Progressive Surge Install Question

[wave man]

Originally Posted by Roadtech

No, he said $150 per hour. 3.5 hours x $150 = $450. Too much...

Ayup $525 quoted for labor to be exact. Maybe another $50 if they can tax the transaction...ouch

[GCinSC2]

Originally Posted by Boxite

Ahh... well, ... I see your point.



To be sure, I've never seen a pedestal that had bad power output. I only have a protector for peace of mind.... and many folks who stay at reputable campgrounds and state/nat'l parks don't use them at all. It might just be a placebo effect.

I've replaced the male plug on my cord due to a loose corroded post outlet that caused heat damaging the plug. I still have the old plug and outlet as show and tell.

The "power" might have been on the post but it wasn't delivered to the plug correctly.

Gary

[horseylady]

We have run into several bad outlets but our unit told us it was bad. Once was in a high-dollar Park. We have never burned a plug. Our unit also shuts down our power if the voltage (?) drops too low. It’s usually momentarily. Rain? Ours has been in the rain for years. We even use it when plugged in at our barn. I’m wondering if some are talking about surge suppressors vs EMS? Seems like our 30 amp was closer to $300 and our 50 amp considerably more. Maybe they have come down in price. I talked to a tech at Progressive a long time ago when I was confused about what to buy.

[GCinSC2]

Horselady,

The plug replacement on my cord was pre surge protector.

Last month I replaced the plug and cord to a friends fancy external surge unit. The plug was showing heat damage but was still working. The replacement was possibly pre failure mode.

I suggest looking at the post outlet if it shows burning on the plug insulation body or plugs in with nearly no effort to seat it then I'm concerned about its condition.

Gary

[LY007]

I was going to do an onboard one...the wiring is very simple on paper...but physical access to the wires is difficult. So we bought the pedestal type and secure it with a cable lock, depending on where we are.

[wave man]

Sigh....
anyone want to buy a still in the bx EMS-HW50C ?? [emoji53]

[bigcountry]

Soon to be Airstream owner here.

Been in research mode for a couple of years.

I have given thought to how I will address the power protection concern. Of several options that I am considering, one option is to install couplers inside the trailer. Then plug in the pedestal style surge protector inside of the trailer in an area that is easy to see the protector's status in operation. This would allow for easy replacement of the surge protector, theft and weather protection.

I don't mind a somewhat involved DIY project, but I like to finish those projects with a user friendly service result when possible.

Just an idea.
Open for criticism.

[wave man]

The world is your oyster with a little know how, confidence, and guts...

I'm not qualified to comment on the technical merits of your idea however ...

[rmkrum]

Assuming you can find space for the added connectors for the plug-in suppression gadget, it could work. Use high quality connectors and proper enclosures to protect the wiring from contact with people and animals...

[billrector]

Originally Posted by bigcountry

Soon to be Airstream owner here.

Been in research mode for a couple of years.

I have given thought to how I will address the power protection concern. Of several options that I am considering, one option is to install couplers inside the trailer. Then plug in the pedestal style surge protector inside of the trailer in an area that is easy to see the protector's status in operation. This would allow for easy replacement of the surge protector, theft and weather protection.

I don't mind a somewhat involved DIY project, but I like to finish those projects with a user friendly service result when possible.

Just an idea.
Open for criticism.

I'm not sure what you gain from this?? Want a device that is weather and theft proof.....that is why they have the indoor unit. It is easier to replace the outdoor unit, but I really wonder how many of these fail? They have a lifetime warranty, so they would be bankrupt if they all failed!

[nvestysly]

Continuing on the topic of how many fail?...

We have had two Progressive units fail. We use the 30A external unit. Both times the unit makes a loud buzzing sound but continues to work in the sense that it passes electricity and doesn't register a fault. I've asked Progressive if there is something I'm doing to create this type of failure. The answer was no. The buzzing sound would be completely unacceptable for the inside of a trailer. The buzz is so loud we can hear it inside our trailer when the unit is on the pedestal outside.

The external unit was recommended by Air Forums member Lewster. His suggestion was an external unit or a bypass switch for the internal unit.

By the way, we had the competitors product fail too - this one due to water ingress. That was our first foray into surge protection. After that failure we opted to go with Progressive - hoping the Made in the USA and lifetime warranty would be just the ticket. Two failures is disappointing but we will continue with Progressive for now.

[air_razor]

I just installed this exact model myself last week. It wasn’t difficult but did take me almost the entire day.

The most difficult part is in how stiff the 50amp wire is so to get it into the mount points in the unit requires you to push all 3 cables in at the same time. This is difficult to do since they are not very flexible. Also due to where the 50amp cable enters the box, I found cutting one of the wires inside slightly longer helped.

Once that was done, I had to find a place to mount the remote screen. The unit doesn’t operate without this attached. I found a channel that goes from the power panel to the closet and used fish tape to get the wire from one side to the other and mounted the unit under the closet where the water pump is.



It’s the red wire that needed to be a little longer. Hope that helps.

[billrector]

Originally Posted by air_razor

I just installed this exact model myself last week. It wasn’t difficult but did take me almost the entire day.

The most difficult part is in how stiff the 50amp wire is so to get it into the mount points in the unit requires you to push all 3 cables in at the same time. This is difficult to do since they are not very flexible. Also due to where the 50amp cable enters the box, I found cutting one of the wires inside slightly longer helped.

Once that was done, I had to find a place to mount the remote screen. The unit doesn’t operate without this attached. I found a channel that goes from the power panel to the closet and used fish tape to get the wire from one side to the other and mounted the unit under the closet where the water pump is.

Attachment 301999

It’s the red wire that needed to be a little longer. Hope that helps.

I'll offer this up. If I was going to do it again, I would strongly consider doing the install a different way. You can remove the shore port from the side of the AS. You will notice that it has a protective cover that prevents you from getting to the screws to remove the wires. I called the company because I could not get this cover off. It turns out that AS glues the cover on so that it is difficult if not impossible to remove. This is where I abandoned this method. However, the company did say that replacement covers are available and I'm sure they are not expenive (just a piece of plastic covering the screws). So, if you cut this cover off, you can remove the shore power port from the AS. Now, buy some new cable long enough to wire from the port to your center hallway of your AS. This should enable you to wire the surge protector without standing on your head...LOL. Then just install the device and rewire the shore power port. Sounds easy huh???

[air_razor]

That does sound like a better solution

This was the first thing I added to the trailer and we’re first time owners so not too familiar with everything.

Now that I’m installing our composting toilet, I see the backside of the 50 amp cable as well. It’s right behind the bathroom counter on our 30 footer.