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RV Electricity – Tired pedestals are dangerous

Mike Sokol -
Hi Mike, We just spent a long weekend at Disney's Fort Wilderness for our grandson's birthday. Everyone talks about the very high prices for everything...

Diagnosing “boiling” and stinky batteries

Mike Sokol -
Dear Gary, I just bought a used coach equipped with dual auxiliary batteries. I used my voltmeter to test them and only got a reading...

RV Electricity – 30-amp to 50-amp generator connections

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, Most generators, with the exception of really large units, 10kw or bigger, do not have a 50-amp plug. I currently have a 3000...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 12

Mike Sokol -
Issue 12 • October 28, 2018 MIKE SOKOL, editor Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and...

RV Electricity – The ABCs of campground power and grounding – Part 1

Mike Sokol -
  AC power and grounding from the electric pole to your RV Dear Readers, I recently realized after trying to explain to an electrician the facts of...

RVelectricity – Generator neutral bonding basics

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, I know your NoShockZone article on generator bonding is getting "dated" at this point, but I just wanted to say THANK YOU for...

Storing RV batteries during a harsh winter

Mike Sokol -
Dear Gary, I have a new motorhome and this will be its first winter. What is the best way to handle RV batteries during the...

RV Electricity – Start me up … Generators and rooftop air conditioners

Mike Sokol -
Dear Readers, I saw a lot of cool stuff at the Hershey RV show last month, and the manufacturers are sending me demo gear to...

RV Electricity – Campground power upgrade – expensive but necessary

Mike Sokol -
Dear Readers, I've had this discussion both online and offline many times, but here's the first time I've seen what it actually costs to upgrade...

RV Electricity – What residential refrigerator do you have?

Mike Sokol -
Dear Readers, As I write in my guest essay in the RV Travel Newsletter, one of my projects for 2019 is a study of the...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 11

Mike Sokol -
Issue 11 • September 30, 2018 MIKE SOKOL, editor Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and...

RV Electricity – Pedestal cleanup after a flood

Mike Sokol -
Clean Up, Clean Up, Everybody Clean Up….  This is a really important maintenance procedure that ALL campgrounds should  perform after any flooding that puts their...

RV Electricity: Use 50-amp to 30-amp adapter in a pinch?

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, I read this on the RV forum I am a member of: “I talked to support at Progressive Industries. His suggestion is to use...

RV Electricity – Can I add a second surge protector?

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, Thanks for your No Shock Zone articles! I am a big fan. I have a technical question based on an issue raised by...

RV Electricity – Stray Voltage found on call button box on gate!

Mike Sokol -
Dear Readers, This report just in from the Stray Voltage Patrol.... It describes an SVP member feeling a shock from the call box at the...

RV Electricity – Low Voltage Report

Mike Sokol -
Dear Readers, Since the Stray Voltage Patrol is already generating some interesting reports, I'm going to use one of them to discuss the problem of...

RV Electricity – Stray Voltage Patrol Test Protocol (Preliminary)

Mike Sokol -
Dear SVP member, Following is the basic checklist protocol I would like you to follow when gathering data for your Stray Voltage Patrol form. This...

RV Electricity – The Stray Voltage Patrol is now up to 200 members!

Mike Sokol -
Dear Readers, Here's an update on the Stray Voltage Patrol, as well as a few pictures of why Chuck Woodbury and I think that...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 10

Mike Sokol -
Issue 10 • August 26, 2018 MIKE SOKOL, editor Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and the contributions...

2018 RV Electrical Safety Seminars update

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, We want to thank you again for the electrical safety seminars you presented at our 2018 rally.  They were a major highlight...

Video and article: Best grease for lubricating trailer plug?

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, Can you recommend a grease that can be used on a 5-way trailer plug?  My connector is a bit tight and hard to...

RV Electricity – (Printable) Pedestal Power Checklist

Mike Sokol -
Here's my basic Pedestal Power Checklist below, as well as in PDF form so you can easily print it out for future reference. We...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 9

Mike Sokol -
Issue 9 • July 29, 2018 Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and the contributions...

RV Electricity seminars in 2018

Mike Sokol -
Everyone, As promised, I'm updating you on my RV Electricity seminars this summer and fall. Fun will be had by all since I do a...

RV Electricity – Pedestal power has changed in recent years

Mike Sokol -
Pedestal Power By Mike Sokol Bigger outlets Today’s RVs have much greater power requirements than those of even 10 years ago. You have lots of appliances, so...

