30A to 20A to bypass GFI?

[Darkspeed]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

To where? To the battery negative wire?

Gene

Yes. That way I'm not relying on my skin for electron drift.

Negative wire carries the electrons to the load / positive wire carries them back to the positive plate in the battery

[SpaceEgg]

Many thanks for all the helpful info. You inspired me to chase the ghost in the machine. Here's what I found.

1. I do have a grounded electrical circuit, there is bare copper wire in the umbilical cord which eventually is grounded to the shell in the fusebox.

2. There is a red wire that comes out of the umbilical that is attached to nothing in the fusebox, and appears to need to attach to nothing. I have not found the other end of the red wire yet.

3. Attached to the same ground (as #1) is another bare copper wire that leads to (what looks to be) the original external shore power. It's an alien outlet type to me (roadside). Looks like PO bypassed it with newer fusebox but kept bare copper wire grounded to the shell. He disconnected the (black and white) hot line and neutral wires from original shorepower outlet, and they are sort of hanging in space. I wonder if this causes leakage to the trailer shell.

4. I can get to all the outlets and lights in the trailer, which I must table until the weekend when I have more time, but I cannot see a visible way to connect to one last outlet, which supplies external power via an outlet to the curbside (under the awning). It looks like the wiring is contained within the shell walls, and the outlet is weather beaten. I have a foreboding suspicion that I'll get everything hammered out with the fusebox, outlets, and lights, and then find I still have this funky outlet to deal with. At which point it seems my options will be...

a. take the shell off (not happening)

b. rewire the entire AC electrical system externally in the trailer (I'm thinking lines within industrial conduit, or something else protected and beautiful)

c. flip the hookups the bird and rock everything off DC

Thanks again for all the comments. You stoked my DIY fires.

[SpaceEgg]

So those last pictures were impossible to decipher, so here's a little more info regarding the photos:

This is the original shorepower (I think?) inlet to trailer which connects to the little box below the fuse box, and then runs a bare copper wire into the fusebox to connect to the trailer shell. The black and white wires of hot line and neutral are wrapped harmlessly around the wire that eventually leads to the umbilical cord.

Also that stupid red wire that's just hanging out with his buddies. It seems to me poor form to leave dangling wires all over the place. Shame on you PO.

[SpaceEgg]

more fusebox, and the weatherbeaten exterior outlet (curbside)

Do you like my weatherproofing method? It's very chic.

[Darkspeed]

So from the photos I see your shell ground on the same buss as your neutral white wire- this is why you trip the ground fault

[Darkspeed]

Your green shell ground should be attached ONLY to the ground conductor in your umbilical - not your insulated neutral buss

[Darkspeed]

The way it is now...

If you had a break in your ground wire in your umbilical...

And you were standing barefoot outside..

And you touched the shell which would be incorrectly tied to neutral...

The electrons could choose to vibrate from hot to neutral..

Or from hot to earth ground through your body.. And that is why the ground fault device is trying to protect your life..

[Darkspeed]

The funny thing is in your breaker box the neutral bus is isolated from the metal box on a plastic riser...for a reason... And then the green wire defeats this isolation by jumping straight to shell ground

[SpaceEgg]

Darkspeed, you are fast. I suppose this could also be the reason that my trailer shell gets hot when plugged into my house (non-GFI) - the electricity has another pathway (thru the green ground wire on the white neutral buss) into the shell?

[SpaceEgg]

Originally Posted by Darkspeed

The funny thing is in your breaker box the neutral bus is isolated from the metal box on a plastic riser...for a reason... And then the green wire defeats this isolation by jumping straight to shell ground

Oh that's hilarious!

[Darkspeed]

Originally Posted by SpaceEgg

Darkspeed, you are fast. I suppose this could also be the reason that my trailer shell gets hot when plugged into my house (non-GFI) - the electricity has another pathway (thru the green ground wire on the white neutral buss) into the shell?

That would be a great party trick.... Lick my shell... I dare youuuuuu

[Darkspeed]

Originally Posted by SpaceEgg

Darkspeed, you are fast. I suppose this could also be the reason that my trailer shell gets hot when plugged into my house (non-GFI) - the electricity has another pathway (thru the green ground wire on the white neutral buss) into the shell?

O' yes and with the correct lack of resistance it will kill you dead - fix that

[buddyboy54]

Try driving a ground rod near the trailer or entend a wire from your homes grounging system to the trailer and read with a a.c. volt meter from the frame or body of the trailer to ground.If there is a hot wire with a high resistance ground you may be able to see it. In response to the provious post,i would think that a circuit breaker panel in a r.v. should be considered a sub-panel on an electrical system,that being said ,the neutral and ground MUST NOT BE BONDED. this if code. the ez way to test would be to use ohm meter accrss the ground and neutral blades of the plug,no connection should be seen on the meter.if a circuit is detected the first place that I would look at would be in the c.b. panel and see if it is correctly wired. This is just my opinion,I am NOT a electrician,but have a lot of years troubleshhoting electrical problems.again just my 2 cents worth.
carl

[ventport]

Your problem: the green ground wire going to the white wire buss bar is exactly what I described in post #12. Disconnect the green wire from the buss bar where the 2 white wires are and it should be OK, at least that part of the problem.

[Gene]

It looks like there is a black wire going to the lower buss bar. It appears the previous owner had some interesting ideas about color coding.

Gene