Good info re hot skin shock

[Kidkraz]

Thought this article had good info to pass on.

http://rvtravel.com/rver-wonders-if-...rsed-polarity/

[momto4girls]

Good grief. All these issues with electricity and batteries in campers just makes me want to sell mine. I don't understand any of it. :/

[Larryjb]

I'd agree that the article is convoluted and confusing. Basically, if the trailer skin is "hot", there's a ground fault.

Grounding protects you from being electrocuted when a "hot" lead (black or red wire in 120V wiring) contacts a metal case or frame. This could be deadly in the following situation:

1) black wire contacts frame (due to insulation wearing through, or some one puts a screw through a black wire).
2) you plug the trailer into 120, but the ground wire is faulty (missing, not grounded)

The skin of the trailer is now energized, but has no where to go at this point because the ground is missing.

3) you touch the trailer from the outside. The electricity, which had nowhere to go, now finds you as a good conductor to ground. And you become deep fried human.

If the ground were in place, as soon as you plugged in the power, the electricity would flow from the black wire to the frame, through to ground. There is no resistance here, and it would instantly trip a circuit breaker.

I hope this was less convoluted and confusing. It just boils down to a faulty ground.

----

The sample plug wiring that pictured about half way down were examples of bad wiring. The first plug was wired correctly. The second and third plugs were wired incorrectly. I'm no electrical engineer, but if a plug were wired as in the 2nd and 3rd plugs, that person had no business doing anything with wiring. Those example concerned me somewhat because a novice might look at them and think that's an okay way to wire a plug. I would have put a red "x" beside the incorrect examples.

[Bill]

An easy solution is to go to a hardware store, Walmart, Home Depot, etc, and buy a 3-light tester for about $5. Here is a picture of one - there are many, and they all look similar.

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...&pictureid=452

Plug it into an outlet inside the TM that you can see through the open door, and LEAVE IT THERE. I plugged mine into the outlet beside the refrig. From now on, when you open up the camper, leave the door open, then plug the camper's power cord into the campground pedestal, then step back to the door and look at the device. If all is well, you will see two amber lights, and you know you are good to go.

I've corresponded with Mike Sokol, who writes the articles. He is very good at RV electricity (and electricity in general), and he will be quick to point out that there is one possible campground wiring error that can fool the 3-light tester. And I agree with him. But the situation that will fool it is extremely rare - so rare that I don't worry about it.

One other point is worth making. If you power your TM from a generator instead of a campground power post, you may see only one amber light instead of two. This is OK - it is a characteristic of generators, and is specifically addressed in (at least) the Honda inverter-generator manuals.

Bill

[momto4girls]

Is there an option/device that would allow me to check this right at the campground pedestal? Since we camp with two kids, we really need access to that outlet for chargers. Mom and Dad need to charge things, too.

[Larryjb]

One of these neon testers is really useful:
https://www.amazon.com/Morris-59020-...ds=neon+tester

Here's how I use them:
1) Testing for hot line:
hold the metal end of one lead in your fingers, and touch the other end to each of the three terminals in an electrical socket. Don't worry, you will not electrocute yourself doing this. This test confirms that you have 120V (or 240V) in the correct terminal of the campground: on a regular socket outlet, only the short slot should light the neon bulb; on a campground 30A socket outlet, only the bottom left slot (if the ground is above) should light the neon bulb.

2) Testing for ground and neutral:
If you touch one lead of the neon tester to the hot line, and the other lead to the ground or the neutral, the neon tester should glow brighter.

It seems harder to find these neon testers, but I really like them. The other electronic testers, especially the non-contact ones, will sometimes pick up induced voltage and make you think a wire is hot, when it is not.

[Bill]

Mom -

You can simply buy another 3-light tester, keep it in your tow vehicle's glove compartment, and when you pull into your site, plug it into the small (household-style) outlet in the pedestal. In most pedestals, power comes in to the big (30-amp) receptacle first, and then is peeled off and connected to the small outlet. If the small outlet tests good, the big one most likely is as well. No guarantee it is wired this way, of course, but it is common enough to give good confidence.

Or stick the 3-light tester into the TM's outside outlet, then plug your TM's big black cord into the pedestal, and check the tester.

Like Larry, I sometimes use a non-contact sensor, but they can give a false reading which can be annoying.

Bill

[Larryjb]

Originally Posted by Bill

Mom -

...Like Larry, I sometimes use a non-contact sensor, but they can give a false reading which can be annoying.

Bill

Actually I tend to prefer the neon tester for the reason you mentioned, and can be used directly on the 30A outlet. But Bills suggestion of using the plug-in tester on the outside outlet of the trailer works too.

[momto4girls]

I think I'll keep one in the truck and use the outside outlet. I can handle that. Thanks for the suggestions.