RV Surge Protectors = Protecting “The Beast” Against Bad Power & Surges With EMS-HW50C
We come to the 2nd part of our electrical upgrade and it’s an important one, so hope you’ve all had your afternoon beverage and are ready to go. We’ll go into a bit of detail here including what a surge protector is, who should have one (spoiler alert -> everyone!) and how to chose a quality make & model.
Once again for those who prefer living color, we’ve made a video which you can click on below. Otherwise just read on…
Why Do You Need A Surge Protector?
Our RVs are basically big roaming houses which are packed with wires and electronics. Every time we move and park at a new RV park we hook up that entire house to a park pedestal and if anything is wrong with that power we are basically putting everything we own at risk.
I know that sounds alarmist, and admittedly it is a bit over the top. I’d say 95% of the places we’ve hooked up over the past 7 years have perfectly fine power, but it’s that 5% that can get you and sadly we’ve seen the effects.
We have personally known folks who’ve had their RVs fried from pedestals that either deliver too low voltage (a common problem in overloaded RV parks in the hot summer months), too high voltage (two RVers we know hooked up to a park that had been incorrectly wired a pedestal to 240V!), reverse polarity or just plain poor (unstable) power. Our friends had thousands of $$ of damage not to mention weeks in the shop to repair everything. The best case scenario is that some of your wires and electronics fry. The worst case scenario is an electrical fire that burns down your RV.
Who Needs One?
So this is super simple. My advice is that EVERY RVer that EVER hooks up to external power should have one. So, unless you’re a fulltime boondocker (i.e. you never hookup), that means you!
It’s one of the top 5 items I recommend every new RVer buy before they start using their RV, and although it’s a bit of an investment (they can cost anywhere from $100 to $450) it’s totally worth it to protect your precious home.
Sure, you can check power manually before you hookup (with a voltmeter, for example), but power can change especially if there’s a surge or drop due to something external that happens, and if you don’t have something actively monitoring that you won’t catch it. Also you’ve got thousands of dollars of stuff hooked up to electricity in your RV (ACs, appliances, TVs, computers etc.) not to mention wires and circuit boards. In relative terms it’s small $$ to protect many, many more $$$$. Totally worth it IMHO.
How Do They Work?
There are several different kinds of RV surge protectors out there, but they all have two basic things in common:
- They Are Your First Line of Defense Against Bad Power -> RV surge protectors are always installed between your RV and the main power line that comes into it. They can be portable or hard-wired (see below) but either way they are the first thing to “see” the power coming from the pedestal and are thus your first line of defense against bad power.
- They Are Designed to be Sacrificial -> RV surge protectors are designed to cut off the power to your RV if it’s bad. They will either cut the power temporarily if power is marginal (the smarter ones are able do this), or they will fry themselves completely and cut off power altogether in an extreme power situation (e.g. big power surge). They are meant to do this = sacrificing themselves to save the RV. So, if your surge protector fries, don’t be disappointed. This means it did its job and protected your RV!
How Do You Choose A Surge Protector?
There’s a few key things that go into choosing a surge protector for your RV:
Amerpage Rating:
The first thing you need to look at is the amperage rating of the surge protector and you’ll need to match that to the electrical system of your RV. So if you have a 30-amp rig, buy a 30-amp protector. If you have a 50-amp rig, then buy a 50-amp protector. If you don’t know which type of RV you have you can tell by the type of plug you use to plug-in. If it’s a plug with four prongs, it is 50 amps. If it’s a plug with three prongs, it is 30 amps. Oh, and you only need ONE protector! A 50-amp protector will protect your 50-amp RV even if you hookup to a 30-amp pedestal (you just need a 30-to-50A adapter plug to connect the two together).
Portable Or Hard Wired:
The next thing is to decide whether you want a portable or a hard-wired unit. Both are good and work fine so it just depends a bit on what your preferences are:
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Our old, portable surge protector. It sometimes drags on the ground. Portable Units: Portable units have to be physically hookup-up to the pedestal before you plug in your RV.
- Pros: The main advantages of a portable is that you don’t need to do any wiring work to hook them up. Just plug in the unit to the pedestal, then plug your RV into the unit and you’re good go! Also they’re super easy to replace if they sacrifice themselves. Just buy a new one and you’re up and running again.
