Surge protector
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...
Forum Discussion
Electrical problems at CGs are often the result of poorly maintained electrical systems and components, if they even get maintained at all. Many CGs have staff that do electrical work who are not trained & licensed to do any electrical work. Low voltage is usually a result of the NEC electrical code min. wiring requirements not being able to handle all the high-demand RVs of today and high occupancy rates in CGs. Can also be due to a high demand placed on power company systems in the heat of the summer with homes & businesses all running AC units that drags down the system voltage. Spike & surges are often caused by lightning but can also be due to things like a vehicle accident knocking over a utility pole, a storm or a tree falling over from water-logged roots.
Every year the forums have reports of their 30 amp RVs being fried from an accidental 240 volt connection. This often happens even when a homeowner hires a licensed electrician to install a dedicated RV recept. and they don't pay attention to what they are connecting to and read what's on a 30 amp RV recept. An open neutral can also do serious damage to a 50 amp RV and can happen in a CG or at home. AN EMS would prevent this.
To think you will never be a victim of an electrical problem while plugged into a pedestal at a CG is like thinking you will never be in a vehicle accident, never have a serious illness, never get cancer from smoking or never get aids from unprotected **x. Ask an electrical engineer who RVs if they think you're fine with never using an EMS.
Mike Sokol has a blog called the "no shock zone" and has some excellent articles on the dangers of pedestal issues and what causes them here and here. The most dangerous condition of all is an open ground which can result in a "hot skin" and can kill as this tragic story illustrates.
In regards to low voltage, if you know you have low voltage near 105 and lower (with voltmeter or LED readout inside) and don't have an EMS, just because your AC unit will start, don't think all is okay. Damage is cumulative over time, not instantaneous, and will cause premature failure of the AC. New AC units aren't cheap.
Electrical inspection authorities cannot force a CG/RV park to upgrade their systems to the latest NEC edition or force them to repair old tired & worn out components unless something is clearly dangerous. For ex., this terrible looking pedestal was in a CG of around 300 sites and every one looked the same. Had to prop our cord's plug up with a stick so it wouldn't fall out. This CG should redo their entire system but they won't.
Every year the forums have reports of their 30 amp RVs being fried from an accidental 240 volt connection. This often happens even when a homeowner hires a licensed electrician to install a dedicated RV recept. and they don't pay attention to what they are connecting to and read what's on a 30 amp RV recept. An open neutral can also do serious damage to a 50 amp RV and can happen in a CG or at home. AN EMS would prevent this.
To think you will never be a victim of an electrical problem while plugged into a pedestal at a CG is like thinking you will never be in a vehicle accident, never have a serious illness, never get cancer from smoking or never get aids from unprotected **x. Ask an electrical engineer who RVs if they think you're fine with never using an EMS.
Mike Sokol has a blog called the "no shock zone" and has some excellent articles on the dangers of pedestal issues and what causes them here and here. The most dangerous condition of all is an open ground which can result in a "hot skin" and can kill as this tragic story illustrates.
In regards to low voltage, if you know you have low voltage near 105 and lower (with voltmeter or LED readout inside) and don't have an EMS, just because your AC unit will start, don't think all is okay. Damage is cumulative over time, not instantaneous, and will cause premature failure of the AC. New AC units aren't cheap.
Electrical inspection authorities cannot force a CG/RV park to upgrade their systems to the latest NEC edition or force them to repair old tired & worn out components unless something is clearly dangerous. For ex., this terrible looking pedestal was in a CG of around 300 sites and every one looked the same. Had to prop our cord's plug up with a stick so it wouldn't fall out. This CG should redo their entire system but they won't.
