RV surge protection

bob213 wrote:
Now we have 50 year old campgrounds trying to maintain RV's drawing 50amps with two A/C's and countless electronics. The campground wiring is probably the same and can't keep up with todays demand.

Actually the situation is much worse ... all those large 5ths and MHs with dual A/C that are wired with 50 amp main service can each pull as much as 100 amps because that so-called "50 amp service" is really 50 amps across 2 legs. Fill an older campground during the hot summer months with a bunch of these rigs all loading down an electrical system built years ago that wasn't designed for this kind of load and you can bet there'll be plenty of voltage sag. :M I particularly remember a time when we were camping in the Schroon Lake area in the Adirondacks and when I checked my campsite source voltage before I was about to plug in it was already sitting at 104 vac. :E Under load it would have been even worse. :M

I've never run any sort of surge protection in any of our previous trailers and somehow seemed to survive but when an opportunity came up last year to buy one at a really good price I jumped at it. As far as I know it's not saved our trailer's electrical system while camping but it sure did here at the house where I keep the trailer during the season ... some sort of surge that blew out the television in the house and tripped the surge guard protecting the trailer. Lucky me, I'd say that surge guard paid for itself in that one event ... as for the television, I got lucky there too ... found a replacement power supply on the internet, put it in, and the television was back up and running, saving us from having to buy another TV. Now I've got a surge protector on the circuit feeding it too.

To the OP - invest in some sort of electrical protection for your trailer ... sooner or later you'll be really glad you did. :W