Surge protectors etc

Here are the specs from the ISB website converted to US inches and pounds . . .

ISB Sola Basic
4KVA
29 centimeter = 11.417 inch
21 centimeter = 8.267 inch
25.5 centimeter = 10.039 inch
12.7 kilogram = 27.998 lbs

8 KVA
38 centimeter = 14.960 inch
24 centimeter = 9.448 inch
29.2 centimeter = 11.496 inch
18.9 kilogram = 41.667 lbs

The nearest replacement appears to be 3000 va part number 63-13-230-6

The big fly in the ointment is weight. It is 143 pounds.

http://www.clrwtr.com/PDF/Sola-Hevi-Duty........Sola-MCR-Portable-Power-Conditioners.pdf

That is a different unit from a different company. The unit I mention is from a company called ISB - not Sola - though it is called Sola Basic that is not the company name. See my post with the website and print out the info and take it to the store with you.

Look at....
http://www.isbmex.com/reguladores-domesticos/

NOT....
http://www.solahevidutysales.com/transformers.htm

briansue wrote:

High voltage in the US is rare compared to the common inadequate CG wiring and low voltage.

In Mexico (this is the Mexico Forum) the CFE standard in many areas is 127 VAC. We often see the 127 or more - in some area I see 132 as the norm. Many variables whether you have high or low in Mexico. Can vary from one side of the RV park to the other. The device I suggest is for Mexico and the question asked I believe was about Mexico. A low voltage regulator could be useful in the US - but maybe not so much in Mexico.

I have seen (in Mexico) daily variation from during heavy use hours <105 Volts, and very light usage hours (middle of the night) of > 133 Volts.

Our Xantrex Prosine 2.0 Inverter watches the incoming voltage and line frequency and drops it out if out of spec.

It does not give protection for transients and voltage spikes. We've been lucky so far. (We pull the plug during lightning storms)

Forgot to mention that when the Xantrex cuts the power, its inverter function cuts in. The TV doesn't even flicker.

Remember, to relax and have fun.

Our EMS protects us, fortunately.

Yesterday, we blew a fuse, in the system we are plugged into. In came the electrician, at our request. We gave him a meter, as a gift, and showed him how to use it. After we went to lunch, he decided to remove all three of the 30 amp plugs and replace them. They aren't available in Mexico!!!

He returned this evening, said he couldn't find them, and at our suggestion, cleaned all of them up, and reinstalled them. We'll check it out tomorrow.

We are hooked up elsewhere for our AC, and will be fine tonight in our big heat.

We carry a spare 30 amp plug, and can install it as necessary.

It's all part of the experience, and we don't plan on giving it up!!

Hi all,

The 4000 va unit is obsolete which may explain the difficulty I've had in trying to locate one.

The nearest replacement appears to be 3000 va part number 63-13-230-6

The big fly in the ointment is weight. It is 143 pounds.

http://www.clrwtr.com/PDF/Sola-Hevi-Duty/Sola-MCR-Portable-Power-Conditioners.pdf

Another attempt at clarification - In no way do my posts here intend to discourage anyone from RV travel in Mexico - we love it - but I think folks who take an RV into Mexico should be aware of some of the potential problems and they should be prepared and equipped to reduce the problems. Knowing a little about the electricity situation can be useful and help to make your Mexico adventures more enjoyable. I think everyone one should experience Mexico but be aware that there are things that work differently in some RV parks. And to be clear - we have experienced RV parks in the US with bad wiring and old outdated wiring - just not as often as in Mexico.

Hi,

Yes a thirty amp service would be well served by the 4000 unit.

ISB sells all over but......

briansue wrote:
I think all an RV needs is the 4000 but I am not an authority on that either.

Don't forget that part of the excitement/adventure/b..sh.. of traveling internationally is the details. Like electricity! The stories we could tell.

That being said, yes, it's an issue, especially in a modern moho.

I have read stories for a decade but only met one person who had a real problem. And I have met thousands of RVers in the past 10 years. I have no doubt it happens in certain places but I do have my doubts it happens in 98% of Rv parks.

I agree it is probably far from 98% - but the numbers are not low. I can tell you quite a few where I have rewired myself.

That park a lot of people have been to in Chetumal had almost all plug ins with wrong polarity with bad grounds and I spent several hours with the manager showing him how to fix it.

The old La Siesta in San Miguel de Allende had loose wires hanging out all over the place with no covers on outlets.

In Matehuala I think I have tested every outlet and only found a couple with proper polarity - not to mention ground.

I could go on. I have never gotten fried or lost equipment due to faulty wiring because I always check.

One new RV park we have been to a few times has 6 gauge wire coming into the main breaker panel - to service some 20 RVs. Then they have two circuits using #6 going out several hundred feet on either side with every other RV on one circuit and then the other RVs on the other circuit. One day a few too many appliances and the wires in the breaker panel melted. (no names).

We see this sort of thing all over. We keep a volt meter plugged into an outlet in our RV and can watch the needle going up and down as people turn appliances on and off.

Yes, there are many RV parks that are OK but there are also those that were wired by someone who had any actual knowledge of electricity.

I tried to find some wire size charts online to Copy & Paste here but came up with very little useful stuff. Wire has resistance so when there is a long distance from the breaker panel the wire size must be increased to make up for the loss due to distance. So in SOME parks we have been in they use wire that is too small - they try to run it to quite a few spaces when maybe it is only enough for one space - they run long distances without increasing wire size. There are formulas and calculators for all of this. A wire can only carry so much. Size and distance reduce useful power. Too many spaces on same circuit means too many users could overload the system.

Here is a simple little sort of chart I found - lots of more complex ones can be found online.


Low-voltage Lighting and Lamp Cords 10 Amps 18 Gauge

Extension Cords 13 Amps 16 Gauge

Light Fixtures, Lamps, Lighting Runs 15 Amps 14 Gauge

Receptacles, 110-volt Air Conditioners, Sump Pumps, Kitchen Appliances 20 Amps 12 Gauge

Electric Clothes Dryers, 220-volt Window Air Conditioners, Built-in
Ovens, Electric Water Heaters 30 Amps 10 Gauge

Cook Tops 45 Amps 8 Gauge

Electric Furnaces, Large Electric Heaters 60 Amps 6 Gauge

Electric Furnaces, Large Electric Water Heaters, Sub Panels 80 Amps 4 Gauge

Service Panels, Sub Panels 100 Amps 2 Gauge

Service Entrance 150 Amps 1/0 Gauge

Service Entrance 200 Amps 2/0 Gauge

The point being, every circuit board on every appliance is easily used at 100 to 200 volts IF the manufacturer decided to make it so. Toasting refrigerator circuit boards is mainly due to what is ordered by the factory. Most manufacturers state that the equipment is for Canada and the USA, another 7 volts and your warranty is void. It is a designed fault.

These days manufacturers cut corners wherever they can - even the good ones. Everything is made of cheap thin plastic that is lucky to last a year. I would say you get what you pay for but that wouldn't be true anymore either. We had an old time appliance guy fix our house fridge and he talked about what junk the new ones are - even the high priced big name ones all the rich folks want (not mentioning names). He said some need repairs in the first 6 months and then it takes him 6 months to get the parts because they are built somewhere in Europe. There are lots of things manufacturers could and probably should do but don't hold your breath. How could those big shots fly around in their jets if they had to put money into building stuff they sell?