Grounding plastic barrel

[shrxfn]

I was able to score a free plastic barrel with a removable lid and a locking ring. I know that it will generate a static charge when used but I had an idea for grounding it and wanted to run it by the forum. My shop vac has a two prong plug but the extension cord is a three prong with ground. So if I was ground the barrel to the unused ground wire on the extension cord would I be tempting the electrical gods to fry me and my equipment or do you think it would work?

[phil (admin)]

I don't think it would help.  The plastic is difficult to ground.  I'd try it w/o grounding.  The biggest problem you'll run into is emptying it right after use.  If you let the bin sit for fifteen minutes or more after use, you'll be able to empty it w/o problems.

[shrxfn]

Oh so that is all. I thought it was kind of like a serious health hazard when using plastic and dust collection because you see the pipe with a ground strap as well but I guess that must be to keep the wood chips from sticking in the pipes. Thanks for the info. I think I will be starting work on the separator today.

[dbhost]

This is a HUGE subject for debate. And is most likely a much bigger problem in dryer environments like Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada etc... than say Texas, Louisiana, Alabama, Florida etc...

Dry air, itself blowing accross PVC will create some electrical potential accross the surface, now combine that with dry sawdust and chips and even more electrical potential is created. The problem isn't that the energy is there, it is that PVC and other plastics are insulators, and do not allow a path to ground for the electrons...

The most common effective solution is to run a bare copper grounding wire on the INSIDE of the plastic pipe, bring it out through a hole that is then sealed at the end near the fitting, and the wire is then run to ground (this is done on both ends). Usually you would use a grounding clamp to a cast iron cold water pipe, or lacking that, pound a copper grounding rod into the yard somewhere close by (say in the flower bed) and attach the ground wire via a grounding clamp there...

Now the biggest question is if it is really neccesary...

With the VOLUME of air that a true dust collector moves, most likely, but there is VERY little evidence of there being any safety hazzard from ungrounded PVC and sawdust in the HOME HOBBY WORKSHOP.... In a production environment, with the DC equipment running pretty much 24x7 it wouldn't take long for a big enough arc, and just he right amount of oxygen / fine sawdust to meet and boom, explosion time like a grain silo...

A Shop Vac based system, IMHO, moves insufficient amounts of air to pose any threat that way.

[phil (admin)]

A Shop Vac based system, IMHO, moves insufficient amounts of air to pose any threat that way.

And I guess it doesn't go without saying that most shop vacs these days use plastic barrels.   ;D