Surge protector

[Joe P]

Please let me know if it is worth getting a surge protector. We are new to the rv lifestyle. Thanks in advance

 

[Bob K4TAX]

Actually, an EMS is best, but a surge protector is a worthwhile investment. I suggest a GOOGLE search for the best-recommended ones for your needs.

 

[DennisT]

Yes they are. Depending on your RV they may have one built in even.

However there are a few things before you get to the built in, if you have one like we do, and they are more expensive, as well as difficult, to replace if something happens.

When we did our walkthrough the individual pointed to our built in and said $1000 to replace, asked which we’d rather do if it took a hit.

We have this one on the pole for ours.
Power Watchdog PWD50EPO, Bluetooth Surge Protector with Auto Shutoff, 50 Amp, Portable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PMJ2K95/?tag=rvf01-20

Allows me to check power is good before plugging in the RV and a less expensive insurance policy just in case. Depending on the model of RV lots of electronics in them these days and easy for me to justify the additional protection for it all.

 

[Joe Hogan]

We also had a surge protection built in. We always added an additional surge protection at the pedestal when at a campground. Surge protectors act like a fuse, one and done. Take a hit with a portable surge protection device, quick trip to the camping supply house and continue your trip.

 

[Joe Hogan]

This is an interesting piece

Do Surge Protectors Wear Out?

Yes, all surge protectors eventually wear out and need to be replaced. Here’s everything you need to know about replacing your surge protectors.

energytoday.biz

 

[docj]

In reading through this thread I was struck by the fact that no one had bothered to explain to the OP the difference between a surge protector and an EMS device. Furthermore, in several of the posts the term surge protector was used when I'm pretty sure the writer really meant "EMS."

Let's start with the basics--a surge protector protect against voltage surges and that's all it can do. Voltage surges can be an issue but, in my experience of 12 years of full-timing, they don't protect against threats that are far more common. Such threats arise from poorly wired or mis-wired site pedestals. The symptoms of these include floating grounds or floating neutrals; reversed polarity, voltage on ground. Even "high voltage on one leg" can be caused by loose or poor connections.

EMS (energy management systems) protects against both voltage surges plus all of the above conditions. To my knowledge EMS systems are always surge protectors, but the reverse is not usually the case. EMS devices can be either plug-in or hard-wired. They usually cost significantly more than surge protectors which is why so many people buy surge protectors. Because they don't fully understand the differences they think they are getting more than they really are buying.

To give you a sense of what an EMS can do, a couple of year ago, at a site we own in a park in TX, my EMS kept showing that the voltage on one of the 50A legs was too high and the EMS was briefly cutting off the power because of that. I called the power company and they checked the connections in my pedestal and all the way back to the distribution transformer. Sure enough, when all the terminals had been tightened down, the problem went away. The power company technician commented that "only you RVers have equipment sensitive enough to notice stuff like this!"

I own a hardwired 50A EMS made by Progressive Industries. I prefer it to the Surgeguard because it displays "previous errors" which is important if you are trying to pin down an intermittent situation as I had in the example I provided. My Surgeguard kept cutting off the power because of the high voltage condition but it had no way of displaying why it was doing that. I actually removed the Surgeguard and replaced it with the Progressive because I thought the device had gone bad. But, in fact, it was the intermittent high voltage that was causing the problem.

Sorry for the long response, but electricity is a more complex topic than many realize and there is a lot of mis-information floating around out there.

 

[DennisT]

Thanks for adding that and it is a good reminder that we may need to add additional information for new users.

 

[Joe Hogan]

New item on the list for the new coach. Progressive Industries EMS-PT50X

 

[Rich W.]

The other thing a surge protector does is very quickly tell you if the pedestal is wired correctly before you plug in your coach - mine has lovely blue and green LEDs telling me instantly that it‘s safe to plug in, or red if it’s not. An inexpensive (~$30) 30 or 50 amp tester will also do this but having the tester built in to the surge protector is convenient.

Also even if your EMS provides some level of surge protection (I don’t think my Precision Circuits unit does) or you have other “built in“ surge protection, surge protectors are usually sacrificial and I’d rather have to replace a reasonably inexpensive external surge protector than have to repair or replace an internal one. And the better surge protectors (internal or external) are serviceable should they actually encounter a surge, which granted is a remote possibility, but a possibility none the less. So to me it seems a combination of both is best.

