this post was submitted on 08 Sep 2023
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I wear UGG boots in winter because it's fucking cold.

I also wrap myself in a blanket on the couch, and have a lovely area rug so I don't have to walk on a cold floor. All these things are necessary to survive the winter; my house isn't well insulated.

The problem with all this, is that I build up a static charge. So when I go to pat my beautiful sweetheart of a dog, I zap him. It's audible and I'm sure, quite unpleasant. Often on the head. He obviously doesn't like that, I think he's taking it personally, and I feel awful. It completely cancels out the affection I'm trying to show him.

So the question for the Lemmy community is:

How do I discharge the static before I pat my dog? I have started shocking my partner (which he doesn't like, but accepts over the alternative), before patting my dog. But as he's out tonight, I have no human vessel to offer as tribute?

What can I touch in my house before patting my dog so that he doesn't receive a shock?

Edit: standard Australian house and furniture

Another edit: I'm all the sheets to the wind so the engineering advice is not sinking in. But I'm loving the immediate response that I'd never have gotten on Deaddit.

Again: I can't stop giggling at how helpful everyone is being and how short m, drunk and silly I am, in a house with apparently no metal

And again: I should probably take me and my baby to bed now, but a big thank you to everyone who replied. You've all been lovely. Lemmy is really a different space to ask these questions! I'll be trying out many of your suggestions over the weekend; big thanks from me and my boy x

Final: thanks to everyone who responded. I did try the kitchen tap again last night and this time it worked! Mustn't have built up enough charge when I tried the night I posted. I will still primarily zap my partner's leg as it's usually closer and doing it makes me laugh. It's important he understands where he fits in the household hierarchy as well. I also learnt that American houses are very different (screws and radiators everywhere!) so that was interesting too.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Internet says to touch the screws on a light switch panel.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Damn, I was going to suggest this, I do it all the time. Perhaps shuffle around and touch everything in sight until you find something that zaps and therefore discharges you. Once you find something grounding (zappy) touch that before you touch your dog.

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[–] Wea 4 points 1 year ago

Can you touch the wall with your full palm before touching your pup and see if that helps?

[–] NOT_RICK 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Increasing the humidity in your house will also help limit the static buildup. Just don’t increase it so much you get a ton of condensation on the windows

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

My asthma could not deal or I'd move to Queensland

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

Simple, just touch the ground. That's what your dog conducts to. Just take the dog out the equation.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Why do you wear boots on the couch? Or indoors at all?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (4 children)

If you really don't have anything metal in your house (metal sinks or any appliance with an outer metal shell that should be grounded), grab an extension cord, cut it and completely remove any cable that is not the yellow and geeen one, that is the earth cable (assuming in Australia that is the correct color scheme), expose that wire and touch it to discharge. Make sure the other cables are in no way exposed. If yoy want to be extra safe, buy a plug and only connect the earth cable.

/s of course, don't do that unless you know your way around AC power

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

touch a wall with the palm of your hand for a couple of seconds.

[–] Sacha 2 points 1 year ago (7 children)

Oh man, I feel this one. I moved to a colder climate with my cat in winter and every time I pet her, if I got close to her ears... zap. She was always like ?????? About it.

One day it just stopped happening one day and I'm not sure why. So I don't really have any advice.

You could try rubber soled footwear instead?

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I always get zapped when touching anything metal during the winter, so what I do is touch the drywall first before touching something I know will trigger the charge. Seems to work for me.

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[–] mwknight 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This happened with my cat often enough that once I went to pet him and saw him wince from my hand 😒

So after that I started doing the same things suggested here Try touching stuff around your house to see what discharges you, but also what I got in the habit of doing was tapping my cat on the back haunch before petting him. That discharged me in a much more manageable place for him and then subsequent skritches were still pleasant and appreciated.

I've tried for years to figure out how to lower the static electricity in my house, but keep coming up empty. I think it's the combination of rubber-soled slippers, carpeting and anti-static mats in the office. So at my desk, I have ran a thin sliver of tinfoil along the edge and grounded that, so when I sit it discharges through there instead of my computer.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

You're lovely. What a nice modification you've made for your and your pet.

I'm just a dickhead drinking on my couch and the UGGs are only for a few months. Then it's thongs (that's flip flops for you other colony types) for the rest of the year

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Do you have a desktop computer? If so, and you know where the power supply is, you could touch the metal grate on that. The power supply will be earthed due to requiring a ground, and the cage itself is properly made so maintenance can be done safely by connecting an ESD wrist strap to the power supply cage.

If you don't feel or hear a shock, you have not discharged.

If you have more patience, you can wash your hands for 2 minutes and you wouldn't be statically charged. Though, that may be really cold as an after affect.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Computer is so far away and dog is so close and gorgeous

Cold water on this skin? No thanks. I'll set myself on fire instead .. At least I'll be warm for the rest of my life

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