Best Value for Surge Protection

[MartyinSC]

Originally Posted by johnwill

I bought one last year but 30 amp. Worked nice. This is part of my first trip last year in the camper. I did get the lock box and had it on. The neighbor beside us did try to take it. Iwas working on a water leak issue and Julie told me the air and stuff just went out. All I could think "NOW WHAT the HELL" I went out and found it on the ground and his camper running off. Some guy from NY so it was. I was upset and then laughed but the lock box will be on mine.

I bought the same 30 amp, and it works great. It's especially good to plug into the outlet BEFORE you plug your TT into it, to know the wiring is good. (circuit breaker off at each plug/unplug, of course). Your story about the thief is the second or third I've read on these boards, with the same M .O. Seems like the plastic box is enough to thwart these common thieves, who just want to grab it on their way out.

[johnwill]

The bad thing was we had a storm the night before and in the morning he asked me what it was and I told him. He said you need one on a night like last night. I said yes. Then went back to work on my water problem. He was planning on taking it. That weekend was the weekend from hell but we still had fun. LOL. Yes that plastic lock was enough but if he wasn't in a hurry to get out he might have gotten it. Sad thing was he had a little boy outside when he was talking to me. You had to pull hard on that plug to get it off. So it didn't just fall off.

[Tim D]

Like Tommy said, just put a padlock on the pedestal.

[zerch911]

If you are asking about the best value, then you should really look into the Progressive EMS systems that are hardwired inline. They are expensive, but offer more than just surge protection.
I have had one since March of this year and our unit stays connected until we pull out this November. On several occasions the EMS has cut power because it sensed a problem with the electrical power supply (mainly low voltage on one leg of the 50amp). They also have a feature that will not allow the AC to come on for a preset time, which will protect the compressors.
There technical support is practically available 24/7, if you own one of their devices.... and a lifetime warranty.
Look at these as a good insurance for all your electrical components.
You can see how some of them are installed in the "mods" section of the forum.

[johnboytoo]

I bought the 50 amp Progressive portable version myself...
thought about the installed one since it was cheaper, but glad I went with the portable now that I've gone through 2 more rv's and carried it with me

Never lost a minute of sleep about it being stolen.. sure it could, but we would know immediately if we were in the coach - the power goes out

Actually had a park 'electrician' tell me there was something wrong with the ems that stopped the power from getting to the coach !

I said NO there isn't - IT'S telling us your power is bad - fix it or move us ...

One real plus for the PI setup is that it monitors for brown outs too and will shut down if the power goes to low... real peace of mind !

[johnboytoo]

Here's a good article too:
(if you can get to it )
Power Trip 101

[OhioMark]

Thanks,

Im leaning towards the portable. We are always talking about the next trailer upgrade, but that said..how difficult would it be to move the hardwired internal unit to a new trailer?

Also, the warning lights and display on the plug style units seems odd since ive never been in campsite where I could see the post from the window of the trailer, so the warning lights would go un-noticed.

[johnboytoo]

Once I plug it in,
then plug the cord in and flip the pedestal breaker,
it does it's thing and I could care less what it says as long as there are no issues

If there are issues, yes, I have to walk WAY outside to look at it, but honestly have only done that once...

[zerch911]

If you place the hardwire EMS unit close to the breaker box, then it is easy to remove if you want to keep it. I had plenty of main wire to spare, (which I assume is the norm). Other than a small hole for the monitor screen cable, you would never know it had a EMS installed. When you install, just be cautious with the amount of wire you cut and you should be good to go if you ever remove it.
I am one that wants to know what is going on with every aspect of the RV system, so the EMS feeds me plenty of info. I even know if something happened when I am not at the unit since it stores the error codes. It is the first thing I check, when I walk in.


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