# Ouch! Static electricity



## Sayen (Apr 12, 2011)

So maybe it's the dry Phoenix air, or the giant wooded stage, or bad luck, but I'm getting zapped left and right in my theater. Happens when I touch the electrics, the console, the audio rack...anything metal. And it's happening to my crew too. It's bad enough that several of us realized today we're inadvertently flinching before we touch things.

Anyone have a possible solution, or cause, other than "It just is that way"? It seems to only really happen in the theater which makes me think something else is the culprit, and I don't notice it in other theaters.


----------



## DuckJordan (Apr 13, 2011)

Sayen said:


> So maybe it's the dry Phoenix air, or the giant wooded stage, or bad luck, but I'm getting zapped left and right in my theater. Happens when I touch the electrics, the console, the audio rack...anything metal. And it's happening to my crew too. It's bad enough that several of us realized today we're inadvertently flinching before we touch things.
> 
> Anyone have a possible solution, or cause, other than "It just is that way"? It seems to only really happen in the theater which makes me think something else is the culprit, and I don't notice it in other theaters.


 

Humidifiers, also just to be safe always discharge before touching the expensive electrical equipment, some of those charges I've seen fry Express boards.


----------



## derekleffew (Apr 13, 2011)

Humidify, moisturize, go barefoot, and wear a Leko.


----------



## Sayen (Apr 13, 2011)

Barefoot huh? Might have to give that a try. I don't have a wrist strap, but today I was tempted to wire myself to an electric with some old 100' wire.

I'd love a humidifier, but the theater is a monster sized space.


----------



## chausman (Apr 13, 2011)

Sayen said:


> Barefoot huh? Might have to give that a try. I don't have a wrist strap, but today I was tempted to wire myself to an electric with some old 100' wire.
> 
> I'd love a humidifier, but the theater is a monster sized space.


 
NO!!!!!!! A working theater is not the place to be barefoot!!!

It might work, but you will PAY.


And, you aren't limited to one humidifier. I can guarantee that there is more than one humidifier left in Phoenix!


----------



## erosing (Apr 14, 2011)

derekleffew said:


> Humidify, moisturize, go barefoot, and wear a Leko.


 
I just bought a new one (different brand) at 4x the price, wish this thread was out a few days ago now. Ah well, in the future, I'm going with this bad boy, (plus it's not yellow). Thanks!


----------



## ruinexplorer (Apr 15, 2011)

A lot also depends on your shoes. When I come in to work wearing my street shoes, I'm getting shocked quite a bit. As soon as I put on my work boots (electric hazard, safety toe) then I no longer get shocked. That whole insulation thing. We also ground the desks that our consoles sit on so that you can discharge electricity before touching the equipment. 

Of course, if you have a lot of static discharge, this might be a time that you verify that your flamables cabinets are properly grounded.


----------



## What Rigger? (Apr 16, 2011)

I had this problem in Vegas at one of the venues I worked. It just became habit for me to discharge myself routinely throughout the day. Management didn't wanna hear about humidifiers.


----------



## Blacksheep0317 (Apr 20, 2011)

Shoes are the obvious choice of solution. Typically anything that is insulated for shock will keep you from building up static to begin with. Humidifiers are a massive investment for a room the size of a theatre though. Its a huge space to try to change like that, so I wouldnt count on the venue ponying up for that bill.


----------



## mstaylor (Apr 23, 2011)

I have a lot of problems with static shock when I rig. My building is all metal catwalks and I don't wear gloves when handling ropes, so when I let a motorchain in it is going through my hand. I have seen it jump three inches or more trying to discharge to the handrail. Hurts like the devil too.


----------



## Daveslights (Aug 2, 2011)

We have this same problem in my theatre in North Carolina, but only in the winter. In the summer it's not a problem at all.


----------



## BNEL (Aug 4, 2011)

Happens here in Minnesota as well in the winter months. I can also speak to the frying of equipment. I gave my lighting board a static shock and fryed my secondary graphics card. Luckly it was still under warranty. When my space was designed my control booth and dimmer room had CRAC units installed that can control the hummidity by adding or taking humidity in the room. There is not much I can do about the main space. However there are humidifiers that are also installed in rooms that store our music instruments that are connected directly to water and a drain to help keep our instruments in tune.


----------



## museav (Aug 4, 2011)

BNEL said:


> However there are humidifiers that are also installed in rooms that store our music instruments that are connected directly to water and a drain to help keep our instruments in tune.


This is something many people overlook but one potential problem is that if instrument storage, rehearsal and performance spaces are not at a similar temperature and humidity when in use then the instruments may go out of tune when moved between them.


----------

