Having a shore power, hot skin condition?

[Ray,IN]

The name came from when RV's had aluminum siding instead of fiberglass; this explains: https://rvelectricity.com/2018/09/24...stray-voltage/

[Tim-n-Gina]

Thanks Ray.

[n2zon]

...but it can still happen on the metal parts of a fiberglass-clad coach. It did on ours when we had an extension cord with a bad ground connection.

[twinboat]

A bad ground will give you a shock only if there is another problem in the RV.

The ground conductor, by code, is not to carry current. It's a safety conductor that's designed to protect you if current is getting to the touchable metal parts of electric devices.

Repairing the ground sends the hot skin, stray current, to the earth ground. The problem causing it is still there.

You should not get a hot skin even without a ground.

[bigb56]

Originally Posted by twinboat

A bad ground will give you a shock only if there is another problem in the RV.

The ground conductor, by code, is not to carry current. It's a safety conductor that's designed to protect you if current is getting to the touchable metal parts of electric devices.

Repairing the ground sends the hot skin, stray current, to the earth ground. The problem causing it is still there.

You should not get a hot skin even without a ground.

Exactly, but the "new" problem is with the popularity of the non-contact voltage tester everyone uses now, they will ring on any ungrounded surface leading people to assume they have a dangerous hot skin condition. Those testers are handy but not to be used as a conclusive test tool, one should always verify with a true meter, for which there is no substitute.
If you have an older home with a 2 wire system the non-contact testers will ring when you put them near a wall receptacle or a light fixture even 2 or 3 inches away, yet there is no "hot skin".