A SHOCKING new development

[tx-lawman]

I have a new feature that has deveolped on my RV that is well... a shocking development to say the least...

When I plug in to shore power, you can feel a strong electric "tingle" when you touch anything metal on the coach. If your hand is damp or sweaty, it can actually hurt quite a bit.

Obviously a short of some kind... Any ideas for where to start?

[RichardT]

Unplug it till you solve the problem!


Are you at home or a campground?
Have you done or had any work done recently?

[Foiled Again]

First place I'd look is a worn cord when you hook up. Then I'd suspect worn insulation somewhere on a wire inside the A/S. Tracking this stuff down can be time consuming. If you have a friend who is an electrician I'd ask her/him for help.

Good luck and be careful.

Paula

[tx-lawman]

Originally Posted by RichardT

Are you at home or a campground?
Have you done or had any work done recently?

I am at home, thank goodness. But we are leaving for a long distance, week long trip Saturday... I don't have much time to solve this problem!

No work done since the problem developed (darn, nobody to blame!)

I also just confirmed that the problem does not appear when on generator power, only shore power.

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by tx-lawman

I am at home, thank goodness. But we are leaving for a long distance, week long trip Saturday... I don't have much time to solve this problem!

No work done since the problem developed (darn, nobody to blame!)

I also just confirmed that the problem does not appear when on generator power, only shore power.

Check where the shore power cord goes into the coach, the insulation may have frayed.

[tx-lawman]

Should I be looking for a bad ground? or a short ("leaking") between the two primary wires?

[classic67]

Troy,

My first recommendation to you (after advising to disconnect shore power), is to seek out someone who knows how to use a multi-meter to determine if a short is occurring, and possibiliy locate it through circuit tests. If worse comes to worse, you'll need to put off your trip a day or so until you can locate the source of where the grounding (leakage) to your Airstream's body or frame is occuring (if indeed that is the case). Don't shrug this off as it can likely be a fire hazard.

Good luck and let us know what happens...

[Harry W]

You likely have a leak to ground, that is a short through a fairly high resistance. If it did not have a high resistance, you would not get a "tingle" but would get K'd On Your A. You also have a poorly grounded coach. If it wqs well grounded, you would not get a tingle. What you are doing when you touch the coach is providing a ground path. You can use a multi meter betwee the coach body and a ground To see what it is, but it will not tell you the strength (amps).

First, check the ground connection between the coach and the receptacle. If you are not sure of the ground at the receptacle, ground the coach to a water pipe. This may eliminate the tingle if it is a minor leak. If it is a major leak you will kick the breaker. If the breaker doesn't kick, check your plug for signs of arcing at some prior time. This can provide a carbon track that will conduct current to the ground. Then, check your breakers and breaker box for arcing or carbon tracks. You can also open the breakers in the coach one at a time to see if the problem is eliminated. If it is related to one cicuit, then you can start to narrow down the point of the problem.

Use a multimeter to test the ground. You may be dealing with a strong short that can deliver a potentially fatal shock if you are well grounded.

Be sure to unplug the coach when you are making changes. I do not mean to insult your intelligence, but, from one who has been K'd on his A , be careful.

Harry W

[68 Overlander]

Turn off the breaker that feeds the water heater if its electric. This is a very common problem when people are tripping GFCI breakers as well.

[Tarheel]

sounds like reverse polarity. A couple of buck tester from camping world and anyother rv/marine store is in order.

[mustang]

I would check the main cable going into the camper then inspect back behind the fridge then follow wires from the breaker box. It may be as simple as a mouse chewed the insulation or the insulation from vibrating against a sharp object like a screw or a sharp corner rubbed threw.
One things for sure. You will know when you find it and make sure you fix it proper electricity is a deadly thing. Esspecially knowing your propane tanks can conduct it

[overlander63]

Originally Posted by Harry W

from one who has been K'd on his A , be careful.

Harry W

What he said!

[azflycaster]

I agree with Tarheel about the polarity. I have also heard of people plugging into a cloths dryer outlet because it looks almost the same, it is not. Have you used this power outlet before with no problems? The only difference with a generator and a shore hook up is that the generator does not have a ground.

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, O.K. Lets start with the basics. No problem with generator. Only problem when on shore power. When the generator is running, it is grounded to the frame in-which is grounded to the body. Works fine no shock. When hooked up to shore power the trailer is grounded through the power cord and the outlet receptical. In other words; grounded from the power source. Test the outlet with polarity tester. [has three lights and a chart on it to tell you if the three wires are in the right position and working right.] If that test shows good, then the problem must be in the power cord ground wire connection or the ground connection on your RV cable connector.
Generator O.K. ----------- Problem not in trailer / motorhome.
Shore power not O.K. -----problem in shore power ground.
Shorts, blow fuses, kick circuit breakers, and burn wires. Don't waste your time looking for a short. You are getting a feed-back due to a bad or open connection to ground.
Bottom line you are looking for an open circuit or poor connection to ground.

Bob

[tlavergne]

I had the same exact problem. The shore power source connection had no ground (garage of old house). I rewired the shore power source to its own breaker (30 amp, 10 gauge wire) in the box with a ground and the problem went away.
Tom

[Geophilist]

I also had the same problem, only it was with a campground in Canada. I moved to another site, problem solved. You might try plugging into another outlet on a different circuit and see if the problem continues. From another one who has ben bitten by the juice, BE CAREFULL.

Steve

[tx-lawman]

Thanks for all the great feedback!

I have a portable Honda inverter generator that is supposed to shut down and indicate any shorts or ground leaks, so I plugged the motorhome into that generator to see what it says, and found that there was no problem or shocks when plugged into the portable.

I then ran the cord inside the house and plugged it into the laundry room plug (not the 220v, of course). No problem, everything worked great & no shocks.

Happily, I guess the problem was in the garage plug. This is the same plug I have always used, so I don't understand why this just started. I turned off the garage breaker on the house & I'll call an electrictian when I we get back from our trip.

Thanks again for all the help. I love this forum! (and it has saved me lots of $$$$$$)

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Originally Posted by tx-lawman

Thanks for all the great feedback!




Happily, I guess the problem was in the garage plug. This is the same plug I have always used, so I don't understand why this just started. I turned off the garage breaker on the house & I'll call an electrictian when I we get back from our trip.

Thanks again for all the help. I love this forum! (and it has saved me lots of $$$$$$)

Hi, My garage only has two wires comeing from my house to the garage; Therefore, no ground wire. Why, I don't know. That's the way they were built in the fifties. Actually, the original wall sockets, in my house, were not grounded either. I think you never noticed it before because of lack of moisture. [sweat, wet, or humidity.]

Bob