In our opinion, RV safety starts with RV Electrical Safety. All RVs should be protected from power surges as well as over and under voltages.All RVers must be aware of the possibility of electric shock from power circuits both inside and outside of the RV. At least one adult in the family needs to know how to use a digital voltmeter to detect voltages present in the RV.
Hot Skin Condition and RV Electrical Safety
One of the most insidious electrical hazards associated with RVs is “Hot Skin.” Basically, this occurs when the RV is above ground potential. There is a most informative article by Mike Sokol that could save your life written on just this condition. http://www.noshockzone.org/rv-electrical-safety-part-iv-%E2%80%93-hot-skin/
There is a wealth of safety information by Mike Sokol available at The No-Shock Zone He discusses how bad wiring at RV parks kills people every year. Mike has also written a wonderful eBook titled “No Shock Zone RV Electrical Safety”, available on Amazon.
Electrical Management Devices
Weather and other natural phenomena are another RV Electrical Safety concern. A power surge or a lightning strike on power lines can destroy electrical and electronic items in your coach such as stereos, satellite receivers, microwave ovens, televisions and refrigerators. Surge protection is protection against voltage spikes on power lines. Direct lightning strikes are so catastrophic that no device can effectively protect against a close or direct lightning strike. Over or under voltage protection is effective for a gradual increase or decrease in voltage, exceeding the maximum or minimum voltage for which appliances are rated. Over voltage and under voltage protection removes primary power from the RV when the voltage drops below 102V or above 132V (safe mode).
Electrical Management System (EMS) devices are available that can protect from these conditions, as well as power surges and improperly wired electrical pedestals in RV parks. They can be directly wired into the RV or connected to the electrical pedestal and the RV plugged into the protective device. If you have a fifty-amp electrical system in your rig, be sure to purchase a fifty-amp power protector. A good place to look for these is at Amazon.com or the RV Upgrade Store www.rvupgradestore.com .
This is a very important purchase. Please don’t be tempted to shop on price alone. There are plenty of whole coach surge protectors for around $100. Pass them up as they do not have the over and under voltage detection capabilities of the better units. Look for units from Technology Research Company or Progressive that start at around $325. If you opt for a wired in model, be sure and get the remote display unit so you can see the condition of incoming power.