Hard Wired or Portable EMS (surge protector)???

[ever1ast15]

Hello. I am purchasing a class C motorhome and have a question for all. I am torn between purchasing a hard wired EMS vs a Portable version. Can anyone provide any suggestions. I was looking at the Progressive Industries as well as the Surge Guard brands. I know you have to look at Joules and all that stuff. Just don't know whether to get hard wired or portable. If portable, then you have to get a lock guard or something so it does not "grow legs" and if I get a hardwired version, and something happens to it, I am stuck until I get it fixed in order to get power. I am torn!!! Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated! Not looking for a brand suggestion, just hard wired vs portable.

Thanks again in advance!

James

[Bobbo]

CA Traveler wrote:
Mine is wired before the ATS which it also protects. Plus I know my gen will never cause a problem....

I'm glad you can be so sure. My gen caused problems.

Of course, I know I will never have an RV fire so I threw away my fire extinguisher.


Just Kidding! 😄

[CA_Traveler]

jplante4 wrote:
If you hard wire it, make sure you do it after the transfer switch so it will protect the gen output as well.

This has been highly debated for years and it's like a girlfriend - everyone has their favorite.

Mine is wired before the ATS which it also protects. Plus I know my gen will never cause a problem....

OP For me I like having the PI remote inside so I have the hardwired unit which has field replaceable parts. The portable unit has to be sent back to PI.

And the unit in my unit cost $0 - not a typo. Yes I paid for it for the last rig. :B

[westom]

ever1ast15 wrote:
I was looking at the Progressive Industries as well as the Surge Guard brands. I know you have to look at Joules and all that stuff. Just don't know whether to get hard wired or portable.

List of anomalies that a surge protector might protect from is long. No protector protects from all or even most. Selection of a protector starts with a short list of 'surges' that are a concern.

For example, protectors for campground, at minimum, should protect from high voltage, reverse polarity, open safety ground, and low voltage. Joules does nothing for any of those.

Joules is for a completely different surge - that hunts for earth ground destructive via appliances. An effective protector does not 'block' or 'absorb' that anomaly. It must connect that anomaly low impedance (ie as short as possible) to earth ground. Then hundreds of thousands of joules dissipate harmlessly outside.

Earth ground is (should be) in the pole. Therefore a protector for that anomaly must be attached at the pole and is best as far as possible from appliances.

Described is a significant difference between a fixed protector and a portable one chained to the pole. Without that low impedance connection to earth, then joules does little to nothing useful.

[cbshoestring]

Been there, done that.

Decided on the hardwire with a display. Easy to install for anyone with minimal skills. Now that it is in place, I rarely have to think about it. I check the display after hooking up...glance at it when couriosity gets the better of me...go to it for answers if we lose power.

I figured a portable one just advertised that it was there (tempting it to run-a-way). Those locks just seemed to invite someone to cut the cord...unless I also locked the electrical box (not possible at every campground) which was an extra step.

Unless you have visual access to a portable unit "installed" in the cord compartment...I wonder what good it is doing. Sure, it will protect the unit...but how do you "SEE" if all is well or why it was tripped?????

There is no right/wrong answer....do what you feel is best. Just do it, the protection is worth the money.

Of course, that statement may cause an arguement from those with differing opinions as to "needing" protection.

[rk911]

ever1ast15 wrote:
Hello. I am purchasing a class C motorhome and have a question for all. I am torn between purchasing a hard wired EMS vs a Portable version. Can anyone provide any suggestions. I was looking at the Progressive Industries as well as the Surge Guard brands. I know you have to look at Joules and all that stuff. Just don't know whether to get hard wired or portable. If portable, then you have to get a lock guard or something so it does not "grow legs" and if I get a hardwired version, and something happens to it, I am stuck until I get it fixed in order to get power. I am torn!!! Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated! Not looking for a brand suggestion, just hard wired vs portable.

Thanks again in advance!

James

I went thru the same decision making process you're going thru now. I decided on the hard wired unit for a several reasons.

1 - I'm all about convenience and keeping things EZ. I didn't want to add to the short amount of time I now spend hooking up by including a portable SP to the process. one more thing to store when not being used.

2 - the hard wired unit came with a remote monitor that is mounted inside the coach.

3 - even though we've only had one theft in the last 30-years I didn't want to worry about the portable unit 'growing legs' and walking away.

good luck.

[IAMICHABOD]

ever1ast15 wrote:
Hello. " snip" Just don't know whether to get hard wired or portable. If portable, then you have to get a lock guard or something so it does not "grow legs" and if I get a hardwired version, and something happens to it, I am stuck until I get it fixed in order to get power. I am torn!!! Any suggestions or recommendations would be appreciated! Not looking for a brand suggestion, just hard wired vs portable.

