Posted 2008-07-07 7:40 AM (#86967) Subject: Exterior of trailer has electrical charge
Veteran
Posts: 195 Location: PA
Hi - my trailer has electric charge whenever it's wet. I get shocked when I touch the exterior. This only seems to happen during and after it rains. I'm taking it into the dealer today to have it looked at. Is there any advice I can give the service department in case they can't duplicate the issue (they've had this problem with other issues in the past).
Posted 2008-07-07 8:22 AM (#86970 - in reply to #86967) Subject: RE: Exterior of trailer has electrical charge
Expert
Posts: 1283 Location: Home of Wild Turkey Whiskey
Pretty sure your going to find a bad or weak ground from your supply line/cord. The ground is going to find the path of least resistance, and water is a great conductor of electricity.
Posted 2008-07-07 10:48 AM (#86983 - in reply to #86967) Subject: RE: Exterior of trailer has electrical charge
Expert
Posts: 2953 Location: North Carolina
Your trailer has an immediately dangerous fault. IF the service department can't find the cause and even if they do find something ... There is no guarantee what they find is the root cause. Get a GFCI to plug between your trailer and the electrical supply.
There is NO normal electrical current flow to the frame of the trailer. Ground or no ground.
Posted 2008-07-07 1:51 PM (#87001 - in reply to #86967) Subject: RE: Exterior of trailer has electrical charge
Elite Veteran
Posts: 714 Location: Minnesota
A friend of mine had the same problem. They found where a screw from the LQ installation had accidently nicked a 110 wire. Over time, the vibration wore through the insulation on the wire and was actually leaking onto his trailer. This actually took about six years to occur. His trailer is a steel frame with aluminum skin
Posted 2008-07-07 7:47 PM (#87021 - in reply to #86967) Subject: RE: Exterior of trailer has electrical charge
Elite Veteran
Posts: 610 Location: Northern CA
Funny this came up- I have a little Nissan truck that I just bought about 3 months ago. It is a '91 and every single time i go to get out of it, It shocks the crap out of me. I have tried different shoes ,clothing etc. So I have come to the conclusion that something is not grounded properly. I took it in to a mechanic. He put new grounds on EVERYTHING and then even put grounds on stuff that didn't have 'em. It still is shocking me!! It isn't as bad as it was before, but is still happens. Any ideas??? I live in Northern Ca. Not a whole lot of wind but some breeze occasionally.
Posted 2008-07-07 7:57 PM (#87024 - in reply to #87021) Subject: RE: Exterior of trailer has electrical charge
Expert
Posts: 2953 Location: North Carolina
Originally written by jackbrat on 2008-07-07 6:47 PM
Funny this came up- I have a little Nissan truck that I just bought about 3 months ago. It is a '91 and every single time i go to get out of it, It shocks the crap out of me. I have tried different shoes ,clothing etc. So I have come to the conclusion that something is not grounded properly. I took it in to a mechanic. He put new grounds on EVERYTHING and then even put grounds on stuff that didn't have 'em. It still is shocking me!! It isn't as bad as it was before, but is still happens. Any ideas??? I live in Northern Ca. Not a whole lot of wind but some breeze occasionally.
Do you get a shock when you touch some metal of the truck? or when you touch the ground?
Sounds like you're building a static charge as you drive. Try spraying static-gard on the seat (especially the back where you touch) of the truck.
Posted 2008-07-08 9:59 AM (#87071 - in reply to #86967) Subject: RE: Exterior of trailer has electrical charge
Elite Veteran
Posts: 795 Location: Tenn/Ala.
For those that didn't re-read the thread. Buy & use an electrical tester! You can get them at Lwes, Home Depot, etc. for less than $10. We've seen this problem many times, and most are caused by a faulty receptacle where the trailer is plugged in. The LQ is basically just 1 large 30 amp appliance. If the hot & nuetral are reversed in the receptacle, this situation will happen. Yes, it can be the coach itself, but usually not.
RTSmith
Posted 2008-07-08 10:20 AM (#87075 - in reply to #86967) Subject: RE: Exterior of trailer has electrical charge
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
If it is not caused by the condition RTSmith described, it may be a combination of two problems. One is a hot wire touching the metal shell or grounding area of the trailer. As was mentioned, this can be caused by the shorting through insufficient insulation.
The second cause can be a poor ground from the trailer, through the shore cord to the receptacle. I've seen people use the house hold three to two plug adaptors on the poles. By doing so, there is no ground circuit and an invitation for an accident.
To continue using the trailer while encountering this situation, can be dangerous and the cause should be discovered, before any further usage is contemplated.
Posted 2008-07-09 10:20 AM (#87126 - in reply to #86967) Subject: RE: Exterior of trailer has electrical charge
Elite Veteran
Posts: 795 Location: Tenn/Ala.
As you've deduced (sp?), everything points to the trailer. There is a true test for what you've described that I've always heard called a Hi-pot test. One applies 1080 volts to the hot pin of the shore cord, and checks for bleed over to the ground and/or nuetral legs. If there is a nicked wire, it will generally show up this way. The certified LQ installers do it as part of RVIA & TR Arnold compliance. It does take a special tester to do this. We have one here at our service facility if it can be of any service to you. Drop me a note if you need any more info. Richard@SelectTrailer.com
RTSmith
www.SelectTrailer.com
Posted 2008-07-11 10:37 AM (#87280 - in reply to #86967) Subject: RE: Exterior of trailer has electrical charge
Location: Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain...
You said that your tester showed good. Was that at the plug or at the surge protector? Use it to test at three locations and you can determine if it is ground or not. Test at the main outlet. Test at the surge protector. And test in the trailer.
Posted 2008-07-11 2:07 PM (#87298 - in reply to #86967) Subject: RE: Exterior of trailer has electrical charge
Veteran
Posts: 195 Location: PA
The interior plugs all tested good. The electrical source at my home tests good. I can't test the campground source since I'm no longer there. But since this happened at two difference sources, I'm thinking its the trailer.
Posted 2008-07-11 4:22 PM (#87315 - in reply to #87298) Subject: RE: Exterior of trailer has electrical charge
Expert
Posts: 2953 Location: North Carolina
Originally written by Hillview on 2008-07-11 1:07 PM
The interior plugs all tested good. The electrical source at my home tests good. I can't test the campground source since I'm no longer there. But since this happened at two difference sources, I'm thinking its the trailer.
Hillview... That is bad news. SO nothing is changed, And you still have a dangerous trailer. Do you have a 30 amp shore cord or a regular 120 volt extension cord? A regular plug GFCI that will plug between your extension cord and the utility will cost about $30 A 30 amp GFCI will cost significantly more, but so is a funeral.
Exterior of trailer has electrical charge
