Vinyl pops & crackle suddenly appearing - WHY?

[Roscoe]

Question from a recent convert back to vinyl: Will an increase in static electricity in the house cause increased pops and crackle on my records?

With the change in weather over the past couple of weeks, I have noticed much greater crackle when listening to vinyl, especially on records that had almost none before.

I haven't changed anything on my system, and am extremely careful in cleaning and storing my vinyl (I use the Disc Doctor system and vacuum machine.)

If static electricity is indeed the cause, would it be worth buying one of those zerostat guns?

Any opinions on causes and solutions are most welcome.

Thanks!

[cunningham]

i have the zerostat gun, the only gun in my house. it does make a difference.

[mudbone]

I'll bite...what is a zerostat gun & where do you buy one? I imagine it discharges static.

BTW, I have a home humidifier so this doesn't seem to be a problem but if it ever does I might as well ask now.

mud-

[Gary]

Yes, it discharges static! Watch out though - the discharge shock may suprise you!

I had one somewhere....

[Chris R]

Originally posted by cunningham
i have the zerostat gun, the only gun in my house. it does make a difference.

Oh yeah. I remember those from the 1970s. :laugh: I think I even had one at one time.

[cunningham]

Originally posted by mudbone
I'll bite...what is a zerostat gun & where do you buy one? I imagine it discharges static.

BTW, I have a home humidifier so this doesn't seem to be a problem but if it ever does I might as well ask now.

mud-

they are avauialble on several of the expected audio/record/stuff sites out there. not that cheap anymore though.

[Sckott]

Go ahead and wear a sweater while on shag carpet. Aim it at your nose and pull the trigger.

Yippie - Instant masochism!

The Zerostat only works on albums with problem static-electricty. Most of the time, I use it ONCE on a record if it's brand new. Once stored in a VRP sleeve, the static is basically GONE. If your vinyl is getting noisy, but doesn't seem "static" prone, it's surface cleaning.

Static electricty will sound VERY different to just a record that's dirty.

Make sure your stylus is clean, and that it seems healthy. :)

[Grant]

I had a red Discwasher Zerostat gun and it didn't do a thing! I could never feel any effect when I pointed it at my arm, but most other people couldn't stand to be zapped! Hmmmm, I am one of those people who attract lightning...

[BradOlson]

The Discwasher Zerostats can be found for about $10 on eBay.