Your Sprinter RV cost too much? Blame chickens!

Mike Sokol -
Which came first? The Chicken Tax, the Sprinter or the Egg? A lesson in tariffs and international trade By Mike Sokol This is not a political article,...

Stray Voltage Patrol – Sign-up

Mike Sokol -
Here's the official Stray Voltage Patrol sign-up form. We'll put the info in a contact list and send you all an email in a...

RV Electricity – Using a Non-Contact Voltage Tester

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, After reading your article on RV hot-skin voltage I ordered a Southwire 40126N Non-Contact Voltage Tester, but now wonder if it's the correct...

RV Electricity – Hot grounds and the Stray Voltage Patrol

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike & Chuck, My wife and I love reading your newsletter – keep up the good work! I just finished reading the post regarding the...

Breaking News on “Stray Voltage”

Mike Sokol -
Breaking News on Stray Voltage By Mike Sokol Within hours of publishing my article Focus on Stray Voltage, we received this very interesting comment from Richard...

Focus on “Stray Voltage.” What is it and why should you care?

Mike Sokol -
Focus on Stray Voltage I'm declaring July official Hot-Skin/Stray Voltage month. For those of you who don't know, an RV Hot-Skin occurs when the ground...

RV Electricity – ABCs of generator noise

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, I really learned a lot from your RV Electricity article on generators last Sunday. But do you have a more basic version of...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 8

Mike Sokol -
Issue 8 • June 24, 2018 Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and the contributions of...

The dangers of RV electricity voltage drop

Mike Sokol -
Voltage drop If you've been following along with this series, you already know about voltage, amperage and wattage. But what about that 800 lb. gorilla...

What makes a generator “RV Ready”?

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, I've been thinking about buying a generator for my RV, but most of them have some sort of twist-lock plug that won't connect...

How to safely test for a hot-skin condition on your RV

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, I've been following your newsletter and find it an excellent source of information. We live in the humid environment of southern Georgia...

Inverters 101: Understanding amps and volts

Mike Sokol -
Hi Mike, Here’s a weird one regarding my 2017 F/R 34QS. Some information: I have a Magnum 2,000 watt pure sine wave inverter and four...

Can I use a welder outlet for 50-amp RV power?

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, I’m having some trouble figuring out the difference between my 50-amp RV fifth wheel plug and a 50-amp welder plug. I want to...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 7

Mike Sokol -
Issue 7 • May 27, 2018 Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and the contributions of readers,...

How to check pedestal power when hooking up

Mike Sokol -
EDITOR'S NOTE: Please pass this article along to the owners of RV parks where you stay or park owners you know By Mike Sokol I believe...

RV Electricity – Watt’s Up?

Mike Sokol -
As promised, here's the next installment of my Basic Electricity Course. Class is now in session.... If you’ve been reading along this far you already...

Hot-skin voltage troubleshooting

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, Thank you for the videos and literature online to learn more about electrical safety within and while using the RV and unknown outlets;...

RV Electricity – Troubleshooting 101: Over-current testing

Mike Sokol -
Mike, I have a question but, as I said at the RVillage Rally, it’s a little long. What would cause a pair of 2kW generators...

Surge Protectors and Joules and MOVs, oh my!

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, After reading all your articles about voltage problems, I'm now in the market for a surge protector but a little confused by all...

RV’s power outlets are melting. Help!

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, I noticed the outlet for our microwave in the motorhome had started to melt. Upon removal of the outlet I saw that...

Elkhart RVillage Rally seminar topics

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, What sort of topics will you be covering in your seminars at the RVillage Rally in Elkhart this May 17-21? —Keith Dear...

RV Electricity – No~Shock~Zone by Mike Sokol – Issue 6

Mike Sokol -
Issue 6 • April 29, 2018 Brought to you as a public service by RVtravel.com. Support comes from our sponsors, advertisers and the contributions...

More random GFCI tripping

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, I have spent many hours online trying to find the answer to my problem. I have tried everything that I have read...

Can I add an AFCI (a what?) in my RV?

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, I'm an RV Technician and enjoy reading your articles. I went to Amazon to look at the Extech CT70 and it asked...

Do I need an “intelligent” surge protector for 50-amp shore power?

Mike Sokol -
Dear Mike, Thanks for your recent articles on why an intelligent surge protector is needed for 30A service. But would this also apply to 50A...
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