Grounding Your Camper

[Jim Marshall]

I am going with straight 110 AC in our tear, no 12V. My question is, do I have to run a ground to the camper frame or body. If so, where would you connect the ground wire to.

I have camped in a couple of places that had the electrical receptacles hooked up back wards. When I touched the camper it knocked the stew out of me. I asked the park ranger if I could correct the receptacle and they did not have a problem with it, and that solved that problem.

[David Niver]

Jim,
I have mine conected to the frame and also run the the grounds on the outlet.
David Niver

[GeorgeTelford]

Hi Jim

I would be surprised if the codes did not demand that the chassis and all metal parts are bonded to Earth.

[Steve_Cox]

I am going with straight 110 AC in our tear, no 12V. My question is, do I have to run a ground to the camper frame or body. If so, where would you connect the ground wire to.

I have camped in a couple of places that had the electrical receptacles hooked up back wards. When I touched the camper it knocked the stew out of me. I asked the park ranger if I could correct the receptacle and they did not have a problem with it, and that solved that problem.

Jim.

This is the reason I didn't ground my frame. Sure woudn't want to start to take a bike off the rear hitch mounted bike rack only to find out I'm the only path for 120 volts to go to ground. I have no 120 volt wiring or devices anywhere near the frame. But I also have a reverse polarity fault sensor in my electrical panel, the main breaker will trip and won't reset if reverse polarity is detected. If I had a metal clad trailer, I might consider grounding the frame and skin, just in case a wire ever got frayed, pinched, or screwed. Also in a reverse polarity situation, a grounded frame is hot even when your main breaker is in the off position. Just the way I did it. I'm not to concerned with the "code" only our safety.

Steve

[bdosborn]

<snip>
a grounded frame is hot even when your main breaker is in the off position. Just the way I did it. I'm not to concerned with the "code" only our safety.

Steve

Yes but if the frame were grounded it would trip the breaker feeding the reverse polarity outlet as soon as you plugged in your trailer. I grounded my frame for that reason. But then you're relying on the ground being connected correctly at the campground and I've seen grounds screwed up more often then reverse polarity outlets. So I threw an outlet tester in my tongue box with the extension cord.
Bruce

[Jim Marshall]

Bruce, taking a tester along is a great idea, I really appreciate that, thanks a bunch.

[WarPony]

How do campgrounds get the wiring wrong and it work for somebody else? This concerns me because I am planning on just putting in a receptical inside that can be plugged into shore power, if need be. I won't have a breaker box at all, there is one in the shore power box. That's why they are there, right?

[GeorgeTelford]

War pony

NO NO NO

Always have your own breaker RCD protect People, MCB and fuses protect cables.


Live and neutral swaps do not stop anything working, but they can be fatal, hence good idea to have a polarity checker. Earth may be missing again everything will work cepting the lack of earth and earth bonding may kill ya.

For the sake of you and your family do it right.. Maybe even for passer's by too

[TomS]

War Pony,

At the very least, you should get an extension cord with a built-in circuit breaker. You can also get them with GFCI protection.

[mikeschn]

Otherwise, it could be a shocking experience!!!



Mike...

[madjack]

...once went to chage out a well pump, flippped the breaker off and when I touched the pump POW as I was sitting on the ground wondering what happenned, I reached out and touched the pipe coming from the well POW this time when I woke up I realized something was not right and my hair was smoking so I traced the wiring...only 2 wires to the pump...common to the breaker and hot to the common side...no ground so that when I touched the pump/pipe I completed the circuit POW Beside being lucky to be alive I learned an important lesson...NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING
madjack

[Steve_Cox]

...once went to chage out a well pump, flippped the breaker off and when I touched the pump POW as I was sitting on the ground wondering what happenned, I reached out and touched the pipe coming from the well POW this time when I woke up I realized something was not right and my hair was smoking so I traced the wiring...only 2 wires to the pump...common to the breaker and hot to the common side...no ground so that when I touched the pump/pipe I completed the circuit POW Beside being lucky to be alive I learned an important lesson...NEVER ASSUME ANYTHING
madjack

KEWL! Reverse polarity war stories.....

Once went to a customers house to clean a gas tank on a boat on a trailer. The do-it-yourselfer home owner had built a really nice carport and had put in several "handy" outlets in it. I was pumping gasoline from his tank when I touched a valve on my pump and POW like MJ says. The pump and motor frame were energized and had gasoline flowing through it
I yanked the plug from the socket by the cord as the switch housing was grounded metal. When I first turned it on it didn't bite me, I hadn't walked through the puddle of water yet... The guys wife said later that he got a tingle every time he used his table saw, but didn't know why.....go figure.......

Steve

[GeorgeTelford]

Hi Steve

And all of that has not convinced you to Earth everything?

[Endo]

War Pony,

At the very least, you should get an extension cord with a built-in circuit breaker. You can also get them with GFCI protection.

I agree with Tom. Get one of these (the yellow one). Bought it at Lowes.
I also carry an outlet tester.

[WarPony]

Thanks for all the tips, guys. I'll go buy one of those "yeller boxes" and a circuit tester today.