Surge Suppression

atom ant · 06-21-2014, 01:50 AM

I hate to ever sound like one of those guys that buys an accessory then stands behind it like it is the best thing ever invented and I would never leave home without it, especially because I left home without it plenty of times before I ever bought it...

but anyway - I was jumping up and down this afternoon yelling at my wife "it worked! it worked!"

Enjoying lunch today at the lake, sudden complete power loss. 50A Breaker had tripped at the pedestal, but even when reset, our surge suppresser would not let it go through. Read the readout - Error code E-6 "voltage less then 106V line 2". Line 1 - 122V, line 2 - 11V!!!. Maintenance came and checked out the pedestal and yep, 122V, 11V, crackling and sizzling coming from the breaker.

I don't know what would have happened if the surge suppressor didn't catch it, maybe nothing, maybe a lot. I will say I've never had a surge suppressor before, and I've had multiple RVs at this very park over the last few decades and I did just fine. I had some disposable income and decided to put the Progressive Industries EMS-LCHW50 on the Redwood a week after we bought it.

It worked, and I'm sipping a whiskey sour while on 30A as we speak, thinking about tomorrow's day on the lake instead of looking for new TVs and a fridge! Not to mention my Mother and Brother can finish their vacation with us this weekend, and I won't have to cancel the rest of my plans this summer while the Redwood is in the shop. Not a testimonial, nor a promotion, just how it all played out today

coloradolivin · 06-21-2014, 01:56 AM

Wow Brad, I would venture to say that you would be looking at all kinds of electronics. !! Bet the darn thing lost the neutral based on the opposing voltages. Can't wait to get our rig home to install the exact EMS.

By the way, where are you with this photo ?? Nice view !!

atom ant · 06-21-2014, 02:01 AM

We are in Rosa campground at Navajo State Park CO. A little windy first part of week, but gorgeous now.

If you go for the EMS, I would recommend the remote readout. I did not get it because I thought it was too gadgety, but as a result, I have to crawl in above the generator to see the read out and I'm doing it more than I would have thought. It would have been nice to have it display in the basement or somewhere I could easily get to it.

S&K · 06-21-2014, 02:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atom ant

I hate to ever sound like one of those guys that buys an accessory then stands behind it like it is the best thing ever invented and I would never leave home without it, especially because I left home without it plenty of times before I ever bought it...

but anyway - I was jumping up and down this afternoon yelling at my wife "it worked! it worked!"

Enjoying lunch today at the lake, sudden complete power loss. 50A Breaker had tripped at the pedestal, but even when reset, our surge suppresser would not let it go through. Read the readout - Error code E-6 "voltage less then 106V line 2". Line 1 - 122V, line 2 - 11V!!!. Maintenance came and checked out the pedestal and yep, 122V, 11V, crackling and sizzling coming from the breaker.

I don't know what would have happened if the surge suppressor didn't catch it, maybe nothing, maybe a lot. I will say I've never had a surge suppressor before, and I've had multiple RVs at this very park over the last few decades and I did just fine. I had some disposable income and decided to put the Progressive Industries EMS-LCHW50 on the Redwood a week after we bought it.

It worked, and I'm sipping a whiskey sour while on 30A as we speak, thinking about tomorrow's day on the lake instead of looking for new TVs and a fridge! Not to mention my Mother and Brother can finish their vacation with us this weekend, and I won't have to cancel the rest of my plans this summer while the Redwood is in the shop. Not a testimonial, nor a promotion, just how it all played out today

Wow! Nice view!

We also installed the Progressive EMS shortly after buying our RW.
Park where we were staying lost power for 2 hours or so. We have gen prep; but no gen. Still did fine with battery/LP for those hours. And no worries about electronics!

AlanN · 06-21-2014, 03:21 AM

Since I already have a hefty Uninterrupted Power Supply for my computers and hard drives, I figure that'll go into the rig as well, behind the new 50 amp surpressor. Probably overkill, but I've already got one, and it will regulate low voltage as well as a spike, and give me twenty minutes of grace in case of complete power failure. It would be wasted on the TV, though...

Oriana · 06-21-2014, 07:41 AM

Brad - great view, really tough to wake up and sit out there every morning.

Couldn't agree more on the surge protector, your one has already paid for itself.

almcc · 06-21-2014, 03:38 PM

We have 2 surge guards that plug in at the power pedestal, an older 30 amp model used on our older RV's that works well with the Marinco 30 to 50 amp cable that plugs into the Redwood, and a newer 50 amp surge guard.

The 30 amp surge guard and cable work well here in Canada where most park offer only 30 amp service and I don't have to play with 50 to 30 amp adapters.

We've found voltage problems at a few parks including a couple of national parks, sometimes the toughest job is to convince the parks personnel that there is a problem (but a digital volt meter helps!). Sometimes you have to pull some amps before the voltage drops to the level where the guard trips.

marandjwr · 06-21-2014, 06:10 PM

our inline surge protector has saved our butts many times!... we fulltime for work and don't always have the greatest choices as to parks! I like the inline because I can see what each side is using and what is coming out of the post as well as having a digital volt meter inside. A must have for sure!

atom ant · 06-21-2014, 06:34 PM

Well doesn't look like we will get an electrician to come out on a Saturday, but we are doing pretty good on 30A. We switched the fridge, HW to propane, and run one AC and can still sneak in a dishwasher, dryer, or microwave if we don't do it all at once.

I can look at the display on the suppressor to see what each side is pulling. Still wish I would have gone with the remote display, and I don't think they can be modified.

spindrift · 06-21-2014, 08:38 PM

Hey Brad...I just started another thread on a similar topic. Any possibility that you might be able to post a pic that illustrates the location of your suppressor? I discounted the area behind the generator because I wouldn't be able to see the light display panel. Unfortunately, there just doesn't seem to be room anywhere else.

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