With the blessing of Forum Admin, Jim Beletti, I am reposting my recent article on RV hot-skin testing here. I'll also be presenting this demonstration in a seminar at your national rally in June, 2019.
I'm Mike Sokol, an expert on RV electrical hookups and safety, and writer of the No~Shock~Zone and RVelectricity.com articles on electrical power for RVs. I just produced a short video and companion article on how to use a Non Contact Voltage Tester (NCVT) to find an RV hot-skin/stray-voltage without having to make direct contact with the vehicle. See https://rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-using-a-non-contact-voltage-tester/ for the article and video.
Hot-Skin/Stray-Voltage occurs whenever you have an interrupted ground wire in the shore power hookup of your RV. That allows any leakage currents to create a voltage on all metal of your RV including the skin, chassis, hitch, wheels, and tow vehicle. These shock hazards can vary from low-current (under 5mA) versions due to normal appliance leakages or water in a junction box, to mid-current (1 to 2 ampere) versions due to a water heater element being melted, up to high-current versions (up to 50-amperes) due to wiring insulation being cut or penetrated with a screw. How dangerous any of these conditions are depends on how wet the ground and your hands are, and if you're standing in dry shoes. More of my articles on RV electrical hookups and safety are posted on RVelectricity.com. Please let me know if you would like me to repost any of these other articles here.
I'm Mike Sokol, an expert on RV electrical hookups and safety, and writer of the No~Shock~Zone and RVelectricity.com articles on electrical power for RVs. I just produced a short video and companion article on how to use a Non Contact Voltage Tester (NCVT) to find an RV hot-skin/stray-voltage without having to make direct contact with the vehicle. See https://rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-using-a-non-contact-voltage-tester/ for the article and video.
Hot-Skin/Stray-Voltage occurs whenever you have an interrupted ground wire in the shore power hookup of your RV. That allows any leakage currents to create a voltage on all metal of your RV including the skin, chassis, hitch, wheels, and tow vehicle. These shock hazards can vary from low-current (under 5mA) versions due to normal appliance leakages or water in a junction box, to mid-current (1 to 2 ampere) versions due to a water heater element being melted, up to high-current versions (up to 50-amperes) due to wiring insulation being cut or penetrated with a screw. How dangerous any of these conditions are depends on how wet the ground and your hands are, and if you're standing in dry shoes. More of my articles on RV electrical hookups and safety are posted on RVelectricity.com. Please let me know if you would like me to repost any of these other articles here.