Surge protector

Save your money and buy a similar unit from Progressive Industries, besides being a superior unit PI has a life time warranty.

crazyro wrote:
I know the best kind are the ones which would be wired into the system, but saw this today and wondered if it would be any good. Is this a "better than nothing" or "you get what you pay for" situation?

You get what you pay for, which in this case isn't much. Yes, that particular model is a TRC surge protector but that's all it is - does nothing to protect your rig from the many electrical errors one can suffer with campsite power, particularly damaging low voltage. What you want is a fully featured EMS (Electrical Management System) that offers not only surge protection but protection from low / high voltage, reverse polarity, open neutral, open ground, etc, etc. TRC units have a one year warranty, those from Progressive have a lifetime warranty. It's your money, your choice. ;)

tvman44 wrote:
Save your money and buy a similar unit from Progressive Industries, besides being a superior unit PI has a life time warranty.

Disagree completely. A similar surge protector from Progressive may be "better" in that it has a lifetime warranty but it still won't offer protection from the many electrical errors one can suffer in any campground. Either invest in a fully featured EMS or don't bother at all.

Actually i was going to buy the same one in order to offer some kind of protection for my Hughes. Mfg website suggests it to be first in line from the pedestal, then comes my Hughes Autoformer then third in line, just before the TT the model 34830 which offers:

Shuts Off Power in Event of:
•Open Neutral
•Open Ground
•Low (<102V) and High (>132V) Voltage
•Thermal Line/Load Overtemperature
Indicates:

•Voltage and Amp Draw (RMS)
•Surge Failure (light indicates when surge protection has expired)
•Reverse Polarity (miswired pedestal, elevated ground voltage)
Features:

•2450 Joules surge protection
•6500 amps spike protection
•120 volts, 30 amps
•10/3 cord
- See more at: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/portable-surge-guard-with-lcd-display-30-amp/81277&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&scid=scplp81277&sc_intid=81277?utm_campaign=SC_Shopping_Low&affiliateid=6338&gclid=CjwKEAjw3drIBRCOwfC-_qqyjQ8SJADvoWQpdC6_AnHNJKFREt_tJvYyugUYnsO5p2p2fQNLjPoTCBoClFDw_wcB#sthash.CgVo4hXQ.dpuf

If it helps , i based my thought on this thread (p2 TechWriter and Mexicowanderer )
https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/28543300/srt/pa/pging/1/page/2.cfm

crazyro wrote:
I know the best kind are the ones which would be wired into the system ...

And how do you "know" this? That portable surge protector you've illustrated is just that - a surge protector - and has no hard wire equivalent. Both TRC and Progressive do offer EMS units in both portable and hard wire versions but they're electrically equivalent, 'though delay for the Progressive hard wire models is user adjustable whereas delay for the portable versions is not. The only significant differences between portable and hard wire are the obvious - easier use with the portable but greater concern over potential theft. Regardless, whether your preference is portable or hard wire, you'll be far better served with a fully featured EMS unit such as a Progressive EMS-PT30X or the previous EMS-PT30C which are still in stock at many dealers.

bobndot wrote:
Actually i was going to buy the same one in order to offer some kind of protection for my Hughes. Mfg website suggests it to be first in line from the pedestal, then comes my Hughes Autoformer then third in line, just before the TT the model 34830 ...

And that's exactly correct as you obviously don't want to be using an EMS before your Hughes. Having owned a TRC voltage regulator that failed and for which TRC refused to supply replacement parts I'd never again buy a TRC product and would always recommend Progressive which will supply replacement parts and/or repair for their products.

SoundGuy wrote:

tvman44 wrote:
Save your money and buy a similar unit from Progressive Industries, besides being a superior unit PI has a life time warranty.

Disagree completely. A similar surge protector from Progressive may be "better" in that it has a lifetime warranty but it still won't offer protection from the many electrical errors one can suffer in any campground. Either invest in a fully featured EMS or don't bother at all.

The PI unit also has "better" surge protection.

For many years I had no protector until 2004 with a rig with significantly more electronics and I installed a full PI protector. Since then I've encountered high voltage (one time 160V), 2x times of reverse polarity and numerous times of low voltage.

Since 2004 I've never had a surge (or at least one that caused the PI unit to shut down) so for me a surge only protector doesn't have much value. But we all make choices.

I have used the PI surge protector for about 5 years with 2 different campers. It will tell you if a pedestal is miswired. I also have a volt meter plugged into an outlet. This is minimum protection. I intend to install the PI hardwired version with remote display in the near future.

SoundGuy wrote:

bobndot wrote:
Actually i was going to buy the same one in order to offer some kind of protection for my Hughes. Mfg website suggests it to be first in line from the pedestal, then comes my Hughes Autoformer then third in line, just before the TT the model 34830 ...

And that's exactly correct as you obviously don't want to be using an EMS before your Hughes. Having owned a TRC voltage regulator that failed and for which TRC refused to supply replacement parts I'd never again buy a TRC product and would always recommend Progressive which will supply replacement parts and/or repair for their products.

ah ha, ok thank you.

I've been using one like that for over 3 years now. My camper is plugged in 24x7x365 as we are able to park it at home. I put it inside the cabinet where the trailer cord shoves into, shorted the cord and put on a new female end. I then plugged the protector in there and shove the protector female end out the hole. I then use another 30 amp extension cord outside the camper to plug into.

I have this set-up for over 3 years now. Plug in and forget. Either it's working real well, or it's not working at all, because we've never had problems with anything funky happening with our power. For us, it's worked very well. And like I said, plugged in almost 100% of the time for over 3 years now.

I recommend it, if you want protection without breaking the bank. Granted, it's not got all the bells and whistles like some of the more advanced ones, but for us, this works just fine.