Surge protectors

[Camp cook]

Iv read many reviews on weather it's really neccessary to have a surge protectors or not. What are people opinions

[Route 66 Traveler]

Just this past weekend we were camping at a KOA in Tucson where the temps were in the mid 90’s. All of a sudden our Progressive EMS shut power off to our trailer. The power was out for about 2 hours. While talking to other campers they said the power had fluctuated and had very low voltage before going off completely. Many reported damaged electronics and other issues. When the power was finally restored our RV’s power came back on and everything was still working normally, including the AC.

So yes, ours saved the day while those without protection are buying new stuff this week. You never know when a power problem will destroy your electronics in an instant.

[Pwza]

Having experience both low and high voltage situations you are foolish not to have protection IMHO. The cost of fixing a coach will most likely be many times more expensive that an EMS system.

[GHen]

Not just a surge protector but a full EMS.

I’m not aware that I’ve ever had a surge, but I have had many missing grounds, miss wired neutrals and probably 100 low voltage issues.

I believe it’s a mandatory item.

I have the Progressive EMS-HW50C and am very happy with it.

[Stan&Sharon]

Last year was our first voyage with our new camper. Our trip was 5 months and 6500 miles. Every campsite was excellent power and water pressure except one bad electric and another for bad water. One campground the power was so bad, management sent a repairman over and after about an hour we could safely power the rig. Without our Power Watchdog we could have major damage. At another campsite we had water pressure over 100 and without our pressure regulator we would have major water damage.
In both cases, the campsites would not be liable and our maiden voyage would have been a disaster... it was the opposite.
Use electrical and water devices so you do the right thing and protect your investment and your camping experience.

[Seann45]

YES you should have one.... and NOT one of those cheap $100.00 units... get a good one as a TV, Fridge etc etc are expensive to replace

[mini4mw]

Its an insurance policy..

Pay 250-350 and may never recoup or you may save yourself from a few thousand dollars of replacement costs.

Hughs or Watchdog seem to be key players. I have Watchdog for the bluetooth capability to my phone (watch power usage and alarms).

I've never had an issue with power and hope I never do. IF I do, the Watchdog should prevent any damage.

[ARoamer]

My power watch dog detected a loose neutral wire in one CG pedestal, and low voltage in another CG. Definitely worth the investment especially with all the electronics onboard nowdays.

[Grumpy]

Never leave home without one...EMS, as was mentioned, not just surge.

[norty1]

I'm a fan! SP50a Power Watchdog.

[gypsmjim]

What if you boondock and only use power from a generator? Need a surge protector then?

[Route 66 Traveler]

I use my Progressive EMS any time my RV is receiving electrical power; generator, pedestal, or plugged into my house. Better safe than sorry

[Nature Ist]

I have the hard-wired Progressive Industries EMS-HW50C also. I mounted the remote digital readout in the basement of my fifth wheel, just inside the basement door near the electric cord connector. I can watch it when I flip on the breaker at the campground post to be sure all is OK. Though I seldom need to, I do like to keep an eye on the voltage.
I have had experiences where my EMS suddenly shut down. The digital readout code reports the diagnosis; which is usually low voltage on just one leg of the shore power supply, though it has detected a loose ground, and once an intermittent loose neutral, which is big problem. I would say mine has saved me from some major headaches!
It is also comforting to know that it is protecting me while using my own generator, as they are sometimes known to malfunction also, including too high voltage.
I think all of us who already have one went through the same process you are now and realized we should install an EMS. It's worth the money just as much as a TPMS is.

[Elefantdude]

A month after purchasing our 2015 Jayco White Hawk 27DSRL, brand spanking new, I knew we were going to live out of it for a few months at RV Parks. I read through various RV Forums back then to never trust the power pedestals anywhere! So I purchased a Progressive Industries EMS-HW30C unit and installed it myself. It was very easy. Well, living in Phoenix AZ, especially during monsoon season was a good test for it because we were hooked up to a power pedestal in Tempe, AZ when a monsoon storm hit. Sure enough, the RV park had a power surge and blew our power pedestal up! It was literally smoking! Luckily we had the EMS installed or all of our appliances would have been toast. I was so glad we had it installed. Definitely worth its' weight in gold ;-) I opted for the EMS-HW30C for security reasons. Plus it was easy to install. No body could walk off with it as opposed to the outside portable ones unless you get locks for them. Get yourself one! You will not regret it!

[TWP723]

Yes, most certainly get one. Thank us later!

[wducat]

I bought one with our first rig in 1995, and it died in about six months. I removed it to get things working, and never replaced it. I have logged 250,000 miles on three coaches over 27 years with no incident. Reading the rest of the posts, I suppose I should be concerned…

[Hollander Mutthaulers]

Yup, you need a surge protector.

The Progressive units sound great. But for our little unit we have a $75 surge protector that can diagnose pedestal wiring and that is crucially important. The first thing we do when we get to a site it check the pedestal. There are some bad ones out there. Ask for a different site if you get a bad pedestal. Along with our surge protector we have a watt meter plugged in so we can see just how much power we're getting. It's right out in the open and checked many times. We've stayed at about 150 camps in the past five years and so far our setup has worked. However, if my pretty-much-trusty surge protector ever fails, I'll be checking out one of the couple of really good protection systems.

[Bugman]

Absolutely have to have full protection, not just surge protection. We have a Southwire Surge Guard 34931 for our 30 Amp RV and it saved us froma low voltage on our first trip.

For great informational articles on them check out Technorv.com.

[Route 66 Traveler]

Originally Posted by Hollander Mutthaulers

The Progressive units sound great. But for our little unit we have a $75 surge protector that can diagnose pedestal wiring and that is crucially important. The first thing we do when we get to a site it check the pedestal.

Surge is one thing, low line voltage is another and can actually be worse than a surge. Last summer ours turned off power to the RV on more than one occasion. It reported low input voltage, so I checked the pedestal with my meter and it was fluctuating between 95 & 102 volts AC, just the thing to destroy our running AC unit. Low voltage is not that uncommon in crowded RV parks in the summer when everyone has their AC running.

My Progressive EMS has detected low voltages, more than surges, and to me is money well spent.

[Roll On]

What is the best surge protector, progressive ems or watch dog with WiFi?
Does Watch dog come with a low power cut off?