Electrical hookup Question

I'm with you and also won't use a faulty plug. One nice feature of my hardwired unit is a fault code on the remote display. And disconnecting for high/low voltage is great.

Reverse polarity doesn't cause any voltage on the frame/skin due to the ground wire. But one level of safety is compromised and an open ground even on an appliance could be shocking. :B

Just quick note on 30 amp systems. our previous coach was 30 amp and we had the Progressive Industries installed protection. We had several expected low voltage protection cutoffs (under 108 v) and that seemed normal and we were glad to be protected. Then in a NY State Park when it cut out I was surprised to see 134 V showing on the monitor. When I checked at the post it was also 134 v. That was only late evening when the air cooled and everyone shut down their ACs.

At another park, in El Paso NM, I plugged the unit in and it would not connect as there was a polarity fault on 30 amp. I got my tester out and found an unused post one site over that tested good. Had the night manager block out that site and report the problem. No telling how many rigs plugged in and hadn't a clue that they might have a hot skin/frame because of that. Might not cause any problem in the coach, but sure would cause an issue to a person standing on damp ground and touching the frame of the coach!

The unit you bought is the top of the line product and it will protect your rig. I would plug it into the post and plug the rig 30A cord into it and chain it to the post and cover with a bucket to keep it dry (actually put it on a foot stool, I use a plastic collapsible one) I5 bungie the handles of the bucket I used to the foot stool and so it keeps dry and out of sight really. I have a 50 amp Hughes Autoformer and when I get some money am going to buy a Progressive Industries electrical manager system. They each do their job. A friend had one plugged in(Progressive) and it stopped the electrical from going to the RV because there was an open ground at the electrical pedestal. SAVED her lots of money and she just moved her electrical cord to another plug. I think portable is better so when you buy a new rig you take it with you.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi rgatijnetl,

Hence the need to check before you plug in.

Checking it with a meter or plug in polarity tester will tell you if the polarity is right and the voltage is OK, BUT it will not tell you if the proper wire gauge was used or if all of the wire connections are tight. If the wire gauge is too small, or the wire connections are loose, as soon as you start to draw a load, the voltage could drop or you could lose the ground or neutral. Checking with a meter also will not tell you what happens when a bunch of other coaches are connected to the same power branch, and their power load causes the voltage to drop or fluctuate, due to insufficient power availability.
Only an EMS can protect you then.

Do not purchase the lick device from Camping World - it is useless. We just got two locks and a cable and put one lock around the bottom of the protector, connect the cable to it and attach the cable around the back hitch of the coach.

Hi rgatijnetl,

Hence the need to check before you plug in.

Also keep in mind that most RV parks have "handymen" or other park employees, that take care of any maintenance problems that happen in an RV park. These are not always licensed electricians and therefore you cannot always assume that the box that you connect your RV to is/was wired properly. IN fact, on this forum many people have checked their park power boxes and found the polarity to be reversed. Chances are this would NOT have happened if a licensed electrician did the wiring. The problem is that licensed electricians cost real money and many RV parks will not spend that money which leaves the RV owner to discover the problem and suffer the consequences. It is foolish to ASSUME that just because you have a 30 amp service plug that it will never have 220 volts present. On this forum we have heard of owners that have plugged their 30 amp cord into their residential 30 amp 220 plug. The same thing can happen in an RV park if the person wiring the box does not know what he is doing.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

I see you are in a 30 amp RV. Take the unit back for a refund. You do not need it. 50 amp rv's DO need that sort of protection because they are on two "legs" of power, and if the neutral wire is loose or faulted in some way then lots of damage can happen.

For 30 amp that is not a possible scenario. Simply check the voltage and polarity before you plug in.

I so love it when folks have no clue. I wish you luck

Imagine this.. You are on a park where all the odd number sites the 30 amp outlet is on leg one,, All the even one it's leg two.

now.. You are watching TV, using the fantastic fan to keep cool (not the A/C) and your neighbor's AC kicks in..... Sadly there is an open neutral in the park and you are now looking at over 150 volts frying the power supply in your TV, Microwave and other stuff.

Sure you don't need over/under voltage protection.

Second, note the OVER/UNDER.

We talk about "Surge" (RV surge guards are TRUE surge guards, those power strips with the six outlets are not).

But the fact is they protect against both OVER voltage and UNDER voltage.. I've seen 84 volts at the pedestal in the park where I'm currently camped (Different site) 84 volts won't be doing your air conditioners any good.


Finally we come to spikes.. Spikes often happen with a big ticket item cuts out (Again the air conditioner) and this happens on both the 30 and 50 amp lines

The cheap six outlet strips DO contain spike supression

So does the RV Surge protector, and a whole lot of it (So does my RV).

So you do need them no matter if it's a 30 or 50 amp rig.

By the way I've seen that open neutral thing in the park I "most of the winter" at.. exactly as I described above.

In another park it was one of the hot legs, but it could have easily been the neutral.

We have had our power manager for over 2 years of full-time camping in all types of camp situations. We have never worried about our things being stolen, and so far so good. If you are in a campground where that is a concern, maybe it's not the right campground to be in. Most campers are like family and watch out for each other.