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02-28-2011, 06:41 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 13
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why a surge protector is needed?
I have a Damon Daybreak 3190 first trip coming up, saw an earlier post about the necessity of a surge protector. Can someone explain this to me?
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02-28-2011, 07:05 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 691
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Prevents laying out big bucks after your electronics are fried by a voltage surge or your A/C compressor.
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02-28-2011, 07:08 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Jan 2002
Location: Pacific Northwest or SoCal
Posts: 3,035
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Simply put, it saves your coaches electrical/electronics from power abnormalities.
This link will get you started
iRV2 Forums - Search Results
fred
__________________
Fred and Bonnie
2005 Dolphin LX 6375
Abby, Ruffles & Scarlett, "The Cats"
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02-28-2011, 07:26 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Tiffin Owners Club Nor'easters Club
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: ma
Posts: 407
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Very cheap insurance. When some older campgrounds gets busy and the power levels drop, the low voltage can fry your a/c fridge etc. Low power can be a real killer. Your surge guard protects from high voltage and low voltage. Mine has saved me more than once.
__________________
Dan 2008 Allegro 32 BA FRED, Honda Fit
There are 10 types of people in this world. Those who know binary, and those who don't.
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02-28-2011, 08:36 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Tavares, FL
Posts: 1,652
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Surge protectors that hook directly onto campground pedestal can be stolen. Get one that you can lock onto your cable or better yet if you can afford it, get one that attaches directly to your coach at the on board end on the electrical cable.
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02-28-2011, 08:51 PM
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#6
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Community Administrator
Pond Piggies Club LA Gulf Coast Campers Outdoors RV Owners Club Entegra Owners Club Skyline Owners Group
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 40,507
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Many members (us included) have EMS's (Energy Management Systems) from Progressive Industries, portable or hard-wired, in our RV's. You have to protect yourself & your RV's equipment from what can be questionable campground power. Not having protection can lead to VERY expensive repairs.
Go to THIS LINK on their website & view the videos they have. They are excellent & will help you understand the need.
Lori-
__________________
Lori (& Dave, my spirit guide) - RV/MH Hall of Fame Lifetime Member | My iRV2 Photo Albums
2016 Phoenix Cruiser 2350S, 2018 Phaeton 40IH,2006 Bounder 36Z, 2004 Cougar 285EFS, 2000 Aerolite 25FBR
There is great need for a sarcasm font.
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02-28-2011, 08:59 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Solo Rvers Club iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Yuma County, AZ
Posts: 10,868
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NLOVNIT
You have to protect yourself & your RV's equipment from what can be questionable campground power. Not having protection can lead to VERY expensive repairs. Lori-
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Do I need a surge protector for my laptop when using the rv generator, or only when plugged into shore power?
Barb
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02-28-2011, 09:25 PM
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#8
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Community Administrator
Pond Piggies Club LA Gulf Coast Campers Outdoors RV Owners Club Entegra Owners Club Skyline Owners Group
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 40,507
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IMO, the chances of your generator (i.e.genny) blowing up your electronics/appliances are slim to none compared to shore power. Although never say never, it COULD happen.
You can place an EMS either before or after the transfer switch (the item which controls whether power to your coach systems comes from shore power or the genny).
Placing it before the transfer switch protects the transfer switch & all your electronics/appliances from shore power problems, but not from genny problems.
Placing it after the transfer switch protects your electronics/appliances from shore power & genny problems, but does not protect the transfer switch - which is a VERY expensive piece to replace if fried.
Lori-
__________________
Lori (& Dave, my spirit guide) - RV/MH Hall of Fame Lifetime Member | My iRV2 Photo Albums
2016 Phoenix Cruiser 2350S, 2018 Phaeton 40IH,2006 Bounder 36Z, 2004 Cougar 285EFS, 2000 Aerolite 25FBR
There is great need for a sarcasm font.
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02-28-2011, 09:43 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Fleetwood Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2009
Posts: 108
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Why would you need a surge protector? Let's just say I wouldn't have a new pure sine wave inverter, transfer switch, EMS, and 2 flat screens IF I had owned one! Lesson learned cost me approx. $6000.
Oh, what happened? Some idiot plugged coach into his 220V welder plug.
Kerry
__________________
2000 Fleetwood American Eagle DP
2010 Cadillac SRX, 4 bicycles
Fulltiming since Oct. 2, 2010. Kerry & Bess Ann
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02-28-2011, 09:51 PM
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#10
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Community Administrator
Pond Piggies Club LA Gulf Coast Campers Outdoors RV Owners Club Entegra Owners Club Skyline Owners Group
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 40,507
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BABrede
Why would you need a surge protector? Let's just say I wouldn't have a new pure sine wave inverter, transfer switch, EMS, and 2 flat screens IF I had owned one! Lesson learned cost me approx. $6000.
Oh, what happened? Some idiot plugged coach into his 220V welder plug.
Kerry
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YIKES!!! Well, THAT answers the question better than anything!
Lori-
__________________
Lori (& Dave, my spirit guide) - RV/MH Hall of Fame Lifetime Member | My iRV2 Photo Albums
2016 Phoenix Cruiser 2350S, 2018 Phaeton 40IH,2006 Bounder 36Z, 2004 Cougar 285EFS, 2000 Aerolite 25FBR
There is great need for a sarcasm font.
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02-28-2011, 10:31 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 132
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Omg, that gave me chills. I hate to hear those types of hardships, but I'll bet it will help others from similar hardships.
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02-28-2011, 10:33 PM
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#12
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Senior Member
Solo Rvers Club iRV2 No Limits Club
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Yuma County, AZ
Posts: 10,868
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BABrede
Some idiot plugged coach into his 220V welder plug. Kerry
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LOL, well you sold me on the merits of buying a really good SP! THANKS!
Barb
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03-01-2011, 05:06 AM
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#13
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Senior Member
Newmar Owners Club
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 2,027
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So....neighbor at campground asked why we had a Surge Guard when we already had protection from surges with the EMS (Energy Mgmt. Syst.) already built into our coach. He made a comment to the effect this was kind of paranoid and like having extra switches for the same light bulb.
Didn't have an answer for him since I don't know NUTTIN about electronic wiring systems. All we know is that our Surge Protector HAS protected our rig on at least two occasions (maybe 3) from campground electrical systems which took hits from lightning during severe storms.
So, is there a reason to additionally include a Surge Protector in line when hooking up when your rig includes an EMS system which should (I guess) already protect the rigs electronics???
Just curious.
Steve
__________________
2014 Newmar 3103 BAYSTAR/Triton V10 w. Banks/05 Honda Element toad
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03-01-2011, 05:37 AM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 455
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Chickadee,
The EMS system in your coach is really more of a load management system that is usful when not plugged into a full 50 amps. It will shed appliances based on the amount of power available and what is being used. A great thing to have when plugged into 30 or 20 amps.
The Surge Protector also gets called an EMS but works completely differently. It will check the shore power for various conditions that are real bad for todays modern coaches and the electronics in them.
Bottom line is you need both. Most of the time the SP EMS shuts us off for low voltage, but twice it has been for high voltage. The first time the voltage was 255. As mentioned that will fry just about everything inside the rig. It was at a fairgrounds CG and somehow two 'hots' came into contact inside the box doubling the voltage.
The real scary thing about that was that it also increased the voltage at the other sites because it was the old daisy chain type of wiring (from 1 site to the next ...). I would never be without ours.
Bob
__________________
2006 Fleetwood Bounder 35E
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