To start off: I was explaining to my friend that I don’t have a grounding point in my house (plumbing is PVC, outlets are gcfi protected only, not allowed to drive a grounding rod into the ground, etc…) and that I’ve just been handling sensitive electronics with just luck and preparation (humidity, moisturizer, no synthetic clothing, etc…) all this time. He told me to just wire myself to a good, multimeter tested, grounding point in a car and that will discharge any built-up static electricity. I’m not smart enough to argue with him on this subject but that doesnt seem the safest. Would that work or should I just keep doing my method? My understanding is that chassis grounding is essentially replacing wires with the frame so the outcome would just be connecting myself to the negative terminal of a car battery.
Tldr: I’m explaining my lack of a grounding point at home for sensitive electronics and is advised by my friend to wire myself to a grounded point in a car to discharge built-up static electricity. However, I’m uncertain about the safety of this suggestion and questions whether my current method of handling electronics with precautions is sufficient.
Edit: lmao people are really getting hung up on the no grounded outlet part. Umm my best explanation I guess is that its an older house that had 2 prong outlets and was “updated” with gfci protected outlets afterwards think the breakers as well. My understanding is that its up to code but I’m not an electrician. As for the plumbing I’m sure there’s still copper somewhere but the majority has been updated to pvc over the years. Again it’s not my house I don’t want to go biting the hand that feeds me. Thank you though, haha
Edit #2: thank you all so much for the helpful advice, I really appreciate all of you!
What 🤨… how so?
The solution here is to bring a bucket of dirt inside and stick the ground rod in that.
This is what was told to me by an old-timer electrician.
You dig a hole, 2m x 2m x 1.5m (or as deep as you can dig with a shovel). You take the load cylinder from an old washing machine. Weld a rod to that thing (on the side of the cylinder, not the middle). Make the welds good cuz that thing will go under ground and the elements will eat through it in a matter of years if it’s not welded correctly. Put the cylinder with the rod in the ground. Make a mixture of about 3 to 5kg of salt with soil (depending on the size of the cylinder and the type of soil) and fill the cylinder up with that. Put the rest of the dirt in the hole. Voila, a grounding solution that will last at least 50 years (or at least that’s what he told me).
Are you doing a bit? Why is a salt filled washing machine tub needed for grounding?
You can literally buy a grounding rod on Amazon for like $20 with a cord to connect to whatever you need. Just buy one of those and run the cable out the window. It has a handle, it pulls out of the ground when you’re done, and you can clean it off and put it away. No permanent installation required.
More active surface in touch with the soil, better conductivity. The salt increases conductivity. Once it starts transferring some of it to the sourrounding soil, the conductivity will be even better.
I was talking about a permanent solution, not a temporary one.
Ohh its not my house and homeowner said it will be potentially expensive and will need professional help finding a suitable place to drive the rod in to not cause damage. I agreed and that was that
So the rod itself is a trivial cost, if all you are really interested in is a grounded workbench.
For ESD, hammer a 2’ bit of copper pipe into the ground outside near your workbench, and if you have 2 prong only at your workbench, connect the pipe with whatever gauge wire to an adapter like this
https://www.rona.ca/en/product/globe-electric-2-pack-15-amp-3-wire-grounding-white-adapter-58746-0079591?viewStore=55250
This is not good enough for safety faults, but it will give you the same 0v reference on everything you plug downstream from the adapter. Put the wire on any metal furniture and shelving you will interact with while you work at the bench.
GFCI covers the safety requirements of an actual ground.
I should have mentioned, grounding out the panels and outlets properly is the expensive part. You don’t need the whole house done.
Tell him what I proposed in the comment above. It’s not expensive at all and works great (have done it in a few houses).
Maybe OP’s a renter?
Rental properties usually have to comply with electrical standards, including grounding. If they don’t, then dropping a grounding spike isn’t going against any municipal bylaws, just the building manager.
If the building is grounded, you could patch into the grounding line (in NA, that’s the domed slot on an outlet) — but I’d advise against it if it’s a multi-tenant building, as you have no clue what others have connected to ground.
As long as the battery is disconnected, a car sounds like a great option, as it can easily take the amperage you’re likely dealing with. Even with the battery connected, a car should work as long as you’re confident there aren’t any grounding faults in it (test first).