Tips on Finding Hot Skin Source

Yes, I believe that was one of the things I tested and there was electrical connection from chassis ground to AC electrical ground.  I'll double check that when I go out again just to make sure.

The element was probably run without water in the tank at some point. It then overheated and created a resistive fault to the tank (and therefore to ground. Resistive because if it was a dead short it would have tripped a breaker in the trailer panel. But the current flowing into the fault was sufficient to eventually cause the poppet thermostats and the switch to overheat. That is interesting and a bit concerning because those items should be able to handle the current flow. I'm becoming suspicious of the water heater breaker in your trailer panel. 

It is not unheard of to hear of mis-wired campground pedestals. I din't think it was common, but we have mostly camped out west. I would imagine that it might be more common in places where there is a longer history, for lack of a better term. You know the place. They can't afford an actual electrician, so they give Bill--Bob a  six pack to get that pedestal wired up.

Originally posted by GlueGuy It is not unheard of to hear of mis-wired campground pedestals. I din't think it was common, but we have mostly camped out west. I would imagine that it might be more common in places where there is a longer history, for lack of a better term. You know the place. They can't afford an actual electrician, so they give Bill--Bob a  six pack to get that pedestal wired up.