I may have missed this in another thread, but as to the question of whether you could be shocked *through contact with the water* by a faulty RV water heater element and the idea of turning off the 110V switch for the heater, I didn't see that mentioned in the answer. If one were in contact with ground and the water at the same time, it would seem the potential for a shock exists, assuming the faulty element and poor grounding of the RV electrical system.
Mike, I'm confused, you say the earth is a pretty good ground but that adding a ground rod won't help . Why are generators grounded to ground rods ? I know a generator is not an RV, but a ground rod is a ground rod no matter what is connected, please expand on this topic of grounding.
I said the earth is not a very good ground. A ground rod is primarily for lightning protection, not fault current mitigation. And no, a portable generator powering a RV doesn’t need a ground rod. That’s only required when a single generator is powering multiple RVs.
I miss-read your comment, my brain skipped over poor and inserted good. Sorry about that. But still, I would like more information about ground rods and grounding.
Mike,
Great article! I somehow missed it when it was published in RVtravel in 2021.
This is clearly a potentially very serious issue. Are you aware of any injuries or deaths due to a corroded heating element?
I may have missed this in another thread, but as to the question of whether you could be shocked *through contact with the water* by a faulty RV water heater element and the idea of turning off the 110V switch for the heater, I didn't see that mentioned in the answer. If one were in contact with ground and the water at the same time, it would seem the potential for a shock exists, assuming the faulty element and poor grounding of the RV electrical system.
Mike, I'm confused, you say the earth is a pretty good ground but that adding a ground rod won't help . Why are generators grounded to ground rods ? I know a generator is not an RV, but a ground rod is a ground rod no matter what is connected, please expand on this topic of grounding.
I said the earth is not a very good ground. A ground rod is primarily for lightning protection, not fault current mitigation. And no, a portable generator powering a RV doesn’t need a ground rod. That’s only required when a single generator is powering multiple RVs.
I miss-read your comment, my brain skipped over poor and inserted good. Sorry about that. But still, I would like more information about ground rods and grounding.