Surge protectors

[maminkagirl]

Does anyone use a surge protector for their a frame camper and if so, what type do you use? Thanks!

[loki008]

I got the progressive industries EMS-HW30 based on reviews. I like that it does more than just surge suppression and detects issues with wiring.

EMS-HW30C

I bought mine on amazon. The one i went with requires a bit of wiring, but if you have any basic electrical knowledge its an easy install. If not there is a "portable" one that plugs in. I didn't go with that one mostly because i didn't want to have to deal with it vs an always installed and functioning unit

[D-mo]

i know of talk of variances in certain parks on the 120 side of things .. but why do you need this?

d-mo

[PhoneDude 8289]

Originally Posted by D-mo

i know of talk of variances in certain parks on the 120 side of things .. but why do you need this?

d-mo

For the protection of your electronic equipment and your piece of mind.

[LittlePM]

I don't know how much you paid for your A Frame, but I would think that no matter how much you paid for it you would want to protect it.

[maminkagirl]

The reason I was wondering about surge protectors was a review on trip advisor regarding a camp ground we were interested in visiting. The people said they were glad they had one because there were lots of spikes in service. Thanks for your advice.

[rawlus]

For me the risk is not high enough to warrant a $300 investment. But when I do have hookups they are generally at campgrounds with reliable and well maintained service.

The a frame is relatively devoid of electronic wonders compared to a pimped out 5er or class A.

[rfloyd]

I use this one from PPL for about 75 dollars, I had my inverter fried with spikes. With this I have experienced several spikes but no damage. RV Surge Protector - PPL Motor Homes

[Zambolie]

The way I see it is we have insurance on everything else, why not buy a little more to protect the electrical system on our camper. One time expense of $300 is nothing for that peace of mind.

We *JUST* switched up to a TT; but even in a pup we still plugged our phones and occasionally our computers in when we HAD to be connected for work, not to mention the fridge and other electronic systems on board.

I may owe some change; but that's my two cents.

[loki008]

Originally Posted by D-mo

i know of talk of variances in certain parks on the 120 side of things .. but why do you need this?

d-mo

Mostly for insurance. Since i have gotten it I already discovered a reverse polarity issue in my house. For me it is a pence of mind thing. Its a I rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it kind of thing.

[rawlus]

i recognize the insurance angle, for me its a solution looking for a problem. i use electricity every day in all sorts of environments and dont think twice about plugging in an iphone to a fuse or circuit breaker protected outlet, even if i dont have a $300 surge protector with me.

different environments may indeed require this, perhaps places i am not familiar with, but i dont se the value. to me its like putting a lightning rod on the roof of the camper just in case we get struck by lighting. Anything is possible. i cant worry about that. i need to focus on what is likely or probable and spend my money there in preparation.

the post at the campground has a breaker, the camper is full of breakers and fuses. ive been around a long time and met a lot of people, i dont know anyone who has experienced the situation this solution is meant to prevent.

and if it did happen, hey, thats what i am already paying insurance for.

ymmv

[Pooneil]

I have standard computer surge protector/power strips plugged into two of my outlets that provide ample protection for electronics I may plug in. The only thing that I can think of that would get damaged is the converter or the AC. It costs less than $300 to replace on the odd chance it does get damaged and the AC is not particularly sensitive to transient spikes.

I suppose a chain of events could cause my converter to over load and shoot high voltage through the 12 volt system, but that seems lake an extremely rare possibility.

[loki008]

Originally Posted by rawlus

i recognize the insurance angle, for me its a solution looking for a problem. i use electricity every day in all sorts of environments and dont think twice about plugging in an iphone to a fuse or circuit breaker protected outlet, even if i dont have a $300 surge protector with me.

different environments may indeed require this, perhaps places i am not familiar with, but i dont se the value. to me its like putting a lightning rod on the roof of the camper just in case we get struck by lighting. Anything is possible. i cant worry about that. i need to focus on what is likely or probable and spend my money there in preparation.

the post at the campground has a breaker, the camper is full of breakers and fuses. ive been around a long time and met a lot of people, i dont know anyone who has experienced the situation this solution is meant to prevent.

and if it did happen, hey, thats what i am already paying insurance for.

ymmv

For me it's peace of mind like I've previously stated. As for why this is the case, I've been camping around New England for some time. I tend to shy away from "RV" parks and stay at more rural camp grounds. most of the time they don't have facilities, and of the ones I've seen has ranged from a diamond in the rough to installed 15 years ago and never serviced since. for me this makes the peace of mind knowing that I don't need to worry. I agree if you are staying in an RV park you likely never need to worry. But I am camping to be out in the woods, I'm not looking for pools and game halls so those are not the areas I'll likely be finding myself at often.

[OKI Marine]

I had an issue at a campground with current where I lost my converter. I ended up cutting our vacation short due to the fact that i had a hard time locating a new one. I purchased a surge protector just for added protection and assurance. Think about all of the other gadgets and odds and ends that are purchased for camping, campers, etc. It is just another one of those but so much more.

[rawlus]

Why are they so expensive? There is nothing in my camper that is worth $300, I'm struggling with now to justify such an investment.

Why is a big screen tv above to be surge protected by a device that's 1/4 the cost but for camping I need something so expensive? Why can I get a heavy duty surge protector for my computer, with battery backup, for 1/2 the cost but for a very cheap Chinese-made rv stereo I need the most expensive surge protector out there?

Does anyone know the answer?

[rawlus]

Doing a little research it seems the hardwire units are a bit less expensive and offer some theft protection that a portable dog one doesn't.

Also seems the main issue is longer duration voltage dips more than actual momentary spikes or surges. Seems a long term dip in line voltage can happen at big places with lots of class As running lots of things.

Il continue my research, anyone with specific recs in hard wired units I'd be interested in the recommendation.

[MillerTime]

The main reason you need one camping and maybe not at your house ( though I use one there too) is the amount of different locations your at. Your house stays in one spot, your camper... not so much.
You can get a simple 30 amp surge protector for $75-90 and the ems (electrical management system) for around $250-300.
The differences
- surge protector, protects from spikes and or surges

Ems- protects from spikes
- protects, and disconnects your power from high voltage
- and low voltage
- has a timer to leave power off to save your ac compressor from starting too soon
- usually has a display to show voltage and amperage used at that time

Both usually show if polarity is reversed or not (on progressive units)
We had a simple surge protector on out last $20-25k 5er, but I ordered an EMS unit for our new $40-50k 5er.
Its up to you.
Btw an ac unit is about $500+
Hot water heater $400+
Coverter about $200+
Tv, microwave......etc.
I would at least do the simple surge protector, and always check the pedestal before pluging in also.

MillerTime- Future Sabre Handler!!

[Wojo]

I went the simple $75 surge protector route. It's on its way from Amazon now. I sometimes work from the camper, and I'd hate to lose my work computer for having not spent $75. Might never need it, but I don't care much about that. Peace of mind for under a hundo...done deal. Sure, insurance will replace damaged gear, but man that hassle.

[catworker]

I have a Camping World Surge Guard left over from my travel trailer days. It's a 30 amp model with LCD display. I offers full electrical protection with surge. So far I've never needed the surge part of the unit. However, at least twice a season the unit has found problems with the campgrounds electrical box causing me to move to another site. Once the unit shut down when the campground voltage dipped below 108 volts.

[D-mo]

ok .. so .. if your not using your converter at its full potential .. like using a ton of 12 volt devices at one time ... why would we be concerned about a momentary drops/dips or surges for that matter.

d-mo