Why am I getting static on records I just washed? TT ground wire is not connected.

mhjmhjones

Active Member
Static is kicking my butt. First off, I don't have the ground wire connected at the moment as I discuss here: http://audiokarma.org/forums/index....hono-mm-mc-hum-disconnect-wire-no-hum.822892/.

So last night, I'm listening to a record I bought new about a month ago that I wet washed using the tergitol/paint pad method over the weekend. Toward the end of the record, I was hearing pops that I shouldn't hear on a new, freshly cleaned record. The record was pressed by Secret City Records, I guess in Canada: https://www.discogs.com/The-Barr-Brothers-Queens-Of-The-Breakers/release/10998793

The TT is a Dual 1229, cart is a Nagaoka MP-110 and I use an "Anti-Static Phono Cartridge Stylus Cleaner Brush and Lubricant Preservative" on the stylus. Since I washed the record a few days ago, we've had at least 3 significant thunderstorms and the air is humid as all get out. I even took the rug out of the room where the stereo is after the double baby bunny murder/bunny brain snack cat stunt caused it to be stained - so hardwood floors. I store cleaned records in plastic anti-static inner sleeves. Oh and after the record played, I held the record up to my arm and the arm hairs stood up, so I know there is static on it.

Why?? What am doing wrong? Could it be the record material?
 
I still haven't figured out why, but one of my turntables used to act like a Van de Graf generator. So much so that I quit using my carbon-fiber brush, and bought a KAB metal mat as well. However, switching to a genuine, old-style Discwasher and using this stuff made the most difference:

 
Friction.
Vinyl spinning in air (atmospheric air has particles suspended) generates static on the record surface.
One of my tables had a wiper on the bottom of the spindle so the static would move thru the spindle and out thru the ground wire.

One day the ground wire fell off and a new record sounded like it had spent a day at the beach. Along with the background static there were loud discharge pops through the cartridge. Replacing the ground wire fixed it all.
 
Do as @sqlsavior suggests. It works! I use a few drops of my regular disc washing solution in the D3 bottle. Ran out of the Discwasher fluid years ago. The moisture present dissipates the static very effectively. Do buy a original D3 brush. The new RCA ones are junk.
 
Do as @sqlsavior suggests. It works! I use a few drops of my regular disc washing solution in the D3 bottle. Ran out of the Discwasher fluid years ago. The moisture present dissipates the static very effectively. Do buy a original D3 brush. The new RCA ones are junk.

Do you do that before you play the record?
 
Discwashers are just a pad to rub dirt into the record. People have used them for years and they still look clean. So where did the dirt go? They are better than nothing, but just.
 
Do you do that before you play the record?

Jones I didn't hear anything about using an anti-static brush before play? Before each play I circle the record at least 3 times with a brush. The new Audioquest with gold grounding sides is fantastic and cost under $20 on Amazon.
 
Discwashers are just a pad to rub dirt into the record. People have used them for years and they still look clean. So where did the dirt go? They are better than nothing, but just.

They must be slightly moistened first -- emphasis on slightly -- but if they are, loose dust will adhere to the brush and will be plainly visible after use. If you use it bone dry, it's essentially useless, and touching it to the record probably introduces static from the friction that wasn't there beforehand.

I've used a Rotel RK-77W for decades. The principle is roughly the same as the Discwasher, except that it sits in a tray which has a sponge at the bottom which you keep moistened, and the moisture from the sponge evaporates up to the brush; the brush never touches the sponge. It stays very slightly damp, and works quite well. I've had it for probably 40 years. It won't, however, remove anything that's actually stuck to the record; it's only for loose dust, etc. Between that and a carbon fiber brush, loose dust hasn't been a problem for me.

Some locations, and some times of year, are really bad for static electricity. In the winter, I actually make a point of touching my finger to the amp before touching the turntable, and the static shock is unmistakable. But if I do that, and use the slightly moistened brush, I don't hear any static.

