If the high-voltage sockets are three-pronged, how is the TT/5er/MH grounded to the planet?  Is it through the leveling jacks?  Do we know if that's good enough?

Has anyone had any problems with static electricity build-up on the appliances?

Never have had any static problems. Whether on shore power or using generator. Grounding with shore power is through the power cord. Jacks & Landing Gear with boards or non-metallic pads would not provide a satisfactory ground. If I'm going to be in an area where we may get lightning, I will use the jacks and landing gear in direct contact with the ground.

We use plastic pads under the jacks and don't even think about grounding the rig. As theBear say's the electrical system is grounded to the power pole. In 3 years we've never even read about a RV being struck by lightning. If I were you, I'd just relax and enjoy this wonderful life once you sell everything and get out here.

I'm with Fred on this one. I have been doing this RVing thing since 1975 and not once have I heard of any RV been struck by lightning. Now I am not saying that it can't happen...but I think the chances of it happening are not as great as you might think. That is not to say that mine has never been hit either...but if it has I suffered no damages. In the past we unplug all our electronic gizmos if we know we are having a storm which contains lightning.More than likely we're safe enough but using caution is always the best policy. Have a good time and follow your dreams. Joe and Sherri

Think of the entire RV as a big appliance. Like an appliance, it is grounded by the shore power cord, so no worries. I have heard of lightening damage to RVs through the electrical system, but I know of no one that has had a direct strike. If we are in a BIG lightening storm we generally physically unplug from the power post. Turning off the breaker may not be enough - it is best to unplug the cord if you are going to bother doing this.

Jack has it - and a great appliance analogy too.... Just to add on... Unplugging the shore power is ONLY to prevent a lightning induced voltage surge from being transmitted into your rig and toasting the toaster/appliances/electronics. If lightening hits the ground or a power line or a pedestal in the CG it is possible the buried power wires will pick up some of the charge and dissipate it though the entire CG wiring. However, your handy-dandy surge protector that you always use should be able to block it - that's one of the reasons you are using it.

If you are feeling a little tingle when you touch (or heaven forbid lick) something metal on the outside of your plugged in rig while standing in a puddle of water then you have a bad grounding connection someplace in the rig's electrical system. Poor or corroded grounds are undoubtedly the numero uno problem with RV electrical systems. Find all your ground clusters and clean them up and cover with a dielectric protectant like a silicone paste.

Your car is the safest place to be in lightening with your body and parts away from the sides/dash/roof/floor. What you are trying to do is make it so YOU are NOT any part of the conductor, let the car body (or RV body) be the conductor and you'll be perfectly fine inside. Heaven forbid, do not crawl underneath. The false idea of the car being "grounded" (by the tires or whatever else you have heard) is a folk tale - the car body is a far better conductor than the human body and hence electricity seeks the path of least resistance - the car body!

You might add Dude that the more resistance it comes in contact with the higer the AMPS and the AMPS are what kills you. Speedy

During my College days (mid 70's) I was living in a TT that was struck by lightning one night. There was a giant explosion in the middle of the night and I sat up in bed to see a brilliant white light, like the mothership in the Close Encounters movie. It was like a dozen flash bulbs all went off at once. I got up and inspected the trailer, but there was no apparent damage. Going outside the following morning I noticed that the antenna pole I had buried in the ground and strapped to the side of the aluminum shell had acted as a giant ground rod, saving us. The lightning had apparently struck the antenna and traveled about half way down before deciding it wanted out. It looked like someone had dropped a couple m-80 firecrackers inside the antenna mast. The metal pipe was peeled outward in a couple places where the lightning bolt exited to a nearby tree (which was probably grounded a little better than the antenna was). Amazingly, the tv still worked. My brand new DW and I were glad, as we certainly couldn't have afforded another one at the time (it was a gift from my dad as we were poor broke tramps.) Hopefully history will repeat itself soon (minus the lightning, thank you.) ;)

Thanks Team.  I think I'll devise a whole-trailer grounding mechanism although lightening was not my concern for the initial post.  However, one thing.  A "typical" lightening bolt carries about 50,000 volts of electricity.  That 110V, 50A surge protector is no match for Mother Nature.  I once saw the aftermath of a non-supporting wall in a house after a lightening strike, even with a grounding pole.  We had to rebuild the kitchen.

You are right, no surge protector can even come close to taking or protecting a direct hit or even a near hit. Blammo, gone, like the kitchen wall you described. But, a surge protector can protect your rig from the induced voltage spike caused by lightening striking a nearby utility pole or even induced from a ground strike with buried CG power cables.