Why you’re constantly shocked by your doorknobs and light switches in the winter

It’s a shocking season! The shock, of course, comes when you’re reaching for a doorknob, a light switch, a coat hook… after you’ve shuffled across the floor to your closet in the morning to pull out your clothes for the day, when—bang—you get a shock. You go to your car – another bang. You grab the handle on the gas pump – boom! Most of us know that we experience many of these shocks at this time of year, rather than in the summer. Here’s why.

AIR AS A SPONGE

Your kitchen sponge holds water. Larger sponges can hold more water than smaller sponges. The air behaves similarly. When it comes to air, temperature is the determining factor in how much water the air can hold (the “size” of the sponge). Warm air can hold much more water than cold air. There’s some fancy math here. But let’s keep it simple. In Colorado Springs (yes…it depends on air pressure):

This may still be a bit confusing – but the most important thing to remember is that when we increase the temperature by a small amount, the amount of water the air can hold increases dramatically.

Therefore, cold air can only hold a small portion of the water that warm air can hold. It is a dramatic smaller sponge.

WHY YOUR HEATER CREATES SHOCKING CONDITIONS:

So – to your home. Your heater draws in outside air. This air could be relatively humid for what it can hold. But as you can see above, that’s not much when it’s cold outside.

When your heater heats this air, the sponge gets larger (it’s hotter), but the water in that sponge stays the same. Instead of a wet sponge, you now have a dry sponge. Dry air has an insulating effect: it allows charges to build up in individual places. Moist air can cause the charge to evaporate easily. When you walk across a carpet in dry air, a charge builds up in your body until you touch a metal surface… and get a shock.

WHY YOU WON’T BE SHOCKED OUTSIDE:

Outside… the relative humidity is higher – the sponge is wetter. This is usually enough to prevent you from going into shock outside. But what if you get a shock from your car? If you leave your car, it’s the same thing. You’re probably heating your car. When you grab your door handle, the charge is released all at once.

But if you get shocked at the gas pump or getting into your car, it’s usually a very dry day outside with low relative humidity. At this point – good luck trying to avoid lots of zaps. However, this is why you often get shocked internally, but only sometimes get shocked when you reach for the gas pump.

To reduce the risk of shock:

Since the culprit of all winter shocks is dry air, humidifying your home will significantly reduce the frequency with which you experience shock. This is also your number one. You can also wear shoes without rubber soles. Rubber is a good insulator, allowing charge to build up and making it easier to get electrocuted.

For clothing… Natural fibers provide better static dissipation than synthetic fibers.

____

Have a question or story idea you’d like the First Alert 5 weather team to consider? Email: [email protected]

Watch KOAA News5 anytime, anywhere with our free streaming app, available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search for KOAA News5, download and watch.