Go Back  British Expats > Living & Moving Abroad > Canada
Reload this Page >

Static shocks in Calgary

Wikiposts

Static shocks in Calgary

Thread Tools
 
Old Nov 11th 2005 | 6:44 am
  #1  
Thread Starter
 
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 122
NewCalgarian is an unknown quantity at this point
Default Static shocks in Calgary

Now its getting colder & drier, the bloody static shocks I get from the car & virtually everything else metallic that I come into contact with, are becoming more intense and painful. They REALLY irritate me

Has anyone found anything to help with this (i.e. those rubber grounding strips hanging from your car - do they work etc)?

What have people found to be the best moisturiser? No matter how much I have put on recently, I seem to be all dried up like Quaker Porridge Oats (not to mention chapped lips)!

Damp climates definitely have their advantages.
 
Old Nov 11th 2005 | 6:47 am
  #2  
Cowtown
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

Originally Posted by NewCalgarian
Now its getting colder & drier, the bloody static shocks I get from the car & virtually everything else metallic that I come into contact with, are becoming more intense and painful. They REALLY irritate me

Has anyone found anything to help with this (i.e. those rubber grounding strips hanging from your car - do they work etc)?

What have people found to be the best moisturiser? No matter how much I have put on recently, I seem to be all dried up like Quaker Porridge Oats (not to mention chapped lips)!

Damp climates definitely have their advantages.
Check your humidifier is working.

Try Aveeno.
 
Old Nov 11th 2005 | 6:51 am
  #3  
iaink's Avatar
Moderαtor Emeritus
 
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 30,771
From: Upstate South Carolina
iaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

Ground yourself using your keys to the metal bodywork when you get in / out.
The painfull arc will be from the keys to the bodywork...not your finger.

Wear more cotton than polyester.

Never noticed a difference with moisturisers, but I aint no expert...I suspect quantity and frequency of application is more important than anything else, but then Ontario is probably not as dry as AB, and even in ON it can get pretty bad. Not even really winter yet either.
 
Old Nov 11th 2005 | 7:29 am
  #4  
Cowtown
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

Originally Posted by iaink
Not even really winter yet either.
Not even close to dried out yet ... that doesn't happen until January.
 
Old Nov 11th 2005 | 7:31 am
  #5  
john fisher's Avatar
Lost again
 
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 351
From: Calgary Canada
john fisher is a splendid one to beholdjohn fisher is a splendid one to beholdjohn fisher is a splendid one to beholdjohn fisher is a splendid one to beholdjohn fisher is a splendid one to beholdjohn fisher is a splendid one to beholdjohn fisher is a splendid one to beholdjohn fisher is a splendid one to beholdjohn fisher is a splendid one to beholdjohn fisher is a splendid one to beholdjohn fisher is a splendid one to behold
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

Originally Posted by NewCalgarian
Now its getting colder & drier, the bloody static shocks I get from the car & virtually everything else metallic that I come into contact with, are becoming more intense and painful. They REALLY irritate me

Has anyone found anything to help with this (i.e. those rubber grounding strips hanging from your car - do they work etc)?

What have people found to be the best moisturiser? No matter how much I have put on recently, I seem to be all dried up like Quaker Porridge Oats (not to mention chapped lips)!

Damp climates definitely have their advantages.
I always ground the car with my arm first and when you get out close the door with your shoulder you still get a shock but I don't think it hurts as much.
 
Old Nov 11th 2005 | 7:33 am
  #6  
iaink's Avatar
Moderαtor Emeritus
 
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 30,771
From: Upstate South Carolina
iaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

Originally Posted by Cowtown
Check your humidifier is working.
Thats some fancy vehicle if it comes with a built in humidifier
 
Old Nov 11th 2005 | 7:42 am
  #7  
Cowtown
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

Originally Posted by iaink
Thats some fancy vehicle if it comes with a built in humidifier
We have some really good stuff out here in the west!

When our humidifier is working properly I dont get shocks. When it isnt working I do get shocks.
 
Old Nov 11th 2005 | 10:22 am
  #8  
Judy in Calgary's Avatar
Now on Vancouver Island
 
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,935
From: Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada
Judy in Calgary has a reputation beyond reputeJudy in Calgary has a reputation beyond reputeJudy in Calgary has a reputation beyond reputeJudy in Calgary has a reputation beyond reputeJudy in Calgary has a reputation beyond reputeJudy in Calgary has a reputation beyond reputeJudy in Calgary has a reputation beyond reputeJudy in Calgary has a reputation beyond reputeJudy in Calgary has a reputation beyond reputeJudy in Calgary has a reputation beyond reputeJudy in Calgary has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

My husband had a swelling on his eyelid, and it had to be lanced. The doctor told him it was a plugged up tear duct which, in turn, was attributable to our dry climate. The doc said my hubby could help to avoid recurrences by including flax seed oil in his diet. Now each of us makes a conscious effort to consume at least a tablespoonful of flax seed oil every day. We incorporate it into salad dressings, etc.
 
