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joebedford's avatar
joebedford
Nomad II
Jun 16, 2013

Shocking! AC power tingle between frame and (real) ground

I was doing something at the back of my RV today and I put one knee down into fairly damp earth (heavy rains here the other day). I steadied myself by leaning my right forearm on the bare aluminum hinges of my ramp. I didn't exactly get a 'belt' but I definitely got a strong tingling.

What's up with that? Is it dangerous?

For the record, our 5er is a 50A rig plugged into a 50/30 dogbone with a 30A extension plugged into a 30/15 adapter plugged into a regular household outlet (not GFCI).

64 Replies

  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    Somewhere you are missing the GROUND terminal on the plug. Could even be the 15AMP receptacle you tapped into does not even have the ground connected.

    YES it could be a dangerous situation.

    I would get it resolved ASAP...

    Just my thoughts
    Roy Ken
  • That is an indication that your neutral is grounded somewhere or your 15A receptacle that you plugged in the trailer is wired backwards. If it's a reversed receptacle, most everything in your RV will appear work normally, if polarity is not an issue to the appliance.

    If you don't already have one, buy an ELECTRICAL TESTER and check your circuits.

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