- Cons: The main negatives of a portable is that they might get stolen (low probability IMO, but some folks do worry about it -> you can buy locks) and you might forget to plug it in and/or leave it behind (yes, this actually happened to us). The last negative is something we never thought about before we had some experience on the road and that is they tend to drag on the ground, especially if you’re hooking up to a short power pedestal and/or you are hooking up to 30A and need to use a 30-to-50 Amp adapter cable. We’ve traveled with a portable for last 7 years and it has worked fine, but it is rather bulky and we’ve had to put it on a bucket to raise it over the floor many times during rain.
- Hard-Wired Units: Hard-wired Units are physically mounted and hardwired inside your RV, usually right next to your power reel.
- Pros: The main advantage is that they are inside your RV so you never have to worry about hooking anything up. They are hidden from view so there’s no chance that they might be stolen or you might forget to plug them in or leave them behind. Also since they are internal you’ll have no issues with dragging on the floor (with short power pedestals) or water/rain contact. They also tend to be smaller (size-wise) than the portable units so they can actually be more size-efficient depending on where you carry your stuff.
- Cons: The main negatives are that you have to do some wiring to get them installed. Plus if they fry themselves you might have some extra work to do to replace them.
Protection Features:
The next thing to look at is the specific features of the unit you’re planning to buy. All surge protectors, even the very cheapest ones will protect against basic surges, but the smarter ones (sometimes called “intelligent” protectors or “energy management systems”) will ALSO protect against other types of power problems too:
- High Voltage = not just surges, but any kind of high voltage. Units may differ in how fast they detect & protect from this so look at that when you’re buying.
- Low Voltage = very bad for your RV and happens more often than you think in overloaded RV parks (e.g. In summer when everyone is running their ACs at once). Personally I think this is a really important feature.
- Reverse Polarity = the pedestal might be wired the wrong way around.
- Open Neutral or Ground = protection if either wire in the RV pedestal isn’t properly connected.
- AC Frequency = protection if the AC power frequency is wrong (it should be 60 Hz).
- Accidental 240V Protection = in case you plug into a pedestal that’s wrongly wired to 240V. Not all protectors have this, but it’s a nice extra feature.
- Time Delay = most units have some kind of built-in time delay to make sure the power is OK before they let power through to your coach. The fancier units may allow you to chose or program this time.
Manufacturer Reputation & Guarantees:
The last thing to look at is the manufacturer themselves. You’ll want someone who has good customer service and stands behind their products.
WHAT ABOUT PRICE? Pricing varies a lot on these units. You can get an inexpensive portable for under $100, but it will just protect against basic problems (e.g. surges, incorrectly wired pedestals) and will not have the extended protection features of the higher-end models (e.g. low voltage, individual line monitoring etc.). At the top end of the scale the portable & hardwired units cost about the same, and you can expect to pay between $300-$450 for either one.
Why We Chose A Progressive Industries EMS-HW50C
In the RV world the two biggest guys in the surge protection business are Surge Guard (made by Technology Research, TRC) and Progressive Industries. Both are good companies that make good quality products which meet the needs of RVers, and honestly I think you’d be fine with either one.
We’ve run with a Surge Guard portable unit (Model 34750 -> today’s model would be 34850) for the last 7 years and other than missing a low voltage situation in Idaho last year (we still aren’t sure why it didn’t catch that), we’ve not had any complaints. But we’ve been looking for an upgrade for a while. We were tired of lugging around our big, bulky portable and having to place it on a bucket every time it rained. So we wanted to switch to an internal hardwired protector both for ease and simplicity. Plus our old portable was missing some of the snazzy features of the newer units (e.g. it didn’t offer AC frequency protection, or accidental 240V protection etc.).
In the end we decided on the Progressive Industries EMS-HW50C (~$320 on Amazon). It’s a nice, small unit (easy to fit in our rear bay) that met all our up-scale feature requirements and comes with a snazzy external display. Plus we really, really like the company -> They have a stellar reputation, are known for good customer service and offer something no-one else does -> a lifetime warranty on their products! As an added bonus the EMS-HW50C is super easy to replace if it sacrifices itself. Just open up the box, pull out the board and replace it with the new board that Progressive Industries sends to you. We were sold!
