What kind do I need and other newbie questions

ericandalice

Senior Question Asker
One of these days I'll stop asking questions and start answering them I promise. :)

I have read all the descriptions for the popular surge protectors and I'm still not sure I know what I'm looking for.

I want our unit to be well protected. We'd like a portable model. We have the big country 3690 (50 amps).

If you were buying a surge protector for this unit (and I was paying for it, lol) what kind would you get?

And if I'm reading things correctly, there are two things we need to guard against: surges and low voltage? Which product covers both?

Thanks so much!
 

CactusTwo

Active Member
A surge protector only protects higher power feeds, ie: lightning strike, bad power from old park transformers. Best one is the one that costs a lot at your RV store....BUY a chain and lock to protect that investment !!. Low voltage or brown outs can only be protected by a battery back up system. Note the word BATTERY. As most of the rig is 12 volt and it is protected by the RV deep cycle battery. TVs, extra refers and the such are self protected by brown outs, they turn themselves off. Desk top computers need a battery backup due to the circuit / mother board sensitivity. Lap tops are OK because they have a battery
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi Alice,

There are 2 types of devices: surge protections and Electrical Management Systems. The EMS is more expensive. Surge protectors protect you against surges. EMS devices protect against surges, low voltage, high voltage, reversed wiring, open grounds, open neutrals, and may have a time delay so if power drops for a second, your AC compressor doesn't get hammered.

We have the more comprehensive device. Bought it at Camping World on sale for around $340. I think the comparable Progressive device may have a better warranty now, based on the presentation at the rally yesterday.

Our one experience where the EMS definitely saved us from some trouble was at a campground in Dalhart, TX. Something was wrong with the pedestal and the EMS repeatedly shut power down and then restarted. The campground owner couldn't find a problem, but the adjacent pedestal worked fine. Don't know the severity of problems we might have had without the EMS, but I'm glad we didn't have them.

RV appliances are much more expensive to fix/replace than the EMS.
 

porthole

Retired
Link to the Progressive EMS EMS-PT50C.

I found RVUpgrades(dot)com has good prices. Link. This is where I purchased my EMS.

Brian

Same place I got mine, but i would consider the hard wired unit, maybe even with the remote extra display.
I have one display inside by all the controls and a 2nd in the basement by the docking center.
 

ericandalice

Senior Question Asker
Thanks for the info!

I'm going to look at the packaging when we get to camping world but I think we're going to get this one: http://m.campingworld.com/aHR0cDovL...yZ2UtZ3VhcmRzLXdpdGgtbGNkLWRpc3BsYXkvMTExOTg=

50 amp with the compatible lock.

The description indicates that it protects against all the scary things Dan mentioned. :)

Do you still use regular surge protectors inside your RV, like for your computer? I'm pretty anal about using one at home.
 

ericandalice

Senior Question Asker
As far as the warranty goes, where do I find that info? I must be missing it, but I don't see it on the surge guard site.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
As far as the warranty goes, where do I find that info?
The surgeguard.com site has a button for their "new" warranty which brings up a pdf file showing a 1 year warranty.
Progressive Industries website is showing a lifetime warranty, which is new. Daryl Lawrence, from Lawrence RV Accessories gave a presentation at the Gillette rally and talked about the lifetime warranty. He had the older brochures that still showed the 1 year warranty, but I see they've updated the website. If you buy, I'd print a copy of the website page, showing the lifetime warranty and keep it around.

I don't know which is better, but a lifetime warranty is certainly interesting.

If you want to ask questions, I'll bet Daryl Lawrence would be happy to talk with you. 936-329-2364. He'll probably also be happy to sell you one. If you buy from him, mention you heard it from someone who was at his presentation.

Progressive Industries
 

JohnDar

Prolifically Gabby Member
I am also an advocate for a hardwired EMS unit, rather than a portable one. Just one less thing to set up/take down/figure out how it grew legs. It is NOT difficult to install one yourself.
 

NWILSON

Kentucky Chapter Leaders - retired
I went with the hardwired Surge Guard. I just have a hard time believing that an electronic device can survive very long being exposed to the elements.
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Alice, we still use surge protectors inside the rig too, for things such as TVs etc. Have small, 3-outlet ones rather than the strip. Can be found at Walmart.

