Ranger431 wrote:
How difficult is it to install a hard wired unit yourself? I'm pretty resourceful but definitely not an electrician..
Installation is easiest if you can readily access the main service cable where it enters the coach. In my current rig that happened to be right beside the sofa slide where the manufacturer had routed it first to a junction box where it was then connected to the cable that routed back to where the converter is located. I simply disconnected the wire splices in the box and wired my EMS in at this point. The first time I did this I had a TRC portable Surge Guard with it's own 30 amp RV connectors so I simply added another matching pair to the trailer wiring.
That Surge Guard saved me the first season so many times I decided to upgrade to a Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C hardwire unit so to install it I added a set of the same 30 amp RV connectors to it so I could also just plug it in.
I removed the EMS last fall when I prepped the trailer for winter storage so today when I bring the trailer home one of the first things I'll do is reinstall the EMS, which take all of seconds.
Here is a video on installation.
I just cut the cord a few feet from my breaker panel so I had plenty of slack to easily do the terminations. After the terminations, I mounted the EMS in the compartment where the cable is stored. Then I fished the phone cord for the remote display in a nearby wall to mount that.
I just cut the cord a few feet from my breaker panel so I had plenty of slack to easily do the terminations. After the terminations, I mounted the EMS in the compartment where the cable is stored. Then I fished the phone cord for the remote display in a nearby wall to mount that.
About theft, or loss of a protector?
I lost one, the plug in type. I have no clue what happened to it, it just disappeared. Actually, it happened at home (I think). I keep mine plugged in 24x7. I unplugged the camper to get ready to head out. I put everything up. When we got to the campground and started setting up, it was gone. It was just simply gone! No explanation. I teased my wife that it was abducted by aliens (the UFO type). It never showed up.
Not knowing why it disappeared, I took a different approach when I purchased a new one. Instead of hooking it up at the power source, I decided to install it inside the camper. It was just a matter of cutting the 30 foot cord inside the camper, attaching a new plug, and shoving the end of the protector out the trailer hole and then simply plug in with an extension cord. I also used the original 30 foot cord, attached a new plug on it and can use it an extension cord also.
This way, the protector is actually "inside" the camper, can be disconnected just by unplugging it, and is always safe.
I lost one, the plug in type. I have no clue what happened to it, it just disappeared. Actually, it happened at home (I think). I keep mine plugged in 24x7. I unplugged the camper to get ready to head out. I put everything up. When we got to the campground and started setting up, it was gone. It was just simply gone! No explanation. I teased my wife that it was abducted by aliens (the UFO type). It never showed up.
Not knowing why it disappeared, I took a different approach when I purchased a new one. Instead of hooking it up at the power source, I decided to install it inside the camper. It was just a matter of cutting the 30 foot cord inside the camper, attaching a new plug, and shoving the end of the protector out the trailer hole and then simply plug in with an extension cord. I also used the original 30 foot cord, attached a new plug on it and can use it an extension cord also.
This way, the protector is actually "inside" the camper, can be disconnected just by unplugging it, and is always safe.
