Electrical issue (AC Power)
I'm doing some repair/restoration work on a 1995 Fleetwood Flair (built on a 1993 Chevrolet P30 chassis). I'm pretty good with the mechanics of the chassis, engine, transmission, suspension, the "motor" part. The "home" part is foreign to me.
One issue I've discovered (the hard way) is that there's something seriously wrong with the AC wiring in this one. We have it plugged in to an outdoor outlet on his house (GFCI protected). The RV has a 30 amp plug on it, but we've got an adapter to a "normal' three prong, 12 Gauge extension cord for now. We're not running the AC in the unit or anything significant. We haven't even turned on the fridge yet. Mostly, just a "boom box" to listen to while we're cleaning up and dealing with various issues.
Here's the first major issue. When I'm working on the thing, the frame and chassis are live with AC power. If it's plugged in, and I'm kneeling on the ground and I touch anything metal on the frame, engine, suspension, whatever, I get a serious shock, like I stuck a paper clip in an electric outlet. There's no issue if I'm working through the doghouse from inside to work on the top of the engine. The issue is only when I'm on the ground and touch the thing with my bare hands or with a metal tool/wrench. If I unplug the power, there's no issue. Actually, working on the thing with it plugged in is borderline dangerous.
I checked the AC outlets in the RV with one of those plug in analyzers (something like https://amzn.com/B00170KUPC ) and it's reading "Hot/Neutral Reversed" for all the outlets in the RV.
I don't even know where to start to diagnose and fix this. Is there any obvious place where something could be connected incorrectly to cause this problem?
UPDATE:
I'll be looking at the "shore power" cord plug and the connection at the junction box in the motorhome later this week, May 2 or May 3.
Thanks to all who answered on this topic.
On a related AC Power issue. We've hung a flat screen LCD TV on the wall behind the dining table. I used the tri-split rivets to hold the bracket for it to the wall. I think that's the best fasteners for that job. It seems to be secure and strong.
There's a power outlet in that wall on the bathroom side. Will I be able to get power from there and install a new AC power outlet on the side toward the table? Should I add another circuit with breaker to the panel and run more wires? or should I just wire in parallel with the outlet in the bathroom?
And why are all the AC power plates in this thing "single outlet" with a faux second outlet (molded to look like one, but the socket slots aren't open, they are solid plastic). Can I replace any of them with dual outlets? Or even dual + USB power type outlets for charging phones, tablets, etc.
One issue I've discovered (the hard way) is that there's something seriously wrong with the AC wiring in this one. We have it plugged in to an outdoor outlet on his house (GFCI protected). The RV has a 30 amp plug on it, but we've got an adapter to a "normal' three prong, 12 Gauge extension cord for now. We're not running the AC in the unit or anything significant. We haven't even turned on the fridge yet. Mostly, just a "boom box" to listen to while we're cleaning up and dealing with various issues.
Here's the first major issue. When I'm working on the thing, the frame and chassis are live with AC power. If it's plugged in, and I'm kneeling on the ground and I touch anything metal on the frame, engine, suspension, whatever, I get a serious shock, like I stuck a paper clip in an electric outlet. There's no issue if I'm working through the doghouse from inside to work on the top of the engine. The issue is only when I'm on the ground and touch the thing with my bare hands or with a metal tool/wrench. If I unplug the power, there's no issue. Actually, working on the thing with it plugged in is borderline dangerous.
I checked the AC outlets in the RV with one of those plug in analyzers (something like https://amzn.com/B00170KUPC ) and it's reading "Hot/Neutral Reversed" for all the outlets in the RV.
I don't even know where to start to diagnose and fix this. Is there any obvious place where something could be connected incorrectly to cause this problem?
UPDATE:
I'll be looking at the "shore power" cord plug and the connection at the junction box in the motorhome later this week, May 2 or May 3.
Thanks to all who answered on this topic.
On a related AC Power issue. We've hung a flat screen LCD TV on the wall behind the dining table. I used the tri-split rivets to hold the bracket for it to the wall. I think that's the best fasteners for that job. It seems to be secure and strong.
There's a power outlet in that wall on the bathroom side. Will I be able to get power from there and install a new AC power outlet on the side toward the table? Should I add another circuit with breaker to the panel and run more wires? or should I just wire in parallel with the outlet in the bathroom?
And why are all the AC power plates in this thing "single outlet" with a faux second outlet (molded to look like one, but the socket slots aren't open, they are solid plastic). Can I replace any of them with dual outlets? Or even dual + USB power type outlets for charging phones, tablets, etc.
