Electric Shock from RO/DI Water

SubParReefer · Feb 10, 2022

Hi all,

So I've been loving this hobby from a distance for 18 months now and finally decided to jump in and get my first saltwater tank. I've gathered all the equipment I need to get going, including an RO/DI filtration unit.

I set the system up today, flushed the membranes as stated and set the system to flow into two black, plastic buckets. I've come back a half hour later to test the TDS of said water and as I have put the meter into the first bucket I've had a nasty electrical shock. A quick google said this could be static and it shouldn't happen again. So I go to the test the TDS reading again and boom, another shock.

I figure the TDS meter is bust so I just put my finger into the water to be sure. Shocked.

For context, the system is tapped to the garden tap, polythene tubes connecting the system through the window and is currently sat on my kitchen draining board (I plan to get this mounted under the sink soon). The system is then fed via more polythene tubing into the two plastic buckets which is where the electrical current seems to be holding.

Has anyone encountered this before and have any tips for fixing? And would the electrical charge be harmful to any livestock? System is yet to be set up so this is not a matter of urgency.

lapin · Feb 10, 2022

A bucket of water is not going to shock you unless there is an electrical current going to it.
Some how water is touching a live electrical wire/plug.
Take the buckets outside and use a volt meter to test for a charge.
Is the garden tap anywhere near an electrical box?

BostonReefer300 · Feb 10, 2022

Agree with above. Also, you don't have any heaters or powerheads in the buckets do you? Is your RODI system plugged into power? I've never seen one that is, but figured I'd ask

SubParReefer · Feb 16, 2022

Hi both, thank you for your replies. The garden tap shouldn't be anywhere near an electrical box, we have an outdoor socket but it's on the other side of the house and the main breaker box is on the other side of the house.

I didn't have any heaters or powerheads in when filling the buckets with RODI, no.

Update on this, I filled the 2nd bucket and felt the smallest of 'buzzes' when I touched the water and it dissipated. After mixing these batches with salt I've not experienced this issue and a 3rd batch of RODI for upcoming water changes hasn't shown any sort of electrical charge...

Dburr1014 · Feb 16, 2022

SubParReefer said:
Hi all,

So I've been loving this hobby from a distance for 18 months now and finally decided to jump in and get my first saltwater tank. I've gathered all the equipment I need to get going, including an RO/DI filtration unit.

I set the system up today, flushed the membranes as stated and set the system to flow into two black, plastic buckets. I've come back a half hour later to test the TDS of said water and as I have put the meter into the first bucket I've had a nasty electrical shock. A quick google said this could be static and it shouldn't happen again. So I go to the test the TDS reading again and boom, another shock.

I figure the TDS meter is bust so I just put my finger into the water to be sure. Shocked.

For context, the system is tapped to the garden tap, polythene tubes connecting the system through the window and is currently sat on my kitchen draining board (I plan to get this mounted under the sink soon). The system is then fed via more polythene tubing into the two plastic buckets which is where the electrical current seems to be holding.

Has anyone encountered this before and have any tips for fixing? And would the electrical charge be harmful to any livestock? System is yet to be set up so this is not a matter of urgency.

If your getting a shock, your TDS is not zero.

tharbin · Feb 16, 2022

Sounds to me more like you had a static charge and dissipated into the RODI.

T-J · Feb 16, 2022

Ok, wait a second...

Are you saying that a bucket of RODI water (like a plastic bucket) just sitting on the ground is giving you a shock???

Dburr1014 · Feb 16, 2022

Do you have a meter? Black in the water, red in the ground of an outlet. What do you get for volts?
Ro/di is striped of ions, it actually loses conductivity.

DE FISH · Feb 16, 2022

A shock from pure water with no electric ? Impossible

SlugSnorter · Feb 16, 2022

tharbin said:
Sounds to me more like you had a static charge and dissipated into the RODI.

either this or it was just psychosomatic

SlugSnorter · Feb 16, 2022

You sure it wasn't psychosomatic or dry skin/cracks stinging after getting wet?

Malcontent · Feb 16, 2022

SubParReefer · Feb 20, 2022

Hi all,

Definitely not psychosomatic, I asked the girlfriend to touch the water without telling her what was going on. An audible snap and she pulled away quickly also?

I haven't got a volt meter reader, will try and pick one up soon enough. The following buckets I've made up have had no issue, very strange occurrence. If it repeats I'll need to check RO unit for any irregularities as I'm receiving 0 TDS meter readings. I've set the tank up now and have one happy clownfish with good nutrient readings!

olonmv · Feb 20, 2022

SubParReefer said:
Hi all,

Definitely not psychosomatic, I asked the girlfriend to touch the water without telling her what was going on. An audible snap and she pulled away quickly also?

I haven't got a volt meter reader, will try and pick one up soon enough. The following buckets I've made up have had no issue, very strange occurrence. If it repeats I'll need to check RO unit for any irregularities as I'm receiving 0 TDS meter readings. I've set the tank up now and have one happy clownfish with good nutrient readings!

Almost sounds like voltage is leaking into your plumbing somehow. I’d have a licensed electrician check your electrical system for faults.

Sean Clark · Feb 20, 2022

As I understand it, RODI with 0 TDS is non conductive. It simply is not capable of transferring electrons due to the lack of ions in the water. Not a rocket surgeon. Just my $0.02.

T-J · Feb 20, 2022

I feel like this is a troll post.
There is no way a bucket of water, sitting by itself, can give someone an electric shock.

No, OP hasn't stated if this is just a plastic bucket of water sitting by itself. Does it have a powerhead? Heater? Anything else?

Short of electrical equipment being in this bucket of water, this isn't happening.

WVNed · Feb 20, 2022

There have been threads about this before. Sometimes the RODI water going into a bucket becomes a generator for static electricity and shocks people

ariellemermaid · Feb 20, 2022

Agree with what everyone here has stated. I’ll propose a different theory though; you’re the source of the static electricity. Have you had any other shocks around the house touching metal lately?

It definitely sounds like static though. I’ve electrocuted myself several times and there was never any audible sound. Plus, anything else is impossible if it’s just a bucket of water sitting on the ground with nothing else in it.

SubParReefer · Feb 21, 2022

The bucket is black, plastic and the only thing attached to it was the RO/DI output pipe as it was filling up. I was sticking a handheld TDS reader into it which would have been carrying a (small) electric charge due to the battery. Aside from that, no heater or powerhead connected.

Subsequent buckets have not caused an issue so chalking it up to a static charge for now. If it reoccurs I’ll investigate further but I’m unable to reproduce at this time