Electrical Question

[Dar_H]

I have reservations at Sebastian State Park and I am concerned about a notation made in their general information. They state that during peak periods that there could be surging in the electrical source which is 30 amp. Don't like admitting my lack of information, but is there anything I should or can do to protect my MH from this and if so what. Thanks for any help you can provide.

[wa8yxm]

I keep telling folks there are surge suppressors and "Surge Suppressors"

Those outlet strips and plug in things that claim to be "Surge Suppressors" are really spike suppressors. I was in my basement where I had several of them when a real SURGE (not just a spike) hit.. Sounded a bit like Independence day celebrations with the firecrackers going off.

Ano the Progressive EMS.. THAT is a SURGE SUPRESSOR

Be it a high or low voltage "Surge" it will protect you... It also clips spikes.

[pianotuna]

Hi Dar,

As I said before, you need to contact the park.

If the issue is low voltage then just don't run the air conditioner.

If it is intermittent failures, my reaction is "so what?".

If it is high voltage (rare) then a good energy management system would be useful.

I don't use an energy management system, nor an autoformer.

I solved these issues by having a good sized inverter that can run any of the high wattage devices in the RV.

I do protect the converter from surges (cost $2.00)--which means that everything "down stream" is also covered.

When power is "flaky" I plug in only the converter to shore power, which can operate between 95 and 132 volts, and I run the RV from the inverter.

I always check the shore power before plugging in using a kill-a-watt meter and polarity tester.

If you want automatic protection, it may be better to look at surge protected autoformers, before using something that cripples the use of the electrical system by cutting off the power at what may be too low a voltage to prevent damage to electric motors. My comfort level is 109 volts or above.

kill-a-watt

watt meter



Outlet tester.

outlet tester

[Ron3rd]

Dar, you are correct, all you do is plug it in. Simple.

[jnharley]

The Progressive Industries EMS does much more than act as a surge protector. It monitors high and low voltage and also will not let power through to your rig if something is wrong at the pedestal. It is an investment well worth having. Just think how much it would cost to replace all the electronics in your rig.

[tegu69]

I live about 5 miles from there(as the crow flies) and in 34 or so years that I lived here I have stayed there about 6 times. I never experienced any power problems, but we don't stay there in the summer(bugs) or the winter(snowbirds). A lot of the sites have shared water supply between adjoining sites We seem to have a lot of "mini" power failures around here, where the power goes off for a second or two. Then You have to reset the clocks and wait 15 minutes for Direct tv to come back on.

[HappyKayakers]

1775 wrote:
...Progressive lets you send the unit to them to be put back to working order for a significant fee. Surge Guard tells you to buy a new one. ...

I had a Surge Guard go bad once (from water intrusion) and you're absolutely correct about the company telling me to buy a new one. So I did. I found a used Progressive Industries EMS on ebay. A few months after purchasing, it started acting up - reporting values off the charts and cutting my power quite frequently. After talking to Progressive, I mailed it back to them. They almost totally rebuilt it and mailed it back to me. My only expense was the shipping to them.

[1775]

Either Progressive or Surge Guard will do what you need - but not just their lower priced surge protector models. You want the more expensive surge/power protector. It will shut off power if the power level drops too low or raises too high protecting the electronics in your coach. Portable or hardwired? Both work the same. If there should be a surge either of these companies units will blow as they should protecting your electrical system BUT then they no longer work. Progressive lets you send the unit to them to be put back to working order for a significant fee. Surge Guard tells you to buy a new one. So a portable in this regard is easier to deal with. Surge Guard sells a locking cover to prevent theft for their portable units.

[TOMMY47]

Hard wire a Progressive surge protector inside the RV. Not that much price difference from the portable one and it won't walk away from your campsite while you're gone.

[GoPackGo]

I have a Surge Guard brand surge protector which supposedly will protect you from both high and low voltage.

[CavemanCharlie]

It depends on how much money you want to spend to be safe. A autoformer is best (or so I'm told) but, it is quite expensive. I have a surge protector and cheap voltage monitor that plugs into a wall outlet to let me keep a eye on the voltage. It's not a perfect system because if the voltage drops all I can really do is shut of the air conditioner and wait. But, it a cheaper way to go and I have never camped at a place that had problems like that.

[homefor2]

I recently bought and installed a Progressive Industries EMS in my truck camper. I can now relax about plugging in and don't have to worry about frying an expensive circuit board in my refrigerator or TV.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

fla-gypsy wrote:
Let me add some clarification. This is an older and very popular state park that has unwisely added spaces over the years and not upgraded the system. When they say surge what they really mean is very low voltage which is a situation that normal surge protectors may or may not help with. An autoformer would be the right device in this situation as low voltage can cause serious issues for electrical equipment in an RV.

Good advice - however an autoformer is another expense - and not really necessary (unless the OP wants to part with *more* money).

An easy way to monitor low voltage is to use a "Kill-A-Watt" voltage monitor - (about $15.) and "shed" power (electrical devices) when/if voltage drops.

I've never found the need for an autoformer (had RVs since 1970), but *have* found RV parks where voltage would drop - and easily compensated for it.

Apparently (or so some posters say) there are parks that prohibit the use of autoformers..:@

~

BTW -a surge protector is a good investment - and, agree with other posters, Progressive Industries is the best choice.

OP - note: there are hard-wired and portable models.
The portable model may be your best choice.

~

[fla-gypsy]

Let me add some clarification. This is an older and very popular state park that has unwisely added spaces over the years and not upgraded the system. When they say surge what they really mean is very low voltage which is a situation that normal surge protectors may or may not help with. An autoformer would be the right device in this situation as low voltage can cause serious issues for electrical equipment in an RV.

[pianotuna]

Hi Dar H,

I could not find a reference to power surges at the Florida State Park information page.

If low voltage is the concern, an autoformer may be a better choice. Perhaps phone the park and ask if it is a low voltage situation?

If you still feel you "must" have a surge device then the Progressive Industries top of the line unit is the best choice.

There are other ways around low voltage and even surges, such as using a large inverter and double conversion.