Generators and surge protectors

We were lucky enough not to have any power problems at campgrounds since we started camping in 1988. But after buying our new rig this past summer, I decided to buy a Progressive Industries 30 Amp Portable Electrical Management System:
http://www.dyersonline.com/progressive-industries-30-amp-portable-electrical-management-system.html

Althought they're not cheap, it's better to buy one than having damage to the ac, converter, fridge or electronics gear.

We've never needed a generator as we camp in campgrounds and parks with power.
So, you will have to decide where you will be taking your rig and whether you need to invest in a generator. If you do, buy a good one as they are better, quieter and will last. Beware of all the cheapo imports that are on the market...not really good for use with RV.

We have also been considering the power protector (surge and over/under voltage) and generator issue. We don't boondock so a generator would be useful only in an emergency situation. We have one at home for that purpose. A lot of people swear by power protection. Last season (our first) we didn't have one. There were no problems. We were lucky. You can stay lucky forever and never need one. But consider the risk. First of all, even modern power sources can suffer surges and brown outs. Since most of us camp in the country where power is delivered by overhead lines, there is always the risk of a lightning hit, which can create a very brief spike before power company protection kicks in. Or worse, your campground could get hit past the power company transformer, in which case the only protection you have is what you installed. Newer AC units should have undervoltage protection built in. The compressor should trip your breakers before it burns out. But given the quality of RV makers, that may not be true for you. If the AC has a breaker rated for the power drawn by the AC, then chances are that undervoltage (which raises ampere demand from the compressor)will trip the breaker. If, however, the breaker is rated high enough, the compressor will not trip the breaker. Then you have to hope that the compressor itself has some sort of thermal cutoff.

I have been unable to learn whether the power centers in new RV's have over/under voltage protection built in. My dealer says they do, but then he will tell me the moon is made of cheese if it gets him the sale.

External protection like the Progressive devices cost anywhere from $300 and up depending on the service you have. It seems to me spending that money is a good insurance policy for the electrical equipment in your TT.

Most of my 6 years of TT ownership has been without a generator with no problems. Mostly we either stayed where there were hookups or when we did boondock, we were only there for a weekend, and the single 12 volt battery on our rig was up to the task and didn't need recharging.

I'd been eyeing small (2,000 watt or so) generators primarily so I could take my studio lights on location, and when I stumbled across an 1800 watt inverter generator on clearance for $199, I got one. So far, we've used it on just one trip in the camper. In 2011 we took it along when we went to the Grand Canyon, and it was used twice to recharge the battery because there were no hookups in the North Rim and Zion campgrounds we stayed at. Otherwise, we haven't used it while camping.

So the big question you have to ask is whether you plan to boondock enough for long enough periods that you'll need it. If you can spend a day at a hookup site every 3rd or 4th day, you can save the cost of ever needing a generator.

A surge protector, now, is likely going to be most useful when you are at a site with hinky power. I don't happen to own one, but others swear by them. I DO carry along a voltmeter, and before hooking up, I check the power both to make sure it is wired correctly and that it isn't making wild voltage swings. So far I've never had a problem that way, but others swear by them.

Whether they are necessary or not will ultimately be your call, but many get by with or without them. It boils down to what type of RVing you plan to do. If you plan to be in RV parks where hookups are always available, more than likely you could bypass having a genny, but a surge protector could be important particularly at older parks. A generator can be handy with mixed or mostly off the power grid style of camping, consideration for how much energy in watts is required to power all the devices you desire to run (at the same time) is critical for deciding size and type of genny. We prefer to boondock and drycamp making a generator mandatory, just love being able to press a single button to power our entire rig as if we were plugged into shore power.

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If getting a generator, I hear great feedback on the Honda and Yamaha brands. re: Super quiet, easy to operate, easy to start. I have a Coleman "lug about" 7,500W generator and when running, it can be heard on other side of my little village. If getting a generator, do ensure its "super quiet" - for you and others.

If I bought a generator for my TT, I'd research the "invertor" class (which have cleaner power output). For example: Yamaha EF4500iSE model. re: - click here -
If only lack of money wasn't an issue. (sad face).

Hope this helps as well....

If always connected to shore power, then no need for generator.

Whether generator or shore power connected, I use a Surge Protector.

If my generator surges RPM, then my connected TT has high voltage protection.

If my generator drops too low of RPM (like dirty gas), then my connected TT has low voltage protection.

For a great "inline" Surge Protector device, recommend Progressive Industry hard-wire 30A or 50A device with remote display. re: - click here -

Does RV/TT need surge protection. NO. Should it have Surge protection? YES. IMO, surge protection is like insurance on a vehicle. Does one need it? NO. Must one have it? YES. Even basic Surge Protection at service post like SSP-30 ( - click here - ) is better than nothing.


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A genset is not essential for most folks, but a good surge protector is.