A friend of mine recently bought a static grass applicator and is using it for the first time. He says it makes crackling sounds, and wants to know if that's normal? I've never used one myself, so I'm hoping someone here can provide the answer.
My applicator (Noch) has never made a sound. I can't speak for the other brands.
Might be a bad connection- battery, ground wire, or faulty internal connection.
Try a fresh battery, wiggle some wires. If problem persists return to seller.
Mark B.
Sounds to me that your friend mistakenly loaded it with popping corn. I'd guess that re-filling it with a half-pound of butter will likely quiet things down....tastes better than ground foam or static grass, too.
Wayne
Both my static grass applicators are home made. The fly-swatter one packs a little more punch than the one that I bought a higher voltage, 15 kV negative ion generator for. Yes they crackle in use but you really have to be listening for it to notice. Even when not applying grass they emit a very high pitched whine when the button is actuated. It is possible some brands of static grass and/or the amount of moisture on the roadbed or in the air might affect the intensity of the crackling sound.
IMG_8051_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
If I get too close to the ground pin with the sifter screen the arc jumps a good distance and I wind up vacuuming grass out of my hair, eyebrows and shirt pocket.
The other one I made is more of a cup-type. As it is the screen gets energized but next time I plan to use it I'm going to modify it so the current passes from the back of the cup as Larry Puckett the DCC Guy suggests.
Grass_zapper-fini by Edmund, on Flickr
I'm pleased with the results:
PRR_Brakeman_tone by Edmund, on Flickr
Good Luck, Ed
A buddy made mine (using a plastic yogurt container as a key part) and yes if you bring it close to the ground I have heard snapping sounds which I assume to be static electricity. Whether the commercially made ones do this I do not know.
But a friend of mine with heart issues who has a pacemaker installed was advised NOT to use his static grass applicator any more because of the chance of these static incidents.
Dave Nelson
I too have a heart issue. I started with congestive heart failure, progressed to a defibrilator implant, then to a heart pump implant and ultimately a transplant 1 year ago.
I have used my static grass applicator tge whole time with no issues at all. Even getting zapped a time or two when touching it wrong but, no issues with the defib or the pump, both of which are electronic devices.
Now, I wouldnt suggest putting the applicator against your chest where the device is at or leaning over your work area too close while applying the grass either. But under normal use and proper use, it shouldnt be a issue.
Drs give suggestions about these things because they simply dont understand them so they give a canned answer. Im living proof that when used properly, the applicator should not have an effect. If it does, stop using it of course but, if nothing happens, use it with hightened awareness.
Speaking of warnings: I would vehemently urge anyone planning to use a static grass applicator near any trackage to be sure any locomotives, particularly those with DCC decoders to remove them or at least be sure the rails are well protected from getting accidentally touched by the mesh or grounding clip.
I rarely see it mentioned but I'd hate to run the risk of shooting 15,000 volts through 32 gauge wire into a microprocessor.
I have a cheap Gras-Tech store bought unit. It works fine, but if it gets close to the surface it will sometimes arc over, providing a surprising snap but doing no damage.
I suppose several things with the surface could cause crackling, which is really just a lot of small-scale arcing. I use a layer of dilute white glue as adhesive and liots of t-pins or straightened paperclips for grounding. That does it for me.
I still have hair on my chest so I don't use "static hair" and don't need to get the applicator close to my pacemaker. I do have a card that lets me avoid the TSA scanner at airports and go straight to wanding and groping.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.