Thanks again in advance!

James

I would go with the Progressive Hard Wired EMS. I went for the one with external display. The external display also has a Bypass switch: This switch is located on the remote panel, and allows the user to bypass the computer circuit in the EMS in the event of computer failure, thus allowing source power into the RV. This does not disable the surge protection portion of the EMS. It is field serviceable unlike the portable,if something goes wrong you have to send it in. Also with the Progressive EMS you have a lifetime warranty.

[SoundGuy]

DutchmenSport wrote:
So when I went to get a replacement, I decided I STILL did not want a hard wired one, for exactly the same reason you've mentioned... if it goes bad, you have no alternative but to sit with no power until you can either rig something else up or get a replacement.

Well that's simply not true at all - any hard wire version EMS or surge protector can be installed using standard 30 amp or 50 amp connectors, in which case if any need to remove it arises it takes but seconds.



While the portable versions are certainly the easiest for most people to use the PI hard wire EMS models offer several advantages ...

First, they're field serviceable, meaning if it fails it need not be returned to the manufacturer for repair as PI will simply mail you the parts required.

Secondly, delay for the hard wire model can be set at either 15" or 136" whereas the portable PI units are fixed at 136".

Third, the display for the PI hard wire models can be placed in any convenient location where it's easy to read, with the portable model you have to be where the unit is located in order to see the display.

Fourth, theft with a hard wire model is obviously not an issue, 'though as already pointed out this problem can be mitigated as already mentioned by placing the portable unit not at the campsite power post but next to the trailer.

Fifth, personal experience with my own Progressive EMS has proven that they're not always as accurately calibrated as they should be ... with a hard wire model one can easily recalibrate against a DVM of known calibration but a portable unit would have to be returned to the manufacturer for recalibration.

My first was a portable TRC Surge Guard but last year I upgraded to a Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C for all the reasons above.

[Triker33]

If you know how to wire a hard wire one in.
Shouldn't be a problem for you to take it out if something happens to it.

I use a portable one that is mounted inside a compartment.
That is very easy to by pass if needed.

[DutchmenSport]

Like you, I was worried about loosing (another) portable protector. (I did loose one, somewhere between home and the campground). So when I went to get a replacement, I decided I STILL did not want a hard wired one, for exactly the same reason you've mentioned... if it goes bad, you have no alternative but to sit with no power until you can either rig something else up or get a replacement.

I wanted to keep the "portability" and the convenience of a hard wired. Fortunately, the space where my 35 foot cord shoves inside my camper, it's a nice cavity. And it's also the junction box where the black cord connects to the camper wiring. So I decided to cut the original black cord and attach a new plug, now on the shortened wire. Then I could simply plug in my portable protector and just shove the other end of the protector plug out the original hole. This way, if the protector dies, I can very simply unplug, and still be able to plug in my original cord.... which I also attached a new plug to also, for the end that was cut.

So, no I have the best of both worlds, portability and security inside the camper.







Because the "cavity" where the cord originally got stuffed into was pretty easy access, I went ahead and hinged the panel and put a handle on it so it can open very easy if I need access quick.

And because this is all behind an exterior cabinet door too, it's 100% completely hidden!





I really do have the best of both ... portable and permanent now!

[Bumpyroad]

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

It is possible to have the best of both worlds. Cut the shore power cord down to about 4 feet. Put a female end on the "extra" cord. Plug the RV into the Progressive unit (it has a life time warranty) and plug the surge device into the "extra" cord. Mount the surge device in your rv at some convenient location.

Low voltage causes far more damage that surges. I'll be going the autoformer route myself.

that is basically what I did with my surge guard. on my class A it stayed in a basement compartment. but I wouldn't have a permanent one without a bypass feature.
bumpy

[Ava]

I have the Progressive hard wired unit that works great. It has shut down a couple times from low voltage input as well as high voltage. There is a read out monitor with it that can be mounted where ever you like to show voltage,amps, cycles and errors.
As said this has a better warranty and good suggestion to make plugs to be more versatile.

[jplante4]

If you hard wire it, make sure you do it after the transfer switch so it will protect the gen output as well.

[pianotuna]

Hi,

It is possible to have the best of both worlds. Cut the shore power cord down to about 4 feet. Put a female end on the "extra" cord. Plug the RV into the Progressive unit (it has a life time warranty) and plug the surge device into the "extra" cord. Mount the surge device in your rv at some convenient location.

Low voltage causes far more damage that surges. I'll be going the autoformer route myself.

[Trackrig]

If it's hard wired then you can't forget it and it won't wonder off. Mine is hardwired.

Bill