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12-05-2019, 06:44 AM
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#1
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Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2019
Posts: 18
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Surge protectors....do I need one?
Hello all,
Lets talk about surge protectors. As a newbie to the TT/RV world I have questions
1. Do I need a surge protector?
2. Do you use one?
3. What do you use/recommend?
4. Why do you recommend that one?
Thanks!
__________________
RV: 2018 Coachmen Catalina 221TBS *SOLD*
RV: 2020 Arctic Wolf 291RL
Tow Vehicle: 2019 RAM 2500
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12-05-2019, 07:50 AM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2019
Location: LaGrange Ga
Posts: 450
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Catalina_Wine_Mixer
Hello all,
Lets talk about surge protectors. As a newbie to the TT/RV world I have questions
1. Do I need a surge protector?
2. Do you use one?
3. What do you use/recommend?
4. Why do you recommend that one?
Thanks!
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Yes, yes, progressive and because I think it is the best there is.
Mike
__________________
Mike Gray
Forest River Wildwood
2017 27 RKSS
2015 Sierra SLE 5.3 V8 4x4
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12-05-2019, 07:54 AM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2017
Posts: 5,712
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Only "IF" you want one. I've had TT's since 1984 and have never put one on a single TT we've owned. If you feel better with one, then by all means get one. Totally a "personal preference" type of thing.
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12-05-2019, 08:22 AM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Port Charlotte Fl/Hinsdale Ma
Posts: 4,823
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Do research. Be sure you buy an
EMS ($200-300) and not just a plain surge protector. ($75-$100). Low voltage is the most common problem in the campgrounds.
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12-05-2019, 08:40 AM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Jersey Shore
Posts: 679
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cavie
Do research. Be sure you buy an
EMS ($200-300) and not just a plain surge protector. ($75-$100). Low voltage is the most common problem in the campgrounds.
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X2
__________________
Bill and Gail
2016 Sunseeker 3010DS
V10 6 speed transmission
2017 Ford Fiesta toad
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12-05-2019, 08:45 AM
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#6
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Junior Member
Join Date: Nov 2019
Posts: 15
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Where does this surge protector go? At the point of connection to shore power? Or inside the RV before or after the converter/inverter? Do some good converters have built in surge protection?
__________________
2019 Forest River Arctic Wolf Cherokee 5thW 285DRL4
2017 Ford F250 W/B&W Companion hitch & Airlift bags
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12-05-2019, 08:51 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2017
Posts: 952
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Perseid88
Where does this surge protector go? At the point of connection to shore power? Or inside the RV before or after the converter/inverter? Do some good converters have built in surge protection?
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You decide. Progressive has both. If hardwired inside then put it anywhere between where the power cord enters the trailer and the main panel.
Btw my storage area has power spikes up to 135v. The progressive disconnects power to avoid trailer damage when this happens.
__________________
2016 RAM 3500 DRW 4x4 LB LoneStar, w/RDS 33Gal Aux tank, Timbrens, Andersen Ultimate2, SwiftHitch SH04
2018 Chaparral 360IBL w/TST507 TPMS, Lippert GC3 Autolevel, Furrion Backup Cam, Progressive HW50C
2006 RAM 3500 DRW LoneStar Edition
2011 Starcraft 392BHUw/Andersen No-Sway
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12-05-2019, 08:55 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2019
Posts: 4,297
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Do you need one? Probably not. We’ve been RV camping for over 20 years without a surge protector, mostly hooked up to campsite pedestals, and we’ve never had a problem with power quality.
Having said that, I will soon be installing a Progressive EMS anyway, just to try it out. That brand was recommended by others on this forum.
You can install portable units in-line with your power cord at the post, or hard-wired units installed internal to the camper just prior to the converter. I chose to go with an inside unit for convenience and no worry about theft.
