1. I live in an old house near a electrified railway. Could this railway damage my electrical devices? I encounter electrical problems with a boiler: could failures be caused by magnetic fields from this electrical railway line?
Most Belgian electrified railways, except high speed trains, use direct current (DC). Thus, electrical lines (catenaries) supplying trains, generate direct (non time-varying) electric and magnetic fields. Since direct fields do not induce currents in metallic structures, there is a priori no easy connection between the railway line and the faulty functioning of your boiler.
However, we advise you to get your electrical installation checked and particularly the grounding system. Many problems can actually arise from a bad grounding system, especially in an electronic mechanism. In old houses, modifications in electrical wiring by successive occupants can sometimes lead to a very messy electrical installation, which could be the cause of your problems.
2. There’s a lot of static electricity in my bedroom. My clothes stick to my skin when I take them out of the wardrobe. I don’t know what to do to find the source and eliminate it. Could you please help me?
Static electricity results from the transfer of charges (electrons) between two objects/materials. This transfer depends on the materials in contact, their surface and the percentage of humidity. For more information, please consult the ‘static electricity’ section on the following page: here.
Regarding the formation of static electricity in relation to the question asked above (charged clothes coming out of the wardrobe):
- Certain materials used in clothing contribute to the formation of static electricity (e.g. polyester).
- Certain materials in the environment (the bedroom) can also encourage the formation of static electricity (metal furniture, PVC flooring, etc.).
- The low percentage of humidity in the air also plays a role in the formation of static electricity. The air in our homes is often too dry. In the situation described above, it would be useful to check the percentage of humidity in the air in the room using a hygrometer, which can be bought in household appliance shops, for example.
The ideal humidity level is between 40% and 60%. If the air in the room is too dry, one solution is to install a humidifier. This can be a simple container filled with water placed on a radiator. There are also more sophisticated systems available in household appliance shops.
