Is a surge protector needed?

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by Blazeman1

Where, and how do you find a place to hard wire a progressive hard wire unit? On a airstream interstate grand tour ext.I would much rather have it permanently installed. Any suggestions please. Thanks, John

Hi

The two logical places are at the input connector to the MH or at the point the feed wire gets to the breaker panel. Since there are a billion ways AS seems to do things, it's very much a "go look and see" sort of thing.

In the case of our trailer (yes a different beast) both locations were possible. Of the two, behind the breaker panel worked out better.

Bob

[guskmg]

I have had Southwire's 50 amp surge protectors since a loose ground/neutral pedestal connection wiped out my electronics both AC & DC. Later, Southwire graciously replaced my failed unit with a new top of the line protector even though my original was a basic unit. The new Southwire units have a automatic cut out if the trailer neutral becomes disconnected. As the say, "Don't leave home without it." Use it at home too, if you have you own pedestal.
guskmg

[Blazeman1]

I don’t want a pedestal, I want to hard wire a Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C 30 amp unit to a Airstream Interstate van. If you are familiar with this van you’ll know there is very little space underneath the jump seat where the electric panel is located. I’m thinking of water proofing the unit, and mounting underneath, has anyone done this?

[Blazeman1]

Originally Posted by Blazeman1

I don’t want a pedestal, I want to hard wire a Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C 30 amp unit to a Airstream Interstate van. If you are familiar with this van you’ll know there is very little space underneath the jump seat where the electric panel is located. I’m thinking of water proofing the unit, and mounting underneath, has anyone done this?

Ok, installed the Progressive Industries unit EMS-HW30C today. Removed the bottom jump seat cushion on drivers rear. Removed the screen covering the wiring. And the orange #10 romex cable in a black wire loom is the output (C ) from the tranfer switch to the 30 amp breaker in the electrical panel. It’s located just to the outside (wall side ) of the inverter. I cut the orange cable, and (basically spliced it in between) installed the unit as per instructions. Easy install, and it now protects the van both from bad shore power, and the generator as well. I then mounted the data digital remote just above in the upper cabinet, and ran the cable by way of the adjacent bathroom wall. Drilling a 1/2” hole into the upper cabinet on the bathroom side just be hind the hinge. The 1/2 was just to accommodate the cable end connector.

[Gene]

Blaze', did you put the junction of the cables inside a metal or plastic electrical box with a cover? Even in a stationery location, wire nuts can loosen and wires can untwist. Sparks fly and sometimes ignite something. Plastic boxes have holes with things that look like jaws and hold the cable; metal boxes use Romex connectors to hold the wires steady. This is more important in a bouncing, moving vehicle.

[Blazeman1]

Originally Posted by Gene

Blaze', did you put the junction of the cables inside a metal or plastic electrical box with a cover? Even in a stationery location, wire nuts can loosen and wires can untwist. Sparks fly and sometimes ignite something. Plastic boxes have holes with things that look like jaws and hold the cable; metal boxes use Romex connectors to hold the wires steady. This is more important in a bouncing, moving vehicle.

Thanks for your concern, I’m actually a retired Master electrician. No wirenut connections are required. Simply cut into the cable from the Tranfer Switch to the main circuit breaker in the electrical panel. All the electrical connections are made inside of the Progressive Industries unit as per instructions. That is: Transfer Sw to input, and output to main breaker in electrical Panel. Super clean install. Plus, it not only gives me a constant read out of shore power, it also gives me the constant generator output voltage, amps, and Hertz at any given time which is very important as to the AC unit.

[Gene]

Cool, Blaze'. I installed a box under the corner of the bed in a 25' FB—a small space—and the surge protector on the outside of the bed frame. Not a great thing and the surge protector had wires exposed a little. The better thing on the surge protector would be to insert the wires into a clamp that is screwed down with a cover, but they saved a few bucks and didn't have that. You would have to work hard to get a shock, but like all potentially dangerous things, idiots, careless or unlucky people will find a way. Every model has it own needs and peculiarities. I don't think I could have done it any other way, but sometimes I completely miss the obvious.

