info on surge protectors

My Surge Guard has been on the job for more than 10 years and still going strong.

It's very comforting to have on the road. However, it did make me inconveniently move to another campground one time when it refused to let me run my trailer on the power there. When I told the owner, he insisted there was nothing wrong with his electric service. I told him I was sure he was right and that I was just a paranoid and would just move on anyway. I wonder what would have happened that day without the Surge Guard on my side.

Hi Mex,

Great link! Thanks. My opinion is still that brown outs cause far more damage than surges. Surge is a multifaceted word that has different meanings.

It can mean

Over voltage

Under voltage

spike

transient

and others I have not remembered or failed to mention

In addition 50 amp service needs to be protected from open neutrals.

All RV's need protection from incorrect wiring (hot and neutral reversed) and from a bad ground.

With what is currently available that means getting a top of the line progressive dynamics unit and an autoformer, too.

One can forget about protecting from a direct lightening strike, and probably about a nearby strike too. When that happens nothing affordable is available for protection.

Wiring should be checked before plugging in. It would be best to do so while loading the circuit.

My next purchase will be some kind of autoformer.

I've got to get my act together down here and chase down leads for voltage correction devices. Mexico has become the land of transformers, autoforners, and VCD'S. BTW 115Kv transformers to 2 megawatts.

Where are the components for the RV VCD'S manufactured? The transformers and control circuits?

DutchmenSport wrote:


Mine does not have all the advanced read-outs. I don't need all that stuff, and actually don't care. If the Progressive protector kicks off, I know there is a problem at the campground. I'll call the park service to check out the electric post.

x2
bumpy

I had a Surge Guard for a little over a year. Used it 24x7. No issues. But I have no clue how many times it might have taken "hits". Then early this Summer, went camping, plugged it in and ... nothing! Dead. Since it was over a year old it was out of warranty. I started looking a Progressive.

Progressive was a bit cheaper, but also came with a life-time warranty. I've had it plugged in 24x7 now also. So far, no issues.

Mine does not have all the advanced read-outs. I don't need all that stuff, and actually don't care. If the Progressive protector kicks off, I know there is a problem at the campground. I'll call the park service to check out the electric post.

I suggest getting the Progressive, after having had both now.

Here is a link to a great however a little nerdy article about surge protection. Being old school, I disdain trying to label voltage correction with surge protection title. One protects against short duration extreme voltage events, the other against long term mild to moderate voltage events.

Long term events has been addressed adequately with autotransformer correction. But autotransformers offer 0.0000% protection against voltage transients. Electrical windings can survive transient voltage events, solid state components are extremely vulnerable.

MOV's

Gas Tube Discharge devices

TVS bi-directional devices to handle positive and negative oriented transients.

Ah heck if a person can't afford to handle a thousand dollars or so in blown electronics, they shouldn't be RV'ing. Right?


http://www.onsemi.com/pub_link/Collateral/TND335-D.PDF

cbshoestring wrote:
Like others have said....Progressive Industries seems like the best deal. I instaledl my own last year.

You may not be able to use that Facebook link.
Better to use something like photobucket

MEXICOWANDERER wrote:
Still inquiring...

Has anyone here opened up ANY voltage correction device for RV use and determined what is inside for transient voltage suppression? That wonderful pair of companies, refuse to divulge information because of National Security reasons.

Why is it I think they contain a dollar's worth of MOV's and nothing else?

There are two kinds of "Surge Guards" One, is very close to exactly what you describe (Perhaps 5.00 worth of MOVs a couple LED's and a few resistors). I seriously DO NOT recommend this type of device,, They are not true surge guards, they are spike suppressors.

That said. They have value, I have one (several in fact) These are also sold as power strips (The computer is plugged into one right now).

But as the primary protection device,, Junk

Now Progressive Industries makes some like the HW50C and PT50C (they also make a 30 amp version of both)

These have an LCD display that shows you error codes, voltages, and currents, they monitor current (Mostly because thy can, do not act on it, just monitor it) and volts If the voltage goes over/under pre-set limtes or if the frequency goes outside a pre-set range they shut you off

Why do thaey do that?

Many RV parks (older ones) have rather anemic wiring, they were layed out when RV's mostly used 15/20 amps, and some used 30 and nobody even thought of 50's.. So the underground wires are way too small, This means when the park is empty power is good,, but as the park fills 120 becomes 115 becomes 110 becomes... Well I've seen 84 at the pedestal.

This low a voltage can cause your Air Conditoner compressor to overheat and let all the magic smoke out of it.. NOT a good thing. Not a good thing at all.

And in some cases the park management will have the power company tap a bit higher on the power transformer, Now when the park is full you get say 112 volt, but as it empties out that goes up, long around 130 to 135 your protector will shut you off because beyond that power supplies in televisions, radios, microwaves, sat receivers and such (This includes some converters) also release their magic smoke.

And, then there is the poor guy who plugged into what he thought was a TT-30 (Heck, it may have actually BEEN a TT-30 he had proessionally installed by someone who did not understand the words MAX 125VAC printed on the thing

The LCD models will say 240 volts

And if you are smart and have read the fine manual you will know that means UNPLUG NOW and try a different outlet.

But the non-lcd models will let double voltage hit your rig and .... Let the smoke out.

Yeah I have to build my own suppressor systems. I'm not writing about voltage correction, I'm referring to transient voltage suppression.

Have you considered that absorbsion refrigerator board problems maybe, are, just the eentiest possibility connected to the AC heating element circuit and entry of transient voltages to the ENTIRE board? Transients will blow through power supply systems so fast it'd make your head swim. Ponder the effect of Peak INVERSE Voltages on a DC power supply logic circuit.

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