surge guard protectors

One of the first things we do on arrival is plug in our Progressive Industries PT50C 50 Amp Portable.

Hi,

No thanks. Here is why. My comfort level for brown out is 108 volts. The current crop of surge devices shut off the power at 104, so that "feature" is useless to me.

A careful RV'er will check the voltage and polarity before plugging the RV into an unknown power source.

A careful RV'er does monitor voltage after plugging in.

Below 108 volts, I power just the converter, and then power the rest of the RV from my inverter. I have a surge device on the converter which cost a whole $2.00. It meets my needs.

If voltage is "hovering" just above 108 volts, I'll use my inverter to power any "heavy" loads, such as the hotplates I use for cooking.

It is quite unlikely to have an over voltage situation on a 30 amp service, where as, if a wire comes loose on a 50 amp service it is possible to have nearly double the voltage on one leg.

Anything that an RV'er can afford is going to get creamed by a serious power surge such as a transformer failure, and it will fail to protect the "sensitive electronics" from that surge. For a 30 amp service surge protection is quite close, in my opinion, to the Emperor's new clothes. For 50 amp, there is a valid reason to have such a device.

If I wished to buy something that I might find useful, it would be an autoformer to boost low voltage.

gotsmart wrote:
pianotuna, you may want to consider adding a surge protector to your wish list of things to buy in the future - and store it in the MH even if you don't intend to use it. Why? I've actually been at a couple of parks where they included a supplemental page to their welcome packet that bluntly says that the park's power may fluctuate and suffer brown-outs and outages. The supplemental recommends the use of surge protection and disclaims liability for any damage to the electrical system of the guest's RV.

I think it is a "good-to-have" for when you arrive at a park with power issues, or when you're setting up and your next door neighbor "Hey, if you got a surge protector you ought to use it 'cuz the power has been awful this week".

It falls under the "be prepared for anything" category.

On my TT, had a portable 30amp Surge Guard, sold it to a buddy when we purchase our 5er since it is 50 amp. Hard wired a Progressive Industries EMS with remote. I liked the fact of not having to handle one more thing when setting up, no theft concern and mostly, since the unit idles more than Surge Guard and is well reviewed here.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

No thanks. Here is why. My comfort level for brown out is 108 volts.
...
A careful RV'er does monitor voltage after plugging in.

...

I also monitor and I use one of the below TRC monitors in the coach. Right now it is breakfast time and I'm looking at the monitor fluctuate between 108v and 116v. I have nothing running at the moment, except this laptop. When it is consistently running 108v the AC gets turned off, if on (or not turned on). I've seen what the hot leg on a 30A shore power can do when it cooks. Folks would be amazed at the fluctuations across the day (ie: 7AM, 10AM, 2PM, 6PM, 10PM) in some of the older parks - especially during the summer.

My MH has an old Parallax 7345 POS that is in a difficult location for me to service(replace) and the coach has no power transfer switch. I have to unplug from the pedestal when running on the genset. So for me, the surge guard on the pedestal is all about "someone having my back when away from the park for the day". A 104v cutoff is better than nothing, if no one is present in the RV. I don't carry a spare converter.

gotsmart wrote:

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

No thanks. Here is why. My comfort level for brown out is 108 volts.
...
A careful RV'er does monitor voltage after plugging in.

...

I also monitor and I use one of the below TRC monitors in the coach. Right now it is breakfast time and I'm looking at the monitor fluctuate between 108v and 116v. I have nothing running at the moment, except this laptop. When it is consistently running 108v the AC gets turned off, if on (or not turned on). I've seen what the hot leg on a 30A shore power can do when it cooks. Folks would be amazed at the fluctuations across the day (ie: 7AM, 10AM, 2PM, 6PM, 10PM) in some of the older parks - especially during the summer.

My MH has an old Parallax 7345 POS that is in a difficult location for me to service(replace) and the coach has no power transfer switch. I have to unplug from the pedestal when running on the genset. So for me, the surge guard on the pedestal is all about "someone having my back when away from the park for the day". A 104v cutoff is better than nothing, if no one is present in the RV. I don't carry a spare converter.

Great idea, if you happen to be locking at the thing when **** happens. And it also monitors ONLY voltage level. There is a whole lot more that can go wrong. As alluded to above, the price reflects the capability of the device. The PI EMS is expensive however, it's real cheap insurance relative to the electronics exposed to the many risks that can occur in an electrical system. You need to do some research to understand the capabilities of an EMS (energy management system)

If you have a voltage regulator also is the correct order -- Post-Voltage Regulator-Surge Guard -TT?
I vote for the PI EMS also.

Hi vic46,

My average for camping is about 70 nights per year. I started my "adult" RVing 11 years ago. so that is about 770 nights. Of those, less than 10% were at campgrounds. Of those campgrounds only 2/3 had any power. I am now semi full time and have spend over 70 nights since May 1 boondocking. I have no need at all for more surge suppression than I already have. They are nearly unnecessary for a 30 amp service, and nearly useless for my needs.

50 amp service is a different story. Risks are far higher of a loose screw on a neutral which is a non issue for 30 amps. (but still quite small)

It may be better to look at surge protected autoformers, before using something that cripples the use of the electrical system by cutting off the power at what may be too low a voltage to prevent damage to electric motors. My comfort level is 108 volts or above.

Here is what I use before I plug in anywhere.

kill-a-watt

watt meter



Outlet tester.

outlet tester

vic46 wrote:
Great idea, if you happen to be locking at the thing when **** happens. And it also monitors ONLY voltage level. There is a whole lot more that can go wrong. As alluded to above, the price reflects the capability of the device. The PI EMS is expensive however, it's real cheap insurance relative to the electronics exposed to the many risks that can occur in an electrical system. You need to do some research to understand the capabilities of an EMS (energy management system)

I have a 50amp Surge 34750 that I have no use for -- works great
PM me if interested

Like PT I do not use one - to each their own
Don't believe we have ever camped in a RV park with shore power

wbwood wrote:
I just ordered the Surge guard 30 amp from CW. They are on sale for $239.99. And if you are a GS member, there is a $20 off coupon you can get off your account, plus you get free shipping. Ordered mine Friday morning and I have an email that it will be here Tuesday.

I have the old model of this and have had it for over 4 years and do not plug in anywhere even the house with out it.

It has protected us so many times and I am sure saved us many repair bills.

IMHO meters are dandy when you are looking at them but totally worthless if you are not.

When I added up the replacement cost of all the electronics in the camper from the control cards in the fridge to the heat-pump and A/C units, to the TV, microwave and stereo; the Progressive Industry EMS was cheap insurance for my money.

Just like a water pressure regulators. Some use them, some don't.

It's your camper what is your stuff worth to you?