Power surge - which one really protects?
Hi, I recently posted a topic about extension cords. Thank you for all replies, I learned a lot! That led me to the next question: which power surge really works as a surge protector? I have a simple ...
Forum Discussion
Hi,
Almost all RV's have absorption fridge technology. When the power goes off they revert to propane operation. Ergo, no thawed food in the freezer.
The air conditioners do have compressors and there will be cumulative permanent damage at 104 volts. There are small autoformers available in Mexico but acquiring them is not easy nor cheap. They do make the ones that are easily available look pretty sad, as they protect from over voltage as well as under voltage.
Almost all RV's have absorption fridge technology. When the power goes off they revert to propane operation. Ergo, no thawed food in the freezer.
The air conditioners do have compressors and there will be cumulative permanent damage at 104 volts. There are small autoformers available in Mexico but acquiring them is not easy nor cheap. They do make the ones that are easily available look pretty sad, as they protect from over voltage as well as under voltage.
JRS & B wrote:
pianotuna - I am inclined to agree with you in regard to the 104 volts.
But what's a person to do? 110/120 volt devices are supposed to function as happy as clams at plus or minus 5%. So anything between 104.5 and 126 volts is supposed to be just dandy. But my gut tells me that my refrigerator motor/compressor would be happier operating at the high end of that range.
Now if I had a device that trips my service at anything less than, for example, 110 volts, and I am only seeing 106 volts, a trip would occur and I might come home to a lot of defrosted food. And since I was the one that set the parameter at 110 volts instead of the normal 104, it's my bad.
So while I might not be thrilled with the situation, there wouldn't seem to be a practical solution.
