Earthing mat is making me ill !

[sunnyod]

Hi All


Sorry for the lengthy first post and use of any non-standard terminology. I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to electronics, hopefully I've done enough due diligence so I'm not asking anything too silly lol ?


I've bought a Grounding mat that plugs into the mains (earth wire only) which I use for grounding my body during the day and overnight. Problem is I'm waking up in the middle of the night and my I feel like i've got an electric charge wherever my body is in contact with the mat. I've only been using it for a few days so far and the seller is saying it'll pass, however i'm not sure. I'm also sometimes getting head & neck in the morning. It's a mat like this one... Grounding mats, Earthing Yoga and Fitness mat - https://www.groundology.co.uk/earthing/grounding-mats.


I've done a bit of research into this and found that it's possible that I've either got electro hypersensitivity, or there could be some electrical interference on the earth in my house (or maybe something else?). I've got a multimeter and have tried to compare the earth with a baseline source (earthing rod in garden) and I can't see much AC current coming off of it, but I do notice that it's frequency is 50hz (I'm in the UK), so maybe it's picking up some EMF or something not sure. I've tested all plug sockets with a socket tester and all seems to be fine, earth is working normally apparently. I've got a couple of options from what I can tell

1. Find out if the mains is faulty and fix that. Socket tester shows it's clean, so not sure if there's anything else I can do to test this?
2. Upgrade the cable that I'm using to connect the mains to the mat. Guess it would need to be shielded from EMF and also filter/block out any AC current that might on the mains earth and is leaking onto the mat
   Here is an example of a product that already does this and Video here, but I'm not sure what components would be needed to replicate this. Maybe it's a ferrite core to filter any leaking current? Any recommendations for what shielded cable to use? I guess it's not advisable to use something like speaker cable that can carry too much voltage, for safety reasons? Btw, I'm trying to save money otherwise I'd just buy the example cable above (I'm looking at a multi room setup so would work out a lot)
3. Fit a grounding rod like this one (3/8in (9.5mm) x 4ft (1200mm) Copperbond Earth Rod with Cable Clamp - https://www.cef.co.uk/catalogue/products/229310) and connect it with shielded cabling into the house
   Can I use thicker cable initially so I can split it and connect up a few rooms (then use thinner (safer) cables to join with connections to the mats)? Again, I'm guessing both types of cable would need to be shielded?

Thanks so much for any help guys! Reason I'm doing this is because I've recently found a skin melanoma and noticed that the EMF levels (high and low) in the house are really high. I'm trying to reduce them all as much as I can


Cheers


Sunny

 

[DPG]

Managed to watch about half the video, but couldn't get through it all.

It reminds me of a company called PWB, who sell snake-oil type products that claim to improve the sound of your hifi. Have a Google and see what you think. One of their best ones is a small metallic sticker which you place on the door frame, or on a favourite photo. I kid you not. They've been going for years, and I would say they are prime candidates to team up with this guy who thinks taking trainers off can cure MS.

 

[James]

Thanks for all the entertaining and educational responses in here. I've been out and didn't expect to have ruffled so many feathers! Appreciate your responses and your taking the time to watch the vid. Sorry I couldn't sway anyone and it was a waste of your time!

I've since built a a contraption with a meat skewer, some phone cable, rubber bands and scotch tape. I've slipped the fandangled cabling through the bedroom window in the hope my missus doesn't see it and get deeply offended at the disharmony it's creating.

I wish you all a good night, please pray for me (i've got a video on that too I can share). You're probably expecting me to be dead tomorrow, so any atheists - please turn to God for me temporarily!!!

I'll be back soon with some more whacky ideas to keep you entertained

How did you sleep?

 

[sunnyod]

How did you sleep?

Terribly! However, I was serious about the cabling I used and how it was put together. I did it very late at night, after i had finished my order for the actual parts I'm using.

I tested my cabling in the morning for continuity and there was none lol, so I binned it. Will have a proper setup tonight though and will update again tomorrow... Thanks for asking James

 

[sunnyod]

Any feedback on what things were not correct in the video, anyone?

 

[DPG]

Terribly! However, I was serious about the cabling I used and how it was put together. I did it very late at night, after i had finished my order for the actual parts I'm using.

