Metal camper step shocked my dog!

wnjj wrote:

thomaskemper wrote:

westend wrote:
Using that same voltage setting on your meter, stick a piece of metal in the ground, positive (+) phase meter lead to unpainted part of step and negative (-) phase lead to that metal piece. What does it measure?

With a meter you can also check continuity from any place in your camping rig that has a ground to the ground in the receptacle powering your camper. It should show continuity, 0 ohms (or close). Usually, it's a faulty extension or shore power cord as folks yank on them to disconnect, breaking the ground prong on the cord.

I'll try this. And you should know that the ground plugs are all intact.

The pins may be intact on the extension cords, but they also need to be intact between the house receptacle and the house panel as well as between your RV plug and the RV frame/skin. This ground connection ultimately should connect your RV frame back through the cords (via the 3rd prong) to the house panel which is grounded to the earth via grounding rods (bare copper green wires to a metal rod). It may also be connected to metal water pipes. Hence the reason for Westend's test. There should be no voltage potential between the earth and your RV frame, when properly functioning.

Find where your black RV cord connects to the RV panel. Be sure the ground wire is tightly connected to a ground bar and/or the RV frame. The neutral (i.e. white) wire should NOT be connected to the same place, only to the other white wires in the panel.

This all entirely correct and illustrates the complexity of RV grounding. You do have a break in the ground plane and that needs to be found. This is typically done by a process of elimination and, IMO, the best place to start is at the receptacle that is providing power to the RV. One thing to do immediately is to remove one of those extension cords, probably the one to the converter. You don't need two sources of a problem at the same time.

Without one of those nice multi-light testers like Roy showed (BTW, you should get one of these) but with a meter, here's how it's done:

Go to the receptacle providing power for your RV (the one in the house or the one at a campground pedestal). Disconnect any cords. We are first going to use the meter to see if there is voltage on the ground pin of that receptacle because we don't need a fried meter immediately. Set your meter on the voltage scale and with one probe in the receptacle's rounded ground pin hole, put the other meter lead into the ground. You should have zero (0) volts. Now, if you have 0 volts, turn the meter scale to read ohms or resistance. Again, one meter lead in ground pin hole and one to ground. You should measure O ohms, a full connection or full continuity. If you have no continuity, knowing the vagaries of residential wiring, put one lead in that ground hole and connect the other to a plumbing pipe. you should have 0 ohms. If you do let's continue.

We've now established that the receptacle has a connection to ground. We want to backtrack this ground connection. Test your extension cord. Again, meter on ohms, one probe into rounded hole in cord and the other onto ground pin at opposite end of cord. 0 ohms, good, let's continue.
With meter set to ohms, place one probe on ground pin of shore cord and one pin on a good contact on the RV (I'd suggest the frame, if possible). You should have 0 ohms. We've now established that you have a through ground connection from the trailer's frame and cord all the way to the receptacle and through that to earth ground.

I am betting that at some point, you will see infinite ohms and not 0 ohms. Report back with that finding. Likely suspect points are at the cord ends, at the frame connection point to load center, at the receptacle.

All of the above cures half your problem. You also have a leak of voltage to ground.