Surge Guard 34830 plug replacement

[trailertraveler]

I need to replace the female 30 amp plug on my surge guard 34830. There are four wires in the cord exiting the 34830; the standard Black, White, Green and a small blue wire (about 16 gauge). The factory plug is a molded plug and I have not been able to access it to view the connections. My question is which terminal does the blue wire get attached to?

[trailertraveler]

CA Traveler wrote:
Interesting. Wonder if they also monitor the male plug since the pedestal plug is more likely to have issues up due to multiple users, year round usage and limited maintenance. Or perhaps related to more hot summer sun exposure on the female plug.

Yes it does. I know there is a blue wire in the male pigtail and in my discussion with the TRC tech, he stated that the monitoring of the input plug temperature was independent of the output and would function if I replaced the female plug with a standard 30 amp RVG plug.

[CA_Traveler]

trailertraveler wrote:
I finally got in touch with TRC Technical Services. The blue wire is for a thermocouple to detect high heat in the plug. It is molded into their custom made plugs. The tech representative said that the unit will function properly without it other than shutting down for high heat at that connection. Since the plug got hot enough to be damaged without shutting down, I am not that concerned about loosing that feature.

Interesting. Wonder if they also monitor the male plug since the pedestal plug is more likely to have issues up due to multiple users, year round usage and limited maintenance. Or perhaps related to more hot summer sun exposure on the female plug.

[trailertraveler]

I finally got in touch with TRC Technical Services. The blue wire is for a thermocouple to detect high heat in the plug. It is molded into their custom made plugs. The tech representative said that the unit will function properly without it other than shutting down for high heat at that connection. Since the plug got hot enough to be damaged without shutting down, I am not that concerned about loosing that feature.

Thanks to all those that responded!!

[scbwr]

Depending on how long you've had the Surge Guard, consider replacing with a Progressive Industries EMS unit with more features.

If you're going to fix it, get guidelines from the manufacturer or see what they will charge to repair it. If you fix it and it's not done right, you may risk the unit malfunctioning and/or damage to your RV. I tend to try to fix stuff, but sometimes, it's smarter to do something else.

[trailertraveler]

NRALIFR wrote:


I attempted to fix my Surge Guard 34830 with the same problem a few years back with a 30 amp female pigtail. Of course, I had to open up the case to do that. I honestly don’t remember the fourth wire you’re referencing, and I can’t find any of the pictures I took of what the insides look like. I remember that opening the case isn’t difficult, just a bunch of screws around the perimeter. I’d suggest opening yours to determine what’s what.

After replacing the female pigtail on mine, it worked fine until we made a trip to the desert southwest where it was exposed to a lot of extreme heat and direct sunlight. When we got home, I noticed that the label on the front panel was turning brown, like the insides were getting too hot. I opened it up to confirm what was happening, and gave up on it at that point and bought a new EMS.

:):)

I also replaced the pigtail on a previous unit. It was one of the older models that only detected faults and did not block the passage of power when faults were detected. It did not have four wires in the pigtail. Like your experience it did not last long after being opened. Same symptoms you describe indicating overheating.

[NRALIFR]

trailertraveler wrote:

CA Traveler wrote:
...I wouldn't assume the blue wire is directly connected to one of the blades. Could be no connection or even electronics in the plug...

No electronics in the plug. I was able to remove a lot of the rubber/plastic from around the metal parts. Nothing but wire that I could see. My best guess is that it was attached to the ground. I was hoping that some one had successfully accomplished this plug replacement, but I guess not.

I attempted to fix my Surge Guard 34830 with the same problem a few years back with a 30 amp female pigtail. Of course, I had to open up the case to do that. I honestly don’t remember the fourth wire you’re referencing, and I can’t find any of the pictures I took of what the insides look like. I remember that opening the case isn’t difficult, just a bunch of screws around the perimeter. I’d suggest opening yours to determine what’s what.

After replacing the female pigtail on mine, it worked fine until we made a trip to the desert southwest where it was exposed to a lot of extreme heat and direct sunlight. When we got home, I noticed that the label on the front panel was turning brown, like the insides were getting too hot. I opened it up to confirm what was happening, and gave up on it at that point and bought a new EMS.

:):)

[cavie]

Do not guess. Us a voltmeter and know what blade it is attached to!

[trailertraveler]

CA Traveler wrote:
...I wouldn't assume the blue wire is directly connected to one of the blades. Could be no connection or even electronics in the plug...

No electronics in the plug. I was able to remove a lot of the rubber/plastic from around the metal parts. Nothing but wire that I could see. My best guess is that it was attached to the ground. I was hoping that some one had successfully accomplished this plug replacement, but I guess not.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

Call them and tell them a fairy tale. That you are in Mozambique, or Belize. To remove the material around the prongs takes a good drill, a vise and a rotary RASP.

[CA_Traveler]

jkwilson wrote:
Ohmmeter will answer it pretty fast.

It might be necessary to disconnect the wire and isolate it from the box to get a better reading of what it does in the plug.

[CA_Traveler]

I'd be surprised if they reveal anything about the blue wire other than opening the box voids your warranty, send it to us for repairs, etc.

And I wouldn't assume the blue wire is directly connected to one of the blades. Could be no connection or even electronics in the plug.

[cavie]

+ 2 on the meter

[WILDEBILL308]

Why not call surgeguard and ask them? There nay be info on their site.
Bill

[jkwilson]

Ohmmeter will answer it pretty fast.