Installation
WORD OF WARNING -> As I mentioned in my last post BE CAREFUL working around electricity. 120V can KILL, so don’t start poking around your electrical system unless you have ALL power turned off to your coach and are 100% comfortable working with electrical stuff. This is a super easy installation, but just be careful.
As we did in the last post, we used local friend and RV tech-guru Mike (Margate, FL 860-884-2095) to help us with the installation. Apart from needing an extra length of 50Amp cord (to go from our protector to our new ATS) and having to hookup the box upside down (because of the way we had wires organized inside our rear bay) the installation was totally straight-forward.
We started by hooking up the shore power inputs to input side (L-side) of the unit. Then we hooked-up the RV (in our case our ATS**) to the output side (T-side) of the unit, making sure to feed our 2 outgoing hot wires through the 2 current sensors first. Finally we wired up all the grounds. All of this is clearly marked in the installation documents.
The only other thing we had to decide before closing up the box was the time delay setting on the internal jumper. If power goes out, this feature delays power start-up by a specific time (either 15 secs or 136 secs) to allow your air conditioner compressors sufficient time to re-start. Our Dometic A/C units have a built-in 2-minute time delay so we left the jumper at the factory setting of 15 secs. If your coach A/Cs don’t have a built-in delay you’ll want to chose the longer setting. Again, the installation instructions have all this detail so just be sure to read the booklet thoroughly.
Once everything was attached, we just screwed on the face-plate, plugged in the external display* and we were ready to go!
*NOTE/ The external display cycles through line power details (voltage, current, frequency, error codes) on a timed basis and can be installed anywhere you please. In our case we already have internal displays (linked to our inverter/charger) that monitor line voltage, current, input/output etc. so we decided to put it in the external rear bin where we can see the results right away as we plug in. For folks who prefer to have it inside, it’s an easy task to run the display line (it’s a simple, long data cable) into your RV and mount it somewhere there.
**NOTE2/ We installed our protector before our ATS, but there IS also an option to install it after the ATS. This is simply the configuration we chose.
Final Words
If you saw the video you’ll have seen that I ended it with the words “this will change our life”. Again, I may have erred a tad on the dramatic side (maybe LOL) but MAN we love this upgrade!! Our whole plug-in process is now super clean/easy and we LOVE the little display that gives us all the details right there when we plug in. Everything is nice and neat in our rear bin and we feel secure in the fact that we our precious house is now protected against bad power just about any which way we can imagine. We are super happy with the upgrade and look forward to many years of worry-free hook-ups. No matter what kind of RVer you are (part-time, full-time) I urge you to look at and buy a good surge protector. It’s well-worth the investment.
Fully agree about the usefulness of the EMS unit! One minor tip I might add is: if you are installing it permanently into your rig, it might also be useful to incorporate a switch to by-pass the EMS unit (though this means extra wiring, and finding a beefy 30A or 50A rated 2-way switch) – because sometimes the EMS unit can ‘play up’ while running off our (trustworthy) Honda portable generator, I guess because initially its voltage isn’t totally stable, especially if running on its variable ‘ECO’ mode. Also, when we are safely back home and running off ‘trustworthy’ house power, we don’t need to ‘wear out’ the EMS unit by running it. (But you do need to remember to use the by-pass switch – switching the EMS back in when on dubious power!!)
Good point. Our progressive unit comes with a bypass function that is easily accessible on the external (remote) display. Just flip the switch and you’re good to go!
Nina
The Honda/Yamaha inverter generators ( those lovely quiet units that we all love ) operate with an open neutral. The EMS will detect the open neutral and shut down the electrical supply from the generator to the coach. The generator can be easily modified to eliminate the open neutral situation and thus allow EMS to to supply power from the generator to the coach, by purchasing a “open neutral plug” from Progressive Industries ( see their webpage for a great article on how to solve the open neutral / generator / EMS dilemma and the simple plug solution ). You can also make your own by wiring a three pronged plug; connect an appropriate gauge copper wire from the neutral prong to the ground prong; plug it in a open receptacle ( 15 amp ) on your generator, which eliminates the open neutral situation with your generator allowing the EMS to allow power to your coach.
Very good info! Since we have a built-in generator we’ve never had to think about this particular problem. Thanks for adding that detail for folks traveling with external generators.
Nina
Thanks for the update, and your ongoing sharing of knowledge!!! Liked the tip on the bucket in wet situations:)!
