Thanks much. So I conclude from these two responses -
OBW0549 says that there is a difference between standing on the pad and standing on the earth,
MrChips says 100K isn't enough of a difference to matter.
So I'm to conclude that the company that makes these pads is being truthful and accurate and that standing on one of these pads produces the same grounding effect as standing on the earth barefooted - not a desert or a swamp mind you, but just your average, dry front lawn?

 

Static is one thing. A low impeadance path to ground is another. let's look at this problem another way:
1. A reference
2. Protective ground (earth)
3. Shield (non current carrying) - helps prevent RFI

Your house has a ground rod driven into the Earth which becomes the 0V reference for the house.

AC outlets should really have two grounds, but they don;t because of cost. There is such an animal as an Isolated ground receptacle. See: https://www.ecmweb.com/content/article/20890911/the-basics-of-isolated-grounding-receptacles

Back to the house. You want your plumbing and external metal parts of equipment to be earthed. If an electrical fault occurs the equipment, the fuse can blow. Not great, but it's worked for a long time.

Because people run extension cords under rugs and defeat protections and electronucs have gotten cheaper, we have AFCI's and GFCI's. The AFCI looks for an arc signature and will trip. The GFCI looks for the difference of current flowing in the neutral and hot. It's around 10mA or the amount of current that does some damage if it goes through the heart muscle.

Now, we have more of what we need: 1) protection from getting shocked and 2) A reference.

In a set of grounds that are daisy-chained, if you have a fault at the end, the ground potentials change along that chain. This isn't good. You don;t generally have feeds in the same room from multiple breakers, so better.

e.f you don;t plug in a parallel printer in the basement and connect it to a computer in the attic on serparate circuits. That used communication that was referenced to ground and 5.5V was the max it could tolerate.

Your cable TV also shares the same reference.

When you add sub-panels, they share the main panel reference as well because the ground and neutral are separated.

When you put a sub-panel in a "detached" structure, you have to install another ground rod at that structure.

I know of a computing installation that was compromised because over 200 feet, the ground potential changed. They had to make some connections fiber.

The static mat thing: Static can semi-permanently change the behavior of a circuit. A "bike computer" dragged acroos a nylon rug in a car caused the computer to fail. the fix, believe it or not, was short the battery terminals with no battery in it. I've fixed numerous devices this way.

When working on sensitive electronics "daily", you might wear a "wrist band". If you installed RAM every 5 years or so, discharge yourself to the case first and don't rub your feet on the nylon carpet.

The "damage" might actually fix itself in a year or so.

Thanks for pointing out that there is a difference between discharging static and a "low-impedance path to ground." That's what I thought and the reason I kept steering away from the question of whether these health grounding pads are effective anti static devices.
In my mind I rationalized that a low-impedance path to ground would be stronger/more sure than if a resistor were added, increasing the impedance. That's why I thought these earthing/grounding mats might not provide the same degree of grounding to the bottom of your feet as standing on earth would.

 

Also, if you happen to live in warm climate and near the ocean you may not appreciate electrostatic buildup.

Live in cold climate when the heater is turned on in the winter, you get sapped every time just taking your shirt off or walking to your car and inserting the key into the door lock.

 

Also, if you happen to live in warm climate and near the ocean you may not appreciate electrostatic buildup.

Live in cold climate when the heater is turned on in the winter, you get sapped every time just taking your shirt off or walking to your car and inserting the key into the door lock.

I'm on the water in Florida. Pretty rare to pick up a charge around here, even in winter with heat running. Damp air.

 

The anti-static mat usually isn't for standing, but placed under the equipment/Printed Circuit Board being worked on. The whole point is to provide an equipotential surface. Your body and the equipment. The floor and your shoes can be a potential generator. The equipment MIGHT have a connection to Earth.

I was replacing a 40 pin processor on a thermometer and placed the thermometer PCB on Aluminum foil. What I forgot to do was remove the aluminum foil after replacing the chip. No damage occured except to the aluminum foil.

 

hi,
You could also buy a antistatic carpet spray, which claimed to make the carpet to foot rubbing, not create a static build up.
E

 

Have read MOST of page one of this thread. Don't want to read all the responses, so I may be telling you something someone else may have already said. Nevertheless - - -

First, being grounded through bare feet on a grounded mat grounded through a 100KΩ resistor is going to do nothing for your health. I've worn conductive footwear for many years on conductive flooring that was bonded to ground via a high value resistor. The whole reason for that is to discharge any static charges you have built up by walking through the room. The resistor limits the current so as to not present a shock hazard (or death from shock hazard as it may be)

Second, static energy; you can develop as much as 3,000 volts of static energy and NEVER feel the discharge when you touch a solid ground (not through a resistor but directly to a fully bonded ground). At 3KVS (Kilo Volts Static) you REALLY have to pay attention to the discharge to even barely notice it. And if your body is poorly hydrated then you are even less likely going to feel it. When it comes to static the human body can easily hold 50KVS, and in the right conditions, even more. Like when on a cold winters day you get out of the car to fill the gas tank and when you turn to shut the door you get that damned annoying static discharge that makes your muscles jerk. IF you don't touch the door because you don't want to get hit with the spark - you could end up touching the body of the car in a gasoline vapor rich environment and set off a fire.

The reason for the resistor is to keep the user comfortable NOT getting that whollop of a shock when you're at a high static charge. As far as working with electronics is concerned, the voltage is drained away rapidly enough to protect the electronics from static while not endangering the user of ESD grounding devices (Electro Static Discharge). Static doesn't come with high amperage, it comes with high potential.

