Shore Power Surge Protection

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1PlasticMan1

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 23, 2014
Posts
295
Location
Pocono Pines, PA
My 2016 Bounder has 50 amp service, and everything I read talks about the need for surge protection and ground protection when hooked up to shore power.  Unfortunately, can't find any recommendations as to what brands, even checked the library.  Appreciate any reference you can provide.
 
Gary, it appears that there are several different models of Progressive Ind. surge protectors.  I'm looking for something that would be a combo 50 amp - 30 amp.  Doesn't have to be a locking type.  Would the SSP-50 give me what I need?  Do I need to purchase a separate 30 amp surge protector also?
 
You can use the 50A with a 30A to 50A adapter if you need to plug into a 30A outlet.  No need for a separate 30A protector.  But I would recommend one of the EMS models to give you protection against high/low voltage and wiring failures after connecting.  The SSP models are surge protection only.
 
I purchased the portable Progressive 50 Amp surge protector. I have a 50 Amp fifth wheel and a 30 Amp truck camper. I can use it on both. All you need is the 30 to 50 and the 50 to 30 adapter and you'll be ab le to use it anyplace.  The progressive has a plate on the cord with a hole in it. It allows you to lock it up to the shore power pole. Of course if they want it bad enough, nothing will stop a crook.  I have the EMS-PT50C
 
I suppose this is sacrilege, but if you stay away from dodgy places, you probably don't even need one. Trouble is, would you recognize a place with dodgy electric power or not? If in doubt, get the surge protector & power monitor device. Consider it insurance.

Most nicer parks with 50A service have good clean power. It's the run down places with home-brewed 30A power that can be unpredictable.
 
It only takes one incident to wish you had bought the insurance.
 
I have the TRC Surge Guard,, nice but I'd rather have a Progressive Dnamics (Some of the reasons are political though).

Either one is good

Both come in installed and plug in models.. I prefer installed, but again have plug in (At this time,,will fix that later)
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
I suppose this is sacrilege, but if you stay away from dodgy places, you probably don't even need one. Trouble is, would you recognize a place with dodgy electric power or not? If in doubt, get the surge protector & power monitor device. Consider it insurance.

Most nicer parks with 50A service have good clean power. It's the run down places with home-brewed 30A power that can be unpredictable.

Gary,

I will state an exception to your comment.  We were in a nice park in Las Vegas, park is no longer there as it was eaten by the casino that had installed it at the then far end toward CA off I-5.  We were getting ready to leave and Pat came out of the RV screaming smoke.  The big TV over the front dash was smoking.  I pulled the power off the MH at the post and prepared to fight a fire in the TV.  Fortunately it died out but the TV, the satellite box, and several other electronic devices had to be repaired.  The TV was done by a shop and once I found the nature of the repair, I was able to repair all the other devices.  They had lost neutral on one of the circuits in the park and a transient got a lot of RVs that morning.

We left on our way to Quartszite and bought the TRC unit and still have it in my MH, S/N 11
 
There are always exceptions, Jim. Anything can fail, plus there can be lightning strikes. The difficult question is the probability of those happening vs the cost of insuring against them and the potential cost of repairs. I do believe that the risk of power problems is much lower using 50A service in park that appears well-maintained (at least superficially). However, I would never claim it is zero.

Many of us also have insurance that would pay for the repairs if something like that happened. Not as good as paying for prevention, but money is a finite resource for most of us.
 
Spending an extra $2-300 one time to insure against a potential thousands of dollars loss plus major inconvenience seems to me a simple decision.
 
The repair or replacement of the things damaged would have been several thousand dollars had I not been able to repair them.  The cost of the unit was about 1/2 of my deductible so I felt it was a good deal.

Even with the "low probability" of problems, I have had many activations, low voltage, poor neutral, high voltage and of course transients, in the last 15 years so I feel it was money well spent and highly recommend having the protection.  I am not able to always pick well kept parks and so possibly have had more than my share of problems with power.

Just my experience and opinion.    :)
 
BTW, get the Progressive Ind. transfer switch or surge protection if for no other reason than the warranty.  Compare it to any other and I think you will see why.

Safe travels,
 
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