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RV Electricity – Just Ask Mike (J.A.M.): GFCIs are different in an RV than a house

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Welcome to my J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session, a weekly column where I answer your basic electrical questions. If you're a...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 19

Mike Sokol -
Issue 19 • June 2, 2019 Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and the contributions of readers,...

RV Electricity – Pedestal maintenance after a flood

Mike Sokol -
What to watch out for with flooded campsite pedestals Dear Readers, After seeing all the pictures and videos of a flooded campground recently, a single image...

RV Electricity – Road Signs: Elvis-Aluma-Palooza

Mike Sokol -
A tale of Elvis and Airstreams Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? Say Elvis-Aluma-Palooza three times fast and you’ll find it quite a mouthful. Well, by the...

Solar panel charging tips for any location, including forests

Bob Difley -
By Bob Difley Boondocking in the national and state forests in summer and using solar power to provide your electricity presents different challenges than found...

RV Electricity – Electrical safety for RVers – Part 1 – Basic electrical concepts

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Mike, I've just started reading your RV Electricity articles, and it seems there are hundreds of them. How long have you...

RV Electricity – Just Ask Mike (J.A.M.): Is there a cheap and quiet generator?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Welcome to my J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session, a weekly column where I answer your basic electrical questions. If you're a newbie...

RV Electricity – Surge protector types and what they each do

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Hey Mike, I'm looking at purchasing a surge protector for my RV and there seems to be a big difference in price. Many...

RV Electricity – Just Ask Mike (J.A.M.): Is it OK to use a 90-degree power cord adapter?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Welcome to my J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session, a weekly column where I answer your basic electrical questions. If you're a newbie...

RV Electricity: How much generator do I need?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Mike (and the RV Electricity Group), I hope this is not off topic. A question about generators. The on-board generator in my...

Avoid being hit by lightning while hiking

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol  Welcome to my J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session, a weekly column where I answer your basic electrical questions. If you're a newbie...

Inverter shopping? Here’s a handy primer on inverters

Russ and Tiña De Maris -
By Russ and Tiña De Maris Considering the RV boondocking lifestyle? You've probably already been mulling over solar panels and bigger battery banks. That's great...

RV Electricity – Can I plug my 50-amp RV into a 240-volt generator?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Mike, We just bought a travel trailer with 50-amp service. Can I plug my trailer into my generator directly? The generator is...

RV Electricity – Just Ask Mike (J.A.M.): Is a Hot Skin possible on a fiberglass RV?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Mike (aka J.A.M.), I've been listening to your Facebook videos and have a dumb question. Would a hot skin event also happen...

RV Electricity – Hot-Skin Voltage recap

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Hello Everyone, This is a recap of what I published on hot-skin/contact-voltage over the last few weeks, along with some extra information on...

RV Electricity – Just Ask Mike (J.A.M.): Burned shore power plugs

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Welcome to my J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session, a weekly column where I answer your basic electrical questions. If you're a newbie...

Briggs & Stratton debuts new portable generator

Chuck Woodbury -
From a press release Briggs & Stratton has introduced the P4500 PowerSmart Series inverter generator. The new unit is equipped with CO Guard carbon monoxide...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 18

Mike Sokol -
April 28, 2019 Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and the contributions of readers, who believe that...

Road Signs # 18 – What I’ve learned from kittens…

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol It's spring and time for many animals to give birth to their young. I just happen to have a bunch of brand-new...

RV Electricity: What is an RV hot-skin voltage? – Part 2

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Advanced Electrical Concepts As promised, this is Part 2 of an article series on Hot-Skin voltage. If you haven’t done so already, please...

RV Electricity: Power principles – 50-amp shore power

Mike Sokol -
Mike Sokol wrote this in 2019 when he was a columnist for RVtravel.com. He has since moved on and is therefore unable to respond...

RV Electricity – Just Ask Mike (J.A.M.): How much does it cost to run an electric heater?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Welcome to my J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session, a weekly column where I answer your basic electrical questions. If you're a newbie...

RV Electricity: What is hot-skin voltage? – Part 1

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Readers, Since spring has sprung and many of us are getting our RVs ready for the season, now is a great time...

RV Electricity – Just Ask Mike (J.A.M.): Disconnect power during a storm?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Welcome to my J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session, a weekly column where I answer your basic electrical questions. If you're a...

