Surge Protector: Internal vs. External?

[Gulliver72]

I will go counter to most of the others on this one. Absolutely interior unit. Progressive Industries. One less item to think about, worry about, find a storage spot for. Biggest bonus is the interior monitor that shows you REAL TIME amp draw. It was mentioned that some new exterior units have a Bluetooth link with your phone, but.......that means you have to open your phone, pull up the app. For me it’s an unequivocal INTERIOR mounting only.
P.S. mine is located under my bed, I’ve never heard it!

[ROBERT CROSS]

I'll go with....Get rid of vs.👎
Just go with one OR the other.

Bob
🇺🇸

[AlnKaren]

I went with the Progressive Industries external unit. One plus is I don’t have to use a bonding plug when using my generator since the protector is not used when running the generator.

[waninae39]

Absolutely interior unit. Progressive Industries is the one we have had for 3 years

Nothing to think about when setting up on site
As others have stated, there is a bonus as the interior monitor that shows you REAL TIME amp draw.

[azflycaster]

My external unit shows real time amp draw as well...

[Daquenzer]

I got the exterior only because should I ever get another AS I have it. No single right answer. Do what works for you.

[RJKSr]

We have the Progressive Industries 50A EMS exterior model. This has prevented damage from both brown outs and spikes in voltage. It's a great unit. Unfortunately, at some point it required re-calibration. Had it been internal, and mounted where our power enters the power center under the fridge, there would have been a lot of work to get to it as its not an easy task. If a large surge had blown the protector inside, it would also need service. So we are happy with the external unit. If you have easy access to where it will mount for servicing, go with interior unit. If not, go with external. We use a cable lock to discourage theft or tampering if we are concerned.

[Shangrila]

We went simple and purchased an external Camco 55301 30 amp RV power defender. Works just fine.

[Cyclist]

Originally Posted by azflycaster

My external unit shows real time amp draw as well...

Our external unit does as well.

[A W Warn]

Originally Posted by Midwest Greg

<snip> Dealer will include SP of my choice and install if I decide on an internal unit.
Thanks for any help.

Greg

My choice FOR ME would be internally installed Progressive Industries brand.
However, if you can't do a replacement of an internal unit yourself, would have to pay someone, a plug in device might be a better choice for you.

IMO for internal:
Pros>
It would be less likely to be stolen
I wouldn't forget it and leave it somewhere
It would not depend on a separate device to monitor it

Cons>
If it needs service or replacement, an internal installation might be more difficult to work on, but that difficulty depends on how and where it installed.

[Mollysdad]

I vote external.
Pro:
1. Uncomplicated.
2. See voltage and wiring BEFORE connecting your power cord.
3. Simple to replace.

Con:
1. One more thing to set up.
2. Safety cable to power box.
3. Out in the weather...not usually a problem if it's off the ground.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Pro
#4 If the 'poof' does occur it's outside and not buried inside the AS, where it could be a real problem.🥴

Bob
🇺🇸

[mefly2]

Agreed with the concern for theft of external ...
with proper wiring and socket, the external can also be mounted internally ...

[waninae39]

I vote internal.
Pro:
1. Uncomplicated.
just plug in the chord like normal
2. The unit see voltage BEFORE connecting to your internal system
we have been saved many times from both under and over voltage
3. Simple to replace.
if you ever get a new AS, simply removed the old one and connect the in/out wires together. No more than 5 min effort
4. setup once and forget about it.

Con:
1. One more thing to set up.
2. easy to steal
3, Easy to forget behind
4. More connectors that get worn out
5. more likely to crack/brake over time or trip over
3. Out in the weather... usually a problem if it's on the ground.

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by waninae39

I vote internal.
Pro:
1. Uncomplicated.
just plug in the chord like normal
2. The unit see voltage BEFORE connecting to your internal system
we have been saved many times from both under and over voltage
3. Simple to replace.
if you ever get a new AS, simply removed the old one and connect the in/out wires together. No more than 5 min effort
4. setup once and forget about it.

Con:
1. One more thing to set up.
2. easy to steal
3, Easy to forget behind
4. More connectors that get worn out
5. more likely to crack/brake over time or trip over
3. Out in the weather... usually a problem if it's on the ground.

---------------------------------

1,2,3,4,5,3, a lot of con's for that internal.😂

I hate it when my fingers work faster than my noggin.

Bob
🇺🇸

[Hoagie]

There are a lot of comments here about the difficulty of replacing an internal unit should it fail while on a trip. It would be interesting to know the failure rate of these units, both Internal and External models. The Boy Scout in me wants to "Be Prepared" so when I installed our Internal unit I made sure to leave some extra wire length in case I ever had to physically bypass the unit. Also taped the necessary, larger, wire nuts to the top of the unit to do so.

In the years we've been RVing I've never heard of anyone having one of these units fail while in use. Not saying it doesn't happen. Just that I've never run across a failure. Has anyone on this thread experienced or heard of a failure?

Ours is under the dinette seat as that is where the external connection penetrates the skin. It was not easy to work in there. Not looking forward to getting in there again if I ever have to. If I had to put the unit behind the converter, under the fridge, or in some other difficult to access space, I probably would have gone with the External model.

[Prettygood]

Originally Posted by Hoagie

There are a lot of comments here about the difficulty of replacing an internal unit should it fail while on a trip. It would be interesting to know the failure rate of these units, both Internal and External models. The Boy Scout in me wants to "Be Prepared" so when I installed our Internal unit I made sure to leave some extra wire length in case I ever had to physically bypass the unit. Also taped the necessary, larger, wire nuts to the top of the unit to do so.



In the years we've been RVing I've never heard of anyone having one of these units fail while in use. Not saying it doesn't happen. Just that I've never run across a failure. Has anyone on this thread experienced or heard of a failure?



Ours is under the dinette seat as that is where the external connection penetrates the skin. It was not easy to work in there. Not looking forward to getting in there again if I ever have to. If I had to put the unit behind the converter, under the fridge, or in some other difficult to access space, I probably would have gone with the External model.

I found several pictures of burned/melted internal units when I researched this topic 18 months ago. That was plenty of evidence for me, don’t need to experience it myself. It just makes sense that anything that can burn up as part of its purpose is better located outside than in.

[Tater]

I have a Hughes Autoformer surge protector with EMS that displays via Bluetooth on my phone. Very happy with it. Mine is outside.

[GCinSC2]

Originally Posted by Hoagie

There are a lot of comments here about the difficulty of replacing an internal unit should it fail while on a trip. It would be interesting to know the failure rate of these units, both Internal and External models. The Boy Scout in me wants to "Be Prepared" so when I installed our Internal unit I made sure to leave some extra wire length in case I ever had to physically bypass the unit. Also taped the necessary, larger, wire nuts to the top of the unit to do so.

Well stated. I'm also part of the Be Prepared alumnus. My supplies include cable and for the transfer switch special connectors to bypass it if req'd.

[Hoagie]

Originally Posted by Prettygood

I found several pictures of burned/melted internal units when I researched this topic 18 months ago. That was plenty of evidence for me, don’t need to experience it myself. It just makes sense that anything that can burn up as part of its purpose is better located outside than in.

Well, I did say "I" have never heard of anyone having an issue with a Surge Protector. LOL

I just spent a few minutes searching for pics of melted, burned or otherwise failed RV Surge Protectors. Didn't specify internal or external. Didn't get back any results. Can you please share where you found these pics? Not doubting you in the least. I just want to add to my collection of RVing knowledge. TIA