Question about buying 30 amp surge protector

bigguy214 · 06-19-2016, 05:46 PM

Hey guys going on our first trip to a campground with our new trailer and I believe I should get a 30 amp surge protector.I have read a few threads and was wondering if the campgrounds have breakers or their own surge protectors or should I buy one?I would also like to know what are good brands of surge protectors so that I know it will trip if it does get a surge I just don't want to buy the cheapest one and hope that works thanks for any replies.

Oaklevel · 06-19-2016, 05:50 PM

We camped our first 30 years without one with no issues..... We did buy a progressive industries 30A last year, now use it still have not needed it.

Good Insurance though.....

RubyDually · 06-19-2016, 06:00 PM

Either hardwired or portable you won't go wrong with an EMS from Progressive Industries. They guard against more than just surges and come with a lifetime warranty.

Progressive Industries RV Surge and Electrical Protection industry lea

camaraderie · 06-19-2016, 06:48 PM

Surge protection is perhaps the least of your worries when plugging in to a campground. Low voltage, high voltage, ground faults and reverse polarity are issue in addition to surges and that is the difference between the basic surge protectors and an electronic management system EMS that goes for around $300 by progressive industries or over at camping world under the surge guard band.
The built in delay start is something I like as well since everything that can hurt you or the coach is passed before the unit connects the coach/camper.
Progressive Industries RV Surge and Electrical Protection industry lea

Here's a link to all their different units since we all have budgets and something is better than nothing. Good company...lifetime warranty.
Progressive Industries RV Surge and Electrical Protection industry lea

gfarmcafe · 06-20-2016, 01:59 PM

We use a surge protector, but before plugging into the campgrounds electrical service, we flip the breaker off, connect our power cord and then switch it back on. This will lessen the chance of spikes, or surges going into your RV and damaging something. I also make sure everything electrical inside is shut off before connecting. I also have a volt meter to use if I suspect something maybe wrong. It saved us once when it read 143 volts coming from the 30 amp outlet.

**Flybob** · 06-20-2016, 02:14 PM

In most campgrounds, the probability of a surge is small compared to the probability of a bad pedestal or an over /under voltage source. The Progressive Ind EMS covers all of these. Many people have camped years without one, but the expense of the repairs from a fault is considerably higher than the cost of the EMS. Under voltage ( which can damage your A/C compressor) is not unusual in the summer. Most campground's electrical systems were designed and installed when campers had small or no A/C. Now it is not unusual to have many large 2 A/C units all running at once. The PI EMS is guaranteed for life, most others are not.

Briorick · 06-20-2016, 02:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigguy214

Hey guys going on our first trip to a campground with our new trailer and I believe I should get a 30 amp surge protector.I have read a few threads and was wondering if the campgrounds have breakers or their own surge protectors or should I buy one?I would also like to know what are good brands of surge protectors so that I know it will trip if it does get a surge I just don't want to buy the cheapest one and hope that works thanks for any replies.

In the past we had never given one iota to having a surge protector for our Used Pups and HTT. Only until, and after getting a little education, and the importance of Surge Protectors from this site did we invest in one when we purchased our new TT this year.

Glad we did. Roughly a month ago we had a bad storm come through the CG we were staying at. Took out some trees and knocked out all the power. Was out for approximately 3 hours. Now, I don't know whether or not having the EMS-PT30C purchased from Progressive Industries helped, but I sure felt a whole lot better knowing we were connected to it. Once the power was regained, we were back to "camping business as usual".

Also, just as Flybob stated regarding the number of A/C units nowadays and some CG's not being designed for the heavy usage, is a good reason to invest in one considering the investments we put into our TT's.

jeff64 · 06-20-2016, 05:58 PM

I was at a cg in s. Wi. 2 wks ago w/ pi portable 30a unit it shut power down 7x due to low voltage. It hadn't done it before, or since then. Think I'm. happy I bought one? Yep!

crunchman12001 · 06-20-2016, 06:06 PM

EMS-PT30C 30 Amp Portable EMS

Charles Firth · 06-20-2016, 06:31 PM

I always use my surge suppressor at all campgrounds. I still think of myself as a new camper, only camping for a couple of years. I learn a lot walking through campgrounds. My observations, although not scientific by any means, show very few campers are using them. They could be hardwired inside, but they are not visible at the pedestal. I do see a lot of campers using the outside water filter. I did see a unique bike rack mounted to the front of the camper . Lots of neat things and ideas. Happy camping

raspivey · 06-20-2016, 06:55 PM

I put a hardwired unit in my new one...never got around to it in the last one. Our power at the house is, well...iffy at times. Someone sneezes and the power goes out. A few weeks ago, while waiting on the new trailer (PI EMS sitting on the table waiting for it) the power pulsed a few times, just enough to reboot computers and short cycle my house AC. I remember thinking THAT'S why I bought this thing. Before, I used to go unplug the trailer if I was at the house and an electrical storm blew in. Now I don't have to worry about it. Well worth the money.

360true · 06-21-2016, 08:06 AM

I have the progressive 50a. Last winter it took a hit from nearby lightning. Fried the box but saved my coach. Replaced in a couple days by the factory easy. And yesterday was in a campground office and the owner was speaking with his insurance company because he had some sites rewired and a camper plugged in (without a progressive unit) and fried his TV, both a/c units and other stuff. I have a portable and when I arrive, turn off the campsite box, plug in the unit, turn on the box to have it check. Then once it has given me the OK, I turn it off again, plug in my coach, then reapply power.

dan4jeepin · 06-22-2016, 08:48 AM

Last year I went to campground and was setting everything up and suddenly felt like I was being electrocuted when I touched the trailer jacks. Then it went away then happened again. I had done some work to the camper so I assume one of my hot wires was touching the frame. After a while of ripping things apart and getting shocked I found someone that had a volt meter. Turns out it was the campground pedestal was wired wrong and had no ground.

For this reason I got a Camco power defender analyzer. Not as much surge protection as more expensive units but will at least tell me if the campground outlet has a fault before I hook into it.

Ford Idaho · 06-22-2016, 08:57 AM

I have been using this one, bought it when we picked up the lite.

No issues with the unit and it did protect the lite in one CG in ND..

The guy that did the PDI with us suggested it.

jason_sos · 06-27-2016, 11:18 AM

The campgrounds will have breakers (sometimes they are accessible to you, and sometimes they are not), but not surge protection. Breakers are required by code.

Breakers and surge protectors do different things, and some of the other units do even more. Breakers are a safety device that trips when the circuit draws too much current. For instance, a short circuit. Surge protectors protect the equipment that's plugged into it from surges from the electrical supply. This could be a lightning strike somewhere during a storm, or an accident that takes out a pole, or even other peoples A/C going on and off, among other things.

In short, the answer is yes, you should buy a surge protector at the minimum. There are a couple of decent brands out there. Even better is to buy one of the Progressive Industries EMS units, because it protects your trailer from high and low voltage, surges, incorrectly wired pedestals, and frequencies out of range. I have the hard wired 30A version in my camper - it was the first big thing I did to it. It cost me about $220, but it was well worth it to me. I also carry around a 30A RV to 20A adapter and a circuit tester, and plug that into the pedestal before plugging in my camper. If I were to get anything other than the two yellow lights, I would contact the campground before I plugged my camper in.

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