As for the danger to an operator from a malfunctioning grounding system, if you're standing on a grounded mat and the ground suddenly becomes energized, that energy will go nowhere. Unless your head is touching a good ground. Then and only then will electricity pass through your body turning you into an electrically cooked hotdog.

1) You have nothing to fear.
2) Your device is a sham. You just learned the hard way, and it only cost you $90.00.

 

Does standing barefooted on a conductive pad attached to the ground of a household outlet via a wire with a 100K resistor in it, equal standing on the earth barefooted (IN EVERY WAY, IN EVERY RESPECT, JUST AS THE COMPANY CLAIMS IT DOES?)

No! Standing barefoot on the grass is not the same as standing on a pad connected to ground via a 100KΩ resistor. Standing barefoot on the grass can be more hazardous. Years ago my dad built an electric mower out of an old washing machine motor. This is back in the 60's. While cutting the grass I never noticed any electrical charges passing through my body - but I was wearing sneakers. One day I cut the grass while barefoot. I immediately got a good shocking. 120 VAC was passing through my body to ground. Fortunately "nuttin' bad ever happent to I". I is perfectly normale.

If anything, the pad is safer. However, if you put the pad outside and stand in the rain with a tin hat - - - .

 

No! Standing barefoot on the grass is not the same as standing on a pad connected to ground via a 100KΩ resistor. Standing barefoot on the grass can be more hazardous. Years ago my dad built an electric mower out of an old washing machine motor. This is back in the 60's. While cutting the grass I never noticed any electrical charges passing through my body - but I was wearing sneakers. One day I cut the grass while barefoot. I immediately got a good shocking. 120 VAC was passing through my body to ground. Fortunately "nuttin' bad ever happent to I". I is perfectly normale.

If anything, the pad is safer. However, if you put the pad outside and stand in the rain with a tin hat - - - .

Yes. Forgot to mention that many of the people who use these types of alternative health devices also fear EMF, so they do indeed wear tinfoil hats. Speaking of that, in researching these mats I saw a video where a guy used an AM radio tuned between channels to demonstrate that these conductive mats and bed sheets act as antennas that attract stray/dirty electromagnetic energy from any device near it flowing current. It then becomes a woo-woo showdown between people who see grounding mats as a way to improve your health, while others say it is a antenna and magnet for dangerous EMF. This is all one very deep rabbit hole if you ask me.

Have read MOST of page one of this thread. Don't want to read all the responses, so I may be telling you something someone else may have already said. Nevertheless - - -

First, being grounded through bare feet on a grounded mat grounded through a 100KΩ resistor is going to do nothing for your health. I've worn conductive footwear for many years on conductive flooring that was bonded to ground via a high value resistor. The whole reason for that is to discharge any static charges you have built up by walking through the room. The resistor limits the current so as to not present a shock hazard (or death from shock hazard as it may be)

Second, static energy; you can develop as much as 3,000 volts of static energy and NEVER feel the discharge when you touch a solid ground (not through a resistor but directly to a fully bonded ground). At 3KVS (Kilo Volts Static) you REALLY have to pay attention to the discharge to even barely notice it. And if your body is poorly hydrated then you are even less likely going to feel it. When it comes to static the human body can easily hold 50KVS, and in the right conditions, even more. Like when on a cold winters day you get out of the car to fill the gas tank and when you turn to shut the door you get that damned annoying static discharge that makes your muscles jerk. IF you don't touch the door because you don't want to get hit with the spark - you could end up touching the body of the car in a gasoline vapor rich environment and set off a fire.

The reason for the resistor is to keep the user comfortable NOT getting that whollop of a shock when you're at a high static charge. As far as working with electronics is concerned, the voltage is drained away rapidly enough to protect the electronics from static while not endangering the user of ESD grounding devices (Electro Static Discharge). Static doesn't come with high amperage, it comes with high potential.

As for the danger to an operator from a malfunctioning grounding system, if you're standing on a grounded mat and the ground suddenly becomes energized, that energy will go nowhere. Unless your head is touching a good ground. Then and only then will electricity pass through your body turning you into an electrically cooked hotdog.

1) You have nothing to fear.
2) Your device is a sham. You just learned the hard way, and it only cost you $90.00.

I didn't waste $90. The guy that brought it in and plugged it in at my house is a C-note lighter, though.

 

Anything conductive can act like an antenna. Bedsheets? We're getting bizarre now and I think I'm going to take my leave of this thread. Starting to believe this isn't a serious question, rather just an attempt at getting attention. If so, you've lost mine.

 

How about a product that connects you to the earth with shoes on like you would be if barefoot? We at AAC know these as anti-static heel straps. I want a royalty if anyone can sell these to the foil hat crowd. See this link for a description.

https://www.rs-online.com/designspark/how-do-foot-grounders-work

 

Anything conductive can act like an antenna. Bedsheets? We're getting bizarre now and I think I'm going to take my leave of this thread. Starting to believe this isn't a serious question, rather just an attempt at getting attention. If so, you've lost mine.

Glad I could educate you. Search grounding sleep mats, sheets or covers. Sheets have fine metal wires woven in. They are then connected to the wall outlet's ground lug. I know it sounds crazy, but the existence of these products, unfortunately is all too real and people are spending good money on them.

There's even a grounding belly band that delivers electrons from the earth to your midsection. Copper-infused pillows, socks to cure pain and such have been around for years. As PT Barnum said, there's a sucker born every minute.