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View Full Version : HELP.. My RO-DI water electrocuted me


Tarolisol
12-13-2004, 09:30 PM
I am filling up a bucket of fresh RO-DI water from my new system and when i went to put my finger in the water i got the biggest shock of my life, it almost put me on the floor. Now there are no plugs or anthing electric near it in or anywhere so how does water generate such elctricity. Now im afraid to touch it or turn it off what should i do.

bluetang
12-13-2004, 09:47 PM
Sorry, can't help you with that one, but your avtar says it all :biggrin:

Delphinus
12-13-2004, 10:12 PM
Static discharge?

UnderWorldAquatics
12-13-2004, 11:14 PM
ironcally this sound very fishy as ro/di water wont conduct electricity as it is too clean, water does not conduct electricity, only the particulates in the water will..... so your ro must not be working right for starters, I dont know how you would generate that much current without a power source leaking nearby....

Tarolisol
12-13-2004, 11:20 PM
Very strange to me to. I read a few days ago about water generating static electricity. Im pretty sure my units working as i have tested it. I think my bucket has something to do with it as when i rub it i feel static electricity, Also maybe since the unit is new it has static build up in it.

JohnM99
12-14-2004, 12:27 AM
I see you live in Calgary - when I lived there for a few years, I was sometimes startled by the static electricity that would build up in the winter - were you shuffling across some carpet before?

I could swear I saw the sparks sometimes. One of the many reasons I had to move to the Wet Coast!

Tarolisol
12-14-2004, 12:35 AM
I dont know about suffleing, but now everytime i will the bucket i put a copper wire in and touch it to the ground and i get sparks. Very wierd.

G1GY
12-14-2004, 12:48 AM
Maybe you have the unit hooked up to plastic pipes? (The same kind of piping that the newer houses have.)

You could try putting a copper wire from the ro/di unit bracket to any metal near by. (Electrical juction box, main water line or just a furnace vent.) This might help to let any static that is created escape. Or get someone else to grab the bucket for you! :lol:

Just a thought.

JohnM99
12-14-2004, 01:25 AM
Calgary is a dangerous town.

Tarolisol
12-14-2004, 02:05 AM
It is connected to plastic pipes, and i put a copper wire in it to the ground to ground the electricity, its just very strange.

Rikko
12-14-2004, 02:49 AM
Can you trace the entire path of the water column through the unit? That's such a weird scenario I don't know what to suggest.
If you have a voltmeter/ammeter, try testing the water column to your ground, and then see if the water at the faucet closest to the RO/DI unit gives any reading.

/boggle

G1GY
12-14-2004, 02:50 AM
Well I just got my Aquasafe unit today and I'll let you know if I have the same problem.

WANNA COME OVER AND HOLD THE BUCKET? :lol:

ed99
12-14-2004, 04:01 AM
It could be static electricity, though I have never heard of a static discharge from water- especially that strong! It is actually non-conducting liquids that build up a charge. It's a problem in the oil industry, if you don't ground the containers when you are loading the liquids you can get a spark and then you have a real problem.

RO/DI water has all the ions (dissolved salts) removed so it is almost completely non-conductive (as someone mentioned earlier).

AJ_77
12-14-2004, 04:06 AM
I've been getting little static shocks lately when I shuffle on up to the tank and put my hand in - when that first finger breaks the surface - zip!

Not too strong at all though - are you wearing fuzzy slippers? :confused: :mrgreen:

G1GY
12-14-2004, 04:29 AM
I've been getting little static shocks lately when I shuffle on up to the tank and put my hand in - when that first finger breaks the surface - zip!

Not too strong at all though - are you wearing fuzzy slippers? :confused: :mrgreen:

ARE YOU ALAN!?! :lol:

Tarolisol
12-14-2004, 05:49 AM
I think it stopped, For the first 3 buckets or so whenever i put the copper wire in to ground it i would get a huge shock now it has seemed to stop, although im not goin to use my finger again to make sure. I dont know where it could be coming from maybe just because its a new unit it need a little time to get rid of all the built up static. Well ill invite some poor friend over and get him to stick his finger in to check next time. Ill never forget the first shock, ive never felt anything like it, my entire body just jumped almost on my butt. I dumped that bucket though. :mrgreen: .

Corey
12-14-2004, 12:53 PM
No Alan, hair driers are not reef safe.

AJ_77
12-14-2004, 02:34 PM
No Alan, hair driers are not reef safe.

If this is humour, it is too cryptic for me... :confused: I think I mentioned fuzzy slippers. (Which Sean may well wear, we just don't know seeing as he didn't address the issue.) :biggrin:

But still, a static shock that almost knocks a person over? I hope we get a better explanation to this mystery than that. That's a lot of static discharge, even for Calgary in wintertime...

danny zubot
12-14-2004, 03:18 PM
John said: Calgary is a dangerous town.


Wait til hockey starts again! :razz:

Delphinus
12-14-2004, 03:37 PM
Was the shock like a big ZAP! Or a sort of throbbing/buzzing?

Tarolisol
12-14-2004, 04:55 PM
The shock was like a bang, a huge crack i didnt hurt to bad just had alot of force. I wasnt wearing fuzzy slipper just socks and the ground i was standing on was concrete. The water goes from a plastic waterline in my house to the unit then into the bucket.

Delphinus
12-14-2004, 05:14 PM
Ok, it's still weird, but it sounds more like a static discharge to me. Now if this happens every single time you touch the water, then something is REALLY weird. But I think maybe you had a charge yourself built up and then touched water, it could explain the zap (and likely anytime you touch water now, it will be probably be fine).

A shock from stray current is a continual zap-zap-zap-zap-zap-zap-zap kind of throbbing. A full 110V can hurt a LOT, and affect your motor abilities such that you might even have trouble backing away from the source of pain. It may only be milliseconds worth of contact but it feels like a really long time.

I used to think that every little tingle I felt when I put my fingers in the water was some kind of stray current. But ever since I had a Rio go on me (and I didn't know, and I had put my hand in the water and felt a full 110V), I can assure you, there's no comparison.

At least in my experience.

I would suggest that you get a voltmeter or something and make sure there's no capacitance (or whatever the term is) in the water before you stick your finger in there.

But basically, if there's no metal contacting the RO unit and you're connected with plastic tubing and all that, there's no reason there should be any charge in there.

Tarolisol
12-14-2004, 05:19 PM
Yeah very wierd i would get a shock for the first 3 buckets but nothing anymore. The only metal is the needle periceing valve which attaches the household water tubing to the ro unit tubing. Makes me think that a grounding probe for my tank wont be a bad idea.