Received today my Progressive Industries Smart Surge

[Kansas Camper]

Was just delivered today. I went out and plugged it into my 30 amp outlet which I had the electrician install and it indicates reverse polarity. What does that mean? Should I not use this outlet? Thanks.

[cpd1343]

DO NOT USE!! It means that the hot and neutral wires are reversed.

[rockfordroo]

OR the electrician hooked it up to 220VAC instead of 110VAC. See this thread for info on this common electrician error:

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...0-a-27121.html

Get your electrician back and have him make sure it's hooked up correctly.

[elundquist]

I could also mean they wired it as 240VAC! Have they inspect and correct ASAP!


Erik Lundquist

[Kansas Camper]

Wow. Will have to get the electrician to whom I paid to have install it get it fixed. I have been using it. Thank goodness nothing has happened at least to my knowledge. Thanks to everyone who said this is a must. This is a good example that everyone needs something g to protect their investment.

[elundquist]

If you used the outlet without any issues, then most likely they just reversed the line-neutral wires at the outlet. If the breaker is just 1" wide with one short handle that's the case.

If the breaker is 2" wide with a lager handle that looks like it connects two breakers together then they did the 240VAC.


Erik Lundquist

[Kansas Camper]

No. It is a 1" wide. I attached a picture. I have been using it with the AC with no issues.

[elundquist]

KC,

It is easy fix. If you can turn a screw driver you can fix it yourself.

The only things in your camper that might not have worked while hooked up to this outlet would have been those things that had one blade lager on the plugs. Typically AV equipment and hair dryers & irons.


Erik Lundquist

[Kansas Camper]

Thanks Erik

[MartiB]

In another thread, I had indicated that my Surge Guard showed a good connection when I first plugged it in but when I left the campsite to go home, it indicated reverse polarity. Someone mentioned that their's did the same thing once and never did it again. I will be using mine again next weekend for the first time since that incident and will be watching to see what it does.

[Tom48]

Reversing the hot and neutral is no harm no fowl until there's some sort of an internal grounding short in the coach at which point the whole coach could have been hot. If its a direct run from your main box, it shouldn't be difficult to check. Normally white comes from the neutral buss inside the box and black comes from a breaker in the main box to the panel. Where you get in trouble is when they run two runs the same color because it's a lot easier to get the wires reversed and a lot of dumbass residential electricians don't know the difference. Good luck better to be safe than sorry. I wouldn't use it again until it's FIXED and then checked, preferably by someone else. Did the building department inspect this outlet, probably not because most of us wouldn't pull a permit for that little modification but then this could be the situation where you wish you had. Good luck

[Kansas Camper]

I have an electrician scheduled this week to fix it. I would fix it myself but I want to make sure it is done right.

[Kansas Camper]

Oh. And thank you for all of the help and advice!

[wmtire]

If you are comfortable and experienced using a multi-meter, you can check this to see if the hot and neutral are indeed reversed.....and it's not a faulty reading from your surge protector.

If it's correct, facing the outlet as in the pic: The voltage between the Hot lead at 7 o'clock and W is 120-volt, Hot lead and G is 120-volt, W and G is 0-volt




If it's reversed: The voltage between the Hot lead at 7 o'clock and W is still 120-volt, Hot lead and G is 0-volt, W and G is 120-volt.

If you get over 200 volts anywhere in the two wire combinations, then Houston we have a problem.

[Kansas Camper]

I will give it a try before he shows up later in the week. Sounds like something I can handle. Thanks!!