[Mark of SJC]

Very interesting thread! But there are two questions I've not seen answers to concerning going with a hard wired Progressive Industries EMS set up.

1) If it's installed, and you elect to run a generator with an inverter built in (i.e. open ground) - how do you plug it into your system to power everything when the EMS system shuts down due to the open ground?

2) On a TB 27FB (front bed) - is there any room to physically install the hard wired EMS in the electrical panel area (or elsewhere?)? Also, if you do...how would you be able to read any readout the unit is displaying if it's behind a wall?

Any information deeply appreciated!!!

[Blazeman1]

https://www.amazon.com/Progressive-I...a-535849621413
It has a remote read out with supplied cable

[Gene]

Mark,

Installing a surge protector can be a challenge inside a trailer. Motorhomes often have an electrical cabinet where there may be space for an interior protector. Trailers may not. We used to have a 25' FB and I did install an interior version on a corner of the bed frame. This is not a great solution. It was difficult to fit my body into the floor space and work on the installation. It was even more difficult to extract myself from that little space. Every tie I had to get up or fit myself into the area made me wish I had a crane to lift me in and out. Because the surge protector did not have a way to easily shield the bare wires from being touched, that was a concern. It would be hard to make contact with them and we never did, but still it is a concern, especially with children and pets. You could install the surge protector deep into the inside of the bed frame, but as you note, you cannot see it. If you can access it behind an outside door that leads to under bed storage, that would be a way of making it visible and safe. Wiring under our bed of our trailer required dexterity and at the factory was probably done before the bed was installed. Wiring inside the bed frame was cramped, but not impossible. Some knowledge of how do auto and residential wiring is very helpful. You should also have a multimeter to check what you are doing and what you find. I have rewired several houses and long ago did wiring for a gold mine, so it was pretty simple for me conceptually, but it would have helped if I were half my size. Since the bed in a 27' is turned 90˚ from a 25' FB, the converter may be in a different location and easier or harder to work on. I would change the converter regardless of what you do. I changed the converter from the stock cheap one that comes with Airstreams to an Iota one with a three stage charger. I am trying to discourage you from doing what I did unless you have some experience with electrical work.

With our present charger I bought the exterior surge protector and plug it into the pedestal at the campground. I know someone can steal it and in three years of camping with it, no one has. If you buy another trailer, you can take it with you. I think there may be something you can buy to lock the surge protector to the pedestal to prevent theft, but I never researched it.

[Jtom]

I have a 2019 Flying Cloud that we got in January 2020. Bought a surge PI Ems 50 watt surge protector. We immediately started havIng problems with one of our ACs and microwave tripping the breaker. We took it in the Airstream Dealer and they checked everything without the surge protector and they work. They tried the surge protector and the AC and the microwave flipped the breaker and fried the microwave....the dealer said the surge protector was causing surge, thus flipping the break and frying the microwave. I can understand a surge p, not functioning, but how can it cause surges? Just trying to figure this out. I’m Progressive Industries about a refund or exchange....any guidance would be helpful...thanks

[waninae39]

YES ITS a must IMHO.

we have an internal unit that way its always on

its save our unit a number of times!

[Mark of SJC]

Originally Posted by Jtom

I have a 2019 Flying Cloud that we got in January 2020. Bought a surge PI Ems 50 watt surge protector. We immediately started havIng problems with one of our ACs and microwave tripping the breaker. We took it in the Airstream Dealer and they checked everything without the surge protector and they work. They tried the surge protector and the AC and the microwave flipped the breaker and fried the microwave....the dealer said the surge protector was causing surge, thus flipping the break and frying the microwave. I can understand a surge p, not functioning, but how can it cause surges? Just trying to figure this out. I’m Progressive Industries about a refund or exchange....any guidance would be helpful...thanks

Sounds like a malfunctioning Surge Protector! I'd think they own you a new one...and a microwave! I'm not an electrical engineer, but I'm guessing the two legs weren't completely isolated as they should be in the device - allowing it to wildly spiking the power?