Shocking Experience

[mdmlm2015]

Just bought a 2001 Kiwi model. When I hook it up to my truck (lights, chains, break away, etc.) the chains and my hitch become electrically charged. Small charge like an electric fence (yep touched one of those too when I was a teen - dumb idea). So sounds like a short or ground wire issue? I don't know much about electricity. Any ideas?

[ALJO]

Be sure to have a good ground connection; check both the outlet and plug. And ground to chassis

[mdmlm2015]

I checked the trailer ground (pic attached) and its a little rusty. Would that affect it? That wire appears to go into my battery case. I didn't have a battery in there Saturday when I towed the trailer. Battery is old and needs to be replaced. Does that affect anything? I appreciate your help.

[bankr63]

Although it is a good idea to clean up that connection, that is not the source of the current.

With no power source in your TT, the only source of power is the connector to your TV. If the power is travelling back to your TV through the chains, then there is no return path through the pigtail connector. Check the ground wire from the pigtail at both the TT and TV end to make sure you have a good connection, it the battery ground is rusted, the pigtail connection could also be bad. Note that this connection may actually be inside the trailer, trace your TT pigtail connection back until it breaks out. The white wire should have a good connection to bare metal on the frame.

[Witt74]

Check the grounds at the tow vehicle and the camper, clean if needed. Make sure no hot wires are exposed and grounding out. If no battery, I would isolate the battery cables, and check for voltage again using a test light or voltmeter.

[Mustang65]

Are you hooked up to shore power?

12VDC (low DC voltage) will not give you a shock, may spark a little?

Is it a shock or spark?

If you are on shore power, you may have a wiring problem with the 120VAC side, which could cause some issues with your TV electronics.

Don

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[mdmlm2015]

I am loving this forum with other Jayco owners. The information is awesome. I first thought my TV hitch was the problem, but when I touch it with no TT hooked up I don't feel a current. The moment I plug in my lights connection - WOW, there's the current. I got under my truck and the wires appear to all be well connected.

[RoyBraddy]

You have to tell us where you are plugging your trailer into to get 120VAC. All three wires must be used HOT-NEUTRAL-GROUND.... You can use one of these 120VAC Circuit testers to see if your 120VAc Receptacle is safe to use for your shore power cable with a RV30A-to15A adapter.


The trailer frame gets its ground from the 120VAC source Earth Ground connection. It could be what you are using has the ground connection missing or perhaps a bad 120VAC Receptacle in the garage you are plugging into. As stated all three conductors must be used...

You above statement also clicked on another thing you may not be familiar with. You really should have a working 12VDC battery with your trailer when being towed over public roads. Your Local DOT State laws requires you to have a BREAK-AWAY SWITCH setup on your trailer if it is equiped with ELECTRIC BRAKEs. The on-board trailer working battery is required to operate these electric brakes in the even the trailer becomes disconnected from your truck hitch when being pulled down the State public roads... Check with your local DOT office to see how this may apply to you.

Roy Ken

[bap]

I think the OP is talking about 12 VDC shocking him when he hooks his trailer up to his tow vehicle, not hooking up to 110 VAC shore power.

[Mustang65]

Either way, 12VDC is not going to shock you, could startle you with a spark.

Don

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RVing with SOLAR

[bankr63]

Originally Posted by Mustang65

12VDC (low DC voltage) will not give you a shock, may spark a little?

Umm, 12VDC coming directly from your truck alternator or battery is MORE than enough to give you a shock. Don't believe me? Put one hand on each of the battery terminals of a charged house battery* I'll come to your funeral.

*Do NOT actually do this. You will seriously injure, harm, or kill yourself.

It could be a hot short to ground, but this is less likely as the current draw would likely be enough to blow a fuse somewhere. It is more likely that the trailer ground is floating causing a return path through the hitch. The current is attempting to complete the circuit to source however it can.

I agree this is much MORE dangerous if shore power is connected and the cause, but I don't see where OP said that is the case.

ETA: I stand corrected here. Doing a little more research I have found that the resistance of say a hand-to-hand contact does not allow enough current to flow to seriously harm you. I was thinking in terms of the maximum output of a battery at say 600 CCA (Amps) with an EMF of 12VDC would be sufficient, but apparently our latent impedance ~6,000 ohms (average person) limits the current enough to prevent serious harm. Considering that only 5mA of current is required to create a noticeable shock at 12VDC however, I am pretty sure you would feel it! Need to stop watching those movies where they torture people by hooking electrodes to a car battery. Fascinating reading on Wikipedia.

[Murff]

My first guess would be whoever owned the Kiwi before the OP, probably was an "expert" in wiring a trailer.

Just a suggestion, hitch up the trailer and run a wire with alligator clips on each end to a good ground source on the trailer and TV and see if you still get a shock.

Murff

[mdmlm2015]

No, hooked up to my truck.

[PonyExpress]

12v batteries have way more than enough amperage to kill you several times over. Problem is 12 volts is not enough to push it through our bodies.

Now 48volts dc ringing is another matter all together

[RoyBraddy]

Originally Posted by mdmlm2015

I am loving this forum with other Jayco owners. The information is awesome. I first thought my TV hitch was the problem, but when I touch it with no TT hooked up I don't feel a current. The moment I plug in my lights connection - WOW, there's the current. I got under my truck and the wires appear to all be well connected.

I thought it was already established the OP still had his trailer hooked up to his hitch on the truck then plugged in the shore power cable to the trailer and this is when he got shocked touching the outside pof the trailer as well as the outside of the truck etc...

I take the OPS comment "The moment I plug in my Lights connection - WOW there's the current"

This means to me he plugged in his shore power cable to the 120VAC Receptacle in his House/Garage while it was still connected to his Truck tow hitch... ????? think i am going into monitor mode after all of this hehe...

Getting electrocuted holding both POS and NEG 12V terminals of a battery with my two hands is way over my head hehe... hmmmm I have got a sting touching a 9V battery terminal with my tongue I guess... Maybe there is something to it...

Of course it is well known you can remove the 12VDC regulator circuit on an vehicle alternator and hook the outputs to an electric drill and drill away... Have seen that done before
http://www.electro-tech-online.com/t...rnator.142814/

Roy Ken

[Witt74]

Back in the bad old days, as on our 16' stock trailer, we had a four way connector for right turn, left turn, running lights, and brake lights. Ground was established thru the hitch/coupler. There were several times the lights wouldn't work until several miles knocked the rust off of the ball. I suspect a bad ground at the trailer end, either in the connector or at the frame.

[repacs0103]

Originally Posted by Witt74

Back in the bad old days, as on our 16' stock trailer, we had a four way connector for right turn, left turn, running lights, and brake lights. Ground was established thru the hitch/coupler. There were several times the lights wouldn't work until several miles knocked the rust off of the ball. I suspect a bad ground at the trailer end, either in the connector or at the frame.

No, a standard 4 flat connector is ground, left turn/brake, right turn/brake and tails. With a failed ground a trailer can and often will catch ground through the hitch, but that's not the design.


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