One other options, is to use the portable, but have it mounted inside of your RV. Country Coach on our era 2004 Allure, installed ‘the other guys’ (TRC) EMS inside. (Not a great location, as it’s behind the circuit board cabinet on our coach. They have access to the back of this area from the closet, via a side plexiglass cover easily removed. The stubbed out the inside of the coach 50Amp line with a female plug. This allowed them to plug in the TRC, and then feed out to the ATS with another Male plug. This came in handy for us in Alaska, well on the way to Alaska, we were still in the Yukon. We had placed a Hughes Autoformer between the shore power Female plug and the TRC, all by just changing plugs around. When the Autoformer became that owe not so wonderful electrical smell you described in your first post – we simply reached into the cabinet area, and changed the plugs back to OEM configuration, and the TRC was still in line to protect us. (Due to some cabinet changes, we now care a replacement Autoformer and only pull it out when we are in a location that needs some help. Placing it at the shore power pole. (Not ideal, as we really did like having it online and available at all times, and also because Autoformers are looked at by some RV’er and Parks as being power thieves – so miss the stealth usage:)!).
We also travel with a spare Progressive portable unit like the one you bought. As you just never know when something might happen that cooks the EMS – as they their to protect you and your coach!!!
When we shift to lithium down the road, we’ll probably install the Progressive unit, and keep the TRC as the back up, as the Progressive provides a bit more information then the TRC unit.
Glad to see The Beast is protected again, and thanks for the informative post!!! Travel safe,
Smitty
Great little tip! Hadn’t thought about installing a portable type inside the rig, but it makes total sense that it’s possible. We’re keeping our old portable as our backup for the same reason as you did too.
Nina
I totally agree with the choice of the Progressive Industries unit. We purchased the portable 50amp unit in August 2007 right before we began our travels. It has been subject to a number of rain storms, though we have mostly covered the connection area at the first hint of rain. In November 2015 we were caught in a ginormus rain storm outside Portland OR and forgot to cover up. At our next stop the unit was very erratic s I called PI. They were very helpful and asked that I send it to them. Sent it to them, they fixed it and returned to me within 12 days. Their lifetime warranty is no joke.
Love you blog still and always, thank-you so much.
So great to hear that! I’ve always heard that Progressive has a great reputation and backs their warranty, but it’s even better to read first hand accounts like this. Cheers for sharing.
Nina
Hey guys we also have the same unit. Ours is wired to protect us from surges from shore power and our own generator.
The only problem that we’ve had with ours is dirt or dust on the contacts. This makes the unit vibrate and become a little noisy. I called the manufacturer and all you have to do is de-energize it, remove the case get an air source and blow it across the contacts as you’re working the contactor / plunger or with your finger. Not a big deal.
The manufacturer will email you the instructions.
Good little tip. If we ever hear the unit vibrating, we’ll know what to do.
Nina
Having just put in my new replacement after 10 years, you could have put yours in upside down and saved the 16″ of cable. Otherwise it looks great. Sorry we missed you in Quartzsite. It is raining a lot here, so see you in Morro Bay.
We actually did mount it upside down.
I know it’s tough to assess in the pics, but because of the tight space in the rear bay and the way everything is arranged back there, it just made more sense for us to run a little extra cable and mount the unit upside down along the back wall (the faceplate is flipped right side up so we can read the error codes). We considered a side mount, but that would have gotten in the way of the reel. And we considered flipping around the ATS and surge protector too. But in the end this was just the easiest/cleanest arrangement.
Nina
I’ve cut the cable needed for the mounting right from the current cable
Shortened by 1 foot is all
https://www.rvsafety.net/proddetail.php?prod=EMS-LCHW50
That’s a nice little integrated unit which I totally forgot to mention in the post. It wouldn’t have worked for us because we had to mount our unit upside down (reading that LCD display would’ve been awkward), but it’s a great option for other folks who don’t want or need the external (remote) display. Nice little $$ savings too.
Nina
Nina and Paul,
Great article as always…
We also are HUGE Fans of Progressive Industries and also feel that they provide the best protection in the industry.
