SJ-Chris wrote:
*** Power Surge Protection ***
I hear a lot of people who encourage buying/using a surge protector when plugged in at campgrounds. Cost ~$200. I suspect that most people do NOT have/use surge protectors, but that is just based on my observations.
What I hardly ever hear is people talking about damage to their electrical system due to an electrical surge. So it makes me wonder if it is really a big issue or not.
Specifically, as it pertains to Cruise America former rental units....I wonder something... Cruise America sends out 1000s and 1000s of renters every year and NOT ONE of them has a surge protector! Why not? Is it because in reality they aren't needed? Do you think Cruise America has their RVs built with some sort of built-in surge protection?? Do GFCI circuits protect against surges?? Just want to hear the thoughts of other CA formal rental owners...
Is there a single Former Rental unit Owner out there who, without using a surge protector, has had a power surge that damaged their RV's electrical system/components?
Honestly, I don't even mind buying one and using one for myself. BUT, I often times let others (family/etc) use my Majestics and I know they will either forget to use it, or lose it, etc.
Thoughts?
-Chris
Cruise America....the largest RV renter in the world(?)....sends out 1000s and 1000s of inexperienced RVers every year plugging in to every campsite imaginable, and not one of them goes out with a surge protector. If it was an issue that happened on any regularity, it seems like they would have surge protectors built into their Majestics (....I'm guessing if you buy 1000 RVs from Thor you could likely have them install a built in surge protector for much less than the $200-250 it would cost to buy one off the shelf). The fact that they don't seems to indicate it's not a problem, right?
Just for fun, I just called CA rentals and asked them about the need for surge protectors if I'm renting one of their units. The person didn't even know what I was talking about, and said nobody has ever asked about the need for surge protection before when renting. Yes, it's anecdotal but thought it was interesting.
It certainly can't hurt to use a surge protector...just not sure if it is really needed. Maybe another way of looking at this is risk vs cost... Let's assume the cost of a decent surge protector (aka power manager/hookup) is $250. What are the ODDS that you are going to have your electronics fried due to bad power or a surge at a campsite if not using your surge protector? 1 in 10? 1 in 100? Let's call it 1 in 50. (I personally don't know a single person that it's happened to, but I don't know that many RVers). Then let's take a guess at what the "cost" would be associated with bad power or a surge... Blown AC/Microwave/Fridge motherboard/TV/DVD/Converter? I'm just trying to think of all the major 120v electrical items in a typical Former Rental. If you had to replace ALL of those items it would likely cost you $3000-$5000. Let's assume that on average you wouldn't even need to replace ALL of your electronics and let's say half of them get blown. So you are looking at an expense of ~$2000. If the odds of that happening are 1 in 50, then paying $250 for the surge protector doesn't seem like the right thing to do if you are just going by a risk vs cost analysis. Maybe this is inherently why most RVers do not bother with a surge protector? Thoughts?
Note: As a Former Rental owner, we are talking about fairly basic RVs that only cost $25,000 - $40,000 to purchase/outfit. If I owned a $100,000 or $250,000 RV with WAY more expensive electrical stuff that could get damaged then it would be a no-brainer to get a great surge protector/power management hookup. This discussion is as it pertains to Formal Rental units which is why I posted it here to hear people's thoughts.
Happy Camping!
Chris
