RV owners are you using a surge protector ?
 

My wife and I are getting ready for our maiden voyage in the used 5th wheel camper we bought in the fall . It is a 30 amp feed into the camper . I want to purchase a surge protector for added security as you never know what you will find at campgrounds . It looks like most surge protectors will instantly tell you when it is plugged in if there are any issues with the campgrounds wiring before you plug in your rig . Potentially saving the camper from electrical meltdown .

So does it matter what surge protector you purchase ? Prices range from 30 bucks to over 200 . Joule ratings of 7000 to 8000 to 10000 and more . Any suggestions on size/rating and brand ? Thanks in advance .

Ours is a 30 amp protector as well and I put it on at every campsite with power.
I don't have the trailer home right now so cannot tell you what the rating is on it. I can tell you it was about $150 to purchase in 2020.

Campground power can be sketchy so best protect your rig and the electronics contained within it.

We don't plug in often, but I bought one last year for when we do. We typically do a week in the spring at Oregon state parks and they have power. I somewhat redid the electrical in my trailer last year with a lithium battery and new converter. That motivated me to make sure they were protected.

This is what we have.

https://a.co/d/gRvqpvq

^^^ Yeah that seems like the typical unit available from Amazon/Camping World and others . I am going to check out our local electrical supply house and see if they have anything .

Yes, do use a surge protector. Cheap insurance against power surges and bad campground power. I bought the best - Power Watchdog is a great product. Unlike the cheap ones, this is not throw away after a power surge. You also have an app that allows you to monitor the power when plugged in. Pretty cool little apparatus.

Yep I have looked into this brand . I like everything about it EXCEPT the low joules rating . They are rated for 3000 joules . Most of their competitors are rated for 7k to 13k and are MUCH cheaper . Like 75 dollars or less vs 250 - 320 for the watchdog .

I actually sent an email this morning to PW asking why the low joules rating compared to others . We will see what they say . Yes I like being able to replace the module only at 35 bucks . But I can buy 3-4 competitors protectors for the price of one PW . Hard to tell if I am comparing apples to apples .

Absolutely, I have a 50 amp GEARGO RV one from Amazon that is 9,500 joules.

Bought it last year for $79.

My 34' Entegra Super C has a couple of AC units so if I can use 50 amp I do when we camp in campgrounds.

I have no problem spemding $ on quality but this one has great reviews.

Joules of protection should meet or exceed the highest wattage you expect to draw from a power pedestal. Since a 30A RV is maxed out at 3600w, 3000 joules protection seems reasonable. If you plan to max out your rig regularly, get a 4000 Joules surge suppressor.

With our 30A rig we have a pretty strict 1-major-appliance at a time rule so we will never exceed 3000w. A/C or microwave but not both. Maxing out the 30A rating on an RV pedestal can often result in melted breakers, melted connector plug, or crispy wiring splice in the RV shore power junction box.

Good advice . Thank you

I bought and used one, and the crappy connector on it overheated and melted my whole plug. No thanks.

-Wayne

What kind was it Wayne?

My fear is a " cheap one " could be prone to this type of failure . Not sure where the cut off is between a cheap one vs a good one . Can you provide details ?

I'll preface with, "I don't have an RV."

Assuming your RV was not cheap or would not be cheap to fix or replace. And looking at the price range quoted ($50 - 350), it sounds like even at the absolute top of the price range, it would be "cheap insurance". Of course, if the functionality is comparable, we don't want to pay extra for a name or marketing. I would personally, probably avoid anything on Amazon that looks/reads like a cheap Chinese product. There's probably some research that can be done (like asking here). Then it's probably a bit of a judgement call based on gut feeling if you can't find anything concrete and trustworthy.

I am disappointed that Power Watchdog hasn't gotten back to me on the email I sent them :confused: . But having said that I really like their design concept of end users ability to replace the internals if/when they expire. I also like Progressive Industries units as they carry a lifetime warranty . But to redeem you have to send it back to them for repair and pay for return shipping .

I have basically eliminated all other less expensive options . I will purchase one of these two and it will be with EMS protection . A little more $$$ up front but hopefully long term protection. As usual thanks for the advice from forum members SmileWavy

How does anyone know these days?

Yelp was 'supposedly' caught 'demanding more payment' from businesses for better review results. Sorta like a local mob boss with protection money. Not necessarily Italian. Cough.

Consumers Reports was the standard of product review mags. Now print has turned into site access. Don't have a clue to whether manipulation occurs.

I do know that UL didn't do their job at one point. Bought a major brand bathroom fan from a box store and the fan bearings sounded like a big jet engine spooling up. Looked inside and the wires to the motor looked like 22gauge. To a fan. No wire attachment points were coated to protect against moisture. Sure. Perfectly safe.

Different question , for you guys that have an RV and do use a plug in style surge protector do you apply a thin coat of dielectric grease to the male pins ? I can think of several positive reasons to do so . Are there any negatives ?

To close this out I ordered the Gen2 Hughes Power Watchdog with EPO . I also ordered one replacement module to have on hand just in case . I found an online RV retailer that was selling it for 269.99 but a 5 % coupon helped lower the price . Out the door the unit and spare module plus tax was 313.00 . Looking forward to many years of protection . Here is the manufacturers website description of the unit .

https://hughesautoformers.com/product/pwd30epow/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwm7q-BhDRARIsACD6-fXU6FK-sqoCUhyF6xyeojQIKTteG3jjRLAN530tAs2EsFLkCgnDS6kaAu wfEALw_wcB

Consumer Reports has always had its own agenda to push. The three Diamond Star cars all received wildly different recommendations even though all three were built in the same factory by the same people.

Update: so when I received the surge protector I immediately plugged it into my 30 amp circuit to make sure I wired it correctly . The dogs face lit up white indicating no issues . If it detects any issues the dogs face lights up red . Great first hurdle cleared .

Next I tried to plug my 30 amp cord for the camper into the surge protector. No go :( . The male plug is physically too large there is interference in several spots . Ugh . After looking it over I decided I could trim some material in various places to make it work . My trimming and filing were successful . I wasn't happy I had to do this but I wasn't sending it back .

I contacted the vendor and they acknowledged there was a clearance issue . They are redesigning the housing and the cover . They provided to me in writing that my modifications will NOT void the warranty . I printed that out and have in my records incase it's ever needed . Overall I am happy with the purchase but it would have been nice to work/fit right out of the box . The plug is a standard plug across the RV industry , not sure how they screwed that up .