surge protector?

[bachler]

I have had Aresters. Spike controlers. The point That I have been trying to make. (please don't read between the lines) When you get hit/lines take a direct hit. The surge protector can not absorb That much of spike; (i hvae one i use for Illustration, it's a gob of malted wires ) So please don't Try to twist things Up;; As I post and have Been for years. I never Will lower myself To the point to Discredit My fellow poster.. OH others take pleasure in that ???? DO THEY ????

[RickO]

Originally Posted by bachler

I have had Aresters. Spike controlers. The point That I have been trying to make. (please don't read between the lines) When you get hit/lines take a direct hit. The surge protector can not absorb That much of spike; (i hvae one i use for Illustration, it's a gob of malted wires ) So please don't Try to twist things Up;; As I post and have Been for years. I never Will lower myself To the point to Discredit My fellow poster.. OH others take pleasure in that ???? DO THEY ????

Thanks for the further clarification on the point you're making.

So, as I asked in post #7, are you making the point that surge protectors in RVs offer no protection from electrical storms? I'm sure you possess a great deal of knowledge on the topic... certainly much more than I. But if this is the point you're making, it is counter to what I've read from many others here whose opinions I also respect and I'd really like to understand if RV surge protectors are a waste of money.

Rick

[Pepper2]

I have a 30 amp to 20 amp adapter plug with a 3 way 20 amp splitter plug. I plug my 3 way tester in one end and my plug in meter in the other. I plug into the post and check voltage and correct wiring at the same time. It stays assembled in my electric compartment for further use. I believe the surge protectors will provide security against limited high/low voltage and improperly wired posts, but cannot handle a direct lightning hit.

[flaggship1]

Pepper2 - some people survive some direct lightning strikes, some do not. Some survive two.! As said above - they vary greatly - perhaps some strikes can be stopped and some not. Like most INSURANCE - I hope I never find out, but I'm insured.

[Steve Ownby]

Originally Posted by bachler

Lets not Condem Winnebago;;; Ask yourself;; What needs a surge protector;;; The stove. IT don't care The water heater It don't care, The freg.It don't care. The actual voltage In any camp ground may varie 5 to 20 volts. The appliance most affected is the computer; And they have a small tollerance.. Now in electrial storms WE all should know to unplug The coach. Because if it gets a 70,000 volt surge . NO surge protector will be any good;; Go to Wal-Mart Pick one up They are cheap. Plug your Computer in, You are set to go. