I've heard that using stove pipe as opposed to PVC works better for reducing
static electricity.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this.

I've heard that using stove pipe as opposed to PVC works better for reducing
static electricity.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this.

Metal piping, if grounded, will dissapate static charges as they are generated.
Sometimes, plastic piping has an internal static ground wire installed. It is
spiked, like barbed wire.

"Kevin Cleary" wrote in message
news:GxWpg.22280$US2.19808@trndny03...
I've heard that using stove pipe as opposed to PVC works better for
reducing static electricity.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this.


Static only builds on insulators, so that's absolutely correct.

Static only builds on insulators, so that's absolutely correct.

I believe static charges can accumulate on anything not grounded, including
metal. It might be more accurate to say it builds on anything electrically
insulated. Dan

Their is an interesting Link on the LaymarCrafts Web Site titled "Grounded
PVC and other Dust Collecting Myths" well worth a read before you come to
any conclusions.

http://www.laymar-crafts.co.uk Technical Pages ~ Links ~ Dust

RVS

"Kevin Cleary" wrote in message
news:GxWpg.22280$US2.19808@trndny03...
I've heard that using stove pipe as opposed to PVC works better for
reducing
static electricity.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this.

Their is an interesting Link on the LaymarCrafts Web Site titled "Grounded
PVC and other Dust Collecting Myths" well worth a read before you come to
any conclusions.

Excellent article written by someone who knows about static. He distills
everything into three falsehoods:

1. The number one myth must be that PVC ducts are dangerous. As both theory and
practice show, home shop Dust Collector explosions are somewhere between
extraordinarily rare and nonexistent. The volume of a typical run of 4 inch
duct, say 20 feet, is about 1.7 cubic feet or equal to a cube 14 inches on a
side. I do not know the explosive power of this volume of dust, but I do not
think this is going to level your shop.

2. The number two myth must be that you can ground PVC. You simply can't ground
an insulator. There are things you can do to reduce the odds of a strong
discharge, especially to your body, but they are far from perfect.

3. The number three myth is the unstated corollary to myth #1: the only thing of
concern in a dust collector are the ducts. As seen above, the collected dust
pile and the collection bag are greater hazards than the ducts. Fortunately, in
practice home shop sized dust bags have shown themselves to pose little
explosion hazard.

More at:
http://www.airhand.com/designing.asp
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dust_collection

http://www.laymar-crafts.co.uk Technical Pages ~ Links ~ Dust

RVS

"Kevin Cleary" wrote in message
news:GxWpg.22280$US2.19808@trndny03...
I've heard that using stove pipe as opposed to PVC works better for
reducing
static electricity.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this.

On Sun, 02 Jul 2006 21:04:38 GMT, "Kevin Cleary"
wrote:

I've heard that using stove pipe as opposed to PVC works better for reducing
static electricity.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this.

My WAG would be that you're in about as much danger from a home shop DC
explosion as you are from getting hit by a meteor...

Statistics aside, has anyone here ever seen an actual DC explosion?
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

Statistics aside, has anyone here ever seen an actual DC explosion?
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

Yes. I recall three granary explosions in my midwestern childhood. Dan

I've seen the results of one. I used to haul wheat during harvest to the
Garvey Grain elevators south of Wichita Ks. A grain dust explosion took out
a large chunk in June of 1998.

see for some info
http://www.oznet.ksu.edu/pr_histpubs...Explosions.pdf

"mac davis" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 02 Jul 2006 21:04:38 GMT, "Kevin Cleary"
wrote:

I've heard that using stove pipe as opposed to PVC works better for
reducing
static electricity.
Does anyone have any thoughts on this.

My WAG would be that you're in about as much danger from a home shop DC
explosion as you are from getting hit by a meteor...

Statistics aside, has anyone here ever seen an actual DC explosion?
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

On Mon, 3 Jul 2006 14:37:09 -0400, "Dan Bollinger"
wrote:

Statistics aside, has anyone here ever seen an actual DC explosion?
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

Yes. I recall three granary explosions in my midwestern childhood. Dan

hmm... never thought of them as DC units...

Sort of like comparing a garden hose and a water main.. *g*
Mac

https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis
https://home.comcast.net/~mac.davis/wood_stuff.htm

In article ,
"Dan Bollinger" wrote:

1. The number one myth must be that PVC ducts are dangerous. As both theory
and
practice show, home shop Dust Collector explosions are somewhere between
extraordinarily rare and nonexistent. The volume of a typical run of 4 inch
duct, say 20 feet, is about 1.7 cubic feet or equal to a cube 14 inches on a
side. I do not know the explosive power of this volume of dust, but I do not
think this is going to level your shop.

2. The number two myth must be that you can ground PVC. You simply can't
ground
an insulator. There are things you can do to reduce the odds of a strong
discharge, especially to your body, but they are far from perfect.

3. The number three myth is the unstated corollary to myth #1: the only thing
of
concern in a dust collector are the ducts. As seen above, the collected dust
pile and the collection bag are greater hazards than the ducts. Fortunately,
in
practice home shop sized dust bags have shown themselves to pose little
explosion hazard.

HEY! 'Zat a dead horse o'er yonder?

The Discovery Channel's Myth Busters aired an episode in which the crew
tried to "invent their own static cannon to learn if an unfortunate
construction worker really died from sandblasting a PVC pipe on the job."
They couldn't get the PVC to generate anything other than a very weak
static discharge.

They also attempted to ignite wood dust suspended in air in a more
recent episode. Had a very difficult time getting it to do much more
than minimally increase the flame area of an open flame - certainly
didn't come anywhere near igniting all the dust in the enclosure.

Just wanted to add some off-the-tV expertise.

Owen
(who must really be living life on the edge with his ungrounded ABS dust
piping)