[lxman1]

The water probably gave you a better ground. You might check that the next time you hook up. They should have a good ground without the ball touching the trailer. I found mine didn't one time and replaced the ground connection on my trailer. The lights started to flicker when turning a corner because they were only grounding thru the hitch ball and not the plug.
They plugging up the lights before touching the trailer to the hitch and see if they work.