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meddiver · 08-13-2016, 04:15 PM

I checked a couple of items and found some lose wires in my plug and the ground at the pole that feeds my plug was faulty.
I have about 3 volts running around my RV, is this a normal amount or do I need to keep searching?

powercat_ras · 08-13-2016, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meddiver

I checked a couple of items and found some lose wires in my plug and the ground at the pole that feeds my plug was faulty.
I have about 3 volts running around my RV, is this a normal amount or do I need to keep searching?

I assume you mean you are reading 3 volts between Neutral and Ground on plugs in your trailer, or between neutral and trailer skin.

There is something that is causing some AC current to flow into the chassis (skin) of your RV instead of back thru the Neutral (white) like it is supposed to.

The ground wire from outlet to breaker box for a 15 amp circuit should be at least #14 copper wire which has a resistance of 0.25 ohms per 100 feet, plus there is resistance at connections as well. Voltage is current times resistance. Let's say ground resistance from the source of the problem to the main panel where ground and neutral are tied together is 0.5 ohms then the current flowing to make 3 volts would be 6 amps. Not enough to trip the breaker but A LOT of current going to ground instead of the neutral like it is supposed to.

THIS IS HAZARDOUS AND YOU NEED TO DE-ENERGIZE THE RV, FIND AND FIX THE PROBLEM.

meddiver · 08-13-2016, 07:42 PM

Thank you! I have an electrician on the way.

stormrider15 · 08-13-2016, 07:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by meddiver

Thank you! I have an electrician on the way.

Good move!!!

nothermark · 08-14-2016, 06:32 AM

FWIW there are two things you need to check.

Disconnect the HW tank electric heater element and see of the problem goes away. They are known for that.

Check your ground at the plug in point. Neutral and ground are split in the MH when on shore power. They are bonded where they plug in. If that is not done then you can have a floating difference.

FWIW for the tech wiz's. When measuring the voltage in many of those cases the meter becomes a series load with the leakage. The impedances are high so the current is low and the readings get interesting. Draw out the schematic to see what I mean. If he has 3 V across a 20 meg meter the current is pretty small. Annoying and in need of fixing but barely above static for current.

keymastr · 08-14-2016, 08:30 AM

Please start a new thread in the future rather than tagging you're question onto another persons thread. We have now hijacked Big bear's thread and confused the issue somewhat making it difficult to get him an answer.

radar2425 · 08-14-2016, 11:23 PM

OK, probably a stupid question below...

I can fix most anything but electric is one of the only things I won't touch in my own house. Sure, I can do light fixtures and ceiling fan replacements but just don't feel confident with DIYing stuff that can kill me or burn my house down.
So my (maybe) dumb question would be whether grounding the TT with a short piece of copper wire attached to the frame and attached to a metal spike sunk into the ground could prevent an accident (as part of setup before you hook into shore power)?
Obviously you would need to unhook and diagnose immediately but would this work?

1bigmess · 08-15-2016, 10:12 AM

Don't put a band-aid on a gushing wound. Fix the problem, or get it fixed by a pro.

You said you don't like to fool around with electricity, but your willing to handle a wire that will lead to an earth ground, and the wire is hot because of a wiring issue with your trailer? Wow. Just get the problem fixed and be done with all this risky work around that presents other problems to you and the rig.

RPr · 08-15-2016, 10:52 PM

I received a good jolt from my air compressor, because the neutral wire in the line cord shorted to the frame.

I would certainly get a circuit checker to assure correct polarity.

Sehc · 08-16-2016, 08:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigbear1737

Ok. So I just did a little experimenting and I plugged the extension cord into a different outlet in the garage. It seems to have solved the problem. Still kinda wonder what the deal is with the first outlet all of a sudden..

I hope you have solved the original problem. Your experiment indicates a neutral or ground contact is faulty in the first outlet. If it is the green ground wire connection you also have some short circuit in the vehicle. My guess is the problem is the first outlet has a white neutral wire problem.