I tested my cabling in the morning for continuity and there was none lol, so I binned it. Will have a proper setup tonight though and will update again tomorrow... Thanks for asking James

The cable had no continuity? That sounds unlikely, unless it has had some serious abuse.

 

[sunnyod]

The cable had no continuity? That sounds unlikely, unless it has had some serious abuse.

The telephone wire was "bonded" to the mat's original wire using scotch tape - i didn't test it before use. I'll have proper banana plugs setup for the next test

 

[static zap]

Is any paper work included ,
describing the mats Integral safety features ?
or a schematic diagram of its use.
(ie safely bleeding extraneous potentials ..thru a 500k / 1Meg ohm resistor ... )
..or even a nice CE sticker !

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Any feedback on what things were not correct in the video, anyone?

It's slow and difficult to critique a video like that properly, based as it is on personal narrative, because it is deliberately made so that things are not presented as outright lies, just misleading and loaded. It would take me many hours to drill down and locate specific issues with it and I spent too much time on this already - I have electrical things to do!

As an example, look at the first 30 seconds. The guy says he grew up among native American people, and that one of them told him to take his shoes off because they would make him sick, and that at the time he didn't know why that would be. These are presented as though they are significant facts, and there is no reason to doubt them as facts. However, he does not say that the shoes made him sick, or that the person who told him had reliable evidence that they would make him sick, or that if they did make him sick, it was due to an electrical phenomenon.

This narrative is there to plant a seed of an idea, to get your curiosity aroused, so that when the link between sickness and grounding and shoes is later broached, you recall those 'wise words' and make a connection by yourself regardless of whether there is one or not. You infer that the native American knew through folklore that insulative shoes make you sick and now you seem to have a scientific reason for it, and you have used your powers of analysis to corroborate two independent sources to improve the reliability of your data. But actually, it's only one source, the guy who wants to promote his views on grounding.

"In simple terms, grounding is literally putting your bare feet on the ground."
Simple, but in an electrical context, not correct.

"Mother Earth is endowed with electrons." True, but misleading, as all neutral matter is endowed with electrons, including synthetic rubber shoes, the air, your body.

"These electrons are literally absorbed through your feet." Borderline false. Some exchange of electrons might occur but there is no net flow of electrons without electric current, and he does not state that they are absorbed through your feet only if you connect yourself to a source of a potential difference to drive the electron drift against the resistance.

"It's like taking handfuls of antioxidants." False. Antioxidants can participate in chemical reactions in which electrons are exchanged, but the mere presence of electrons does not cause the same chemical reactions.

I have to get on with some work now...

 

[nicebutdim]

I like that the OP is engaging earnestly and appears to be interested in establishing facts, rather than simply accepting marketing claims.

 

[Mike Johnson]

I like that the OP is engaging earnestly and appears to be interested in establishing facts, rather than simply accepting marketing claims.

Except that he has bought an earth mat, so somewhere along the line he accepted it was a good idea.

 

[static zap]

so somewhere along the line he accepted it was a good idea.

I had not realised ,that once we start losing sleep .
It's both irreplaceable ... and important to sound decision making.
.............................................======================...........
.. So worth forgiving the odd Sleepless & Stressed out mistake..
( I have a COVID gamer who occasionally robs me of some sleep )

 

[newfutile]

You are already at around earth potential due to capacitance between your body and the earth , i would expect this to increase when you lay down.

most of us are experienced electricians on this site and if a 50 HZ electro magnetic field can cause illness , would we not all be ill ?

sometimes i fall asleep with my under electric blanket on with no problems (other than getting a bit hot)

perhaps in the 19th people will be extraneous-conductive-parts.

on a serious note anything that connects you to the electrical system is a bad idea .
if a PME fault developed it would become live to some degree .

 

[Lucien Nunes]

if a PME fault developed it would become live to some degree .

Although, in the equipotential zone in a building, everything else should too, so it's not dangerous. The trouble begins when one drags an extraneous earth in from the garden.

 

[newfutile]

You still get a shock in the same way you would if you touched a live conductor , though it wont be a direct shock as capacitance will be the return path.

 

[Lucien Nunes]

Have you either done the maths or tried this as a practical experiment?
I have done both, Xc is about 6MΩ worst case. It's not exactly what I would call a shock.