Static electricity shock from artificial turf?

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popechild

Well-known member
Nov 23, 2015
75
Atlanta, GA
We just redid our pool deck and replaced an old poured concrete deck with a combination of concrete pavers and artificial turf. I noticed today that I'm getting a very small shock when touching the water after walking on the artificial turf that I don't get when on the pavers.

A few other notes:
- I personally verified when the deck was replaced that everything was bonded. The back of the pool light has a bonding jumper, there's a bare #6 copper bonding wire running around the entire pool that's connected in 4 places to the pool shell rebar, all of which connects back to every piece of equipment at the equipment pad.
- I haven't felt this shock before in the couple of months the turf has been in. But it hasn't been swimming season, so I can't say for sure whether I've ever touchd the water while standing on the turf, or only from the pavers.
- It feels distinctly like a static electricity shock. If I stay in the same place after I feel it, I can touch the water over and over again with no additional shock. If I walk 2-3 steps in the turf then touch the water again, I get the shock again.
- If I walk around the pool on the concrete coping pavers and bend down in various places to touch the water while on the coping, or from the areas of the pool where I can stand directly on concrete pavers, I do not feel a shock.

I've read in plenty of places notes about the potential for artificial turf to build up static electricity. Often in regards to playgrounds and things like that. Can't find anything specifically dealing with turf and pools and static electricity there.

Anyone with any specific insights or ideas here? Things I can test? I obviously want to make sure it's not a bonding issue, but it's hard for me to figure out how it could be having just finished the remodel where I triple-checked the bonding on anything metal I could find anywhere near the pool.
 
popechild said:
We just redid our pool deck and replaced an old poured concrete deck with a combination of concrete pavers and artificial turf. I noticed today that I'm getting a very small shock when touching the water after walking on the artificial turf that I don't get when on the pavers.

A few other notes:
- I personally verified when the deck was replaced that everything was bonded. The back of the pool light has a bonding jumper, there's a bare #6 copper bonding wire running around the entire pool that's connected in 4 places to the pool shell rebar, all of which connects back to every piece of equipment at the equipment pad.
- I haven't felt this shock before in the couple of months the turf has been in. But it hasn't been swimming season, so I can't say for sure whether I've ever touchd the water while standing on the turf, or only from the pavers.
- It feels distinctly like a static electricity shock. If I stay in the same place after I feel it, I can touch the water over and over again with no additional shock. If I walk 2-3 steps in the turf then touch the water again, I get the shock again.
- If I walk around the pool on the concrete coping pavers and bend down in various places to touch the water while on the coping, or from the areas of the pool where I can stand directly on concrete pavers, I do not feel a shock.

I've read in plenty of places notes about the potential for artificial turf to build up static electricity. Often in regards to playgrounds and things like that. Can't find anything specifically dealing with turf and pools and static electricity there.

Anyone with any specific insights or ideas here? Things I can test? I obviously want to make sure it's not a bonding issue, but it's hard for me to figure out how it could be having just finished the remodel where I triple-checked the bonding on anything metal I could find anywhere near the pool.
Click to expand...
Building up a static charge walking on the turf?
 
My daughters played soccer on artificial turf. Just walking across the field to get to our seat would created shocks. On less humid days, sometimes the kids had would stand out from the buildup of static electricity.
 
Bperry said:
Can you measure any voltage between the turf and the water (or metal)? Seems like a silly thing to try.
Click to expand...
Could also try holding onto a wire cable that’s grounded to the pool water and walk across the turf. Then do it again without holding the wire.
 
popechild said:
So just walk around the pool dragging a wire in the water as I walk? I could try that.
Click to expand...
It would help confirm what you’re seeing is caused by walking on the turf and “potentially” related to static electricity. See what I did there?
 
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I can understand your resistance to walking on the ground to conduct this test.

For example, maybe your back hertz?

That's a problem people have with some frequency.

You’re probably thinking, watt is the reason for doing this; I don’t have the energy for this.

Maybe I can get amped up and get this done.

Maybe I will get a charge out of it.
 
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Okay, additional testing all seems to point toward static electricity buildup from the turf, but please tell me if you think I'm missing something.

- Got a length of bare #6 copper, walked up to pool on pavers, stuck it in the water. Nothing. Removed it.
- Walked a few steps onto the turf. As soon as the copper touched the water it popped. Nothing I could feel in my hand holding the coil of copper, but you could clearly hear the small pop.
- Walked around the pool with wire in pool, couldn't hear or feel anything new. But each time I would remove the wire then walk a few steps on the turf and touch the wire to the pool again it would pop.
- Walked on concrete pavers, retouched wire to pool. Nothing.
- Took off shoes, walked around in socks. Same electrical pops when wire would touch the water.
- Took off socks, walked around turf barefoot. No electrical pops of any kind, even walking in the turf.

Anyone see any reason to doubt the "static electricity from the turf" diagnosis here?

If that is all it is, thoughts on what I should do about it, if anything? Maybe it doesn't really matter since most often people would be barefoot when getting into the water?
 
One of the solutions I saw when I did a search was to spray the turf with a mixture of liquid fabric softener and water. I have no idea how this would affect pool chemistry is some of it got in the pool.
 
Homebrewale said:
One of the solutions I saw when I did a search was to spray the turf with a mixture of liquid fabric softener and water. I have no idea how this would affect pool chemistry is some of it got in the pool.
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Yeah, I saw a few mentions of that in a brief Google search. Also curious with a bunch of bare feet walking around on fabric softener covered turf what impact it would have on the water.
 
Was a new bonding grid installed or possibly the old one reused?
How far from the water's edge is the artificial turf?
 
popechild said:
Yeah, I saw a few mentions of that in a brief Google search. Also curious with a bunch of bare feet walking around on fabric softener covered turf what impact it would have on the water.
Click to expand...

Use the real stuff, not home remedies. ACL's excellent Staticide product line includes a number of anti-static floor treatments (e.g., Anti Static Dissipative Floor Finish) that might be appropriate.

Contact them and see what they say about your artificial turf: Contact ACL Staticide, Inc.
 
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