A QUESTION ABOUT GROUNDING

[Scarytrout]

The question I have is: Are ESD (electrostatic discharge) shoes effective for grounding? I can't seem to find the answer because the internet has plenty of info on ESD shoes, because people need them for work in areas sensitive to static electricity. There is also plenty of information on grounding, because of the alternative health set. The problem is that I can't seem to find out info specific to the intersection of ESD shoes as they pertain to grounding. I think this is a worthwhile question because if ESD shoes are effective for grounding, then there is an abundance of "healthy" footwear out there that is cheap and accessible. Does anyone know? Does anyone have a multimeter and a pair of ESD shoes to test this out? It seems like this would be good info for a blog post because of the popularity of the topic of grounding nowadays.

 

[Eberhardt]

The question I have is: Are ESD (electrostatic discharge) shoes effective for grounding? I can't seem to find the answer because the internet has plenty of info on ESD shoes, because people need them for work in areas sensitive to static electricity. There is also plenty of information on grounding, because of the alternative health set. The problem is that I can't seem to find out info specific to the intersection of ESD shoes as they pertain to grounding. I think this is a worthwhile question because if ESD shoes are effective for grounding, then there is an abundance of "healthy" footwear out there that is cheap and accessible. Does anyone know? Does anyone have a multimeter and a pair of ESD shoes to test this out? It seems like this would be good info for a blog post because of the popularity of the topic of grounding nowadays.

They are not effective but better then nothing. The main problem is that there is an inbuildt resistance between the surroundings and the shoe to avoid rapid discharge potentially creating sparks. Shoes with direct grounding is better.

 

[xeliex]

Shoe Sync DIY Kit

The Shoe Sync is an earthing shoe DIY (Do It Yourself) Kit comes with everything you need to turn your existing minimalist shoes into grounded footwear. With this easy to install kit and a hammer, anyone can transform their existing thin soled shoes (½” thick or less) into conductive...

www.earthrunners.com

Ground any shoe

 

[liam183]

Shoe Sync DIY Kit

The Shoe Sync is an earthing shoe DIY (Do It Yourself) Kit comes with everything you need to turn your existing minimalist shoes into grounded footwear. With this easy to install kit and a hammer, anyone can transform their existing thin soled shoes (½” thick or less) into conductive...

www.earthrunners.com

Ground any shoe

+1. This is easy enough to do yourself too.

 

[slimdaddydogjim]

I work with electronic devices. ESD and proper grounding is a big deal! My company requires that all lab employees wear ESD straps over their shoes or ESD shoes, as well as ESD lab coats, in humidity controlled rooms, etc. Static electricity is able to kill many electronic devices, even when you don't see or feel any sparks, so we have to have yearly ESD training/certification. The doors to some of the labs will not even open unless you step on an ESD tester and confirm that you pass ESD! These testers are not exactly the same thing as a multimeter. What Eberhardt said about avoiding fast dischargers is true. ESD straps/ESD shoes are supposed to slowly discharge any built up static charges on you to ground.

Do keep in mind that the shoes are only half of the story, as the floor must be adequately grounded in order for this to truly work. The floors in our labs are lined with special conductive tiles that are grounded and the janitors have to buff these floors with a special compound on a weekly basis in order to assure good electrical contact with ESD shoes. So unless you are actually walking over dirt/soil with your ESD shoes, or fully grounded shoes, or barefoot, you might not be getting the full benefit. Concrete in some cases can be considered as an acceptable ground surface, however, concrete will wear out the conductive lining on the bottom of ESD shoes more quickly. Carpeted and wooden floors in homes will obviously not pair well with ESD/grounded footwear either.

One solution to grounding yourself in an office setting where you would be sitting for long periods of time would be to use ESD wrist straps. These actually have a better electrical connection to ground as they are a bare metal interface to the skin. You can connect these wrist straps to the ground pin on a nearby electrical outlet and you are good to go! Wrist straps are cheaper than ESD shoes too.

 

[liam183]

I wouldn't do that. Too much risk of dirty electricity from the building.

 

[lamassu]

copper rivets are available on amazon or aliexpress