surge protector

[Danford50]

I am thinking about getting a 30 amp surge protector for my new TT, however I would like to know how everyone else feel about using a surge protector.

[Bigbird65]

:BI just now checked Camping World. Evidently just the sale is over, it is still shown in the online catalog for $259. It was a great deal while it lasted.

It was a fantastic deal. I just checked my order status and it is still in process.

[martipr]

TxTwoSome wrote:
Man I used the sticky (SoundGuy POSTED) yesterday and bought one online last night. I tried to get one today for my Sister in-law and it says no longer sold online.... I must have gotten the last one they had!

:B

I just now checked Camping World. Evidently just the sale is over, it is still shown in the online catalog for $259. It was a great deal while it lasted.

[BubbaChris]

For those that bought the GS deal, can you let us know if they honor that price and ship them?

To me it looks like a mistake on that one SKU and they locked down the page to eliminate the issue.

[SoundGuy]

SoundGuy wrote:
I then switched over to my recently acquired Honda EU2000i for source power - with the A/C in fan mode only it ran fine but as soon as I switched on the A/C compressor the initial (significant) voltage drop sent the Surge Guard into spasms, chattering away like crazy, probably from an internal relay that sure didn't like what it was seeing. This did surprise me a bit as I expected the Surge Guard would simply shut it all down, not keep trying to pass voltage.

Bigbird65 wrote:
As I have previously mentioned I have a Surge Guard 34730 on order so I am very interested in what you are talking about. It is my understanding that upon sensing low voltage for 8 seconds the Surge Guard drops power for 128 seconds. I am guessing that the voltage dropped so low that the relay could not remain pulled in. What I don't understand is why the electronics did not just drop the relay. I guess the electronics were just trying to keep the relay energized for the additional 8 seconds. Have you called Surge Guard's tech support line (800) 780-4324.

My 34730 is the older model without an LCD screen and with a lower surge rating than the current version but for the price I paid I'm really happy to have it. I bought it from another RVr who had sold his Airstream and was retiring out of the sport so I didn't receive any documentation with it nor did I bother downloading an online version and hadn't given any thought to a trip time delay of 8 - 10 seconds, which would explain why the relay was chattering. No, I haven't bothered to call tech support as this Surge Guard otherwise works fine and now that I know what happens in a situation like this I'd just bypass it. I'm glad I stumbled across this "anomaly" though as it may be useful info for other Surge Guard owners to be aware of. 🙂

[myredracer]

Reversing the hot and neutral like that should not cause the pedestal breaker to trip, and if it does, something is wrong and it's a safety concern. That will happen if the neutral and ground are interconnected somewhere downstream from the pedestal (shore power cord or inside TT). You should check for this and remove any interconnection.

A little info. on reversed polarity and how to check here.

Bob Shaw wrote:
The 30 amp outlet in one campground in Florida had the hot and neutral wires reversed. I did not have a surge protector, and fortunately the circuit breaker popped the second I plugged-in. This just points-out that you never know what you're going to find.

[Bigbird65]

SoundGuy wrote:
As an addendum to this discussion about surge protectors, particularly the Surge Guard ........ 😉

Yesterday was the warmest day we've seen yet this spring, mid 60s F, so I thought I'd fire up the trailer's A/C for the first time this season to check it out. Even with a Surge Guard protecting the trailer's electrical system the A/C started up and ran just fine on shore power, just as it had last season. I then switched over to my recently acquired Honda EU2000i for source power - with the A/C in fan mode only it ran fine but as soon as I switched on the A/C compressor the initial (significant) voltage drop sent the Surge Guard into spasms, chattering away like crazy, probably from an internal relay that sure didn't like what it was seeing. This did surprise me a bit as I expected the Surge Guard would simply shut it all down, not keep trying to pass voltage. Now before anyone jumps in with - "You can't run a 13.5K BTU A/C with a 2000 watt genset" - don't bother, I've been there before, having owned another EU2000i previously, understand what works & what doesn't, and have in the past been quite successful in doing so, repeatedly. This however is the first time I've ever had a Surge Guard inserted in the system so clearly if I intended to actually do this on a regular basis I'd want to bypass the Surge Guard whenever running off the genset. In my case, based on my previous experiences, I've decided I'm personally not interested in running my EU2000i hour after hour all day long just so I can power the A/C but others that do and may have a Surge Guard protecting their trailer's electrical system might want to take this into consideration.