Old Nov 12th 2005 | 8:26 am
  #9  
sysclp's Avatar
BE Enthusiast
 
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 941
From: Pickering, ON
sysclp is a name known to allsysclp is a name known to allsysclp is a name known to allsysclp is a name known to allsysclp is a name known to allsysclp is a name known to allsysclp is a name known to allsysclp is a name known to allsysclp is a name known to allsysclp is a name known to allsysclp is a name known to all
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

Originally Posted by NewCalgarian
Now its getting colder & drier, the bloody static shocks I get from the car & virtually everything else metallic that I come into contact with, are becoming more intense and painful. They REALLY irritate me

Has anyone found anything to help with this (i.e. those rubber grounding strips hanging from your car - do they work etc)?

What have people found to be the best moisturiser? No matter how much I have put on recently, I seem to be all dried up like Quaker Porridge Oats (not to mention chapped lips)!

Damp climates definitely have their advantages.
The key trick works, my husband does it on doors to buildings too as they sometimes will shock you in winter. Blistex (the dark green tube) works best for me for the chapped lips. It hits me hard since I moved here from the VERY humid south, so I run a humidifier all winter or I would be miserable even inside. For my hands and other extremites, the Vasiline Intensive Care Manicure lotion works really well. For my face, I use a quite expensive Carita moisturizer, so maybe go to a department store cosmetics counter and see what they recommend for your facial skin type.
 
Old Nov 12th 2005 | 9:09 am
  #10  
BE Forum Addict
 
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,583
From: Waukee, Iowa
CalgaryAMC is just really niceCalgaryAMC is just really niceCalgaryAMC is just really niceCalgaryAMC is just really niceCalgaryAMC is just really niceCalgaryAMC is just really niceCalgaryAMC is just really niceCalgaryAMC is just really niceCalgaryAMC is just really niceCalgaryAMC is just really nice
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

Originally Posted by iaink
Ground yourself using your keys to the metal bodywork when you get in / out.
The painfull arc will be from the keys to the bodywork...not your finger.
This is the way to do it.
 
Old Nov 12th 2005 | 12:22 pm
  #11  
Iginla's Avatar
Deep in the red C.
 
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 1,663
Iginla has a reputation beyond reputeIginla has a reputation beyond reputeIginla has a reputation beyond reputeIginla has a reputation beyond reputeIginla has a reputation beyond reputeIginla has a reputation beyond reputeIginla has a reputation beyond reputeIginla has a reputation beyond reputeIginla has a reputation beyond reputeIginla has a reputation beyond reputeIginla has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

Originally Posted by CalgaryAMC
This is the way to do it.
I still get a shock from key to body sometimes.

I swear I'm like a nervous wreck everytime I go to open a door, I'm just waiting for it, whereas the Canadians I work with rarely seem to be shocked.

Have they evolved to be shockproof?
 
Old Nov 12th 2005 | 12:55 pm
  #12  
iaink's Avatar
Moderαtor Emeritus
 
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 30,771
From: Upstate South Carolina
iaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

Originally Posted by Iginla

Have they evolved to be shockproof?
Years of repeated shocks have killed the nerves. Hope for us all then!
 
Old Nov 12th 2005 | 1:00 pm
  #13  
gruffbrown's Avatar
 
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 30,102
gruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

Just popped over the border, because this one interests me, over the past week I've noticed I'm starting to get static shocks more. From the truck when I get out, metal door handles on shops and especially in the Grocery Store! Is it anything to do with wearing 'cross country' sandals in the summer and thick rubber soled walking boots in the Winter or just humidity?

Last edited by gruffbrown; Nov 12th 2005 at 1:03 pm.
 
Old Nov 12th 2005 | 1:07 pm
  #14  
iaink's Avatar
Moderαtor Emeritus
 
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 30,771
From: Upstate South Carolina
iaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond reputeiaink has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

Originally Posted by gruffbrown
Just popped over the border, because this one interests me, over the past week I've noticed I'm starting to get static shocks more. From the truck when I get out, metal door handles on shops and especially in the Grocery Store! Is it anything to do with wearing 'cross country' sandals in the summer and thick rubber soled walking boots in the Winter or just humidity?
Mainly just the lack of humidity. Everything is less conductive and the static builds up to shocking levels.

Synthetic fabrics seem to make it worse, but cotton can be a bit of a liability in the canadian winter anyway once it gets wets, so you're damned if you do and damned if you dont.
 
Old Nov 12th 2005 | 1:11 pm
  #15  
gruffbrown's Avatar
 
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 30,102
gruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond reputegruffbrown has a reputation beyond repute
Default Re: Static shocks in Calgary

Originally Posted by iaink
Mainly just the lack of humidity. Everything is less conductive and the static builds up to shocking levels.

Synthetic fabrics seem to make it worse, but cotton can be a bit of a liability in the canadian winter anyway once it gets wets, so you're damned if you do and damned if you dont.
Nearly all of my clothing is cotton, although I guess the truck seats are synthetic, are some people more prone to it than others, as I noticed tonight my wife got out of the truck first and I still got a shock..... Damn
 


Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service - Your Privacy Choices

Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.