Water bucket shocking - chiller system

i have my laser system grounded with the ac mains ground to avoid shocks and shorts on system failure.

i use ice bottles in bucket with pump for chilling.

when i reach in and swap bottles, the water gives a tingle with laser working.

should/can i add a ground electrode in water bucket to take away the charge or will that somehow effect laser tube and damage it?

You need to find the cause and fix this stray voltage. That tingling… consider it a warning.

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I should clarify. Technically, this scenario would fall under NEC’s accepted definition of Contact Voltage which is different than Stray Voltage.

That tingling… consider it a warning.

The warning being that if you ignore the warning, or try to hide it (ground in the water), that “next time, it won’t be a warning”?:slight_smile:

More seriously, can’t reinforce what @Stroonzo said enough. Fix the problem, don’t hide it. Adding a ground to the water is hiding it, plus there is enough resistance to the water that you can’t actually ground the whole mass of it.

update.

it was the awesome water pump from original system from china.
only 2 wire submersible pump.
i bought new 3 wire and all is good now

thanks to all that replied.

Are you not utilizing a GFCI on this branch circuit or receptacle? The current differential neutral to hot caused (and felt) when you touched the electrified water should have instantly been detected by a GFCI (disconnecting the line).

There may be more left to resolving this than replacing the submersible pump. That is, the installation (or replacement if faulty) of a GFCI.

yes, gfci in use
20A weather and tamper