From what I’ve read, low voltage is a much more real possibility and more common problem. The Hughes Autoformer is one solution to the problem, but a fairly expensive one. Cheaper than replacing expensive electronics though. The Precision Circuits Power Control System in my coach has inverter assist, so this should not be an issue, although I should probably confirm it is actually communicating with the inverter.

 

[docj]

High and low voltage often go together even though may be difficult to understand. The 120V is derived from 240V and if the neutral is floating a bit low voltage on one side will be balanced by high voltage on the the other side. It's just that we're tuned to looking for low voltage and don't always look for the opposite.

 

[A-Texan]

I have both an EMS (which I use now anytime I plug in to shore power) and an old surge protector I used in the past that I keep just in case the EMS ever messes up (to clarify I only use the EMS now which also has built in surge protection). I bought a 30 amp version EMS by Southwire for my Travel Trailer after having a power outage on my home take out several expensive components including the refrigerator circuit board, my motherboard in my PC, two automatic motion sensor light switches and the cable internet modem, which all went out at the same time after repeated power surges a few years back during a severe thunderstorm. Before this incident caught my attention I used to chance it with my travel trailer, but after that power outage damaged those items in my home I thought about how lucky I was that the travel trailer hadn't ever been damaged while using it in bad weather and I realized I don't want to take a chance with this happening to it. I fixed all the items mentioned, but the parts were not cheap, I spent several hundred dollars on parts even though I did the labor myself for free on my day off work. Ordering the stuff was a hastle though. We have been in the same home a very long time and this has only happened this one time, but it helped me recognize how dangerous low voltage can be to electrical components (soon after this storm my power lines from the pedestal to my home had to be replaced as well due to low voltage on one phase coming into my house, but the electric company replaced the lines to my home at no cost because they are responsible for the line up to my breaker box). Better to be safe then sorry, and I figure $200 is cheaper than an A/C unit or a new RV refrigerator.

 

[wildebill308]

The Southwire Surge Guard is one of the better units. I have a 50 amp one that is portable. That makes it easier to check the power before you pull in or if that site is bad check anouther one without moving your RV. Unlike some of the others it will shut off power if it isn't right but will turn power back on if it improves.
Sounds expensive but one circuit board for the refrigerator or microwave will cost you more.
Bill

 

[Bob K4TAX]

I have an "outlet test plug", one of those 6 LED units along with a 30A to 15A adapter, which I always use before plugging in the cord to our TT. I have an in-line EMS installed in the TT as well. I figure it is $250 well spent.

Bob

 

[Altazi]

Bear in mind that most ‘surge protectors’ are really just ‘spike protectors’. They operate by clamping the incoming voltage to a (hopefully) safe level, and absorb the excess energy, which is dissipated as heat. Voltage spikes are very brief events, measuring in microseconds to milliseconds. They are generally caused by noisy loads - motors, switching transients, etc. A true power surge is generally caused by some sort of line fault, and can last into the seconds range, and will likely destroy a spike protector.

The amount of excess energy a spike protector can safely absorb is given as the joule (watt x seconds) rating, and higher is better. If you substantially exceed the joule rating, the protector will fail, which typically allows the unclamped surge voltage to pass through and ruin sensitive equipment connected.

 

[wildebill308]

Bear in mind that most ‘surge protectors’ are really just ‘spike protectors’. They operate by clamping the incoming voltage to a (hopefully) safe level, and absorb the excess energy, which is dissipated as heat. Voltage spikes are very brief events, measuring in microseconds to milliseconds. They are generally caused by noisy loads - motors, switching transients, etc. A true power surge is generally caused by some sort of line fault, and can last into the seconds range, and will likely destroy a spike protector.

The amount of excess energy a spike protector can safely absorb is given as the joule (watt x seconds) rating, and higher is better. If you substantially exceed the joule rating, the protector will fail, which typically allows the unclamped surge voltage to pass through and ruin sensitive equipment connected.

That is good if all you had was hi voltage. That does nothing for low voltage. I think low voltage, from my experience, is much more common than hi voltage. You absolutely need a surge guard that will protect from all the potential problems.
What about mis wired pedestals?
Bill

 

[Joe Hogan]

Looking further into the Surge Protection methods, looking at the Hughs Autoformer product. The newest Autoformer has a Surge Protection feature as well. AND the surge protection fuse is replaceable!! That alone almost makes the $800 price tag worth it

 

[Joe Hogan]

Hughs replacement surge module