Surge/voltage protection

[Hooter G]

Any thoughts on the necessity of surge and/or voltage protection for shore power? New Cayman XL PDQ. Thanks.

[Hooter G]

Any thoughts on the necessity of surge and/or voltage protection for shore power? New Cayman XL PDQ. Thanks.

[UFO Pilot]

Wouldn't leave home without it!

[MonacoMama]

Hooter G...
Welcome to iRV2 and hopefully the Monaco Forum! You have come across the friendliest RV forum on the web with some great members here ready to chip in & help any way they can.

I hope you let me add some "Monaco Karma" to your display name on the left side...Just say "karma please" and it will be done!

I am also linking this to General Discussion so you can get a larger group to answer you.

Again...welcome to iRV2 ...please visit & post often!!


MM

[paz]

HOOTER G, welcome to iRV2.

We have a surge protector and I wouldn't be without one. Ours is made by EMS and is hard-wired, but I hear the ones by Surge Guard also work well. Portable units are also available. With all the expensive electronic equipment in modern RVs, it can cost a lot of money if voltage is too high or too low or if there is a voltage spike.

The surge protectors also protect against mis-wired receptacles, which is a safety issue.

If you click the "Find" button at the top of the forum, uncheck the box that says "Search current forum only" and type in "surge protector", you will find several discussions on this topic.

[Ed S]

Strongly agree a must have without a doubt. I have a Surge Guard and seems to work just fine and has rejected couple of 50 amp plugs and may have protected me from a power surge once.

[becks]

We would not be without one. We have the Progressive Ind's hard wire model with the remote monitor inside coach.

[lthrnk]

We also use a Progressive unit. An absolute necessity, as stated above.

[LewF]

We use a portable 50 amp unit and it has saved our bacon by tripping on surges during storms several times. I use it all the time.

[Spikester]

I also would not leave home without one, to many expensive electronics on these coaches to be without one. Portable or permanent is a personal choice. If you procure you will find out in a short time it is well worth the $$ you had to spend.
We have a Progressive portable.

Spike

[David K]

I have the 50 amp SurgeGuard hard wired in my coach --- would not leave home without it. When I hard wired it in, I put plugs on the wires coming from the SurgeGuard to match the plug in on the MH and the plug on the end of my land line. Now I hook the land line to the plug (wires going to the SurgeGuard) and the other side of the wiring from the SurgeGuard to the plug in on the MH. I did it this way in case I needed to remove the SurgeGuard, I could and still connect the land line to the coach in the normal manner as it originally came.

[UFO Pilot]

"I have the 50 amp SurgeGuard hard wired in my coach --- would not leave home without it. When I hard wired it in, I put plugs on the wires coming from the SurgeGuard to match the plug in on the MH and the plug on the end of my land line. Now I hook the land line to the plug (wires going to the SurgeGuard) and the other side of the wiring from the SurgeGuard to the plug in on the MH. I did it this way in case I needed to remove the SurgeGuard, I could and still connect the land line to the coach in the normal manner as it originally came."

I installed my SurgeGuard the same way. I got in a situation where the only power I had was 20 amps. I was able to remove the SurgeGuard from the circuit and use the 20 amp service.

[Baby Bear]

Like my American Express card, I wouldn't leave home without surge protiction. We have a hardwired Progressive Ind. unit that has worked well. Highly recommend this maker.

[historyljc]

I travel with both.

I have my shore cable terminating at a 50 amp female receptacle in the electrical bay. I have a 50 Surge Guard hard wired to the transfer box with a cord and male connector. It can be plugged into the female at the end of the shore cable.

If I have a low voltage situation, I plug the surge guard into my Power Master Auto-former and plug the auto-former into the shore cable. The power goes to the auto-former first to take full advantage of it's being able to boost the voltage if necessary. It then through the surge guard and into coach.

Surge guard and auto-former stay inside out of the weather and can't walk off. I had my two electricians check the arraignment both have assured me that I have sufficient space in the electrical bay to dissipate the heat produced by the auto-former.

That's a couple less things I have to worry about when I'm on the road.