Junglejake
Canada
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Joined: 08/14/2012
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Problem solved folks...Got a proper 12 guage 3 prong extension. No more shocks! Thanks for all your imput.
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tenbear
Northern Vermont, USA
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Joined: 08/11/2004
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Glad to hear it. Thanks for letting us know.
Class C, 2004/5 Four Winds Dutchman Express 28A, Chevy chassis
2010 Subaru Impreza Sedan
Camped in 45 states, 7 Provinces and 1 Territory
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Bobbo
Wherever I park
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Joined: 09/16/2007
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Don't you just love easy fixes?
Bobbo, Linda and the furry kids (1&1/2 German Shepherds)
2007 Winnebago Outlook WF331C on a Ford E450 Super Duty Chassis
2010 Subaru Forester w/BlueOx baseplate & Ready Brute Elite towbar
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NewsW
US
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Joined: 02/06/2012
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Junglejake wrote:Problem solved folks...Got a proper 12 guage 3 prong extension. No more shocks! Thanks for all your imput.
You got a shock before because there is a wiring fault.
The fault can be in the shore plug receptacle (at camp site), or somewhere else.
I am very uneasy with how easy this problem is "fixed" by a 3 prong extension.
Reiterate that I believe you need a qualified electrician to verify everything before you go on.
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dlbapm
Escondido, CA, USA
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Joined: 01/17/2005
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Concur with comment by NewsW. For some reason you had 110 volt Ac present on the chassis of your rig. It should not be there. Connecting the ground to the chassis only shunts that voltage to ground. If you did not trip your main circuit breaker when you added the ground, there probably is no short between the 110 volt AC "hot" wire and the chassis.
A short between the 110 volt AC "neutral" and the chassis can cause the appearance of voltage on the ungrounded chassis. However, it is relatively "soft" voltage. Adding the ground will not trip any circuit breakers. The short could be in the rig wiring or in a defective appliance (one with a 3-wire plug) that is connected to a 110 volt AC outlet.
One approach to troubleshooting is to do the following:
> Unground the chassis so that the voltage appears on the chassis. Measure the voltage to ground with a voltmeter.
> Turn off the branch circuit breakers one at a time and check for change in voltage on the chassis.
This can give you a clue as to where the problem is located.
If the problem appears to be located in the circuit that feeds the AC outlets, unplug appliances connected to these outlets one at a time. This may show you the "guilty" appliance. Get rid of it.
Same applies to circuits (if any) that feed the air-conditioner, converter, microwave, refrigerator, etc. If some of these larger items are causing the problem, seek professional help.
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smkettner
Southern California
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Joined: 03/21/2005
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Plug into a GFI and any leakage issues will cause it to trip.
If the GFI does not trip there is no issue to be concerned about.
2001 F150 SuperCrew
2006 Keystone Springdale 249FWBHLS
675 watts solar
Send a PM if I missed something
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Harvard
51.4N 114.4W
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Joined: 12/24/2005
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dlbapm wrote:Concur with comment by NewsW. For some reason you had 110 volt Ac present on the chassis of your rig. It should not be there. Connecting the ground to the chassis only shunts that voltage to ground. If you did not trip your main circuit breaker when you added the ground, there probably is no short between the 110 volt AC "hot" wire and the chassis.
A short between the 110 volt AC "neutral" and the chassis can cause the appearance of voltage on the ungrounded chassis. However, it is relatively "soft" voltage. Adding the ground will not trip any circuit breakers. The short could be in the rig wiring or in a defective appliance (one with a 3-wire plug) that is connected to a 110 volt AC outlet.
One approach to troubleshooting is to do the following:
> Unground the chassis so that the voltage appears on the chassis. Measure the voltage to ground with a voltmeter.
> Turn off the branch circuit breakers one at a time and check for change in voltage on the chassis.
This can give you a clue as to where the problem is located.
If the problem appears to be located in the circuit that feeds the AC outlets, unplug appliances connected to these outlets one at a time. This may show you the "guilty" appliance. Get rid of it.
Same applies to circuits (if any) that feed the air-conditioner, converter, microwave, refrigerator, etc. If some of these larger items are causing the problem, seek professional help.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record...when the chassis/ground is floating, like when there is no ground conductor, the floating chassis will assume a voltage appox 1/2 the 120VAC because of capacitative coupling between the 3 wires (H/N/G). The amount of leakage current is not enough to trip a GFCI but is enough to give the person a shock if he/she completes a circuit from chassis to earth.
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Bordercollie
Garden Grove, CA, USA
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Joined: 03/07/2002
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Sounds like something is still wrong and grounded extension may be a band-aid fix. Get a professional electrician to check wiring of the outlet that you plug shore power connector into, may cost you $50, but well worth it to know what the problem was and that it is really gone. 120 volt circuits are not DIY stuff unless you have the experience and proper diagonstic tools.
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dlbapm
Escondido, CA, USA
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Joined: 01/17/2005
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"At the risk of sounding like a broken record...when the chassis/ground is floating, like when there is no ground conductor, the floating chassis will assume a voltage appox 1/2 the 120VAC because of capacitative coupling between the 3 wires (H/N/G). The amount of leakage current is not enough to trip a GFCI but is enough to give the person a shock if he/she completes a circuit from chassis to earth."
Maybe, maybe not. It takes a reasonable cable length to get enough capacitance to provide enough charge transfer to get a decent shock. I believe that the original poster only had a two-wire cable.
Believe that the original poster only had a two wire cable.
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Harvard
51.4N 114.4W
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Joined: 12/24/2005
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dlbapm wrote:"At the risk of sounding like a broken record...when the chassis/ground is floating, like when there is no ground conductor, the floating chassis will assume a voltage appox 1/2 the 120VAC because of capacitative coupling between the 3 wires (H/N/G). The amount of leakage current is not enough to trip a GFCI but is enough to give the person a shock if he/she completes a circuit from chassis to earth."
Maybe, maybe not. It takes a reasonable cable length to get enough capacitance to provide enough charge transfer to get a decent shock. I believe that the original poster only had a two-wire cable.
Believe that the original poster only had a two wire cable.
The total capacitative coupling is with all the 3 wire circuits IN THE RV and not necessarily the wires TO THE RV unless the wires to the RV are all intact.
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