power surge ptotector

Our Progressive Industries EMS has found a number of mis-wired pedestals over the years and protected us from power surges and brown-outs as well.

Nothing like the peace of mind you get from watching it scroll through both legs and then click on with zero errors.

We just had a power problem at a campground last weekend that fried our microwave. A progressive industries surge guard plugged into the pole showed Open Neutral while the tools the campground maintenance guys were using just confirmed voltage so they thought nothing was wrong!

The campground had an electrician come out after we explained to management what our device was showing, and he confirmed there was an issue with the neutral. They have since agreed to pay for our repairs.

We will never plug in without first testing with the progressive industries surge guard now, as that could have prevented our having to come back home and replace fuses and then try to find out what all was impacted!

JimandLaura wrote:
We just had a power problem at a campground last weekend that fried our microwave. A progressive industries surge guard plugged into the pole showed Open Neutral while the tools the campground maintenance guys were using just confirmed voltage so they thought nothing was wrong!

The campground had an electrician come out after we explained to management what our device was showing, and he confirmed there was an issue with the neutral. They have since agreed to pay for our repairs.

We will never plug in without first testing with the progressive industries surge guard now, as that could have prevented our having to come back home and replace fuses and then try to find out what all was impacted!

I'm confused :H

How did your microwave get damaged IF Progressive Industries showed 'open neutral' which will not allow power thru surge guard to RV ???

Or is it that you checked power pedestal with the Progressive Industries---it indicated open neutral and then you went ahead and used the power pedestal WITHOUT the surge guard in use??

Another vote for a Progressive Industries EMS. I'd suggest the hard wired EMS-HW 30C, if you have the space and access to install one.
It comes with a remote read out, so you can see what's happening, or has happened, with your electric power.

I put one in my 31K last July and have used it in numerous locations, without a problem. Around the first of the the year, I was in a campground and after a few hours of being plugged in, we lost power. It came back on after a while. It took a second time of this happening to realize that my EMS was cutting off the power. It was the result of the campground power dropping below acceptable voltage. At one point the remote was reading 90 volts. I shut off my electric service at the pedestal for the rest of the night, and the next day moved to a different section of the campground. I never encountered any further problems in the new area.

Before I went to the office to get a different site, I talked to a fellow in a class A a couple of sites from my site, who said he had issues also, but was told the problem must be his RV. :R

One of their maintenance guys told me the section I was originally in had that problem. Of course they never bothered to tell that to anyone, and I wouldn't have realized there was a problem If I didn't have an EMS.

I'm running against the grain here, but i prefer the Surge Guard from TRC.

I prefer it because I also invested in a Hughes Autoformer. The Progressive models are really good, but what I wanted was voltage CORRECTION, not something to cut the power to my RV when I really need it (like when everyone at the campground is firing up their ACs). I still monitor my voltage inside the RV with a plug in volt reader. If it gets really bad, I'll just unplug.

RV --> Autoformer --> Surge Guard --> Pedestal. I have surge protection, and I have voltage correction. Its pricey, but so is my RV so I figure WTH.

YMMV

The best pricing to date that I have found on the Progressive Industries EMS-PT30C.

I just ordered one on Amazon for $212.83 should anyone be looking to purchase. I believe this is the best price at this time. The Link is:


Progressive Ind EMS-PT30C

Jopopsy wrote:
I'm running against the grain here, but i prefer the Surge Guard from TRC.

I prefer it because I also invested in a Hughes Autoformer. The Progressive models are really good, but what I wanted was voltage CORRECTION, not something to cut the power to my RV when I really need it (like when everyone at the campground is firing up their ACs). I still monitor my voltage inside the RV with a plug in volt reader. If it gets really bad, I'll just unplug.

RV --> Autoformer --> Surge Guard --> Pedestal. I have surge protection, and I have voltage correction. Its pricey, but so is my RV so I figure WTH.

YMMV

The Autoformer works just fine with the PI unit.

RV --> PI unit --> Autoformer --> Pedestal

Bobbo wrote:

Jopopsy wrote:
I'm running against the grain here, but i prefer the Surge Guard from TRC.

I prefer it because I also invested in a Hughes Autoformer. The Progressive models are really good, but what I wanted was voltage CORRECTION, not something to cut the power to my RV when I really need it (like when everyone at the campground is firing up their ACs). I still monitor my voltage inside the RV with a plug in volt reader. If it gets really bad, I'll just unplug.

RV --> Autoformer --> Surge Guard --> Pedestal. I have surge protection, and I have voltage correction. Its pricey, but so is my RV so I figure WTH.

YMMV

The Autoformer works just fine with the PI unit.

RV --> PI unit --> Autoformer --> Pedestal

True, however the PTC unit will shut down the RV's power at <104. And I didn't want to sacrifice the Autoformer in the event of a surge. I'd rather lose the surge protector and still have the Autoformer. In all my research and forum conversations it is my opinion that you will encounter voltage drop FAR more often than surges. Some campgrounds have voltage drop as a routine part of the stay. Most folks will never experience a surge, especially if they are weekend warriors like myself (not full-timing).

So, assuming the volts are at 103, your RV is now unpowered. Mine is still running w/ the Autoformer at 103*1.1 = 113.3 volts. Not ideal, but within operating range thanks to the Autoformer.

Also, even if the campground volts are at 105, I really wouldn't want my electrical system running on that unless it was corrected to that voltage and I had no other choice.

I guess what I'm saying is if you're REALLY worried about voltage in your camper, a Autoformer would be my preferred method of correction/protection. I added the Surge Guard to protect the RV and the Autoformer. I chose the Surge Guard because it has 2,450 Joules worth of protection in it, far exceeding the Progressive Industries surge protector's SSP-30's 825 or even the EMS-PT30C's 1,790

There is another solution, but it isn't cheap... but this is going to be part of my next rig:

A Victron or Magnum Energy "hybrid" inverter. If the voltage drops below specifications, the inverter boosts it by using the batteries. Coupled with a smart generator controller, this provides a solid backup method for stable power, because if power completely goes out in the middle of the night, the inverter will draw from the batteries, then the generator controller will notice the batteries at a low water mark, and start the genset (if you have programmed it to do so, of course.)

Even with this setup, I'd still have a hardwired EMS in front of the inverter, just to ensure nothing gets fried if I end up with 240 volts rather than 120.

Of course, the downside with my setup is that if the CG voltage is at 103 volts, stuff will run without issue quietly until the generator kicks in.

All and all, the autoformer may be a good idea to have. With the setup I have planned for my next rig, if I add an autoformer behind a surge suppressor and before the EMS, I then have a rig that can handle a lower voltage from the CG without having to engage the generator and wake everyone up.

Looks like the Surge Guard also drops power if the voltage is too low (less than 102V) or too high (greater than 132V).

Didn't know that - learn something new everyday. Seeing that, I'm even happier that I have the setup I do. Some would argue putting the Autoformer in front of the Surge Guard: RV --> Surge Guard --> Autoformer --> Post. However I would not want to sacrifice the Autoformer due to a surge.