Question for the manly ladies, or the girly men......I guess?

[Lost_My_Mind]

Ok so heres a question. I have a laptop which only has a battery life of about 7 minutes or so. Basically this means it NEEDS its AC power cord.

I like to use my laptop while on my bed. On the floor near my bed in the heating duct. Yes, the heating duct is flat as part of the floor, you can walk on it, and its in the middle of the floor. While sitting on my bed my foot often comes in contact with this heating duct.

If my foot touches the duct, and my hand is on the laptop........ZZZZZZZZAP!!!! Yep. I get electrocuted. Its a small zap, but its annoying.

Then today I thought to myself "well, if I cover it in a layer of white-out, my foot wont touch the metal directly, and I wont get electrocuted!". Then I thought "i'll have this white spot in the middle of my room which will probably get dirty eventually."

So I started thinking of other things that would accomplish the goal of not electrocuting me, while at the same time looking natural in my room.

Clear nail polish.

Thats gotta have no appearance, right? But here's my question.....would it accomplish the goal? Does nail polish conduct electricity, or allow it to pass through?

 

[TonyInMyThroat]

Most nail polish is just acrylic paint, and acrylic polymers make good insulators unless conductive material has been mixed in. You're probably better off buying a bottle clear acrylic paint from an art supply shop; you would be able to cover a lager area for much less money.

Unfortunately this is only a band-aid to a potentially bigger problem. It sounds like you have a grounding problem in the wiring for the heater, the wall circuit, or both. It may be as simple as the hot & neutral wires being swapped in the wall outlet. But either way I strongly suggest you have a licensed electrician diagnose the problem before someone get hurt.

 

[TklDuo-Ann]

I strongly suggest you have a licensed electrician diagnose the problem before someone get hurt.

Ditto. Not sure if the issue is the laptop or the household wiring. But, either way, this is nothing to mess around with. If it's not diagnosed and dealt with properly, it could result is serious shock, fire or any number of things.

 

[playgirl]

if the "heating duct" is completely flat like the rest of the floor, i'm thinking you might be referring to the intake duct as opposed to the duct out of which the heat comes. the vent out of which the heat comes will likely be louvered, so you can adjust the heat output and direction. the intake duct won't be louvered.

regardless, neither should conduct an electrical charge from the heater. i'd check the computer first before the heater. it's easier to test and likely less expensive. the most simple test is to touch your foot to it with another low voltage appliance plugged in and turned on and see if you're still shocked. then you'll know if it's your laptop or heating system. the appliance needs to have a metal portion that you're touching, since i presume the shock is when your hands are touching a metal part of your laptop.

i am not an electrician. you should confirm my suggestion with a licensed electrician to avoid the risk of personal injury or property damage.

p.s. i'm not sure what this question has to do with gender identity. it's the 21st century dude!