Surge protector

SoundGuy wrote:
Well here we go again, yet another of your over complicated technical replies that almost no one else will understand, or in fact even care to understand.

Consumers who beg to be scammed do not want to know how anything works. Then assume more money means a better product. Reality: especially with protectors. A highest price may mean an inferior product.

Everyone (should have) learned this in school. If something is new, then at least three rereads (even for a genius) are required to grasp it. Every sentence in a previous post was at a layman simple level. But some never even learned high school science - then assume it is too complex.

Another grasped concepts and asked a relevant question. An incoming 3000 joule surge may catastrophically destroy those 360 or 720 joules (in a 1080 rated protector). Catastrophic failure (or protectors that degrade in decades) is ineffective protection. Best called a scam. Effective protectors never protect by failing. And remain functional for decades.

A same surge current incoming to a protector is also outgoing into camper appliances. Robust protection, routinely inside appliances, makes that current irrelevant - causes no damage. Yes, some protectors are grossly undersized to fail; to get the naive to promote more sales. They market to consumers who cannot bother to learn what a protector must do.

Meanwhile, that first (above) type of surge is rare. It might occur once every seven years to household appliances constantly connected to AC mains. Is significantly less probable in campers.

A completely different anomaly, called a surge, is the concern. These completely different anomalies are averted by disconnecting. As stated previously and so layman simple that even high school students can learn it. But again, if these different anomalies were not understood, then multiple rereads are required.

A protector that might protect from the above first type of surge must connect within single digit feet to earth ground. Protector mounted on and connected at the pole can make that low impedance connection. Protector is not inside a camper. So, yes, that protector (distant from camper appliance) can make MOVs effective. But again, that is not the anomaly that so often causes problems.

Each informed (high school educated) consumer first learns which anomalies are a concern. Then selects from fewer items (call surge protectors) that address that anomaly. Progressive is highly recommended because it addresses certain anomalies (that MOVs ignore and do nothing to avert). Some anomalies that cause concern are overvoltage, undervoltage, floating safety ground (not to be confused with earth ground), and reverse polarity. All are ignored by MOVs. A protector for campers should specifically address (avert) those four anomalies.

An informed consumer selects a protector by first identifying the relevant electrical anomaly - with numbers. Consumers who want to be scammed complain that learning is too hard. Nothing here is complex - only new.