Don’t use your hand to check for a hot-skin voltage!

Use a meter to avoid getting shocked and possibly killed….

Everyone,

An observant reader found this video that was posted last week by an RV lifestyle influencer who wasn’t aware of what a hot-skin voltage is. And he kept checking for it with his bare hands while getting shocked multiple times. Watch the first few minutes of the video and continue reading below.

Note that there were also a lot of incorrect reader comments about what they thought was causing the hot-skin voltage. For example, reversed polarity (Neutral/Hot) in the pedestal outlet does not cause a hot-skin condition if your trailer is wired correctly.

WARNING: Don’t Test For Voltage With Your Hand!

If you do feel a shock, DO NOT keep touching the RV with your hand to check if the hot-skin is still there. If the conditions are right (sufficient fault current available and your hands and feet are wet), it can easily put your heart into fibrillation. You’ll be dead in minutes unless CPR begins quickly and an AED is used to shock your heart back into normal rhythm.

How to troubleshoot a hot-skin voltage…

I’ve been studying and fixing hot-skin and hot-chassis voltages for decades, so I know exactly what causes them to occur and how to fix them. You’ll need a Non-Contact Voltage Tester and a basic Digital Multimeter to troubleshoot the source of the problem. I use this 3-meter kit from Southwire in my RVelectricity seminars for demonstrations. You can find it for around $30 on Amazon HERE.

Read PART-1 of my article about what a hot-skin voltage is HERE.

And read PART-2 which includes advanced hot-skin troubleshooting procedures HERE.

Please post your comments and questions below.

Let’s play safe out there… Mike