Open ground on electrical.

[Scuba Steve]

I have a 320mks and I keep having an open ground message on my Southwire 40 amp surge protector. Southwire replaced the first model and this new one is 2 months old now and it just started showing “open ground” and shuts off the electrical supply to the RV. This happened with the first surge protector also. My question is whether or not this can be a possible problem with my RV wiring. The electrical supply I am plugged into for the last 2 months absolutely does not have an open ground.

[xrated]

I'm not familiar with the Southwire brand surge protector, so I'll assume that it is a portable unit. So it sounds like you are going to have to start tracing the ground wire from the SW unit, through your power cord, then the recept. on the side of the trailer that it plugs into (connections on the back side of it), and follow those wires to the transfer switch (if you have a generator), and from there to the breaker panel area and make sure that all those connection are good and connectors are tight. You probably would need to wiggle the power cord a bit on both end, right at the plugs....where you plug into the SW surge protector and the plug on the end that goes into your camper. The power cord is the most "used" piece of equipment in that circuit.....you roll it up and put it away, you unroll it and hook it up......over and over again every time you go camping. In fact, that might be the first thing I would look at, for the reason that I just mentioned, as well as being the easiest to access.

[traveldawg]

I took a bit of time to read about the Southwire surge guards. I only saw one model that said it protects the RV side of power from Open Neutrals. I couldn't find any mention of protecting from open ground on the RV side.

What model of surge guard is this?

Is the problem intermittent or constant?

If constant have you measured using a volt meter to check the connections (at the power input or power output)?

I'm hoping some other Southwire surge guards chime in. I'm interested in learning about the protection on the RV side.

[jkwilson]

There is no way you’d ever detect an open ground on a circuit in normal use. The ground wire plays no functional part in a system. It could be removed and you would never know it unless you used a meter or EMS on the circuit. The odds are very high it’s a problem with the shore power wiring or receptacle. Could be corrosion, loose pin or a loose connection.

[retired_engineer]

We used a Surge Guard 34830 for a couple of years. I noticed that the female plug connections loosened up pretty quickly and I would get false errors. I splayed the blades on the male end of my cable which resolved the problem for a while. Eventually the hot side loosened enough that I had some arcing. I stopped using the Surge Guard and installed a hardwired unit.

I took a bit of time to read about the Southwire surge guards. I only saw one model that said it protects the RV side of power from Open Neutrals. I couldn't find any mention of protecting from open ground on the RV side.

What model of surge guard is this?

Is the problem intermittent or constant?

If constant have you measured using a volt meter to check the connections (at the power input or power output)?

I'm hoping some other Southwire surge guards chime in. I'm interested in learning about the protection on the RV side.

My model did not test for an open ground but the newer ones do.

[lineman1234]

scuba steve
..
If you want to PM me, i can ask some questions and give direction, within your electrical level. Just giving blatant what i would do isnt the best for everyone.
Part of what i did for a living was find and fix electrical problems. Hands on, not in theory.

One thing not mentioned, is are you at a campground? If so, they may have a tool, tester, to plug into the pedestal and check there part. Testing the electric with no load is one thing, as it can test good, but putting a load on it, and testing is the best way.

[Scott'n'Wendy]

My model did not test for an open ground but the newer ones do.

Upstream? Or downstream?
I would think upstream...I don't have a Southwire device...but the op describes it as a surge protector, and they are fairly basic so I'll bet as Jkwilson has suggested it is upstream. IE CG or house cct issue.

[Second Chance]

Thread moved to Electrical Systems and Wiring.

Rob

[dryfly]

Upstream? Or downstream?
I would think upstream...I don't have a Southwire device...but the op describes it as a surge protector, and they are fairly basic so I'll bet as Jkwilson has suggested it is upstream. IE CG or house cct issue.

If it's a portable EMS plugged into the pedestal how it would test for faults downstream? This seems like a big advantage of the hard wired EMS as it would check for problems in the power cable to the trailer.

[retired_engineer]

Upstream? Or downstream?
I would think upstream...I don't have a Southwire device...but the op describes it as a surge protector, and they are fairly basic so I'll bet as Jkwilson has suggested it is upstream. IE CG or house cct issue.

I never have owned a newer one and the company's sales information only has it as an item in the function list. I believe it is only upstream not only from the ability to test but from the function of these units being to protect the trailer from the facility having power problems not the load.

Edit: Southwire has a couple of different levels of Surge Guards. Some aren't much more than surge protectors others provide more protection and diagnostic information. The 34830 that we had was their top of the line 30A model at the time. It cost a lot less than the equivalent Progressive Industries unit but as I recall wasn't quite as robust. It's been 7 or 8 years since we owned one so I don't recall all of its specs. I went with a Progressive Industries unit when I installed the hardwired protector.