ESD Flooring Questions and Answers
Answers to common ESD Flooring questions about terms, applications, installation and products.
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We recently installed esd carpet tile flooring in our new server room. The carpet tiles are made with heavy denier conductive fibers loaded into a textured graphic loop yarn. The tile sample card stated it would measure between 1.0 X 10 E6 and 1.0 X 10 E9. An independent auditor measured less than 1.0 X 10 E5 on many of the tile. The tiles in question are the most important ones because they are beneath and next to our blade servers. The rest of the floor is measuring okay. Why would these tiles measure differently than the ones in the aisle ways or are we doing something wrong? - Jason, IT Manager
No Jason, your auditor actually exposed two of the biggest deficiencies in our industry – safety and electrical certification. You have inadvertently uncovered a serious product design flaw – specific to a certain type of static control carpet tile...
We are charged with recommending anti-static resilient flooring for a government client. This space is part of a data center that stores classified government information. Between vinyl and rubber - what is the difference and which flooring is more suitable for our application?
Patrice AIA, LEED AP
Answer:Both rubber and vinyl flooring can be manufactured with static dissipative or conductive properties. Used in conjunction with special static control footwear, either material would perform the same for your application. However, special...
I’m a construction specifier, and I’m confused about how to specify static-free flooring in different types of spaces. Some of the web sites I have visited recommend ESD grade carpet for any type of space. My client’s electrical engineer has told us to avoid ESD carpet tile in certain applications because it may be unsafe and also overkill. Can you please comment?
Your engineer is correct on both counts. ESD grade carpet tile is extremely conductive (too few ohms resistance) and should be reserved strictly for use in specialized applications called ESD-protected areas (EPAs.) EPAs are segregated areas inside...
We are considering an antistatic interlocking vinyl floor for our new call center. Should we use a static dissipative or static conductive one?
Over the past couple of years, interlocking floors have become a very popular choice. The idea of buying a floor that can be installed with no adhesive and then moved and reinstalled in a new location is very enticing - and quite legitimate. When it...
I am confused about the applicability of static dissipative floors versus static conductive flooring. Most literature says that we should specify a static dissipative and never a conductive work surface on our tables. If this is true, why shouldn’t we use the same logic when we select an ESD flooring solution?
The unwritten rule is that table covering (mats, laminates) should always measure in the static dissipative range and ESD flooring (carpet, tile and epoxy) should always measure in the static conductive range. This rule stems from the fact that...
Our management is considering installing a standard VCT and using static dissipative wax vs. installating a no-wax, non-porous ESD tile like Ameriworx or Foundation series tile. I am trying to evaluate the cost differences between the 2 options as it's my opinion that the wax requires much more maintenance and poses a greater risk to the products we test. Can you advise me whether this is an accurate opinion?
The short answer is, yes, The maintenance cost associated with ESD wax quickly accummulates negating any money saved on the original VCT. Conversely, Staticworx Vinyl Tiles (Ameriworx and Foundation) are both economical and low-maintenance. You may...
I am an interior designer. We have been asked to specify a floor for sensitive electronic parts handling. What is the difference between static dissipative tile flooring and conductive flooring? I would greatly appreciate it if you could possibly avoid technical jargon in your answer.
This is the most commonly asked question. Since you have asked for a non-technical answer, I will try to use some familiar examples in my explanation.
Pretend for a moment that instead of controlling the flow of static electricity, you are trying...
I am looking for a static dissipative floor finish to be used on a Mannington vinyl tile floor. Is the COAT Anti Static Floor Wax product appropriate for this use? We need to achieve the following spec: "product should not exceed a 2.0kV rating at 20% relative humidity".
Any strategy involving the application of static dissipative floor finish over standard resilient flooring always involves a risk/reward calculus. In other words, applying static dissipative floor finish over the surface of a normal - "not static...
What types of precautions are required to prevent static on people in mission critical environments?
This common question usually involves concerns about the need for special footwear in addition to a special static control flooring. Test results from MIT Lincoln Laboratories demonstrate that a static conductive rubber (not static dissipative) can...
Our company currently adheres to the same ESD standards as the ones you recommend on your website: The total system resistance of the person, footwear, walking surface and ground must be less than or equal to 3.5 x 107 or 35 meg-ohms maximum. However, at a recent ESD conference, attendees were told that an ESD floor can have a maximum resistance of 1 G Ohm (1 billion ohms), as long as the voltage generated in the walking test does not exceed 100V. Could you please provide your input to the pros and cons for this seemingly excessive resistance to ground?
