Is this surge guard OK?

A few months back Camping World had a great buy on the Surge Guard 34730 shipped for $119. Sure glad I bought one it looks just like this one.
I used it for the first time last week while we camped at Dangerfield State Park. It worked great and is obviously water proof considering all of the rain we had from tropical depression Bill.

Two problems we had in the camp ground. The first place we stopped the 30 amp connector on the box was so sloppy that we had to move to another site. The connector on the second box was almost new but it was upside down. By bending the Surge Guard inlet cable back on itself I was able to get it to work. One thing I am going to get is a package of long heavy duty cable ties to be able to put around the box and hold the Surge Guard connector tight into the box connector because the Surge Guard is so heavy. Over all I am very pleased with the Surge Guard. I do use a chain and lock to maybe prevent a theft.

My two cents worth and why I wouldn't have the cheaper one.

1. the cheaper one does not have automatic reset. Which means that if it trips out on low or high voltage you will have to manually reset it, (just like if a breaker trips out on overload).
This translates to: if you are gone for the day, and it trips out, nothing will be working in your trailer until you get home and reset it. Think how hot it will be in there on a summer day!

I made the mistake of getting the cheaper model with out knowing the above. My wife and I winter down in the Keys and go kayaking all day long. Bahia Honda State Park which is one of the places we stay at is notorious for spikes of low voltage, and it only took coming back to a hot trailer a few times for me to get rid of the el cheapo. I gave it away.

2. The expensive one has an automatic reset, but it also has an 8 second time delay to enable an AC unit compressor to work properly

Good luck on your decision

Jack L

myredracer wrote:

BarneyS wrote:

Both are also frequently confused. :)
Barney

I think you are meaning the term "surge suppressor"? It gets used far too often to describe EMS units which do a lot more than just surge protection. Both companies make both and both correctly call their surge protectors a "surge protector".

However, Progessive Industries calls their advanced unit an "EMS" while Surge Guard doesn't actually give theirs a name/description.

It really is very confusing...

Actually I was referring to the names of the companies, but you are correct also in what you say regarding the products.
Barney

BarneyS wrote:

Both are also frequently confused. :)
Barney

I think you are meaning the term "surge suppressor"? It gets used far too often to describe EMS units which do a lot more than just surge protection. Both companies make both and both correctly call their surge protectors a "surge protector".

However, Progessive Industries calls their advanced unit an "EMS" while Surge Guard doesn't actually give theirs a name/description.

It really is very confusing...

First thing is, never buy accessories from an RV dealer unless you are in a hurry or have very deep pockets. Secondly, never get RV parts shipped to Canada if at all possible. If near enough to the border, get a US mailbox and go pick up your items and you won't pay taxes and duty unless it's a big ticket item. If you have to get things shipped to Canada, never use a courier and use the postal system. With an item description and/or model no. shop around on the 'net and you usually find some very competitive pricing. It sux that our dollar is so low at the moment.

The Progressive Industries EMS has a few more and better features than the SurgeGuard, at least it used to. I haven't done a side by side comparison with the new 30 amp Surge Guard portable unit. It looks like the S/G 30 amp portable is technically better than their hardwired version. When shopping, be aware that the S/G portable 30 amp model 34730 has been superceded by model 34830. I would buy the new version due to the new features and don't get caught paying way too much for an old version.

With the P/I units having a lifetime warranty, that's all I need to know to get theirs over the 1-year warranty competitor. P/I units are also made in the US 9as opposed to Ch*na) and they have excellent customer service.

You can get either a P/I or S/G hardwired 30 amp model for under $200 (USD) by shopping around. The portable ones are a little over $200. Compared to what it can cost for repairs if electric appliances get damaged, it doesn't make sense to cheap out on an EMS unit.

You'll find that low voltage is the most common issue RVers have to deal with. It can damage AC units if too low and also cause appliances with heating elements to put out a lot less heat. You may want to consider a voltage monitor that you can easily see inside to easily keep an eye on what the CG voltage is doing. It's surprising how low CGs can get, even without AC units running. If you think you'll be camping a lot in the heat and want to have AC on as needed, yes, an autoformer is an option but they're heavy and bulky.

pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

30 amp service is generally less in need of protection from over voltage events.

I would consider an autoformer with some surge capacity built in.

that's what I have , it works very well.
30 amp autoformer

teejaywhy wrote:

Grandpere wrote:
I would go with this one instead:

TRC 50 Amp

That vendor sure provides an interesting description for the product:

"Progressive Dynamics Inteli-Power Converter, 45 Amps. 9100 Series Inteli-Power converters provide safe, reliable, filtered DC power to all 12-volt lighting and appliance circuits. The built-in Total Charge Management System (TCMS) allows for easy addition of the optional Charge Wizard, a microprocessor-controller that constantly monitors the RV battery status and automatically selects one of four charging modes: Boost Mode - (14.4) to quickly bring the battery to 90 percent of full charge, Normal Mode - (13.6) safely completes the charge, Storage Mode - (13.2), automatically activates after 30 hours of non-use or Desulfation Mode - (14.4), for 15 minutes every 21 hours to prevent battery stratification and sulfation (the leading cause of battery failure)."

:?

There are two different companies and products involved here.
One is Progressive Industries and the other is Progressive Dynamics.
They both make electrical products for the RV industry and both are frequently mentioned and used by members of these forums.

Both are also frequently confused. :)
Barney

Dewayne said it best...you do what you want...I've got the popcorn ready, so go for it.get im.

teejaywhy wrote:

Grandpere wrote:
I would go with this one instead:

TRC 50 Amp

That vendor sure provides an interesting description for the product:

"Progressive Dynamics Inteli-Power Converter, 45 Amps. 9100 Series Inteli-Power converters provide safe, reliable, filtered DC power to all 12-volt lighting and appliance circuits. The built-in Total Charge Management System (TCMS) allows for easy addition of the optional Charge Wizard, a microprocessor-controller that constantly monitors the RV battery status and automatically selects one of four charging modes: Boost Mode - (14.4) to quickly bring the battery to 90 percent of full charge, Normal Mode - (13.6) safely completes the charge, Storage Mode - (13.2), automatically activates after 30 hours of non-use or Desulfation Mode - (14.4), for 15 minutes every 21 hours to prevent battery stratification and sulfation (the leading cause of battery failure)."

:?

Copy and Pasting is so easy! Now if they can just proofread. :)

Another vote for progressive industries. I had an event this past weekend. Plugged in the TT and DW turned on the AC. Next thing she tells me is power keeps going on and off. Well the protection system was kicking off the feed because supply voltage kept dipping below 106 volts. This is with us plugged into the 50 amp service!. Long story short is the maintenance guys had to replace the breaker as it was causing the low voltage.The 30 amp service gave the same result. Only the 20 amp was staying above 117volts. Saved my electronics. My buddy kept telling me it was my voltage protection unit, but I knew better because the display tells you exactly what is going on. I have the EMS-HW30C