Community Forums

worleybyrd · 08-14-2013, 09:28 PM

ok i have a safari 40' dp and everytime i plug this coach in i get a zap from touching any metal ( like if i open the under bay door and touch the inside i get zapped can anyone help on what the heck would make this happen thanks in advance ( its not like a put you on your but zap but more of a kinda hurts but kinda don't

Dr4Film · 08-14-2013, 09:34 PM

The skin of your coach is LIVE with electric due to a bad grounding wire in your shore cable, transfer switch or some other location.

You need to have that fixed NOW !!!

If you don't feel comfortable working around electricity then have it done by professionals so you don't end up dead.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

gemini5362 · 08-15-2013, 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr4Film

The skin of your coach is LIVE with electric due to a bad grounding wire in your shore cable, transfer switch or some other location.

You need to have that fixed NOW !!!

If you don't feel comfortable working around electricity then have it done by professionals so you don't end up dead.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

Richard is 100 per cent correct. I plug my coach in for a couple of days when we first get home with a regular 110v extension cord. The ground plug broke off at the receptacle. When I tried to touch anything metal on the coach I would get a weak shock. I work with electricity so I knew what it was. I checked the extension cord and found the broken ground. I put a new male connector on the extension cord and corrected the problem. In addition to the areas richard suggested I would suggest you check the receptacle it is plugged into to see if that has a good ground. If you go to different campgrounds and still get shocked when plugged in then not going to be receptacle, but if you have it plugged in at home or are still in the same campground then the receptacle can be a possibility.

When richard says now he is very very right. This problem has a very real possibility of being fatal.

Bruce C · 08-15-2013, 03:19 AM

I agree totally, do not put this off any longer. Have it checked out. In the right situation your in serious trouble. Good luck and let us know what has been found so we know you are alright. This is a serious issue.

**CLIFFTALL** · 08-15-2013, 03:20 AM

X4.

mahon1993 · 08-15-2013, 04:35 AM

X5 !!!! It might be the cord or something else in the MH. I had the same problem with my first MH. I found a screw driven thru a 120 volt wire.
Greg

worleybyrd · 08-15-2013, 08:08 AM

Ok point taking this is not something to leave go. Thank you to all for the fast response
First I will try to plug in a different cord and to different plugs in the house if that don't work off the the dealer to have it looked at. It was a weak shock so I didn't think much of it so with your guys help I guess I should not have taken it lightly thanks again and will keep you updated

H. Miller · 08-15-2013, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by worleybyrd

It was a weak shock so I didn't think much of it so with your guys help I guess I should not have taken it lightly thanks again and will keep you updated

A weak shock with a person standing in moisture becomes a killing shock!

HD4Mark · 08-15-2013, 08:20 AM

A couple of questions. Are you plugging into the same place every time or does it happen at different locations? It seems likely the RV is the culprit but that will narrow it down. If it is at home and only a 15 or 20A outlet is the outlet a GFCI? If so it should trip.

If you are comfortable using a VOM it would be easy to test the cords and outlets. If not your dealer is the way to go. Changing cords is a good idea for a place to start.

njs42 · 08-15-2013, 08:55 AM

The point has been well made. I am so glad you inquired and received good information. You know what to do now and that is the point of posting here. Let us know what you discover, following back with information makes the forum all that more valuable.

Good job by everyone.

RedWing Nut · 08-15-2013, 09:15 AM

It's probably a Hot Skin. Mike Sokol discusses this in a way that anybody can understand.

RV Hot Skin

I agree with the others, you need professional help.

mel s · 08-15-2013, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dr4Film

The skin of your coach is LIVE with electric due to a bad grounding wire in your shore cable, transfer switch or some other location.

You need to have that fixed NOW !!!

If you don't feel comfortable working around electricity then have it done by professionals so you don't end up dead.

Dr4Film ----- Richard

X2!
While knelling on damp/wet ground, getting something out of a storage compartment, I felt a tingle when my bare forearm touched the SS bottom sill.
I set my meter to read VAC, clipped one probe to the sill and stuck the other probe in the ground...the meter read 8 volts AC.
With no "professional" assistance

, I temporarily used a different cord, (borrowed from another camper)... the tingle was gone.
The problem turned out to be a bad male end on the 30A cord I was using for shore power.
Mel
'96 Safari
Mel
'96 Safari

Clark Savage Jr · 08-15-2013, 11:07 AM

Don't plug the coach in again or run the generator until this is checked and resolved. Getting 120 volts AC across your heart can throw it into V. Fib and it's lights out forever.

I had a hot trailer once due to a faulty outlet at a campground on the Olympic Peninsula. It was nighttime and raining like a cow on a flat rock. I was under the trailer in the wet grass raising a manual jack up to steady the trailer. When the jack touched the frame (me holding onto the jack) I got 120 volts in my hands and out my wet knees.

My hands clenched the jack and I couldn't pull loose. Fortunately my DW heard me howling, came out and drug me out by my heels. Took me a week to stop throwing sparks! Not really, but I could have died under there.

Please don't test it by grabbing hold of it.

mel s · 08-15-2013, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clark Savage Jr

Don't plug the coach in again or run the generator until this is checked and resolved. Getting 120 volts AC across your heart can throw it into V. Fib and it's lights out forever.

I had a hot trailer once due to a faulty outlet at a campground on the Olympic Peninsula. It was nighttime and raining like a cow on a flat rock. I was under the trailer in the wet grass raising a manual jack up to steady the trailer. When the jack touched the frame (me holding onto the jack) I got 120 volts in my hands and out my wet knees.

My hands clenched the jack and I couldn't pull loose. Fortunately my DW heard me howling, came out and drug me out by my heels. Took me a week to stop throwing sparks! Not really, but I could have died under there.

Please don't test it by grabbing hold of it.

Clark
"Fortunately my DW heard me howling, came out and drug me out by my heels".
You are both lucky you weren't found dead right there, connected end to end.

Picture this:
When it started raining in the middle of the night, I jumped out of a borrowed pickup camper, (wearing only my underpants), to close the truck cab windows.
When I touched the cab door handle I got a terrific shock.
I forgot that dumb idea and went back to enter the camper.
When my wet bare foot touched the step I received another jolt.
As any thinking man would do, I walked over to the electrical pedestal intending unplug the shore power.
When I touched the cord I got another shock!

By throwing a wet, black, 1/2 burned log from the fire pit at the cord 10-12 times, (missing half the time because I could only see it when the sky was filled with lightning flashes), I was able to disconnect the cord and go back to bed.

Don't ask how I slept the rest of the night, (I'm lucky I can remember ANYTHING about THAT night)!
Mel
'96 Safari