Surge protector

cummins2014 wrote:
Another tidbit about these surge protectors , I have the Progressive 50 hardwired, they do not let the power thru on the small generators , no ground. I was lucky ,was in the mountains no cell service ,drove to find service . Talked to a friend about why I didn't have any power going in from my Honda 2000, and he had just read an article about that, that those small generators are not grounded . The larger onboard ,and contractor generators are grounded ,and will let the power thru. It was just a simple matter of turning off the surge protecter . I would have never thought of that, never having read that before . Also there is a grounding plug you can buy that plugs into the generator, for a better choice of words ,it lies to the surge protecter thinking its been grounded. Southwire sells one on Amazon that I bought , farily cheap it was about $13 with tax. Part # is Southwire 44400 Surge Guard.

I am assuming the portables are the same if used with one of those small generators. I never used the portable surge protector I had on my previous fifth wheel when running the Honda 2000, so I never knew the issue with them. From reading it sounds likes using the the surge protector all the time is not a bad thing, even with the small generators. Big reason now why I bought the Southwire 44400 ,so I can leave my hard wired surge protector on all the time .

You can build a bonding plug for less than $2. Go to a big box hardware store and buy a replacement 3 prong plug and 2 inches of wire. The wire's size does not matter since it will not carry current. Put the wire connecting the NEUTRAL and GROUND pins of the plug. DO NOT connect anything to the HOT pin. Done.