RV Electricity – Can an RV be plugged into a Tesla charging station?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol As many of you know by now, I just started an RV Electricity Group on Facebook a few days ago, and already...

RV Electricity – Just Ask Mike (J.A.M.): Surge Protectors for 30- or 50-amp power?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Welcome to my J.A.M. (Just Ask Mike) Session, a weekly column where I answer your basic electrical questions. If you're a newbie...

RV Electricity – Weekly update, and 50-amp pedestal wiring

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Readers, Lots of things are happening this week, so here's a quick update, plus an answer to one reader's question about grounding...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 17

Mike Sokol -
Issue 17 • March 31, 2019 Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and the contributions of readers,...

Technician Training (or lack thereof)?

Mike Sokol -
Why we need more RV technician training By Mike Sokol You all see the type of electrical knowledge I'm bringing to the consumer side of the...

Road Signs # 17 – You are what you eat!

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol You are what you eat! Since my recent survey on whether you prefer to have ketchup or mustard on your hot dog/corn dog...

RV Electricity – Why did my shore power plug neutral burn up?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Mike, Our surge suppressor failed, and when we unplugged the 50-amp cable, we found this. Our cord was hot to the touch....

RV Electricity – Does a construction generator make clean AC power?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Mike, I understand the concept of inverters, but what about generators? Does a construction-type generator put out a clean sine wave, or...

Why turn off RV pedestal circuit breakers when hooking up?

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, We just returned from our initial Spring Wake-Up Trip. The RV park where we stayed was exceptionally nice. When I went to hook...

RV Electricity – What’s a modified/stepped inverter?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Mike, I own a 2005 Winnebago Vectra that has a 2000-watt Dimension Inverter. I need to decide whether to repair ($400 to...

RV Electricity – Do I need a 30- or 50-amp surge protector?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Mike, Referring to your comment on your post "RV Electricity – An easy way to measure 50-amp outlets": Speaking of 50-amp service, I...

RV electricity expert Mike Sokol interviewed on radio program

Chuck Woodbury -
RVtravel.com electricity expert Mike Sokol is interviewed by Alan Warren of the syndicated radio program The RV Show USA. Mike is considered the national...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 16

Mike Sokol -
Issue 16 • February 24, 2019 Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and the contributions of readers,...

RV Electricity – An easy way to measure 50-amp outlets

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Mike, About that 30-amp electrical tester in RV Daily Tips on 2/12/19 (review it here): That is a great idea rather than trying...

RV Electricity – 2019 Seminar Schedule

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Mike, Would you be available to teach an RV Electricity seminar at (Insert the name and place of your rally)? We really...

RV Electricity – Important generator safety reminder!

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Readers, As Part 2 of my series on staying safe in cold weather (you should remember last week's article on portable space...

RV Electricity – Life-saving space heater safety reminders

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol Dear Readers, Since much of the country is gripped by the coldest winter in a generation, this is a good time to remind...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 15

Mike Sokol -
Issue 15 • January 27, 2019 Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and the contributions of readers,...

Road Signs – “Soft” retirement?

Mike Sokol -
OK, I'm rapidly approaching the age when I can completely retire if I like, and many of my friends and family are urging me...

RV Electricity – Q & A’s: The basics of sub-panel grounding

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol I spend a lot of time on dozens of other RV forums answering questions about electricity. Here is one really interesting...

RV Electricity – What’s up with upside-down outlets?

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, I've encountered quite a few 15-amp outlets that were "upside down" with the ground at the top instead of the bottom. And it...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 14

Mike Sokol -
Issue 14 • December 30, 2018 Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and the contributions of readers,...

RV Electricity – Don’t backfeed power to your RV!

Mike Sokol -
Dear Readers, I found this question on the Airstream Forum, and it's so dangerous that I need to comment about it here. Yes, I do...

RV Electricity – Is it a leak or a noisy water heater element?

Mike Sokol -
By Mike Sokol From the Redwood Owners Forum, My water heater started to make a noise tonight. It sounded like a leak. After fiddling around a...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 13

Mike Sokol -
Issue 13 • December 2, 2018 Mike Sokol, editor Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and the...

How to protect yourself from ungrounded power

Mike Sokol -
Dear Readers, I just had the opportunity to write about something I’ve never previously discussed in any RVtravel article or forum – but I believe...
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