Need help about surge protection

[MARKW8]

I have a 5th wheel in Florida that suffered a power surge. I had a portable 50A Surge Guard. It's obviously bad now. I lost the converter and the Microwave. It appears everything else is ok.

My question is would a model 35550 hard wired model be a better choice? It says it can cut power completely in a fault. Does that mean during a surge event? I assume it would then need replaced, correct? Thanks for any help.

Mark

[ol_Bombero-JC]

MARKW8 wrote:

"........we live in Ohio and got a call while in Washington state there was a problem."

The converter is in so the ac is back on and drying things out.

I have a company coming out to clean the mildew.

It had a 50 amp portable Surge Guard.

Mark

Exactly - what did the couple say "the problem" is/was?

"The converter is in - so the A/C is back on and drying things out".
(what needed "drying out".....from the mildew? - or?)

"It had a 50amp portable Surge Guard".

What caused the surge guard to fail?

The mildew? - or some other event (as someone mentioned, lightning)?
(Surge guard = no help for that).

Anyway - PI 50 amp EMS (not "merely" a "surge guard") whether hard wired or portable.

Leaving an RV in FL (un-attended, outside) is no bueno.
Remediation for mildew damage - sight unseen - could be a "crapshoot"!
Suggest you find indoor storage (or maybe a replacement RV).

Good luck - you may need it.

😞

[wa8yxm]

He keeps telling you he had a SURGE GUARD (thoe are made by TRC)

Now if he's gone with a HW-50C from progressive INdustries

Lifetime warranty might just well apply.

[time2roll]

The SG 35550 should serve you well in most conditions.

Curious what model the portable was... Just surge protection or full EMS protection?

[MARKW8]

Thanks for the replies. I'm trying to make decisions long distance. The trailer stays in Florida, we live in Ohio and got a call while in Washington state there was a problem. We are currently in Iowa. There is a couple full time in the park who check up on unoccupied units. I have to let the repair shop know what to install.

The converter is in so the ac is back on and drying things out. I have a company coming out to clean the mildew. It had a 50 amp portable Surge Guard.

Mark

[neschultz]

CA Traveler wrote:

wa8yxm wrote:
I like the Hard Wired over the Portables for two reasons neither is technical

The ratings are virtully identicll

1 With the HW you are secure you do not need to worry about it "Growing legs" and walking off

2: Unforgettable, since it is always there.

3: It's always on w/o any effort. And requires only 1 plug in not 2 like a portable.

4: The PI HW50C remote is inside or in the basement or both if you buy 2 remotes and constantly displays amps, volts, frequency, past and present errors. Note past error like low voltage is a red flag when you return to the rig as the unit reconnects when the voltage is OK. And the remote has a bypass switch that disables disconnect but not surge protection.

5: Wiring is required of course including the data cable to the remote which is one reason the portable unit might be chosen.

6: The hardwired unit will protect your RV if the cord has an open neutral

[CA_Traveler]

wa8yxm wrote:
I like the Hard Wired over the Portables for two reasons neither is technical

The ratings are virtully identicll

1 With the HW you are secure you do not need to worry about it "Growing legs" and walking off

2: Unforgettable, since it is always there.

3: It's always on w/o any effort. And requires only 1 plug in not 2 like a portable.

4: The PI HW50C remote is inside or in the basement or both if you buy 2 remotes and constantly displays amps, volts, frequency, past and present errors. Note past error like low voltage is a red flag when you return to the rig as the unit reconnects when the voltage is OK. And the remote has a bypass switch that disables disconnect but not surge protection.

5: Wiring is required of course including the data cable to the remote which is one reason the portable unit might be chosen.

[CA_Traveler]

wa8yxm wrote:
I like the Hard Wired over the Portables for two reasons neither is technical

The ratings are virtully identicll

1 With the HW you are secure you do not need to worry about it "Growing legs" and walking off

2: Unforgettable, since it is always there.

3: It's always on w/o any effort. And requires only 1 plug in not 2 like a portable.

4: The PI HW50C remote is inside or in the basement or both if you buy 2 remotes and constantly displays amps, volts, frequency, past and present errors. Note past error like low voltage is a red flag when you return to the rig as the unit reconnects when the voltage is OK. And the remote has a bypass switch that disables disconnect but not surge protection.

5: Wiring is required of course including the data cable to the remote which is one reason the portable unit might be chosen.

[2oldman]

What surge protector did you have that apparently didn't work so well?
If this was lightning, you should unplug.

[MEXICOWANDERER]

• I use GAS TUBE DISCHARGE devices in my protection devices 200 volt trigger
• Then fused MOVs and TVS avalanche rectifiers
• The MOVs are 20mm and the TVS are 2000 watt rated
• They are not inexpensive to build
• But they are far lighter than an isolation transformer to haul up and down hotel stairs
• And yes some transients have enough energy to make a 60 watt medical brick insides look like a whole chicken look like it sat on a barbecue for 12 hours.

[wa8yxm]

I like the Hard Wired over the Portables for two reasons neither is technical

The ratings are virtully identicll

1 With the HW you are secure you do not need to worry about it "Growing legs" and walking off

2: Unforgettable, since it is always there.

[CA_Traveler]

Look at the Joule spec and the higher the better. No device can protect against very high transients. My first thought for FL is lightning.

Power transients are stopped within their limits by destroying related electronics. Typically they are much to short for the power protector to disconnect.

For a number of reasons I prefer the PI HW50C including field replaceable parts. When a surge destroys the related electronics it displays a error but doesn't shut down power likely because of the short duration of many transients. It does shut down for the other 9 errors.