A couple of small points. We have a newer coach (2012) and it comes with a built in SurgeGuard 40250) which is a integrated Surge Protector, and transfer switch all in one. I decided after the Surgeguard get hit one to many times, that I would invest in BOTH a Progressive External to PROTECT the Surgeguard internal. I know, I know – sounds like a waste of money. But when you consider that if you take a hit on the road (and if you are on the road you will take a hit at some point). That you are out $1200 on the Surgeguard and potentially all of your power (Generator, 50amp and Inverters) are all knocked out till fixed, if you think about it – it really makes a lot of sense.
From someone who has been through it a couple of times 🙂
When is comes to low voltage at campgrounds, have you looked into a Low Voltage Boosting Transformer?
Hughes transformers seem to be the most popular, but at a cost of over $500, I’ve been hesitant to get one.
No admittedly we’ve not really looked at it.
The Hughes booster is a super snazzy solution, and our friends (currently at the big RV Show in Tampa) told us that Hughes is releasing an integrated booster/surge protector which offers everything in one unit. But it is $$$ and it’s BIG too (not sure we could physically fit it anywhere).
In our case we have a big lithium battery bank plus a huge 8kW on-board generator, so our approach is simply to disconnect from shore power and use that when/if we see low power. It hasn’t happened often enough that it’s become a bother, so for now the Hughes will not be on our list.
Still, can’t deny it’s a snazzy solution. I’ve heard of several RVers that have installed it and really love it.
Nina
I saved money buying a Hughes (“Autoformer”) cheaper on Ebay, used, but (Tech Alert!) I happened to look inside and found one or two of the surge protector components (they are the simple blue ‘disks’ you can see inside Nina’s EMS) had burnt out, looking black and scarred. Since I’m electronically able, I simply bought and soldered in replacements; they are cheap. (The original seller was very apologetic and even gave me a partial refund, but he wasn’t to know – those disks can burn out after a surge and you might not realize they are no longer protecting you).
Good thing you were techie enough to catch it! And yet another reminder that it’s important to open up and check major electrical components (when possible) as part of regular maintenance.
Nina
Great post Nina, We have used the Progressive hard wired model in our last two motorhomes and wouldn’t consider camping without one. We also had a strange problem while camping in Custer, WY. Our Progressive unit wouldn’t let us get current through due to reverse polarity. The campground had back to back hookups that us and our neighbor both used. Our neighbor was kind enough and unplugged to let us try his 50amp side and it worked fine. We thought thats the problem our post had been wired improperly. We then moved to the other side of our neighbor and tried a different post thinking that all would be good. Darned if the same problem wasn’t happening. The owners at this point were getting upset with us and said it was our equipment that was at fault that they had been renting out these spots all of the time and with no complaints. We called Progressive and their tech talked me through how to test our unit and the the campground post and with that he said that ours was good and the campground had the problem. Last ditch effort without moving the coach yet again I used our 50′ (50amp)extension cord and hooked up to a space that was another post away from our first neighbor. It worked great, YEAH. The last day that we were there the park owner had an electrician come out and test the pedestals. Also the neighbor had since pulled out and left and now all of the posts worked correctly. The electrician told me that the camper that left had a problem with their rig that bled over to all of the nearby pedestals is the only answer. So even if we camp where you test with your volt/ohm meter it isn’t to say that someone might camp next to you and cause a problem. Lesson learned on that trip. It saved us a total of three times on that summer vacation. Don’t travel without one.
Great story and a superb example of why a smart surge protector is so important when RVing. Even if power looks good when you first hookup, you never know what might happen down the line. So having a unit that continuously monitors that for you is key. Thanks very much for sharing your experience!
Nina
In the last 10 days we have received reminders from friends, those RV Geeks and now your own message to protect your coach. Thank you Nina for sharing a wonderful post…
Although our preferred mode of travel is boondocking, we plan on ordering a new Progressive Industries protector once we get home from our little desert excursion. Such a small investment versus the chance of damaging our rig. Safe travels!
I really like that display box in the bay. We have a ATS/EMS system that is integrated with the Aladdin system (which is a digital monitoring system for the house and chassis). If the ATS doesn’t thump when we plug in to the power pole, we have to go inside the RV to look at a screen to determine the problem.
It’s always interesting when we’re at a park with an open ground… we have never been believed. They stick the voltage tester in and then look at us like we’re incompetent. It’s aggravating!
