Static electricity....again


Ok, I'm ready to burn the house down and move to Florida. I had a similar problem last winter. I live in Colorado and it's been snowing here like crazy. It is super dry here. My brother fried two pre amps last winter due to lightning bolts flying from his fingers to his pre amp anytime he touched the pre amp...

So here's what I have going on. I have all of my cables lifted off the ground with wooden blocks. My Equipment is plugged into a ps audio quintet, except for my amp which is plugged directly into the wall (porter port).

I don't have any remote controllers in my set-up so whenever I touch my equipment, I ground myself on a screw on the light switch first. I'll have so much electricity built up in my body that I can actually feel the hairs on my legs stand up when I do this.

Okay, well it has gotten to be so bad now that when I am just walking across the room, I can hear a few small pops coming out of my speakers. These are directly related to the static that is building up via my socks dragging across the carpet. I'm %100 sure of that.

My question is, what the heck do I do to remedy this problem before I damage any of my equipment? My house is probably 20 years old. Am I having these issues because the ground in my house is no good?

Btw, last winter when I was having these issues, I sprayed fabric softener all over and that seemed to work for, oh, about 20 minutes.

I'm going to get a humidifier and see how that helps. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated! I'm about ready to change my user name to Zues!
128x128b_limo
I second the Anti Static floor mat as long as your carpet is not a thick-pile, otherwise it may not stay flat. These mats are used in pro video and audio studios.
Or you use the old fashioned NYC tenement method...put a pot of water on the radiator.
Go small, cheap, and easy - Bounce Dryer sheets. Simply place one on top of a piece of gear and be sure to touch it before your first contact with your gear. Works like a *champ*!

-RW-
I always recommend having a dryer sheet handy when approaching the equipment rack. But it sounds like if the spray didn't work then maybe the sheets won't either. This is a particularly nasty winter.
Pbn, how do we send private messages? Can't figure it out...
Hate to say this but, find a user friendlier forum.
In the movie 'Man made Monster". Lon Chaney JR is pumped with large amounts of electricity. The remedy, in the movie for containing is to wear a rubber suit. No kidding aside water along with plants will do much to improve this problem.
Most anti static sprays that are available in CVS, etc. A not long lasting. In extreme situations you might need to obtain industrial grade anti static spray with up to 30 day longevity. Some carpets are extremely high voltage as it were.