"Hot Skin" May 30, 2020, 10:19:08 am This information might be of interest:RVelectricity – First-Timer's primer on Hot-Skin Voltage - RV Travel 4 Likes
Re: "Hot Skin" Reply #1 – May 30, 2020, 12:34:22 pm Quote from: Joan - May 30, 2020, 10:19:08 amThis information might be of interest:RVelectricity – First-Timer's primer on Hot-Skin Voltage - RV TravelThe common causes for 'hot skin' are a bad ground, a miswired pedestal, a loose wire in the Power Center or a combination of the three.. A good surge protector can be used to detect power wiring issues.Do you have Hot-Skin?A NCVT (non-contact voltage tester) is an inexpensive tool and should be owned by anyone who works on their home or RV's high-voltage electrical. I use one whenever working on the 120-VAC electrical to verify the power has been turned off or to track energized wires.Larry 1 Likes
Re: "Hot Skin" Reply #2 – May 30, 2020, 12:52:21 pm Here's a selection of non-contact voltage testers. Prices run around $13 and up, so these are very affordable. They are extremely simple to use: you just touch the plastic probe tip to a suspected AC power conductor* such as a shore power cord, an electrical outlet, or your rig's skin, and a warning light and beep will tell you if it's live. As Larry said, it's a very good tool to have handy.* these don't work with DC power 2 Likes
Re: "Hot Skin" Reply #3 – May 30, 2020, 02:33:59 pm Well I'll be. I googled to find out what a NCVT was. Turns out one appeared on my workbench decades ago. From where I don't know. I knew what it did but could not figure any use for it that could not be done with a VOM. I wonder if I still have it 1 Likes
Re: "Hot Skin" Reply #4 – May 30, 2020, 07:19:47 pm NCVT - I thought that was what an apprentice electrician used to be for....
Re: "Hot Skin" Reply #5 – May 31, 2020, 02:01:01 pm "I knew what it did but could not figure any use for it that could not be done with a VOM."0. Test for "hot skin." Just touch the skin of the rig with the NCVT and you'll know instantly.1. Hold the probe next to the input and output of a circuit breaker to see whether it's getting power and passing along power. No need to fumble with two voltmeter probes that can slip and potentially short things together.2. When troubleshooting an automatic transfer switch, same thing. That terminal block packs a lot of lethal power, but the NCVT is a completely safe way to quickly establish which wires are powered and which aren't. Just tap it against a wire to see whether that wire is live. You can check out the whole thing in about twenty seconds with zero risk and zero need to make contact with live terminals.3. When tracing AC wiring, you have only to slide the probe along a wire to know whether it's live. No need to make hot and neutral contacts with live terminals. If your rig has the typical rat's nest of AC wiring, you can very quickly sort it out with this tool.4. When checking outlets, shove the NCVT's plastic probe into a slot to see whether it's live. Of course you can fumble with voltmeter probes, but this is so much faster... and safer.Anytime you need to know whether an AC circuit, wire, or terminal is live, this tool lets you find out instantly and with no risk. You don't have to fiddle with placing wired voltmeter probes, and then crane your neck to see the meter's display while holding the (live) probes in place.For go/no go testing of AC circuits, this tool is much faster and safer than a voltmeter. 4 Likes