Sadly we’ve had the same experience at RV parks. When we’ve alerted them to power problems they typically tell us it’s our RV and not a problem on their side. The low voltage situation we ran into in ID last summer was a perfect example. The pedestal showed marginal power when we tested it and dropped below 100V as soon as the A/C turned on…and it was clear to see! But no matter what we showed them, they insisted our RV was at fault. Oh well…
Nina
It is all true – exactly as you say. I installed a Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C in our rig before we set out 7 years ago and it has saved us countless times from low voltage and once from a site that was wired with reverse polarity. Well worth the money – amen. Progressive Industries has always been there for us when we had questions and they replaced our Remote Display at no cost to us when it stopped working after an ant colony moved into it, I suppose for the warmth. Something they did inside ruined the unit. They came in the opening on the slider switch for ON/OFF. On the replacement unit I slid the switch to ON and put duct tape over the opening so that I won’t have ants moving in there again.
Great to hear about your positive experience with the company…and good little tip on sealing up that switch. I’m going to go look at that now.
Nina
Thanks for the reminder to take care of this before becoming a more frequent traveler.
Good to have your experience and that from other commenters to guide this novice.
Most sincere best wishes for an easier year. You certainly deserve it.
Hey,
On a different note, I noticed that your power cord goes out from the “deck plate”. Do you seal around it against mice while hooked up?
Dan
No we don’t, at least not where the main cord goes out of the RV. Since that cord moves all the time (we roll it in and out every time we hookup) it’s too much trouble to seal and unseal it. We DO seal any and all holes that go *into* the RV (we’ve used lots of gap fill over the years), so the 2 holes from our ATS are filled, but the main cord one we don’t worry about.
If your RV has more open access in that bin you can carry some steel wool or equivalent and stuff it into the gap. Also we generally put out a string of lights (on a timer) around the bottom of our RV since that helps prevent mice. And we use stuff like Fresh Cab inside our cabinets. It’s been a few years (touch wood) since we had a big mice episode inside the rig so we think we’re mostly ok, but I know mice can get in just about anywhere.
Nina
Here’s the blog I wrote about our last big mouse episode, just for fun: https://www.wheelingit.us/2013/04/21/so-what-the-eeeeeeeeeek-happened/
Nina
Good post.
We have added a Hughes Autoformer to our setup. It helps boost when there is low power. Low power will kill microwave ovens and air conditioners.
We were work camping in a park last winter where our surge protector kept shutting us down due to low power. A visitor in the park, who had worked a head electrician for the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota before he retired, recommended the Autoformer. He said he does not plug in without it.
We bought one and have no problems since. We plug the Autoformer first and our pedestal type surge protector plugs into it. They are pricey, but still much less than a new air conditioner or microwave.
Another vote for the Hughes Autoformer! Thanks for adding your comment.
Nina
Great articles. I read it with a lot of interest. My 2013 Itasca Meridian came with a factor installed Surge Guard Power Protection Transfer Switch, model 41260. It handles all my transfers automatically and the specs even say it provides basic surge protection of 2600 joules at 76,400 Amps. The power management system in my coach uses the inventor to help supplement low voltages. The 41260 also provides protection against both; Open neutral and Reverse polarity. So my question to everyone is, do I still need a surge protector?
Even with this I have run into power pedestal problems already, so I built a 50amp tester. It was simple following the instructions on this site http://www.myrv.us/electric/Pg/tester_50amp.htm
It’s up to you, but personally I would consider it. The unit you have offers basic surge protection, but it is missing some key features including line monitoring and low voltage detection. Also, regarding your inverter and on-board energy management system, unless you have a Voltage booster on-board, you’re likely getting load support (current boosting) not Voltage boosting. At least that’s how I understand modern hybrid inverters work. Plus it’s likely not not all your outlets and appliances are wired through your inverter (most RVs only have a sub-set of their outlets on the inverter). So, yes I’d personally supplement that with a portable unit. It won’t hurt, and it’ll give you added peace of mind.
Nina
Great post and full of valuable information!!!! There is just too much money in equipment, electronics and appliances in our RVs to not protect them!! We had our Oliver hardwired with the Progressive Industries Surge Protector….so worth it!!
I have followed your travels for about the last six years. As an ex-electrical engineer this is in my opinion the best article yet. We have be RV Snow Birds from Ontario Canada for the pat ten years and have seen people with all the problems that you mention.
