RO/DI System - Huge Electrical Shock

[Brad413]

We installed the RO/DI system today. Water is being kept in a 32 Gallon Average Trash Can located on Concrete Floor in Basement. Water is tapped from Copper Cold Water Line. Water is also being sent to Refugium as Auto Top Off.

Went to check on it 4 hours later and went to grab a piece of white plastic floating and received a huge electrical shock enough to almost #$#% my pants. Was very scared as my left arm was numb for a few minutes. Refugium also provided a shock, but not as bad. When it is turned off, the shock is basically gone.

Any ideas as I know others I have read have had the same problem.

[slief]

That's scary. You will need to test for stray voltage using a voltage meter and unplugging one device at a time until you figure out the source. A heater or pump is your likely culprit. You could also test the copper line to see if it's coming from there. You would have to disconnect the RODI from it.

[alton]

In reading your post it sounds like your water is shocking you? If so start with your security panel or some other special system that placed a J Junior grounding connector on a plumbing pipe some where in or out of your home. Also it sounds like your service grounding means may not be good enough. Either way call an electrical contractor. Having your grounded and grounding conductors on the same bar on a sub panel will cause this also, I am surprised you are not getting shocked while taking a shower.

[Brad413]

Update: Electrical buddy of mine came over and we disconnected the ground wire and still shocked so it was not that, we re-attached. He came back this morning and we tested each area while RO system was running. Reservoir was .4, Refugium 33 and Tank 33. We put in a ground wire from metal to inside the reservoir and now its 0. We tested the refugium and tank, still 33Volts. We then put another ground wire from metal to inside the right side of the refugium. No more voltage in water. No more shock. This still doesn't seem right unless the poly tubing and plastic bin give off so much static electricity that it is causing this. Any ideas. I just don't like the fact it happened and don't like the copper wire inside the water even though it has no power to it. Any help is appreciated.

[joejvj]

This is a temporary solution at best. The copper wire in your RO/DI tank will eventually oxidize and raise resistance and the voltage will creep back (not to mention some amount of copper leaching into your RO water). Hire a licensed electrician to troubleshoot the problem. This is a dangerous condition that needs to be fixed asap.

[Brad413]

Originally Posted by joejvj

This is a temporary solution at best. The copper wire in your RO/DI tank will eventually oxidize and raise resistance and the voltage will creep back (not to mention some amount of copper leaching into your RO water). Hire a licensed electrician to troubleshoot the problem. This is a dangerous condition that needs to be fixed asap.

He is a licensed electrician but knows nothing about aquariums, I just find it odd that people have had this problem and it is frequent with these systems, but not a common solution. I will call the manufacturer, I am sure they have had complaints.

[joejvj]

If it's true that the shock was so bad that it made your arm numb for several minutes, that's a big difference from putting your hand in the aquarium and feeling a tingle at a cut on your finger.

Sounds like you have full AC line voltage in your water.

[Brad413]

Originally Posted by joejvj

If it's true that the shock was so bad that it made your arm numb for several minutes, that's a big difference from putting your hand in the aquarium and feeling a tingle at a cut on your finger.

Sounds like you have full AC line voltage in your water.

Just talked to some people and they are stating it is some piece of equipment, heater, pump, etc in the refugium. Maybe even power head. Will test each one. Bulk Reef Supply has heard of this once, but should not have given me a bad shock like this. One reason I think it is refugium or tank is because it was 33 volts in each of those and .4 in the reservoir. Thanks

[jrp1588]

I had a heater and a powerhead go bad and pump some decent stray voltage into my tank. Not enough to really hurt, but maybe a bit less intense than some of the electric fences used to keep in livestock. Unplug stuff one at a time till you find the culprit.

[Jaculus]

Originally Posted by jrp1588

I had a heater and a powerhead go bad and pump some decent stray voltage into my tank. Not enough to really hurt, but maybe a bit less intense than some of the electric fences used to keep in livestock. Unplug stuff one at a time till you find the culprit.

Exactly what I was going to post. The voltage has to be coming from a heater or pump. IN my case I had stray voltage coming from a bad PSK2500 pump on my skimmer into my fuge. Everytime I stuck my hand in the fuge I felt a shock. It was not a huge shock but enough to "shock" me lol. So I started disconnecting devices until the "shock" went away.

[Brad413]

Another Update: We checked again nothing changed as far as setup, etc and now readings are less than 1 in tank, less than 1 in refugium and .4 in the Reservoir. I did stick my finger in the reservoir and got shocked again, but it was more of a static shock. I am wondering if all of the new poly and plastic trash can had builtup static electricity and now as lines are getting broken in, etc it is less. We took both thermometers out and testing a bucket of water and both read .1 to .3. Pretty typical. Pump is working and doesn't seem to be a problem. Refugium tank like I said is like .3 to .9 depending, but really near .3. Static is this really the problem.

[Brad413]

Originally Posted by jrp1588

I had a heater and a powerhead go bad and pump some decent stray voltage into my tank. Not enough to really hurt, but maybe a bit less intense than some of the electric fences used to keep in livestock. Unplug stuff one at a time till you find the culprit.

When you say go bad, do you mean they still work, but are just releasing energy per the stray voltage?

[jrp1588]

Yes, exactly

[Jaculus]

in my case the seal on the wires going into the skimmer pump were not sealed anymore and apparently inside were frayed. That caused the "stray" voltage.

[mcgyvr]

get your electrician friend to install a GFCI device protecting anything submerged immediately. If it trips start disconnecting each piece of equipment till it stops tripping.. nd when it stops that last piece of equipment you have is faulty and should be replaced.

and please stop sticking your hand in the tank..


and get the copper wire out of the tank now.. copper is highly toxic in a marine environment.

if the gfci device does not trip.. you more than likely don't have a real problem.

33 volts does not mean you have a problem at all.. electrical devices like pumps/lighting,etc.. will always couple some voltage into the water/air.. its normal.
Its typically referred to as "stray voltage".

A voltmeter as commonly used/suggested around here is really not a good way to find problems as like I said its "stray voltage" and does not necessarily indicate a problem..

typically stray voltage will be 1/3 or less of line voltage.. so the 33 is a slight indication of a problem but not a guaranteed issue. A GFCI will tell you though for sure and help narrow down the faulty device.

The only thing isolating the wires providing power to a pump,etc.. is basically just a blob of silicone.. and it can/does fail.

[sleepydoc]

+1 to everything mcgyvr said.

The ground probe shunts any stray current to ground, but you still don't now how much it is or where it's coming from.

Like mcgyvr said, the fact that you have xx volts doesn't indicate a problem. The fact that you're feeling a shock says there probably is enough current to be a problem.

Get a GFCI outlet or adapter, then start plugging things in one by one. When it trips you've found your culprit.