Another thing that may be worth trying is putting anti-static dryer sheets under the turntable mat.

Others also swear by a Zerostat, but I've never tried one, and my recollection is that they can be a bit pricey. But if you've got a severe and persistent problem with static in your environment, it might be worth the investment.

I've never heard of static problems being caused by poor grounding of a turntable, but if anyone has, I'm sure they'll be happy to jump in here and tell me that I don't know what I'm talking about. ;)
 
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I use a Thunderon anti stat brush and the above liquid (into a record brush of choice) and always on a "clean" record. Also weather can be a BIG problem with static. Where I live it gets super low humidity and when it does static electricity flourishes everywhere.

After you "de stat" your LP by whatever means you settle on use a styro packing peanut to test. Just hold LP flat (horizontal) and place a peanut on it then slowly turn LP from horizontal to vertical. The peanut should slide right off. If not repeat procedure for de stat.
 
Some people laugh it off and others swear by it. Put a fresh dryer sheet beneath the table and lightly brush the record with a used or crumpled new one before playback. It honestly works. If that doesn't fix it then you're hearing surface noise due to debris or a bad pressing. You also need to do a serious deionized water rinse following any sort of cleaning and also allow the record sufficient time to dry. Even if you vacuum a dry a record it still needs time for trace amounts of moisture to evaporate (about 30 minutes in my experience).
 
Jones I didn't hear anything about using an anti-static brush before play? Before each play I circle the record at least 3 times with a brush. The new Audioquest with gold grounding sides is fantastic and cost under $20 on Amazon.

Yes, I use a carbon fiber brush, I believe by Audioquest, but it's not that new.
 
Several good points raised (on which I will expand :)):

  1. When you wash your records, how many rinse cycles are you using?
  2. How are you drying the cleaned records?
  3. When you dust pre-play, how many revolutions is the brush on the record?
Opportunities exist at each of these steps...
 
Several good points raised (on which I will expand :)):

  1. When you wash your records, how many rinse cycles are you using?
  2. How are you drying the cleaned records?
  3. When you dust pre-play, how many revolutions is the brush on the record?
Opportunities exist at each of these steps...

1. I first rinse with the kitchen sink hose (municipal tap water), then I submerge the record in a tub of distilled water for a final rinse.
2. Air dry on a bamboo dish rack. Actually, I spin the record rapidly on a framing nail to shed most of the water centrifugally then dry the label with a lint-free microfiber cloth then air dry on the bamboo rack.
3. Probably 5-6. I work from the label out. I saw a YouTube video proving it doesn't matter which direction.
 
I've never heard of static problems being caused by poor grounding of a turntable, but if anyone has, I'm sure they'll be happy to jump in here
It happened to me with my Harman Kardon T65C.
The ground wire fell off, and the static was so bad I was ready to throw the album in the trash.
The record looked normal and clean but had more surface noise than I had ever heard in my life. It sounded like something you would find on the side of the road or at the beach. Cleaning didn't do a thing.
The loud pops were what got me thinking about static build-up and discharge.

I had previously serviced that table and recalled seeing a wire connecting the bottom of the spindle to the external ground post.
Reattaching the ground wire eliminated the static and pops immediately.

For as long as I can remember, I've made sure to plug every component into the same AC circuit/outlet to prevent ground loop hum.
I also make it a point to ensure that even non polarized plugs are plugged in so the neutral of the equipment is plugged into the neutral of the outlet. Never had a problem with hum while following this scheme and have never had a problem that would cause me to remove and run a turntable without the ground wire.

Only when the ground wire became disconnected on my T65C did I realize why that turntable had a wire from the spindle to the ground post. Static buildup on the record surface could move smoothly through the spindle post to ground rather than violently discharging through the cartridge.

Just my 2 cents....I think the OP should reconnect the turntable's ground wire only to see if it solves the static issue.
 
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