Hardwired Surge Protector..Hard To Do?

Yeah what they said. I've installed ours in our last 2 RV's and I'm allergic to electricity. It has a tendency to shock the crapola out of me. LOL!

avvidclif1 wrote:
I found the hardest part was bending that 6ga wire around. I had forgotten how stiff it was. And it was the stranded, just not the flexible variety. My belly didn't help.

X2 - most difficult part

I installed mine in the storage compartment behind the breaker panel.

Progressive Industries 50 Amp Hard Wired EMS with Remote Display.
The instructons were very good.

I just installed a PI 50 amp Hw unit last winter. Took a few hours but is basicly paint by numbers. As stated all depends on your layout and access.
On my trailer the 50 amp came wired with sheathed cables. Very stiff and very awkward. I went to a cable supply house and got a 30 inch rubberized suitable cable. What a difference to work with. That cable I pre wired as it was the OUT to the circuit panel. It was stranded wire and went very well. The inlet side about 6 ft of hard sheathed cable was very hard to bend, cut and wire in.
I am not an experienced electrical guy but can handle the basics and work a screw driver.
Prior to plugging the cord back in and flipping the breaker I double checked everything step by step and realized I hadn't plugged in the remote readout cable. Once done I fired it up and it popped the pedestal breaker. Several tries all got the same result.
A fellow camper came by and checked my work. A quick change and everything worked properly and has ever since.
When I wired the inlet side I had cut the outer sheath too far back. This exposed the inner wires. Even though they were coated the stress relief clamp on the PI pressed the red wire and was enough to short the power breaker. We re cut the wire and double taped the sheath at the stress relief point. Solved the problem.
I would say if you have the old electrical cable plastic sheathed and very stiff, replace it with rubber sheathed and stranded cable. So much easier to work with.
The space inside the PI unit is tight but doable with flexible wire. Or go with the portable unit.

I was able to install a surge protector myself on my previous fiver (a 30-amp Okanagan), because of ease of access; that's important. On my current fiver it was an option that I purchased. If you can't get where you need to to get the job done, you might consider having it done professionally.

Mike

I found the hardest part was bending that 6ga wire around. I had forgotten how stiff it was. And it was the stranded, just not the flexible variety. My belly didn't help.

All TT's are different. I added mine a couple of weeks ago. It was very fast (about an hour and I am NOT a master electrician) Mine had a nice junction box where it was easy to get to from the storage compartment under the bunk beds. As long as you understand basic principles of "line-in and load" sides, you are good. Read directions of the best placement and how to mount.

Some TT's you may not have access to the junction box into the trailers electric, that is where some time will be spent splicing and making it safe correct

gcloss wrote:
The level of difficulty depends on how the original wiring was done at the factory. Such as where junction boxes are located, where your converter is located and how easy it is to access the areas where they are mounted. .

yep my friends winnie had the connection box in a basement compartment, remove one screw, side came off, there were the three connectors where the cord was fastened, took a 3-4 ft long piece of appropriate cable and ran from box to SP and hooked up cord to other side of SP.
bumpy

Took me about 1/2 hour and I'm a master electrician. worst part bending over and trying to get into space where cord and hardwire come together. Big fat tummy in the way. please know what you are doing or hire a professional. An electrician may be cheaper. The camping store gets $99 an hour. We charge around $65.

The level of difficulty depends on how the original wiring was done at the factory. Such as where junction boxes are located, where your converter is located and how easy it is to access the areas where they are mounted.

Because of where my incoming power cord and junction box was located, it was a real PITA to install and connect my Progressive Industries surge protector.

Now that it is installed, I have peace of mind that my trailer is protected.

If you know your way around electrical wires and are a bit of a mechanic yes. But otherwise get it professionally installed. Its just as much of a pain getting the wires right as it is finding where to put it. Alot of motorhomes have electrical boxes have room to the cord and have plenty of space. But trailers have it where you plug one end in to the Rv and the other into the power box. And thus meaning you must open up panels or go underneath the Rv to find a good spot.