Which surge guard and why?

ScottG wrote:
Progressive industries says it has a life time warranty but now that is only true if you have it "Professionally installed".

It would benefit everyone if you were to delete your statement that, while true for a brief period of time after Progressive Industries was sold to another owner, is now not true at all - their hard wire EMS units only need to be properly installed in order for the lifetime warranty to remain in force.

ScottG wrote:
I have the PI 50A version and while it works as advertised, its display is something from the 70's. I also found that the voltage displayed was off by more than 4V - which would make it shut down when the voltages are close to being high but not actually over spec.

Not true at all. Yes, the voltage readings can be off but it's a simple matter to recalibrate the unit against a meter of known calibration - I've done it myself. Secondly, the meter reading is just that, a meter reading, and has no bearing on the low or high voltage disconnect threshold.

suprz wrote:
I have read that the TRC units come with a guarantee not only to protect on the "service" side, but also if it fails to protect the rv side, TRC will cover the repairs that the unit failure caused.

An EMS, no matter who makes it, can only protect devices downstream of the unit itself, not anything before it.

ScottG wrote:
Progressive industries says it has a life time warranty but now that is only true if you have it "Professionally installed".
The vast majority of us are DIY'rs and are fully capable of installing these things but PI has seen fit to give themselves this "out".

This is old and not true,it has been discussed here many times and I have called the company about it and here is the Warranty.

Limited Lifetime Warranty
Our Lifetime Warranty covers only
Progressive Industries workmanship, internal electronics and
parts & materials contained within the unit housing. Any and all damage to the outside of the unit is not covered.
External damage is typically associated with a poor connection between your RV or our EMS/SSP units and a power cord. The Lifetime Warranty
does not cover labor or shipping charges.

Our Lifetime Warranty is exclusive to Progressive Industries and is granted in lieu of all other express or implied
warranties, obligations or liabilities.
This is a non-transferable Lifetime Warranty.It applies only to the original owner and covers only those
products purchased from an authorized dealer, retailer, or seller.
This warranty covers manufacturer
defects in materials and workmanship.
A proof of purchase is required for all warranty claims.
The follow are excluded and not covered by the Lifetime
Warranty and/or void the Lifetime
Warranty.
Improper installation of a hard wired unit
We strongly recommend that a competent electrical
professional perform the installation of hard wired units.
Products installed or used in an application other than an RV

Products operated outside systems compatible and compliant with RV surge protectors.
Products used in a manner inconsistent with the operating instructions
Use of replacement parts or accessories that are non-compliant with Progressive Industries specifications

I installed mine as instructed in the Company Video and the tech I talked to said that it would be covered,I have had no problems except the failure of the remote unit,which they agreed that there were problems with the older units. They sent me a free replacement overnight.

I have read that the TRC units come with a guarantee not only to protect on the "service" side, but also if it fails to protect the rv side, TRC will cover the repairs that the unit failure caused. Now, i wasnt born yesterday so i realize that the covered repairs are probably after TRC gets they failed unit back for inspection, etc...etc... I also believe that TRC units have a higher surge "joules" rating than the PI units

Progressive industries says it has a life time warranty but now that is only true if you have it "Professionally installed".
The vast majority of us are DIY'rs and are fully capable of installing these things but PI has seen fit to give themselves this "out".

I have the PI 50A version and while it works as advertised, its display is something from the 70's. I also found that the voltage displayed was off by more than 4V - which would make it shut down when the voltages are close to being high but not actually over spec. It can be calibrated by the user but for what it costs, the manufacturer should do it. Having worked in electronics during my career, I consider this a quality issue.

If they would update their product and go to a realistic warranty, it would be a much better buy. Until then, I would compare it to the "Surge Guard" brand line of products.

I went with the Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C. I liked that it is mounted inside my camper so I will never forget it, no chance of theft (low risk) and it was very easy to install with little DIY knowledge.


https://www.campingworld.com/30-amp-surge-protector-with-voltage-protection

suprz wrote:
Looking at the hardwire models of the TRC Surge Guard, and the Progressive Industries surge guards.. Looking for info on both from those that have one,and why you chose the one you chose

Surge Guard is a proprietary name used by TRC for it's variety of EMS / surge protectors so by definition the Progressive Industries units aren't "surge guards". In the PI series you'd want either an EMS-HW30C or EMS-HW50C, depending on what service your trailer is wired with. I have the former and I can count on it saving the day several times each season. :B I owned a portable TRC Surge Guard previously and this time chose a hard wire Progressive unit over a portable version because it's field serviceable, meaning it doesn't have to be returned to Progressive for repair, rather the company will just mail me the required parts. Trip delay time can also be changed from 15" to 136" by removing an internal jumper, though I wired a switch across the contact points to make switching between the two that much easier ... delay for the portable version is fixed at 136". I installed mine using connectors so I can remove it at any time by simply unplugging it. Pics are in my gallery.

BTW, many will insist that the Progressive units are "superior" because they're sold with a limited lifetime warranty but so too are the latest versions of TRC units, the 34930 and 34950, so don't let misinformation dissuade you if you prefer TRC over PI. TRC models also tend to be somewhat less costly than similar PI models.