We are in Mexico at this year and this is the place that you really need electrical protection. You mentioned the 240 volt problem, I would not have believed it possible for a competent electrician to hook up 240 volts to a 120 system and walk away. This is Mexico, it has happened. The other year, when in the Baja I saw two rigs damaged with 240 volts on the 120 volt outlet.
I am not saying that I am perfect, my electrical system is OK, but the battery charging system failed this winter. That is a fun problem in Mexico. The springs and spring hangers on my 5th wheel are a story or two of their own. A fix for this summer. To be an RV traveler, you have to first love each other, and then love RVing, because there will be breakdowns and sometimes a little stress.
Thank you so much for the lovely compliment 🙂 And also for sharing your personal experience on this!
Like you, I literally never would have imagined we’d need 240V protection until we had friends that plugged into an incorrectly-wired 240V pedestal, and this was in the US at a regular park! It was a new extension that the park had just put in, and the electrician who had done the wiring had just left it at 240V. Unbelievable. We were there when it happened and it was bad. Our friends had no protection (so we found out afterwards) and literally fried just about everything in their coach. It took them months to get it fixed.
So yes, these things happen as unbelievable as they might seem. Thanks again for sharing.
Nina
Great article and great feedback from many! Some of the feedback reinforces the issue we had when buying our slightly used 2014 fifth wheel. When doing my walk through in Ocala Florida for two days at the dealers rv park, I did some testing. The unit had a basic progressive industries transfer switch between gen and shore without much power quality testing. When switching on the generator everything it went ok, when switching back to shore the relays went into wild oscillation and finally fried the unit. The dealer replaced with a TRC Surguard 20250-RVC which someone in this post also mentioned. I believe as another mentioned that the switch was contaminated with bugs. I came to find out later that while the rv was cleaned up well, there was a lady bug infestation and they can be found in a lot of places including the electrical battery switches. Making sure the boxes are sealed well is a great suggestion. This new unit seems to work fine testing the power quality back and forth, though I do not have the external panel. Probably a good idea to use a voltmeter or basic polarity tester first as some have mentioned to not test the system too much!
Our inverter the Zantrex Freedom 3012 SW also does power quality testing before going live so there is a secondary test, but I also have put a secondary breaker panel in so it does not see the power to the high use items like AC, Water Heater etc.
To the discussion above on the power vs current adjustment for inverters: On our inverter at least it appears to monitor for low voltage and will according to the manual “automatically reduces its
AC current draw as the AC voltage approaches the minimum acceptable level” So in this case it continually monitors voltage and lowers the available current from the shore power until it fails voltage. I believe at that point it would go into inverter mode until the voltage is again ‘qualified’.
Again great article and great feedback that is very useful!
Ah, thanks for the details on your inverter management. The load support is somewhat intelligent then. Of course, for this to be effective against low power you have to have it running all the time, plus all your outlets and appliances (including the A/C) must be connected through it. In most RVs only a sub-set are connected to the inverter, at least was how our rig was set-up before we re-wired it.
Also, another good story on bugs and what they can do to your electronics. We’ve never found any dead bugs in our boxes, but I’ve heard multiple stories like this. It’s worth sealing (as best you can) and checking them internally periodically.
Nina
I have been reading up on 30 amp vs 50 amp. It’s important to me as our travel trailer is a 30 amp system. Most all the articles say purchase the 50 amp in case we move up to a 50 amp trailer. One article disagreed with this majority philosophy and stated the 50 amp protector would not protect the trailer if it were hit with a spike in the 30 amp to 50 amp range. Any thoughts? Thanks and thanks for your great travel stories and tips. Who says vicarious living is not fun!
So, my understanding of the way RV Surge Protectors work is that they sense voltage abnormalities and voltage spikes, not amperage draw. So as far as protecting your coach against a voltage surge either one should work. Just to be doubly-sure however I’d recommend a call to Progessive to ask. I’m sure they’d be able to give you the exact low-down. And if you find out I was wrong, DO let me know!
Nina
We’ll be picking up our RV in a few days, then a few shake down trips and onto full time in October. Have been following your posts for some time but clearly missed some posts here and there. I’ve learned so much – such as BUY a surge protector!
You mentioned this would be one of your top 5 recommended items. Would you mind listing the other 4? Every time I believe I have a complete “must have” list, I find I’ve missed something else to complete with the beer/wine fund. Thanks for all of the great tips.