Surge protector or not

[cavie]

Originally Posted by twinboat

He asked if He NEEDED one. That would imply that its somehow required, its not.

Do you guys have them on your house ?

What if your at a CG with marginal power, do you by-pass it or leave ? Risky move during busy season.

If you want the marketing's claimed added protection, go for it.

Most low or incorrect voltage issues, I've read on this site, involve the generator, cord reel or transfer switch. Both items are after the portable device and don't sense the problem. They don't look foward.

To me, with a 30amp RV, its just another added set of connections, in an already often stressed system of plugs and receptacles.

Here, we look to block low voltage conditions, and in the forums involving portable generators, we add voltage ramping, startup devices, to AC units.

Sure, I'm living on the edge of a meltdown, but I've been doing it for 45 years. You want to see low voltage, try old marina wiring.

Yes, I have one on my house. I have had the same one on 2 houses since 1990. I have just a simple surge protector. It is attached to my main breaker. A simple surge protector is not the answer for a campground electric system. An EMS is needed due to poor maintenance, loose connections, worn out receptacles, low voltage, work done to the system by hack DIY's that have just enough knowledge to get someone hurt. The electric system provided to my house is regulated by very professional workers.

[KennyGolub]

To me, it's not worth agonizing over the pros and cons....


Although pricey, it's still cheap insurance. I bought an EMS and moved on....


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[cavie]

Originally Posted by TCHoll

I bought a 2013 Jayco Greyhawk a couple of weeks ago. Do I really need a surge protector? I received a beginner pack with a 30 amp dogbone. Nobody at the dealership mentioned one.

No, you do not need a surge protector. Don't waste your money on one. What you need is an EMS. Energy Management System. Surge Protector and EMS are totally different things and I wish the RV world would stop confusing the two.

Surge Protector stops 1 thing. HIGH VOLTAGE SPIKES AND NOTHING MORE. It may tell you voltage, miss wiring and such but that's all.


An EMS will disconnect on high and low voltage. 108-132. An EMS will turn it's self back on when the voltage is within the range. It prevents you from receiving bad voltage to your unit. Low voltage is the #1 problem within campgrounds.

Now with that being said my trailer os a 2002 old school when it comes to electronics. My seasonal spot has a new electric system through the park. HOWEVER it was wired with no consideration for voltage drop. Hence all the wiring is undersized and I have less than 108 volts at times. I installed an Autotransformer on my site and I am one of a few that have enough voltage to run my air. 132 volts before turning anything on. Yes, it goes down quickly as the park fills but not too low to be unacceptable. This is the high end of acceptable voltage. I cannot use an EMS because it would NEVER turn on. My stuff is old and very little in the way of expensive control boards.

[RV735]

We have traveled 48 of the fifty states in the past 7 years. The first purchase made with the current MH was a Surge Guard RV power monitor model 40240. It has protected use on 8 occasions and did not allow the power at pedestal to connect to the MH. Some of the problems it detected were: open grounds, bad circuit breakers, and low voltage. The campgrounds ranged from National Parks, State Parks, and private campgrounds from Florida to Alaska. If you travel to many unfamiliar areas you will encounter many competencies levels of park maintenance. No matter expensive or not. A surge protector provides another level of protection in you travels.

Safe Travels and THE JOY IS IN THE RIDE

[MikeO58]

We ran into a hi voltage issue this summer. Seemed each morning it would spike for a couple of hours. Mine showed mid to high 130’s so it cut off power to coach. Campground was investigating cause. Just ran generator for the A/C each morning oh and to make coffee.

[cavie]

Originally Posted by RV735

We have traveled 48 of the fifty states in the past 7 years. The first purchase made with the current MH was a Surge Guard RV power monitor model 40240. It has protected use on 8 occasions and did not allow the power at pedestal to connect to the MH. Some of the problems it detected were: open grounds, bad circuit breakers, and low voltage. The campgrounds ranged from National Parks, State Parks, and private campgrounds from Florida to Alaska. If you travel to many unfamiliar areas you will encounter many competencies levels of park maintenance. No matter expensive or not. A surge protector provides another level of protection in you travels.

Safe Travels and THE JOY IS IN THE RIDE

Just for newbie information. Surge Guard is a registered product name. Not a descriptive product device[/B]. The above mentioned device is an EMS. Not just a Surge Protector.

[mikeannetta]

I’m a bit confused, my coach has a EMS built in. A Powerline brand. Is it redundant to have an additional surge guard / EMS system? I have a ‘16 Winnebago SunStar LX class A

[Tha_Rooster]

It’s all about insurance, you will be fine till you plug into a bad pole or get a power surge. I totally up to you, pay now or pay a lot later.

[cavie]

Originally Posted by mikeannetta

I’m a bit confused, my coach has a EMS built in. A Powerline brand. Is it redundant to have an additional surge guard / EMS system? I have a ‘16 Winnebago SunStar LX class A

Yes, it is redundant and probably confusing to the two devices.

[mikeannetta]

Originally Posted by cavie

Yes, it is redundant and probably confusing to the two devices.

Thanks for response.

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi ! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Congrats on the new rig! I highly recommend the Progressive Industries EMS series protectors. They protect you against everything, not just surges. Have fun and keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by Winemaker2

Twinboat
While I do agree w you that surge protection is optional otherwise MH mfg would include them.
I had one in previous MH and ran into an HI V situation in a CG and it wouldn't connect or dropped out repeatedly.
Called CG office and they had a maint guy stop to check... sure enough CG was getting Hi V.
After power Co onsite for a few hrs they traced & corrected the problem.
I don't know if others had any damage to AC fridge control boards but I was glad I wasn't connected. I didn't leave but did run gen for power until they got it repaired.
I may be the exveption but I do have good surge protection at home on my computers.

Surge/voltage protection was standard on my rig. So I guess they felt it was necessary.

[TCHoll]

Thank you all for your responses! Info overload. Kinda makes you want to pitch a tent.

[DGundy]

Cheaper than recovering from a fire. [emoji591]🤠