From a purely technical perspective, a floor's ESD properties can be evaluated: by measuring the floor's resistance to ground; by measuring the total resistance ground of the system including the person and the floor; by using a walking test to...
We are considering the use of a static-free epoxy floor coating for our electronics manufacturing area. Should we install a conductive or a static dissipative epoxy floor? The epoxy contractor has told us that either version will meet ANSI/ESD S20.20.
There are numerous misconceptions and misapplications of ANSI/ESD S20.20. Very few flooring suppliers understand this document and as a result they make improper recommendations. Without a complete understanding of S20.20, the wrong product could be...
I am working on flooring selections for a new Hyperbaric Chamber Suite at an existing hospital. Currently there is VCT on the floor – it may even be ACT – not sure. The manufacturer of the equipment specifies to use an anti-static surface with no mention of resistance or propensity requirements.
Do you have any additional information on this specific application? Would a rubber or vinyl conductive tile be required, or is a static dissipative tile sufficient? Does it matter if there is an existing subfloor (VCT) we would most likely install on top of?
We view anti static flooring options for hyperbaric chambers as requiring the same performance parameters used for control rooms, MRI suites, electronic labs, call centers and other spaces occupied by people wearing "street shoes." The shoe is an...
Is carpet tile the best choice for a dispatch room / command center? I have been charged with selecting a sound absorbent flooring that requires the least possible disruption for maintenance. Our call center is a fast paced stressful environment. We also need to make sure that the flooring can be installed in an occupied 24/7/365 area.
Static-free carpet tile , will certainly meet the ergonomic parameters you have outlined. However, carpet tile, is not a low maintenance panacea. Since you specifically asked for an easily cleaned, low maintenance, sound absorbing floor, you may...
Why do ESD experts recommend the use of ground chains on carts when other anti static measures are being employed?
A cart with no ground chain or conductive castors on an ESD floor is a "floating conductor"; its insulative wheels are insulating it from ground giving it the ability to hold a charge. As anti static measures have presumably been taken in the...
We are considering installing ESD tile in our facility. We have heard that tiles with polyurethane coatings (PU) might be easier to keep clean. Is this true? Can you recommend a floor that requires low maintenance?
Polyurethane (PU) coatings are used by luxury vinyl tile (LVT) manufacturers. A coating of PU helps reduce the use of waxes and sealers on flooring installed in retail spaces, hospital corridors, shopping malls etc. Unfortunately PU is a non-...
I was recently told to install "static dissipative" table covering on our work benches in conjunction with "static conductive" flooring. Why would I specify different static control electrical parameters based on whether the material would be used as a table covering versus a flooring installation? Shouldn’t we use the same material on the benches and the floor ?
The advice you were given was correct: Table coverings and flooring materials, because they perform different functions, require different electrical parameters.
Table coverings solve CDM (charged device model) problems—that is, they prevent static...
We noticed that you no longer recommend using “static dissipative” Symphony Series ESD rubber flooring for mission critical ESD flooring applications. Some of your earlier technical articles alluded that static dissipative rubber performed as well as most “conductive flooring” for preventing walking body voltage. What has changed?
There are four reasons experts have stopped recommending static dissipative (SD) rubber in favor of static conductive (otherwise known as electrically conductive) rubber (EC). (Why is EC better than SD rubber?) A better product is now available...
We are considering applying Staticworx Groundworx ESD epoxy paint over two surfaces in our building. The areas are either sealed concrete or covered with regular VCT. Will the Groundworx floor meet ESD standards even though it will be installed on top of non-ESD flooring?
My company's Staticworx Groundworx Epoxy is produced using graphite particles. These particles create a conductive matrix within the liquid. When applied over any surface, insulative or otherwise, the Groundworx cures into a homogeneous ground plane...
We are thinking about using some interlocking flooring in our data center. The flooring is made with a recycled content vinyl material. The salesman is telling us to use the static dissipative version. Which one - "static dissipative" or "static conductive" - do you recommend?
This is a critical question. The right choice for your application is not predicated on whether the floor is static dissipative or static conductive. The right choice involves knowing what happens when a person wearing ordinary everyday footwear...
How is rubber flooring conductive?
There are two methods of producting static control rubber flooring:
Chemical Additives: One method requires changing the chemistry of the rubber compound through the use of chemical additives. Chemical additives enable rubber to become static...
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- Pending changes to the flooring requirements in ANSI/ESD S20.20 http://t.co/XiWgc4tk
ESD Glossary
Stringent testing of a wrist strap to determine its electrical and mechanical performance abilities. Data are in the form of values from laboratory testing.
