# shop vac causing static electricity



## markgum (Aug 13, 2009)

I have noticed a build of of static electricity when using my shop vac lately. I was cleaning up my band saw the other day and it zapped me good and have been shocked by the lathe, drill press... anything metal in my shop has 'bit' me lately.   I'm sure the Hot dry weather is helping, or maybe it is the floor mats.  But, SWMBO, says it is a short in the vacuum and I will kill myself if I don't fix it. 
  but she hasn't given me permission to buy a new one just hands me a broom :frown:
  just wondering if this is normal or is my vac failing me?? 
thanks.


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## KenV (Aug 13, 2009)

Most of the shop vacs are two wire and do not have a separate ground wiring.  Your band saw, drill press, etc should have a three wire grounded plug and the motor frame would be connected to the ground.  For 115 volt, the white neutral wire is connected to ground at the main breaker, so for these circuits, the green is a safety redundancy.  Better insulation in the gear is intended to provide the safety redundancy. 

Check your wiring to assure it is grounded --  I have a plug that goes into the outlet with Led lights that tell you if all is well -- or what is not well with the wiring.  

Have seen (old wiring) with out ground lead and poor bond on the neutral give that kind of shocking experiences -- not good.


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## hewunch (Aug 13, 2009)

Well a shop vac is really just a mini dust collector. And Dust Collectors are notorious for building up static electricity. So I would not be surprised.


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## GoodTurns (Aug 13, 2009)

any time i use the shop vac, i touch a piece of machinery every 10 seconds or so so that I only get little shocks...if i forget, i get zapped....


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## rjwolfe3 (Aug 13, 2009)

> Check your wiring to assure it is grounded -- I have a plug that goes into the outlet with Led lights that tell you if all is well -- or what is not well with the wiring.



I need to do this at my house - any idea where to pick this tool up at?


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## Seer (Aug 13, 2009)

When the air is dry no matter what static will be there.  I can walk through a grocery store or my house on tile and zap things.  I once blew out my wifes microwave went to make popcorn and zap no more microwave.  Even in rubber soled shoes I can give a static charge.


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## Displaced Canadian (Aug 13, 2009)

Lowes or Home depot for about $10 If your house was built before 1965 there is a good chance the outlets are not grounded. In some applications they used the conduit as the ground which is fine unless the conduit breaks. The tester is handy because just because the outlet isn't working doesn't mean there isn't power to it.


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## KenV (Aug 13, 2009)

Testers look like an over grown plug with lights on the end --  Home inspectors use them in every outlet.  

Common errors are having the neutral and hot reversed at the outlet and having the ground not working.  Such as a 3 prong grounded outlet with no ground connected.  

Electrical supply houses have them -  

They do not work for 220 volts!!!  blew one on a 115 volt outlet wired for 220 but the jerk who did it did not get the proper 220volt outlet.  He knew what it was.


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## GregHight (Aug 13, 2009)

*grounding*

you can always put in a new recepticle with a ground and and then run a ground wire into the ground or to a water pipe.  I get that problem with static electricity im ny car really bad in the winter and use Static Guard to sray interior to stop from getting shocked.  You may be able to spray your mat with it stop the static shocks (they can be quite jolting and painfull).

It is also a safety hazard because if you have any flamables on your bench (acetone, etc.) it can ignite them. You may want to try spraying the inside of the hose and shop vac with the Static Guard as that may help to.  Just unplug it first as I'm sure it's flamable while being sprayed...


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## IPD_Mrs (Aug 13, 2009)

Yes Mark it is quite normal for the wife to hand you a broom rather than the checkbook.

Invite her to come shop with you for a new one.  First vacume you need to look at is the Fein III.  After looking at that one you should be able to get just about any one you want.  Give her ideas on how handy it will be in the house too.

Good luck and make sure you ground your equipment or yourself before touching it.


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## KenV (Aug 13, 2009)

Mike -  Noise made the Fein an easy sell as a shop vac --  and it looks cheap when compared to the Festool --  start with Feztools and it is easy to work down -- the Fein is a great shop vac for noise and autostart -- use it with small lathe as one can hear something besides the sound of the vac screaming.


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## rcarman (Aug 16, 2009)

Basically any suction device that moves air and particulate matter through the piping, ducts, or hoses will generate a static charge.  The only way I have found to eliminate or at least reduce it, is to ground the air conduit.  Either use grounded metal duct which is not practical on a shop vac.  I use a ground braid for my PVC pipe that I use for my dust collector.  you may be able to wrap the hose with a light weight copper braid and take it back to a good ground.  Don' t know ,,,,, a perplexing problem.


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