Re-thinking Hardwire Surge Guard...Opinions?

[ryand]

I purchased a hardwired surge guard for use on our RV on a killer price from Camping World….But I am re thinking my decision not to go with the portable unit. I am good with wiring it in the system but have concerns that it may hinder the use of my generator. I guess this is more of a generator concern rather than the surge….I have a Yamaha 2400HC inverter and while it does start my air even in the recent heat wave but I have to go through a process of startup to avoid overload. I start the fan and let it run on low for few minutes before Turning on the compressor to charge the starting capacitors. If I do not the geny will trip. With this surge guard in place I am worried that the voltage may drop to the point the surge shuts off and I might be better off with the portable that I could remove in these situations. Also locating the unit is going to be an issue to view the lights and diagnose the issues should they arise. My real question is do the modern generators drop voltage as amps increase or is it pretty constant and if any others here have similar experiences??

[myredracer]

Seems to me that the main reason you want to put in a surge protector is because of all the potential issues from cg supplied power.

Do you really need one if running on a gen.? If you have a detachable 30A cord already, perhaps a person could install a 2nd inlet (20 or 30A)along with a 2 pole, double throw switch?

[ryand]

Thats the Delima....Yes i want it to protect from the doddgy COE power systems. The more I think about it i might return it and buck up the clams for the portable unit that i could just remove when running the gen.

[bob213]

Would a hard start capacitor make your AC start easier, eliminating the prep before startup?

[ryand]

Bob-

I am sure make things much quicker...just have not done the mod as it is not 100% necessary in my case.

[Dave_Monica]

Perhaps the portable surge protector will better suit your needs...sounds like you may have a buyer for your hard-wired one from the other thread!

The surge protectors have protection for low voltage...mine's at 106V. As you add more load (more amps draw), the voltage goes down. If the generator's AC supply is 115V or lower, you may trip out on low voltage while starting the camper's A/C. I don't fully understand why the voltage drops as the load increases, but that's what I've seen plugged in at home or at the campground.

Dave

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by Dave_Monica

I don't fully understand why the voltage drops as the load increases, but that's what I've seen plugged in at home or at the campground. Dave

Dave,

The formula for power (Watts) is W = IV where Watts is the product of current draw and volts supplied.

The appliance requires a fixed amount of power (watts) to operate. Say 1200W
If voltage drops due to high current demand, the amount of amps required to so (1200 watts of work) goes up. It will do this until the breakers blow or the motor fries.

That is on the "consumption" side of the campground wire problem.

On the supply side:

The supply wire has a certain resistance per foot of run. This resistance is NOT FIXED. It is a variable dependent on temperature. The higher the temperature, the higher the resistance to electron flow and the more voltage is lost on the line in the form of heat.

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Increase the current and the resistance at the same time (load) and you increase voltage drop. Materials can fix this problem. Cheap wiring in older campgrounds used aluminum wire. Switching to copper will half line voltage loss.

[SaskCampers]

A good inverter genny will not have any voltage drop off, it will maintain it's stated o/p voltage till it reaches max current after which point it will just trip it's breaker.

[JohnandPandra]

I have only camped at C.O.E. campgrounds at 3 area lakes here in southwest missouri and haven't seen the voltage less than 116 volts during the 100 degree weather with the whole campground running their a/c's. I have the TRC Line Monitor near my door so I can monitor any low voltage to my appliances.