Electrical

[Chuck]

I am getting an electrical shock in wet conditions when touching bumper or door handles. The fuse panel is grounded properly. Everything looks in good order. Is this common in older units or should I pursue further. Any idea what I could check? I am proficient with an electrical tester and household wiring.

[Jimco_W001]

Hi Chuck,it could be reverse polarity.What year is your RV?

[Chuck]

73. It's not the supply cause when I got a shock from the back bumper the other day the GFI kicked off like it"s supposed to.

[Richard W. Cobbs]

I'm not sure that I see your logic?  Maybe the electrical engineer will chime in again.

[John "T" Nordhoff]

 I dont think the fact that a GFCI tripped "necessarily" guarantess theres still NOT a supply side problem. Even if theres a supply problem the GFCI still dont trip until such time theres leakage EITHER in the outlet or box orrrrrrrrr once a LOAD like the RV that has leakage is plugged into the outlet. Of course, if theres no leakAage UNTIL the RV load is plugged into the outlet, I will admit it sounds more like the problem is in the RV..... They sell those plug in analyzers that have idiot lights that show if the Ground and Neutral and Polarity is correct, that can help tell if the supply outlet is wired and configured properly.

 

 Again in the RV there can NOT be any circuit or continuity from the Hot UngrounDED Phase (Black) Conductor to the Equipment GroundING (Bare/Green) conductor or the frame or chassis cuz if there is but its high enough resistance so the breaker dont trip ORRRRRRRRR the Ground isnt bonded to the RV case frame chassis, YOU GET A SHOCK IF YOU TOUCH THE FRAME.

 

 AGAIN, insure in the RV panel the bare/green is NOT bonded to the White Neutral BUT THERE IS A GOOD CONNECTION FROM THE BARE/GREEN TO THE BOX AND EVENTUALLY THE RV FRAME CHASSIS

 

 This isnt rocket science if there armed with a VOM but hard over the net. ITS JUST NOT GOOD THAT THE RV FRAME HAS HOT VOLTAGE ON IT. Imagine your 2 year old barefooted grandkid touching the camper !!!

 

 PS if a rookie gets inside an RV box he may be tempted to do whats done in a home panel i.e. the Neutral and Grounds ARE BONDED. However thats not how its done in an RV as far as I know (they are kept seperate and isolated) but again, Im pretty rusty on this having been away from the NEC for years.

 

 John T

[Richard W. Cobbs]

If this is when you are plugged into shore power, you may want to check the 110 supply.  I ran into a floating ground situation where there was 60 volts going through the ground wire!

[John "T" Nordhoff]

 I WOULD DEFINITELY PURSUE IT FURTHER.......That "shock" you feel isnt a good thing as it only takes something like 30 milliamps of current to get your old ticker out of sync and you can wake up dead from that ya know. I suspect a problem at the outlet or circuit into which the RV is plugged or theres a high resistance short (so breakers not tripping) somewhere inside the RV wiring with a hot in contact with metal/frame somewhere. If it had any sort of GFCI protection that trips the breaker at like 5 milliamps if theres any leakage current. Inside the RV at its breaker box the Equipment GroundING Conductor (Bare/Green) should be bonded to the metal case (NOT to the Neutral Buss) and there should be a good bond (wires and cables and ground straps etc) to the RV's frame and metal skin etc. That way any shorts/faults to case or frame or skin have a return current path to the panel to trip the breaker.

 

 LOOK AND SEE THAT THE EQUIPMENT GROUNDING CONDUCTOR IS BONDED TO THE PANELS METAL CASE AND REST OF RV FRAME AND METAL AND SKIN ETC AND THATS ITS NOTTTTTTTTTT BONDED TO THE NEUTRAL

 

 THERE SHOULD BE NO CIRCUIT/CONTINUITY FROM ANY HOT WIRE IN THE PANEL TO THE RV FRAME/CASE BUT THERE SHOULD BE CONTINUITY FROM ANY RV METAL TO THE EQUIPMENT GROUNDING CONDUCTOR IN THE PANEL.....Just like the outer metal case of 3 wire tools or machinery or appliances are bonded to the safety equipment GroundING Conductor you want the RV frame/case and metal the same. You want it there to return fault current instead of it flowing through your ticker ya know

 

 Incorrect wiring or polarity at the outlet can also cause problems !!!!!!!!!!!

 

 DISCLAIMER While Im a retired Electrical Engineer its been a longggggggggg time since I worked in this area so I may be rusty and out of date and wrongggggggggg so NO WARRANTY

 

 John T