Advise on Surge Protectors?

WILDEBILL308 wrote:
Sam Spade, Well apparently not much sunk in in all those places. First on your latest claims about lightning. No one was asking about Lightning The OP was asking about Protection from bad power at RV parks. To get on hear and tell a new person asking a question that there is no danger to having his RV damaged from faulty power at RV parks is disingenuous at best. Testing one time isn't going to do you a bit of good if you have a power event later. What about when you are sleeping? Let me help you become better informed. I won't make you go back to my original post on this. Now there are several but this is the one I am using and YES it has saved me from bad power several times.
http://trci.net/products/surge-guard-rv/hardwires-portables/50a-portable-w-lcd-display
Bill

Regarding Lightning: Lightning is THE WORST AND MOST DAMAGING type of voltage spike that can be experienced.

A close lightning strike can send thousands of volts surging through a system, it can light up all your lights (without the benefit of switches) because it is inducted through the wiring. Since your trailer or motorhome rides on rubber wheels real physical damage from lightning is rare. However it can affect your appliances and wiring and systems.

Like I said in my post Even voltage regulators have limitations but they were the ONLY thing that saved the tens of thousands of dollars of refrigeration equipment and computers I had...no surge protector will do that.

I've seen ham radio repeater antennas completely disintegrated by a direct lighting strike that was safely drained to ground by properly protecting it with the correct devices. The radios were not harmed - once the antennas were replaced, the repeater was back in business. The AT&T on a nearby tower was fried.

There are devices and methods that work if properly applied.

I used seat belts for the same reason I use my surge suppressor - I want to have a chance if something goes wrong.

In Fact Consumer Reports was correct. The only way to truly protect something is with a voltage Regulator. And while those will withstand much higher variances up and down than the surge protectors they too have their limitations.

In my Hotel in a well known Asian beach resort, I had voltage regulators on all my refrigeration units including my wine cellar and all my computers. The voltage spikes there make the US Canada and Mexico look like childs play. No surge protector would have "protected" my tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment. But the voltage regulators never failed me.

During one bad electrical storm when a lightening strike hit my concrete parking pad just about 20 feet from my front office and left a burn mark in the concrete, a strike that killed 10 of my TV's and lit up fluorescent lights that were NOT turned on (and scared the you know what out of everyone)My computers and refrigeration units all survived. They were plugged into to Voltage regulators. The TV's had to be fixed.

So please do enlighten me on how I know nothing about this issue.

While in depth technical discussions such as this one which has evolved into may be interesting to a few forum pundits (and you know who you are) it's likewise an unfortunate turn of events when the original post comes from someone who is just asking a simple question and is looking for a simple answer (just as I provided back on Page 1 of this discussion) without all the ridiculous arguments and finger pointing. No wonder so many who do post a query never come back to reengage ... it's just too much of a PITA. :(

To the OP - if you are still here just go invest in a Progressive Industries EMS-PT30C and you'll have the solution you're looking for. :)

horizon36 wrote:
Go with Progressive Industries.

This. Costs more, but protects more, ie low voltage too, which can, and will, do damage too. Especially to AC units.

You will benefit from going to the site I posted a link to and do a little reading.
Testing with a meter is ok but only gives a snapshot.
Bill

The only two parts in a typical RV that MAY be truly harmed by a surge is the Refrigerator and the aircon.

A simple voltage regulator that will maintain 120 V at 60HZ is all you need. These can be bought at many places and plugged in to the appliance and the wall socket. It will effectively protect your fridge from any spike. and they are much cheaper than the fear marketed "Surge Protectors" that are pushed upon the RV community at high cost.

For my part I have never used either and have never had a problem. If I see evidence of dodgy electric I leave my fridge on propane.

Also a well conditioned battery acts as an effective surge protector to the 12 volt system all by itself.

Based on the experiences of a member of our local Good Sam chapter, stay away from Technology Research products. His 50 amp model was just over a year old when it failed. He called Technology Research only to find there was no service that could be done on it. They build an expensive product that is not repairable. He had to throw it and his $350+ investment away.

I purchased the Camco 55306 50 AMP "Power Defender Voltage Protector" a year ago at Q and it's been working great for me. It provides protection for brown-outs and high voltage as well as surge protection and improperly wired service.

I put off buying a surge protector for years and years but after hearing many horror stories about the damage a lightening strike can do to an RV and living in the mid-west where thunderstorms are common, I finally broke down and bought one.

An unprotected RV can have all of its electronics and a lot of its wiring destroyed by a nearby lightening strike. Chances are it will never happen to you but, if it does, the cost of a surge protector will seem small in comparison to the cost of repair.

This is the one I use
http://trci.net/products/surge-guard-rv
and hear is the hasp to lock it up.
http://trci.net/products/surge-guard-rv
I happen to like the portable model as I can go check a spots power before backing in or getting parked. It saved me this summer when it wouldn't transfer power. I checked 3 other sites in that circle and moved down to the next area where the power was good. If I had the hard wiered one I would have had to park the coach before testing the power.
All those who say they never had a problem and don't use one are living on borrowed time. When I got this coach I didn't have one and on one of the first trips we had a LOW power event and fried the board on the washer.
Bill

Nice mod on the hookup, Dutchmen. Funny how those things grow legs and just walk away.