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Old 07-30-2020, 06:39 AM   #1
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Open Ground Indicator

Arrived at RV park yesterday, plugged in my 50 amp rig and electricity flowing, but smart surge protector indicating open ground. Tripped breaker upstream of pedestal about 2 a.m. (Did not know this at time, only no juice at pedestal.) Woke up about 3 am in warm 5th wheel. Maintenance guy showed up about 6 am to find upstream circuit breaker tripped and reset. Surge protector still indicating open ground. I pointed this out to him and the response was "We haven't had any problems, you're device must be bad". Questions 1) Should I pack up and leave for our safety and my rig safety or 2) is it ok to stay our planned three more nights? 3) What are ramifications of an open ground on our safety and rig's safety?
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Old 07-30-2020, 06:50 AM   #2
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An open ground can be a serious problem if your smart surge protector is correct.


Please read this and watch the video there if you can:


https://www.forestriverforums.com/fo...-rv-89191.html
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Old 07-30-2020, 07:08 AM   #3
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Here is what I would do if I got notified of an open ground on my pedestal during setup:

1. I would NOT plug the RV in.

2. I would take the smart surge protector to other nearby pedestals and test them.

3. If at least one of them does not have an open ground, I know that the problem is not my device or the campground supply in general. I request that I be allowed to move to a site without an open ground or be allowed to leave with a refund.

4. If they all show an open ground, I would check with neighbors who have electrical protection to see if they have open grounds. If they don’t, my protection is likely bad, and I need to get new. The neighbor might be kind enough to let you try my protection in his or her receptacle to determine definitively whether my protection is bad.

5. If your neighbors show open grounds (highly unlikely, why have protection if you ignore it?), I would go to the office and request to leave with a refund. At the very least, operate WITHOUT shore power and notify the office of a potentially dangerous situation. They don’t want the legal hassles of a camper getting fried—especially if they have been put on notice and fail to take corrective action.

6. If they take a meh attitude, I would make sure that the condition has been reported to the appropriate local authorities so that there is a record that the campground is on notice.

In any event, I would not plug my camper into a pedestal if I am getting a report of an open ground. I would not tolerate a campground not caring about a potentially deadly hazard.

That is how I’d handle the situation. You may feel differently.
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Old 07-30-2020, 07:36 AM   #4
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Eye and William. Thanks for excellent advice. I will check my device on other unoccupied pedestals and see what they say. In meantime, I must be off to attend funeral, which is existential purpose of our trip. Will report back soon. I've had this surge protector for three years, first time I have had a trouble reading.
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Old 07-30-2020, 07:39 AM   #5
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i pretty much agree with what has been said above. get a second opinion using a multimeter or another surge / ems device to test the pedestal. if you are plugged into the pedestal even one of those cheap 3 prong circuit testers plugged into an outlet in your rv would also indicate an open ground situation.

what you depends on whether you can confirm the situation. but if it is confirmed i'd be at the office immediately. and i wouldn't hesitate to mention the apparent lack of concern by the maintenance guy. my thoughts are they did not provided a defective site so you shouldn't have to pay for it.
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Old 07-30-2020, 07:43 AM   #6
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Sorry for your loss.

I look forward to hearing what you find from your detective work.
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Old 07-30-2020, 07:47 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by CHICKDOE View Post
i pretty much agree with what has been said above. get a second opinion using a multimeter or another surge / ems device to test the pedestal. if you are plugged into the pedestal even one of those cheap 3 prong circuit testers plugged into an outlet in your rv would also indicate an open ground situation.

what you depends on whether you can confirm the situation. but if it is confirmed i'd be at the office immediately. and i wouldn't hesitate to mention the apparent lack of concern by the maintenance guy. my thoughts are they did not provided a defective site so you shouldn't have to pay for it.
Excellent idea: testing the current site with a different device. If it says that the ground is open, the maintenance guy can just...never mind.
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Old 07-30-2020, 06:04 PM   #8
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Hopefully you carry a meter with you. Check hot to ground and see if you have 120V on it.
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Old 07-30-2020, 07:06 PM   #9
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I do not have multi-meter with me. I have two at home and one definitely needs to find a new home in the 5er. I think it may be the smart surge protector that is the problem. There are many electrical loops in this park, and I tried plugging the device into several with same results. Green light, no blue light (and no red light) . I am used to seeing green and blue on, which indicates normal. As I said in first post, power tripped about 2 am this morning, maintenance reset at 6 am. Then it tripped again about 10 am, and I reset. This time I took surge protector off (at 10 am reset) to test it on other circuits. Since I have had it off all day, no more trips. (And a/c's definitely slaving away in this afternoon's high 90's heat!). A camper a couple of slots down is a master electrician, and he thinks it is my device (and he does not use a surge protector!). Also, saw two electrical contractor trucks exiting park about noon. What they may have been doing, I don't know. (Maybe that is why no more tips and not the device??) I KNOW my 50 amp circuit at home where I plug the 5er to shore power is good. I will wait to get home either Saturday or Sunday to test device then. Will post results then. Thanks
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Old 07-30-2020, 09:01 PM   #10
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I carry a meter in my trailer and my boat and they get used more than you would think...mainly on other people's issues although I had to troubleshoot my boat once at an island 17 miles offshore. Put one in your trailer.
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Old 08-11-2020, 12:54 PM   #11
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UPDATE: Completed claim form on Progressive Industries website last Monday claiming that the blue light indicator is out. They sent me an acknowledgement about 8 pm Saturday night (?) saying claim is approved and they will be sending a new device. Seems like a simple replacement of the blue light indicator would have been much cheaper.Oh well, now I will have two devices...

Thanks for all of the advice, a true open ground would not be a good situation...
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Old 08-11-2020, 04:18 PM   #12
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Now also put a multi-meter in your trailer.
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Old 08-11-2020, 04:24 PM   #13
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Absolutely. It has found a permanent home in the utility drawer!
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Old 08-11-2020, 08:58 PM   #14
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Absolutely. It has found a permanent home in the utility drawer!
I own 3 Fluke meters. One of the less expensive Fluke meters is a Fluke 115. That's my trailer meter.
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