I have an AC 4 plug "line conditioner" I use for my work computer and printer, supposed to make sure voltage going out is clean and consistent. Have had it forever so don't know where to get one.
 

JonV

Well-known member
I went with the Progressive Industries EMS-HW50C with the remote display. It took about 30 minutes to install was well worth the time. I really didn't want it living it's like open to the elements and the display (I put it just above the tank level indicator) keeps you completely informed.
 

porthole

Retired
Hard wired advantage

  • always on the job protecting
Hard wired dis-advantage
  • none I can think of

portable advantage
  • easy to hook up up and take to your next traielr when you trade up
portable dis-advantage
  • Oh yeah - you have to hook it up
  • easily removed by someone other then the current owners
  • something else to store
  • that one time you just pull in for the night and think - nah, I don't need to use it here, no one else has one plugged in..................... that will be the day you wish you installed a hardwired unit.
 

ericandalice

Senior Question Asker
Hard wired advantage

  • always on the job protecting
Hard wired dis-advantage
  • none I can think of

portable advantage
  • easy to hook up up and take to your next traielr when you trade up
portable dis-advantage
  • Oh yeah - you have to hook it up
  • easily removed by someone other then the current owners
  • something else to store
  • that one time you just pull in for the night and think - nah, I don't need to use it here, no one else has one plugged in..................... that will be the day you wish you installed a hardwired unit.

When we get to a rally, you can help us install one. :)
 

Silverado23

Iowa Chapter Leaders
last weekend, I installed the Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C with the remote display. Three factors made the decision over the other popular brand and portables. 1.Lifetime warranty. 2.Mounting was in any position. The other brand limits you in certain locations or positions. 3. User Repairable/replaceable components.

It was a fast, easy install. Hardest part was deciding where to mount the remote display. I opted for a location under the power center panel using velcro so I can easily relocate when I decide further. First night, I had it installed, I had a over-voltage surge the was recorded by the surge protector. It shut down and then powered back up after the over-voltage condition passed.

The display shows current (amps used) and works well to help you learn what can be run without tripping the breakers.
 
We're about to chose a surge/ems for our rig. Maybe a silly question but can a portable 50A device be connected to a 30 or 15A pedistal (with apropriate adaptors obviously) and still function, or does it complain about a missing phase and then shutdown?
 

johnmichael

Member
This newbie learning/research curve is a bear!

Okay - there are surge guards, voltage regulators, combos that seem to run from $90 to $500.....

What is the basic I really need for a little 30A MPG trailer?

Thanks

do I need something more than this?
 
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danemayer

Well-known member
This newbie learning/research curve is a bear!

Okay - there are surge guards, voltage regulators, combos that seem to run from $90 to $500.....

What is the basic I really need for a little 30A MPG trailer?

Thanks
JohnMichael,

I like to think about things like this in terms of risk management. Our rig has 2 A/C units, a Microwave/Convection Oven, two TVs, an expensive surround sound, and some other stuff that we plug in, like computers and network equipment and satellite receivers.

If a power surge gets through, or I plug into a pedestal that has a neutral problem, I could fry several thousand dollars in electronics. If voltage drops to a brownout condition, I might have to replace air conditioners and who knows what else. Without protection, for us the cost of a risk event could easily be $2000 - $5000.

In terms of the probability of something happening, over the past 33 months, we've spent 383 nights in our rig. During that time, we've had 2 events we know of that could have caused significant damage. There could have been others we're not aware of. So with our level of usage, the probability of a risk event occurring over a 5 year period is 100%.

Risk Management analysis multiplies the cost of an event by the probability. In our case, without protection, I can project we will experience at minimum $2000 of damage.

$350 for a 50-amp Electrical Management System from Progressive or TRC suddenly seems quite economical.

So you might consider how much it would cost you if something went wrong, and try to estimate the probability based on your usage. If you don't have a lot of electronics, and you only use the trailer for a 2 week vacation and a couple of weekends per year, and you go to the same campground all the time, maybe you'd find your risk event would cost $1000 and the probability over 5 years is 10%. Spending $100 to mitigate the risk might be reasonable. That would get you a surge protector, but would not protect against over voltage, undervoltage, bad neutral, and other problems that can occur.

If you use your trailer a lot, and travel to different campgrounds, and have more electronics, maybe you want to spend $350 to fully protect yourself.
 
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