Forum Discussion

youngone's avatar
youngone
Explorer
May 23, 2015

Surge Guard Came In handy Today

Pulled into campground I have visited many times today. Hooked up and Plugged my Surge Guard in to power box. Caution flashing light is blinking. Screen displays REVERSE POLARITY. Went over and saw the attendant to notify her about reading. Told her I will not hook up and she should get a electrican. She told me everyone prior has been using that hookup and not saying anything. I said I guess they did not have a Surge protector. I tried plugging into the site next to me and Surge Guard worked fine. So She did move me to another site and plugged in and power hookup readings were normal. I will not plug into any campsite without a surge protector.
Toy Haulers
  • CabinetmakerII's avatar
    CabinetmakerII
    Explorer
    Jun 01, 2015
    We purchased a SP when we bought our new coach in 2011. We used it a few times but I was worried that someone would steal the thing as they are very expensive so I stopped using it. Then it happened. We plugged into a bad pedestal which hit us with over-voltage and fried the microwave, central vac, a personal fan and an alarm clock. Could have been worse. Could have taken out both TV's and other components. Now I use it without fail...
  • otrfun's avatar
    otrfun
    Explorer II
    May 25, 2015
    FYI, huge difference in the amount of protection provided by a

    simple surge protector like these that typically cost less $150 ( Simple Surge Protection #1, Simple Surge Protection #2)

    vs.

    one of these that typically cost more than $250 (Full Protection #1, Full Protection #2)

    Although many simple surge protectors for RV's offer additional protection from faulty wiring (open ground/neutral, etc.), outside of that they offer little more protection then a simple $10 surge protector at Wal-Mart.

    IMO, Progressive Industries is THE one to buy. Made in the USA and a lifetime warranty!
  • Tachdriver's avatar
    Tachdriver
    Explorer
    May 24, 2015
    westernrvparkowner wrote:
    Tachdriver wrote:
    Question: How does one post get reverse polarity and the other won't? Is it a matter of how someone wired it?
    Revered polarity is very easy to fix. What happens is someone replaces the outlet and accidentally puts the wires on the wrong sides, black on the right instead of the left and white the same. To fix it, you just reverse them. Doesn't really require a $300 service call from an electrician. Reversed polarity cannot cause an damage to any equipment. What it does is potentially increase the shock hazard of a failed appliance. While it should be fixed immediately, it really isn't a big deal. No need to avoid that site for the rest of all eternity.


    I believe the issue is connecting to an outlet that has hot on the neutral or ground, you risk getting a shock, I also believe you can damage equipment if a hot is on the neutral....Don't know, have not done that :p
  • time2roll's avatar
    time2roll
    Nomad
    May 24, 2015
    2oldman wrote:
    westernrvparkowner wrote:
    Reversed polarity cannot cause an damage to any equipment. .., it really isn't a big deal. No need to avoid that site for the rest of all eternity.
    x2. Doesn't AC switch polarity 60x a second?

    It may have come in handy, but it did make you move when you really didn't need to.
    No it does not exactly work that way.

    Think of it as more of a hose and a drain. When the water is coming up through the drain you are in trouble. There is no valve to stop the flow.

    Tripped breaker does not shut off power... just cuts the circuit. Reverse polarity makes the neutral hot so everything stays energized during a fault or overload.

    Yes as long as there are no issues the appliances do not care. Life can go on normal but still a hazard.
  • Bedlam's avatar
    Bedlam
    Moderator
    May 24, 2015
    We also had power problems at our site this weekend. Polarity was good but voltage low. My automatic power transfer switch would not kick over to shore power. I had a 50A extension cord I was able to run from an adjacent site while they used the 30A outlet. It pays to have converters for 20A, 30A and 50A.
  • Tachdriver's avatar
    Tachdriver
    Explorer
    May 23, 2015
    westernrvparkowner wrote:
    Tachdriver wrote:
    Question: How does one post get reverse polarity and the other won't? Is it a matter of how someone wired it?
    Revered polarity is very easy to fix. What happens is someone replaces the outlet and accidentally puts the wires on the wrong sides, black on the right instead of the left and white the same. To fix it, you just reverse them. Doesn't really require a $300 service call from an electrician. Reversed polarity cannot cause an damage to any equipment. What it does is potentially increase the shock hazard of a failed appliance. While it should be fixed immediately, it really isn't a big deal. No need to avoid that site for the rest of all eternity.


    thanks
  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    May 23, 2015
    TucsonJim wrote:
    Hopefully, the park will fix the problem when they are notified of the issue.
    Maybe.. they hate that. After all, what do silly RVers know about electricity? In this case it's very likely the next person in that site will not have a SP.

    I've been at exactly one park in 12 years with a power problem. My Prosine wouldn't pass the ac. Owner opened up the box and found a lot of burned wires. There was still power, but barely. He was actually pissed and tried to blame me for it.
  • TucsonJim's avatar
    TucsonJim
    Explorer II
    May 23, 2015
    2oldman wrote:
    TucsonJim wrote:
    Oh but it can cause a problem and can even be dangerous.
    Ok. Maybe it would be prudent to carry a dogbone with the wires crossed, since that's all that needs to be changed.


    LOL Oldman.

    And how about a dogbone to rectify a crossed neutral and ground.
    And a dogbone to rectify a crossed hot and ground.
    And jumper wires in case any of the lines have an open circuit.
    And a 4 foot copper pipe you can drive into the ground if the ground circuit is not adequate.

    Hopefully, the park will fix the problem when they are notified of the issue.
  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    May 23, 2015
    TucsonJim wrote:
    Oh but it can cause a problem and can even be dangerous.
    Ok. Maybe it would be prudent to carry a dogbone with the wires crossed, since that's all that needs to be changed.
  • TucsonJim's avatar
    TucsonJim
    Explorer II
    May 23, 2015
    2oldman wrote:
    westernrvparkowner wrote:
    Reversed polarity cannot cause an damage to any equipment. .., it really isn't a big deal. No need to avoid that site for the rest of all eternity.
    x2. Doesn't AC switch polarity 60x a second?

    It may have come in handy, but it did make you move when you really didn't need to.


    Oh but it can cause a problem and can even be dangerous. Sure, it will work okay with an incandescent light bulb, but electrical equipment can be deceptively dangerous. Read the attached article if in doubt:

    Dangers of Reversed Polarity

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