Surge Protector

[GStream40]

Since we are having a nice discussion about the electric that feeds our high tech RV's with all the circuit boards in the refrigerator, hot water tank and charging systems.

How many make sure they are protected against electrical high and low voltage plus surges so that the equipment in the RV is not damaged?

I use the Progressive Industries EMS PT 50C Surge Protection with Voltage Protection.
http://www.progressiveindustries.net/PT50C.asp

It has high and low voltage protection and has a digital readout of voltage on each line and amperage being used.

It sure saved our coach wiring when we were in Tenn. at a COE campground and lightning hit the power line transformer. The EMS unit was fried, but saved the wiring and electrical equipment in the coach. :)

Afterwards I called Progressive Industries and told them what happened and what the digital readout code stated on the EMS unit. The had me sent it to them and one week later I received a new unit from them. :lol:

Oh, It was out of warranty, but they replaced it NO CHARGE!

I don't plug in unless the EMS is in the line protecting the electrical components.

I know that there are other brands out there that do protect against surges, ETC.

Comments?? :?:

Ron

[RJ82much]

You are indeed a wise & cautious man, Mr Ron. It is an add-on that every owner should consider.

[GStream40]

You are indeed a wise & cautious man, Mr Ron. It is an add-on that every owner should consider.

Gee Thanks! 8)

What I also did was cut the coach power cord and installed a plug and receptacle on the cord so that the EMS stays in the cord compartment plugged in out of sight and out of the weather.

I had thought about getting the hardwired model they sell, but I decided that the way I did it would allow me to take it with us if we decided to purchase a different RV.

Ron

[coolchas11]

The surge protector seems like a practical device to have. But it appears that it isn't like a surge protector at home that is simply plugged in. Right? So how complicated is it?

[GStream40]

The surge protector is a plug-in.

As it comes from Progressive the PT50 can be just plugged into the pedestal 50 amp receptacle and then the power cord from the RV is plugged into the PT50. Doesn't get any simpler than that.

What I did was cut the cord about two foot long in the RV compartment. Install a 50 amp plug on the end to the coach to plug into the PT50 and install a receptacle on the power cord on the cut end for the PT50 to plug into. This allows me to keep the PT50 surge protector in the RV compartment where the power cord is kept.

This way all I have at the cg power pedestal is my power cord as normal but the surge protector is inline in the compartment protecting the RV.

Ron

[smittythtbear]

I have a question about the EMS PT50C surge protector. I have one for me Friendship G7. We just moved to a new park, and I have a question about the readings on the unit. L1 is 118 V and 12 A; L2 is 112 V and 16A. Am I getting enough amps for my 50 amp service? My air conditioner in the rear is not working as it did previously. Can low amps be the problem? It comes on at night ok, but struggles during the day.

Thanks! :D

[GStream40]

Voltage is what you want to watch, low voltage will cause an air conditioner to have problems. The Progressive EMS PT50C does that for you automatically, if the voltage goes to low it will shut off all
power going to the coach to protect your components.

Amps is the amount of power that your coach is pulling/using on each line shown on the EMS. As long as the voltage is within operating range, you should be okay with the amount of amps that you are using.

It sounds like you have a problem with your air conditioning unit in my opinion. I have heard of this happening before and there was a bad component in the control circuit of the air conditioning unit itself.
The unit would only come on and work when the outside temperature cooled down in the evening hours. Sorry I don't remember what the bad component was called, but a good RV AC repairmen should be able
to take care of it.

Just my humble opinion from my experiences, Ron

[smittythtbear]

Thanks, Ron. I had a sneaking suspicion that the problem is with the AC, but I wanted to explore all the other avenues, too. :?

[psgoodale]

I highly recommend the use of a surge protectector for the main feed. As stated it protects against spikes (high) and brown outs (low). Over or under voltage will permanently destroy your electronics. Just as we use fuses to protect against grounding or high amperage loads, we must consider voltage protection. I can tell you how I ran my house on a generator for a few days of power loss only to find out the voltage regulator had failed. Voltage was spiking from 120-170v. I lost a lot of electronics in the home and the insurance wouldn't cover it. I now have installed a whole house protector that will even pay out up to 5,000 if it fails to protect. I will absolutely make sure my new TT is protected as well. Take the advice and save a lot of trouble... Get a surge protector. I forgot to mention, be careful of buying cheap protectors as you will get cheap protection. Check the units for how many Joules they are rated for. The higher the better. Hope this helps...

[psgoodale]

I have a question about the EMS PT50C surge protector. I have one for me Friendship G7. We just moved to a new park, and I have a question about the readings on the unit. L1 is 118 V and 12 A; L2 is 112 V and 16A. Am I getting enough amps for my 50 amp service? My air conditioner in the rear is not working as it did previously. Can low amps be the problem? It comes on at night ok, but struggles during the day.

Thanks! :D


Check your condensor coil to make sure it's clean. When they get dirty even from mold/mildew they struggle to expel heat which causes high head pressure causing your compressor to work harder and draw more amps. This situation is worse in the day when it's sunny and hot. The condensor coil is on the outside for those that are unsure. I use a foaming condensor coil cleaner that must be flushed with water after. I believe you could get away with a mild bleach and water solution too. Be sure to shut it off before cleaning!