decent one. Techni-tool has them pretty cheap that have the 1M resistor built in. than gnd it to the earth gnd on an outlet. You could probably tear apart your sweeper and gnd it to the earth of the motor, it will be independent of the canister.

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the powersmith has a two wire plug

Always touch suspect live electrical surfaces with your knuckle first....if live, your muscles will contract and pull your hand away from the surface.....if you touch with an open hand you will clench and possibly grab the live connection thereby having an unhappy outcome.

Like I said earlier, just run a length of bare wire down the hose. On the end sticking out near the vacuum, make it long enough to reach your stove and put an alligator clip on it that you clip to the chassis. OR get one of the hoses mentioned above that probably have metal particles or graphite in them OR get a real ash vac with a metal hose OR hang on to the stove while vacuuming. Choices, choices, choices.

I get it the odd time as well. However a little shock is better than a kick in the gut from Hydro One

Polar Bear said:

I get it the odd time as well. However a little shock is better than a kick in the gut from Hydro One

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You get the Hydro one kick every month

johneh said:

You get the Hydro one kick every month

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Now it's less of a kick, more of a tickle

This winter was the first year I started experiencing shocks while vacuuming the ash. I just keep one hand on the door so I don't get them.

I get them too with my shop vac. The shocks are not so bad when its fine light ash, but if its heavy ash, especially if its mixed with some unburned pellets from say a failed ignitor attempt, the shocks are much stronger.