Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C Problem
After an incident at a campground that fried my TV and microwave six years ago, I decided it was time to get some protection.
I purchased and installed the Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C Electrical Management System. I had no problems with it until this year. I noticed a smell in the TT and a short while later lost power. The readout showed no error codes, and the voltage at the campground pole was ok. Yet, no voltage available in the RV. I accessed the unit, and too my shock the unit top was severely deformed (melted). After removing the cover a visual inspection revealed all the wires to the switching solenoid had melted insulation and discoloration from overheating. Upon removing the unit I also noted the particle board laminate had also melted underneath the unit. I've considerable mechanical and engineering experience, and it appeared to me the solenoid had experienced a failure that caused the overheating.
I called progressive and discussed it with them. They felt the overheating was probably due to a bad connection. And, felt it was because I had solder dressed the ends of the power wires prior to inserting them into the screw clamp. Solder dressing the power wires is a pretty common practice. My TT came that way. I could buy the bad connection theory if it was just one wire. But, it was every wire connected to that solenoid. They declined to warranty the unit for this reason, and I decided to not argue the point any further.
It appears to me the unit does a great job of monitoring incoming power. But, falls short in monitoring problems with the box itself. In my opinion a voltage drop across the main solenoid or excessive heat should trigger a shutdown and a failure code on the display.
All of the arguments for hardwiring a unit in the RV, like out of the elements and less chance of theft, go right out the window when a chance of fire exist however slight. If I were going to install another unit the bare minimum would be some sort of standoff to keep it out of contact with combustible material.
I purchased and installed the Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C Electrical Management System. I had no problems with it until this year. I noticed a smell in the TT and a short while later lost power. The readout showed no error codes, and the voltage at the campground pole was ok. Yet, no voltage available in the RV. I accessed the unit, and too my shock the unit top was severely deformed (melted). After removing the cover a visual inspection revealed all the wires to the switching solenoid had melted insulation and discoloration from overheating. Upon removing the unit I also noted the particle board laminate had also melted underneath the unit. I've considerable mechanical and engineering experience, and it appeared to me the solenoid had experienced a failure that caused the overheating.
I called progressive and discussed it with them. They felt the overheating was probably due to a bad connection. And, felt it was because I had solder dressed the ends of the power wires prior to inserting them into the screw clamp. Solder dressing the power wires is a pretty common practice. My TT came that way. I could buy the bad connection theory if it was just one wire. But, it was every wire connected to that solenoid. They declined to warranty the unit for this reason, and I decided to not argue the point any further.
It appears to me the unit does a great job of monitoring incoming power. But, falls short in monitoring problems with the box itself. In my opinion a voltage drop across the main solenoid or excessive heat should trigger a shutdown and a failure code on the display.
All of the arguments for hardwiring a unit in the RV, like out of the elements and less chance of theft, go right out the window when a chance of fire exist however slight. If I were going to install another unit the bare minimum would be some sort of standoff to keep it out of contact with combustible material.
