Surge Guard Protection

[vsheetz]

Originally Posted by djtommysr

I was thinking of getting a new model surge guard for my new 2017 ventana le motorhome when someone told me that most new motorhomes have them built in already and they are not needed. I can't seem to find any information confirming or denying this. Does anyone have a definitive answer. I would like to know before I spend another $400.00. Thanks

Whatever you have built in, whatever it has for capabilities, it does not provide as extensive protection as a Progressive Industries full EMS unit. The Progressive Industries fully qualifies the power before gating through to the coach, to include over and under voltage. Additionally it can be configured to provide a two minute delay - thus protects against those rapid on/off cycles that can be very damaging.

I would recommend to add the Progressive Industries full EMS, either hard wired or portable. Some if the best money you can spend on you coach, imho.

[Rvlegaleagle]

Thanks

[Tobias7000]

I asked Newmar why my DSDP did not come with surge protection. They answered that they leave that choice up to the customer.

I have the same question for water regulators. Why are those not standard on a new DSDP? Perhaps this is more of a liability decision the manufacturer makes?

[djtommysr]

I see everyone talking about a Progressive Industries full EMS unit. Has anyone used the Hughs autoformer with built in surge protection. It increases low voltage by 10% so you never lose power on low voltage. It is almost double the price of the Progressive model. For what I paid for my Newmar $620.00 is a small price to pay for that protection. Any help in my decision would be greatly appreciated. I would like to buy and install befor I go to Sedalia Mo. Rally. If they are telling us to bring an extra 50 Amp extension I am sure there will be low power and or spikes. Thanks All

[vsheetz]

The Hugh's Autoformer is an excellent piece of equipment. I would like to have one for those occation where a power boost is needed. I would still have the Progressive Industries full EMS in the coach, adding in the Hugh's when needed - as most often it is not.

[vsheetz]

As for power extension cable, definitely a good thing to carry. Not needed often, but when needed it will be a very good thing to have. I carry a 30a extension (less money than a 50a).

[Bud1129]

Please do not place a surge protector on your power cord if you have a hard wired surge protector, you will not add protection you will greatly increase the chances of a fire! Surge protectors look for a spike and clamp the power by utilizing a MOV (Metal Oxide Varisistors). If you daisy chain two surge protectors together it will desensitize the ability for the protectors to recognize the spike which will cause them both to overheat to the point of melting, thus starting a fire. This is very dangerous and includes power strips with surge protectors inside you home or coach as well.

For inside the house you can connect a non-surge power strip to a surge power strip to add more outlets as long as you are not overloading the circuit with the connected devices.[/QUOTE]

I submitted the above statement to Tech Support at Progressive Industries to get their take on this issue and this is their response.

" The situation you describe is not correct. You do not reduce the effectiveness of surge protection when you put them in series. The fire hazard is caused by the overloading the outlets. If they are not thermally protected ( By a circuit breaker or fuse, like our SSP and EMS units ) , there is a danger of fire from overloading, not from surges. This is a problem with power strips used in your home or business, not in RV applications with properly designed units."