__________________
2020 Sunseeker 2440DS on 2019 Ford E-450, Trekker cap, Topaz paint
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12-05-2019, 09:40 AM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2017
Posts: 3,290
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never had one, don't 'need' one, and have seen a lot of less-than-normal electrical situations and still have never had any adverse effects....100,000+ miles plus over 5 yrs.
__________________
The Turners...
'07 Rockwood Signature Ultralight...
two Campers and two Electric cars : )
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12-05-2019, 09:59 AM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Southern NM
Posts: 9,505
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Do you need one? Absolutely not.
But if you want one, or having one will provide you peace of mind, then by all means, buy one. They are a form of insurance.
A few years back several members of our fairly large RV group invested in them. After a few years, only one is still religiously using the EMS. The rest either included them as part of the package when selling their old RV and didn't replace them for the new RV, or just sold the EMS. Why? They all said they were a bigger PITA then they were worth with false or unneeded alarms causing frequent power interruptions. And , if I remember correctly, they were all Progressive EMS units.
__________________
Scott and Liz - Southern NM
2012 Wildcat Sterling 32RL - w/level up (best option ever)
2007 Chevy 2500HD Duramax
Reese Fifth Airborne Sidewinder
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12-05-2019, 10:31 AM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: TEXAS
Posts: 9,097
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Catalina_Wine_Mixer
1. Do I need a surge protector?
2. Do you use one?
3. What do you use/recommend?
4. Why do you recommend that one?
Thanks!
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1. I think so. We have a Progressive Portable which you attach to the campground post and then plug into that. The advantage for me is that if you can test the electric connection BEFORE you back up and hook everything up.
2. Use ours all the time. It has detected reverse polarity many times and protects from low as well as high voltage.
3. This one.... but there are many lower price ones available.
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
4. Liked the features. We've found that low voltage and reverse polarity are the main problems we've found in campgrounds.
Can you do without one? Probably. We just didn't want to take the risk with all the electronic in our rig.
__________________
2015 Dynamax REV 24TB class C
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12-05-2019, 10:35 AM
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#12
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: North Port Florida
Posts: 2,050
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Recommended yes .... need no .... BIL been camping 20 years says it is a waste of money ... I have one
__________________
Frank & Cindy--- (SOB) 5th Wheel ---2019 Ram 3500 Cummins 6.7 SRW 4x4 8' bed--- Payload 4394------Remi & Sage camping pups---TST 507 TPMS ... B&W Patriot 18K---3.73 axle ... Predator 3500---2019 48 days ---2020 28 days Camping
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12-05-2019, 10:36 AM
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#13
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Always Learning
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Four Corners, FL
Posts: 21,888
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Catalina_Wine_Mixer
1. Do I need a surge protector?
2. Do you use one?
3. What do you use/recommend?
4. Why do you recommend that one?
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1. Need, no. But it's like condoms and insurance, it's there in case crap happens.
2. Yes, I've used one since I went fulltime. For the 4 years of RVing prior to that, I didn't have one.
3. I use the Progressive Industries Electric Monitoring System (EMS). Surge Guard also makes an EMS that I would consider. Their products used to be substandard with quite a few reports of them "burning out" but the build quality seems better these days.
4. PI was the gold standard for a long time.
One campground I frequent has a sign at their guard gate that says they're not responsible for faulty electric and recommend the use of an electrical protection device.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Perseid88
Where does this surge protector go? At the point of connection to shore power? Or inside the RV before or after the converter/inverter? Do some good converters have built in surge protection?
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See this article for the pros and cons of portable vs. hard-wired:
https://learntorv.com/what-surge-pro...est-for-my-rv/
Quote:
Originally Posted by NMWildcat
They all said they were a bigger PITA then they were worth with false or unneeded alarms causing frequent power interruptions.
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Depending on your view of low voltage, I can see the statement of "unneeded alarms". Some folks are perfectly fine running their system on voltage in the 90-105v range.
But, I've never experienced false alarms and I've been in a couple hundred campgrounds and campsites in the last 4 years. The only false reports I've ever heard of are faulty units that were found at time of installation and that's pretty rare. Otherwise, I've never read of other reports of false alarms.