As I have previously mentioned I have a Surge Guard 34730 on order so I am very interested in what you are talking about. It is my understanding that upon sensing low voltage for 8 seconds the Surge Guard drops power for 128 seconds. I am guessing that the voltage dropped so low that the relay could not remain pulled in. What I don't understand is why the electronics did not just drop the relay. I guess the electronics were just trying to keep the relay energized for the additional 8 seconds. Have you called Surge Guard's tech support line (800) 780-4324.

[SoundGuy]

As an addendum to this discussion about surge protectors, particularly the Surge Guard ........ 😉

Yesterday was the warmest day we've seen yet this spring, mid 60s F, so I thought I'd fire up the trailer's A/C for the first time this season to check it out. Even with a Surge Guard protecting the trailer's electrical system the A/C started up and ran just fine on shore power, just as it had last season. I then switched over to my recently acquired Honda EU2000i for source power - with the A/C in fan mode only it ran fine but as soon as I switched on the A/C compressor the initial (significant) voltage drop sent the Surge Guard into spasms, chattering away like crazy, probably from an internal relay that sure didn't like what it was seeing. This did surprise me a bit as I expected the Surge Guard would simply shut it all down, not keep trying to pass voltage. Now before anyone jumps in with - "You can't run a 13.5K BTU A/C with a 2000 watt genset" - don't bother, I've been there before, having owned another EU2000i previously, understand what works & what doesn't, and have in the past been quite successful in doing so, repeatedly. This however is the first time I've ever had a Surge Guard inserted in the system so clearly if I intended to actually do this on a regular basis I'd want to bypass the Surge Guard whenever running off the genset. In my case, based on my previous experiences, I've decided I'm personally not interested in running my EU2000i hour after hour all day long just so I can power the A/C but others that do and may have a Surge Guard protecting their trailer's electrical system might want to take this into consideration.

[Bigbird65]

I bought mine this morning. Maybe it was the last one.

[Tank1202]

They must be sold out. ...

[TxTwoSome]

Man I used the sticky (SoundGuy POSTED) yesterday and bought one online last night. I tried to get one today for my Sister in-law and it says no longer sold online.... I must have gotten the last one they had!

:B

[Bob_Shaw]

The 30 amp outlet in one campground in Florida had the hot and neutral wires reversed. I did not have a surge protector, and fortunately the circuit breaker popped the second I plugged-in. This just points-out that you never know what you're going to find.

[BubbaChris]

Bigbird65 wrote:

SoundGuy wrote:
Clicky to 30amp Surge Guard

I just ordered one from Camping World. Thanks for the heads up martipr. With my Good Sam discount it came to $119.97 +tax and free shipping. Such a deal.

Oh man, you guys are killing me. I spent $150 last year for a non-digital used version of this (with the locking box). Very tempted to buy this as a backup for when I don't trust the original.

Edit: Plugged in my GS member # and the price did not drop to the $120 figure. So I'll save my pennies instead.

[Bigbird65]

SoundGuy wrote:
Clicky to 30amp Surge Guard

I just ordered one from Camping World. Thanks for the heads up martipr. With my Good Sam discount it came to $119.97 +tax and free shipping. Such a deal.

[spike99]

My previous RV/TT had surge protection. My replacement RV/TT had Surge protection. And, my future RV/TT will have Sure protection as well.

Is it mandatory? NO. Is it optional? YES. Will I buy/install Surge Protection again? Without hesitation.....

Works for me...