Gilbert Ray Campground, AZ - beware of open ground circuit

"What is the danger in this?"

Our first and second travel trailers had aluminum skins. When we lived in town, because of where I had to park the camper(s), I ended up using an orange construction style 100 foot extension cord to plug in the camper to keep the battery charged and for light use inside.

It took a while to figure it out, but sometimes, especially if I were barefoot, I'd touch the door, door handle, or side of the camper and get a tingle shock feeling. Not bad, just enough to let you know ... don't touch this. I didn't think too much of it until one day, one of our kids questioned it happening.

As it turned out, the extension cord I used had the ground plug broken off (on purpose) and I never associated the ground fault with the shocking sensation on the outside of the trailer. When I switched extension cords, it never happened again. Lesson learned.

No, it probably won't hurt anything, as said above, most household small appliances don't have grounded plugs and they work fine. But in an RV that cost thirty thousand dollars, compared to a seven dollar desk lamp? Um ... it's good to have the electricity correct!

I reported an open ground at a county park in Lake Worth FL. I have stainless steel basement doors on the Sahara and was getting a tingle whenever I unlocked one (barefoot of course). I measured 24VAC between the door lock and the ground. That's enough to kill a small dog and give a child a good zap. The electricians came in and determined it was back at the power company's equipment and moved everyone in that loop to other spots.

Trouble was that loop was full of Canadians that had every Christmas decoration known to mankind set up on their sites. They were not happy with me. I guess I could have just asked to move and let them deal with it.

I ended up depositing the fee envelope with a "ATTN: MAINTENANCE DEPT" on the outside with a description of the problem.

We stayed another night - our camper is about 4 years old and is still in pretty good condition - probably no electric leaks to ground and the exterior skin is not metal.
People in the aluminum Airstream trailers might think differently though.

westernrvparkowner wrote:

drsteve wrote:

2oldman wrote:

bighatnohorse wrote:
I alerted one of the campground hosts to this potential problem. He didn't seem to much care.

They never do. Electrical problems are usually considered "your fault."

Me, I'd probably just plug in sans surge if it's just a day or two. Longer term, I'd plug in just for the charger and use my inverter. That may not be an option for you.

What is the danger in this?

The danger is that if your RV has, or develops, an electrical issue, you could end up with a safety hazard. Without a proper ground from the campground pedestal, the chassis and skin of your RV could become electrified with a dangerous amount of fault current at 120 volts.

It wasn't that long ago that grounds were not standard in home electrical systems. Still find many ungrounded receptacles in older homes. Many household items like lamps do not have grounds.
Yes it is a problem that should be addressed, but an open ground isn't instant death lurking just beneath the surface.

The NEC has required grounded outlets in new construction since 1959. And you're right, an open ground is no big deal--unless a fault occurs. But if it does, and your RV skin becomes charged, it is a big deal.

I would not knowingly plug in to an ungrounded pedestal, just as I am sure you would not knowingly allow one of your customers to do so. Why take the risk?

drsteve wrote:

2oldman wrote:

bighatnohorse wrote:
I alerted one of the campground hosts to this potential problem. He didn't seem to much care.

They never do. Electrical problems are usually considered "your fault."

Me, I'd probably just plug in sans surge if it's just a day or two. Longer term, I'd plug in just for the charger and use my inverter. That may not be an option for you.

What is the danger in this?

The danger is that if your RV has, or develops, an electrical issue, you could end up with a safety hazard. Without a proper ground from the campground pedestal, the chassis and skin of your RV could become electrified with a dangerous amount of fault current at 120 volts.

It wasn't that long ago that grounds were not standard in home electrical systems. Still find many ungrounded receptacles in older homes. Many household items like lamps do not have grounds.
Yes it is a problem that should be addressed, but an open ground isn't instant death lurking just beneath the surface.

2oldman wrote:

bighatnohorse wrote:
I alerted one of the campground hosts to this potential problem. He didn't seem to much care.

They never do. Electrical problems are usually considered "your fault."

Me, I'd probably just plug in sans surge if it's just a day or two. Longer term, I'd plug in just for the charger and use my inverter. That may not be an option for you.

What is the danger in this?

The danger is that if your RV has, or develops, an electrical issue, you could end up with a safety hazard. Without a proper ground from the campground pedestal, the chassis and skin of your RV could become electrified with a dangerous amount of fault current at 120 volts.

Not sure what section you were in, but site A15 showed no problems when I was there on December 5th...

bighatnohorse wrote:
I alerted one of the campground hosts to this potential problem. He didn't seem to much care.

They never do. Electrical problems are usually considered "your fault."

Me, I'd probably just plug in sans surge if it's just a day or two. Longer term, I'd plug in just for the charger and use my inverter. That may not be an option for you.

What is the danger in this?

Thanks for the warning. Gilbert Ray is on our list of places to visit this winter.

Did you end up staying there or did you move to another site or a different campground completely? Or did you feel OK plugging in and stay? Just wondering what you did for follow up after notifying the host.