An electrostatic field meter is an instrument that is used to determine the presence of static electricity and to measure the amount of static electricity that is present on people, products and equipment. Some electrostatic field meters are small enough to be carried around in your shirt pocket, while some models are bigger and are more useful for office or home purposes than for traveling around. An electrostatic field meter may seem like an unnecessary invention to you but it can be very important; here’s why.
For those who may not know, static electricity is the build up of electric charge on certain objects. The charge stays on these objects until they are discharged or they bleed off to the ground. So what is so special about static electricity? Well you may have noticed that in places where the air is very dry, touching your car’s door handles or shaking someone’s hand can sometimes cause a shock to run through your body. This is the work of static electricity. Static electricity may also cause a persons hair strands to stand up in the air but though it is unpleasant, these shocks are not typically dangerous. However, if there is a large build up of static charge static electricity can cause some serious problems.
Lightning, believe it or not is actually a build up of static electricity and we have all seen the damage that lightning can do and the fires it can cause. Additionally, many of the electronic components in your home are sensitive to the presence of static electricity and can be damaged beyond repair by static discharge. The flowing of flammable liquids such as gasoline can cause a build up of static electricity. Needless to say this can have very serious repercussions when a car is filling up at the gas station and this is why gas stations usually ask that you turn off your cell phone and turn off your car’s engine when buying gas as these things can potentially cause a static charge and ignite the gas.
After looking at just a few of the problems that static electricity can cause, I am sure you now have an appreciation for just how important an electrostatic field meter can be for locating static build up so that you can get rid of it before it becomes a serious problem. Using an air humidifier or an ionizer is a good way of counteracting any static that may be present in a room. The moisture that both these items add to the atmosphere make it more conductive and so a static build up is less likely.
Some electrostatic field meters will pick up trace amounts of static electricity even if a humidifier or ionizer is being used and the static electricity present is not a threat. If you suspect a problem with static electricity or you want to see how well your humidifier or ionizer is working, get an electrostatic field meter and put it to work for you.