Do it Yourself: Re: [DIY] Electrical issues

29 August 2014

Re: [DIY] Electrical issues

As you said, having a connection from the water pipe (if metal all the way to the ground) to the neutral bar in the panel is mandatory. You may have a loose neutral somewhere including at the weatherhead or meter where the power supply connects to your system. A loose neutral (white) wire will cause the load to go to the ground instead. It doesn't have to be a wire completely disconnected to have resistance in a connection.

On 8/28/2014 7:21 PM, Ron Johnson l0c0l0b0@hotmail.com [DoIt_Yourself] wrote:

The trailer we bought, made around 1971, still has electrical problems. I know there are electricians here and I'm hoping you guys know they whys and wherefores of these situations.

The first has been solved, I just don't know why it works. I was running a ground wire from a pipe to the water pipe coming out of the ground when I got shocked. When I got to the water pipe, it sparked so I knew there was a real problem (I guess getting shocked did clue me in). It turned out there was no grounding strap from the ground bar to the box. The problem is solved, but for the life of me, I can't figure out how it changed the wiring to the extent it obviously did. I know we have to add a grounding strap when we add a new box, but I always thought is was in case of something happened, not because of a constant situation.

The other situation is not solved. Someone brought in a blower from a forced air unit as a fan. It works really well, but it occasionally changes pitch, which means velocity, when we turn a light on and off. A light NOT on the same circuit. The problem is either the trailer wiring or the blower motor. If it's the blower motor, an easy fix would be not to use it. If it's the trailer wiring . . . I'm screwed. I don't mind rewiring, I would just rather not do it on a trailer. It's already been painted inside.