Electric Shock from RO/DI Water

[SubParReefer]

Pipe? PVC?

I believe so, a very flexible plastic/rubber material.
This is the unit, I used the tubing that came with the unit:

FINERFILTERS 4 Stage Compact Reverse Osmosis Filter With DI Resin Tropical/Marine/Discus 50/75/100/GPD (100 GPD)

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

I’ve seen this where Copper Pipe was replaced with Plastic Pipe. Especially out to the street, the House Ground is still hooked up to the water pipe, usually near the meter. Also if the meter was replaced with a remote read meter, the ground was probably compromised. You need to have a Licensed Electrician come out, find the source of the stray voltage and correct your grounding. BTW YOU COULD GET ELECTROCUTED BY THIS FAULT!

 

[Sean Clark]

I’ve seen this where Copper Pipe was replaced with Plastic Pipe. Especially out to the street, the House Ground is still hooked up to the water pipe, usually near the meter. Also if the meter was replaced with a remote read meter, the ground was probably compromised. You need to have a Licensed Electrician come out, find the source of the stray voltage and correct your grounding. BTW YOU COULD GET ELECTROCUTED BY THIS FAULT!

This is very common and why ground rods are important. I'll add that Sharkbite style push connect fittings also break the conductivity of copper piping acting as a dielectric coupling which can cause the same type of ground interruption.

 

[SubParReefer]

I’ve seen this where Copper Pipe was replaced with Plastic Pipe. Especially out to the street, the House Ground is still hooked up to the water pipe, usually near the meter. Also if the meter was replaced with a remote read meter, the ground was probably compromised. You need to have a Licensed Electrician come out, find the source of the stray voltage and correct your grounding. BTW YOU COULD GET ELECTROCUTED BY THIS FAULT!

A remote read meter? It is a newly built property and I was told we have a “Bluetooth water meter”? So it wouldn’t have been replaced but put in from the original house build if that makes sense?

 

[Sean Clark]

New build more than likely has PEX piping and the electrical would be grounded accordingly. The ground interpretation would only really apply to retrofits or repairs on a home that had a copper main line with the electrical grounded to it.

 

[SubParReefer]

New build more than likely has PEX piping and the electrical would be grounded accordingly. The ground interpretation would only really apply to retrofits or repairs on a home that had a copper main line with the electrical grounded to it.

Interesting… Does that rule out a faulty grounding with the pipes or would it still be a possibility? The garden tap (which is where the RO unit was connected to) looks to be made of a metal, the piping under sink is a mix of metal and plastic. Is there a way I can identify what materials these are?

 

[Sean Clark]

Does that rule out a faulty grounding with the pipes or would it still be a possibility?

No, not without having someone test it.
I will maintain that proper RODI water is not capable of conducting electricity and therefore you have someting else going on.

Is Deionised Water Conductive?

Even though DI water is very pure and a poor conductor of electricity, what happens when it reacts with air? Is deionised water conductive?

www.chemicals.co.uk

 

[WVNed]

Search
RODI container electric shock
with google

It happens
It's static electricity

Flowing RODI water cant conduct electricity but is can act as a charge carrier for electrons. They end up on the surface of the RODI water in the plastic container and cant get away until you touch it or add a ground.

Van De Graff generator. Makes static electricity. The charge carrier is a rubber band. It strips electrons off a copper brush and stores them in a metal Dome at the top. To work the charge carrier must be non conductive.

Put your finger near the dome and you get a spark

 

[Sean Clark]

Search
RODI container electric shock
with google

It happens
It's static electricity

Flowing RODI water cant conduct electricity but is can act as a charge carrier for electrons. They end up on the surface of the RODI water in the plastic container and cant get away until you touch it or add a ground.

Van De Graff generator. Makes static electricity. The charge carrier is a rubber band. It strips electrons off a copper brush and stores them in a metal Dome at the top. To work the charge carrier must be non conductive.

Put your finger near the dome and you get a spark

Without ions, you can not have electron transfer. The Van De Graff generator comparison to the electrical conductivity of deionized water is calling an apple an orange. Flow state does not change the ion content of the RODI water nor does it change its conductive properties. Only speaking to water that has zero ions present.

 

[WVNed]

Without ions, you can not have electron transfer. The Van De Graff generator comparison to the electrical conductivity of deionized water is calling an apple an orange. Flow state does not change the ion content of the RODI water nor does it change its conductive properties. Only speaking to water that has zero ions present.

The non conductive water flowing by an electron donor acts as a charge carrier just like the moving rubber band in the generator.
The RODI container becomes the "dome" where the electrons are stored.
There are threads on other forums about this. It happens, though rarely.

 

[SteveMM62Reef]

My post refers to older homes that have had pipes replaced. Even on New Homes, regardless of the pipe material used, it’s against code to use piping as a ground. On my house a Ground Cable was installed in the Footing. That was somehow lost. So I have Two Grounding Rods. What I don’t understand is the inspector made me install an independent ground on an Existing Whirlpool Tub, when my bath was remodeled, and the tub was kept in it’s present location. To my thinking it’s a Ground Loop.

 

[FairbanksReefer]

As an IBEW electrician I say for the most part I wouldn't worry about it unless it keeps happening. I definitely wouldn't pay an electrician to come out over this, again, unless it keeps happening. It seems very improbable bordering impossible to get shocked from RODI water as it just doesn't conduct. I can't speak to the static or Vandergraaff generator aspect, that seems a little crazy to me. The most I would recommend is buying a meter, they can be really cheap and are super handy just to have anyway and it could make you more confident to see there isn't any voltage. If there is voltage, then you would need an electrician.

 

[KrisReef]

Learn something new here every day.
I went HERE

There I found that deionized water will carry a small charge especially after it has sat awhile. It ionizes to

H3O + OH and it also absorbs CO2 from the atmosphere which creates carbonic acid (and is why deionized water is slightly acidic).

 

[SubParReefer]

For anyone interested, here are pictures of my setup, I intend to have the unit plumbed directly under the sink when I have a bit more cash to pay for a plumber.

 

[WorkingHands]

You can use this so you don't need to run the tube out the window:

Water Line Connection Kit

 

[SubParReefer]

You can use this so you don't need to run the tube out the window:

Water Line Connection Kit

That would be super useful during these cold temps! Thank you

 

[Doctorgori]

unrelated perhaps but cuts and breaks in the skin are more sensitive to current, it’s not just for the salt bothering your cut either