I have noticed on a few Vans lately, { mine is a Jayco Freedom } there is what I presume to be a stupidly place ground/earth wire at the bottom of the door frame. It is unsurprisingly broken due to opening/closing of the door, has been broken for years by the look of it. Seems a silly place to have a wire and should I be concerned and reconnect it somewhere else ?
That is because the door has plastic hinges and the earth strap will keep you safe if there is a 240v issue and you touch the door. An electrical person can explain better than me.
Barry is correct, it is almost certainly a protective earthing strap to ensure the door complies with the electrical regulations as they apply to caravans. Even if the door has metal hinges, they are not considered an effective method of earthing continuity as they could have nylon spacers or bushes in them, or just non-conductive dirt or grease, so a separate earth connection is required. As such I would suggest you replace it to ensure continued compliance with the regulations, and your continued safety.
AS/NZS 3001 Electrical installations - Transportable structures and vehicles Section 3.5 Earthing 3.5.1.2 Structures and equipment to be earthed The following structures and items of equipment shall be effectively connected to the protective earthing conductor: (a) Any conductive material that forms part of the chassis or frame regardless of the type of material used for the construction of the transportable structure. (b) The exterior shell (including attached rigid annexes) if constructed of conductive material. Where the outer shell comprises a number of conductive sheets, that are required by this clause to be connected to the protective earthing conductor, the protective earthing conductor need only be attached directly to one sheet, provided that effective electrical continuity is maintained between all the sheets by riveting or screwing them together or by some similar means. (c) Window and door frames constructed of conductive material where any part of the electrical installation is within 100mm of the frame. (d) The earthing contact of all socket-outlets except socket-outlets supplied by a separation (isolating) transformer. (e) The exposed conductive parts of any electrical equipment that is required to be earthed in accordance with AS/NZS 3000.
-- Edited by Mamil on Sunday 3rd of April 2022 12:56:34 PM
