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Shocked by my FWC

Electric wiring shorepower AC

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#11 jmsokol

jmsokol

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Posted 09 June 2015 - 07:52 PM

Based on feedback it sounds like the faulty ground was the issue, rather than a short in the camper wiring.  I was showing 49 volts on the door frame which is less than the 60 Mike mentioned as typical without a safety ground.  Thoughts?  For reference I have an 05 FWC Hawk (base model options) plus an Isotherm CR-65 fridge (DC only - direct to battery), furnace, and TriMetric TM-2030 RV.

 

The 60-volt measurement is an approximation of the bias voltage from ANY ungrounded appliance or RV plugged in without a safety ground. So it could be biased at 40 volts or 80 volts AC or anything in between with a high-impedance ground fault. But if the fault turns into a direct short, then the voltage will rise to the full line potential of 120-volts (in the USA).

 

If you want to see something really crazy, use a high-impedance voltmeter to read the voltage on the body of an iPhone while plugged into a wall charger. It will show 50 to 80 volts, but at very low current. However, there have been a few electrocution deaths in the last year from people standing in a shower and picking up their iPhones while still plugged into a wall charger. In the two instances I know of, these were aftermarket knock-offs and not Apple brand. But you never know when a low-current ground fault that gives you a tingle will turn into a high-current ground fault that kills you. And while a GFCI is supposed to protect you from these fault currents over 6mA, there's a surprizing percentage of GFCI failures that won't reset or trip properly, up to 40 percent in some cases of them mounted outside in non-weatherproof enclosures. The instructions tell you to test all GFCIs every month, but when's the last time you tested your GFCIs for proper operation?

 

Mike Sokol

www.NoShockZone.org


Edited by jmsokol, 09 June 2015 - 07:53 PM.

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