__________________
Officially a SOB with a 2022 Jayco Precept 36C
Checkout my site for RVing tips, tricks, and info | Was a Fulltime Family for 5 years, now we're part-timing on long trips
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12-05-2019, 10:37 AM
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#14
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Site Team
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Grayson County, Texas
Posts: 21,475
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I can't/won't speak for anyone else... but I think I need one. My Progressive EMS 50a hardwired unit has flagged low voltage a few times. On the other end of the spectrum, mine flagged high voltage (138vAC) several times in one night. Would 138v hurt my stuff? I dunno. I'm no electrician - but I didn't like the sound of it. The next day, COE park staff ran all campers out and closed the park saying high water had gotten into their power center.
__________________
2015 FR Wildcat 295RSX / GMC Sierra
Nights Camped: '13 = 49/'14 = 74/'15 = 74/'16 = 85/'17 = 110/'18 = 111/'19 = 86/'20 =108/'21 = 115/'22 = 135/'23 = 78; Booked for 2024 = 69
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12-05-2019, 01:05 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Bronston, KY
Posts: 734
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike223
Yes, yes, progressive and because I think it is the best there is.
Mike
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X2
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12-05-2019, 01:41 PM
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#16
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Member
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Yuma, AZ
Posts: 36
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Been RVing for 30+ years and never thought much about a surge protector until this last summer. While in N AZ (pinetop) we experienced a lightning storm which took out a tree about 100 yards from our trailer. It hit a tree but wiped out everything electrical inside a nearby trailer (about 8 feet from the tree). That kinda scared us so we bought the progressive EMS unit. a couple weeks later we had another lightning storm which hit one of the trailers nearby taking all its electrical components down. Our EMS shut us down due to high voltages but protected us.
Besides the protection provided, I love that I can see the voltage and more importantly amp usage on each leg every few seconds. It provides information and peace of mind and I no longer have to worry in the frequent Arizona monsoon thunderstorms.
__________________
2009 Cherokee 3100RK, 2004 silverado 2500HD Duramax SRD
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12-05-2019, 02:01 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: N GA Mtns
Posts: 111
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Definitely Progressive. They stand behind their product 200%
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12-05-2019, 02:04 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Texas
Posts: 1,371
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EMS
I think it depends on where you camp. If small Mom & Pop campsites, Yes. As others have said, get an EMS. I have a EMS, life time warranty {Progressive?} if it gets fried. The EMS is an insurance policy, it sacrifices itself to protect your expensive electronic equipment, as will a surge protector. It does a lot more as it checks for low power, polarity and low voltage when connecting to power. Mine has a 30 second test it runs when connecting, if voltage drops in the night it will disconnect and then reconnect. Mine was an error number that comes up, low power is the most common. We travel 3-4 months of the year, about 1 time a year we will see a problem. If you get one, get a good 6' cable lock to go w/ it.
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12-05-2019, 03:24 PM
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#19
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Junior Member
Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 5
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EMS
I use an EMS only because of a previous trailer that I had plugged in at my home I burned out the converter in the trailer and a tv in my house. I know parks are not wired as good as my house. That is why I have one.
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12-05-2019, 03:35 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Farmer
Posts: 4,988
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Quote:
Originally Posted by NMWildcat
Do you need one? Absolutely not.
But if you want one, or having one will provide you peace of mind, then by all means, buy one. They are a form of insurance.
A few years back several members of our fairly large RV group invested in them. After a few years, only one is still religiously using the EMS. The rest either included them as part of the package when selling their old RV and didn't replace them for the new RV, or just sold the EMS. Why? They all said they were a bigger PITA then they were worth with false or unneeded alarms causing frequent power interruptions. And , if I remember correctly, they were all Progressive EMS units.
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X2
__________________
2016 Coachmen Apex 250RLS Ultra Light 2023 Ram 2500 Big Horn Sport 3.73
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