Spend a few bucks and get a receptacle tester such as McMaster Carr
#7018K15 or 7018K16 if you also want to test ground fault circuit
interrupters, (GFCI). This can be a life saver especially when plugging in
an all metal appliance such as a Vanagon! If you wish to use a meter,
looking at the receptacle face with the ground prong down, the top right
slot should be hot, the left is grounded or neutral and the ground is of
course ground. So, meter probes in both slots should have power. Right
slot and ground show power, left slot and ground must not show power. If
the campground has a real up to date installation, the 110 volt outlet
will have a GFCI and there may even be a dedicated ground rod at each
power pedestal.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Sam Conant
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 10:54 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Quality Inverters

Yup!  But, truth is that most folks and most camp grounds don't care a
twit
about this basic set of rules ... So, what alternatives do folks have to
protect themselves?
----- Original Message -----
From: "Geza Polony" <gezapolony@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Wednesday, June 20, 2007 2:04 PM
Subject: Re: Quality Inverters

> Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the in-vehicle "ground" means
> much to an object or person outside the vehicle. Rubber, as in tires, is
a
> pretty good insulator, and if the hot side of the circuit is trying to
> find
> ground, it will do so more easily through a person or whatever than
> through
> the tires.   A real ground, for 120 v.  home wiring, consists of a 6'
> copper
> coated 1/2" rod driven at least 5' into the earth, as well as ground
> clamps
> to cold water iron or copper pipes. Unless you're going to plant a true
> grounding rod wherever you camp, you don't have a true ground. What
effect
> this has on GFCI's I don't know. But I can imagine they don't function
> they
> way they're supposed to.