Will a static tinsel kit stop my treadmill from shocking me?

May 6, 2008 5:35 PM

Has anyone used a static tinsel kit on a treadmill?

I have a lot of problems with static electricity while using my treadmill -- I generally have to run with keys in my hand and touch them to the rail about every 20 seconds to discharge the buildup. Will this tinsel thing fix that? I can't seem to find much information about it.

posted by JanetLand to science & nature (3 comments total)

In my experience most Christmas tinsel is conductive. Don't spend $20.00 on $2.00 worth of tinsel!

Also, pretty much anything conductive will work. You could get a small piece of wire or chain and just loop it around your wrist, thus constantly discharging yourself.
posted by tomble at 7:52 PM on May 6, 2008

I should have clarified better - get a loop of something like light chain or wire, loop it around your wrist or just hang onto it, and tie the other end to the rail.
posted by tomble at 8:30 PM on May 6, 2008

I haven't used this, but from the product description it seems to prevent static buildup between the machine+user and the floor, which doesn't solve your problem.

Tombie's ideas do seem closer to the mark, because your problem is static between you and the machine. I'd be wary of looping wire around your wrist. If you fall, that will really, really hurt and could cut right into you.

Ideas, none of which are elegant, I'm afraid:

Buy some coax cable (TV aerial stuff) and strip the copper braid out of it. Wrap the middle bit of this (or tie it) to a bare metal part of your treadmill frame. You can reach out and touch this with your hand.

Or, because the static is created by the friction between your shoes and the treadmill surface, you may be able to poke some coax braid, (or just soft copper wire) in your sock (so it touches your skin) and then wrap it under your sole (so it also touches the treadmill). This would discharge any static with every step.

Alternatively, buy an anti-static wristband from an electronics or computer shop. This comes with a croc clip that you can attach to your machine, or to some wire that you've attached to it. The clip should come off easily enough if you fall, so you avoid the wrist problems. They're really cheap.
posted by dowcrag at 5:26 AM on May 7, 2008