Surge Protector?

[imcabbh]

How important is it to have a surge protector?

[n2916s]

Depends, if you have a modern unit with all kinds of expensive digital devices, you probably ought to have one. If, like mine, the only expensitive and/or delicate devices are plugged into the inverter and everything else is dinosaur simple, then you can probably go without.

I live in Yellowstone in the summers (well, so far...) and it has the single most unreliable power grid I have ever encountered yet all the stuff in my trailer has survived.

I don't carry one but if I had a shiny new rig, I would.

[CharlieSK]

We had the same question last year - not sure what to do - so we made a similar post. One of the replies said it all - "it is your stuff." We bought a surge protector and used it all the time last season. It saved us from getting fried at least once - was a good investment in our opinion.

[OTRA15]

Welcome to the forum, imcabbh!

There are quite a few previous threads on this topic in the sub-forums dedicated to electric issues and so forth:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f449/
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f37/

Here are the search results for "surge protector: --

https://cse.google.com/cse?cx=011403...tor&gsc.page=1

And some leading threads FYI:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f449...ion-73713.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f240...or-130571.html
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f37/...or-155787.html

We would not plug in without one.

Good luck!

Peter

[majorairhead]

For me it's like that fire extinguisher thing, 'its better to have one and not need it than to need one and not have it.'

We have the progressive industries ems-pt30c and use it.

[McDave]

When we bought our 2014 FC, other than an accessory kit of hoses, etc., that the dealer threw in for "free," the only thing he suggested we buy was a surge protector. Everything else was optional, as far as he was concerned. The opposite of surges is low voltage, which can also fry your delicate electronics, so best to get one that detects that too.

[Ted S.]

I consider it the single best thing I did when I bought my trailer. I had one installed.

[zapper]

Learned a lesson when I had my 2007 Safari SE LS FB. When that unit was new I stayed at a RV park in Mesa Az for an extended period of time. Came home from work one evening found my AC running erratically. Took it into the AS dealer who found all the wiring from the outside 30amp fixture to the AC unit was burnt. No sure if it was due to low voltage on the line or the shore power post was wired incorrectly. No matter never went back to that park. However, thereafter almost every other Appliance that used 120 vac over time went wonky. Replaced AC, converter, TVs and refrigerator. Since then I purchased a box (forget brand name) that checks polarity on the power post and gives surge protection if power is lost by delaying reconnection to the unit by 90 seconds. In addition it tracks voltage and current draw and if voltage gets too low with amperage too high it will disconnect power from the post. My point is you need more than simple surge protection. The alternative for me was way too expensive.

[Ted S.]

My Surge Guard is not just surge protection, it's a power monitor. It has locked out due to low power and also caught a reverse polarity. It also displays how much power the trailer is drawing. I don't ever think I will not have it. I have the hard wired unit with remote display.

[A W Warn]

My 99 Excella had a power surge due to lightning strike nearby. It did not have surge protection. Had it had a surge protector at that point, what would have happened?

That surge damaged several things.
Immediately afterward:
1. power cord end and dog bone adapter burned/melted/welded together had to replace both.
2. air conditioner had to be replaced
3. the refrigerator thermostat stuck in max cold will no longer adjust

Not long afterward (not positively as a result of the surge, but probably):
3. converter started charging at 14v constantly had to be replaced
4. one battery cracked and the other swelled, both had to be replaced and the acid spilled on the frame had to be neutralized.
5. water heater ignition module had to be replaced
6. 50 amp and 20 amp 12v breakers started to heat and trip during normal use had to be replaced


I spent over $1500 for materials to make these repairs. Luckily I could do all of these things myself, so I did not pay any labor costs.

[kb0zke]

"How important is it to have a surge protector?" How big is your bank account and how much patience do you have? If you bank account is very large and you have lots of patience, go ahead and live without one. Otherwise, get a Progressive Industries one to suit your coach. You can get either 30A or 50A models in either hard-wired or portable models. Obviously the 30A portable model is the cheapest and the 50A hard-wired one is the most expensive. Even that one is less than what a few major appliances would cost you.

[urnmor]

IMO there are a lot of things you do not need for your AS however a surge protector is not one of them. Seen the money and buy a good one