Ron,
All the problems and symptoms you describe point to either a high-resistance or non-existant "neutral" connection.
Every time I have encountered similar problems, as well as a whole bunch of other weird problems, a bad neutral connection was either the entire problem or a main contributor.
In a perfect world, the "neutral" is at the same "earth" potential as the "ground". Modern wiring, following the NEC, ensures this by requiring the neutral to be bonded to the ground at your service entrance, and the neutral is also bonded to the ground at the nearby distribution transformer. Normal residential distribution from the transformer to your service entrance includes two "hot" wires (insulated) and a neutral wire (usually bare).
If the neutral wire is non-continuous, or non-existent, all of your "120" volt current has to pass through the ground to get to the neutral tap on the transformer. This would explain the current flowing at your water-pipe ground. If the neutral is correctly wired, and there are no devices on the line shorted to ground, there should be no current flowing through that water-pipe ground.
Just as a hint, mobile homes often have the "service entrance" on a pole or pedestal away from the structure itself. There will be a meter and a box with the main disconnect (usually circuit breaker), and a cable connecting this "service entrance" with the distribution panel in the trailer. If this is the set-up you have, I would suspect that there is either NO neutral (only two wires), or that one of the connections is bad, between that box on the pole or pedestal and the trailer..
Hope some of this helps.
John Grube
Posted by: grubemed@yahoo.com
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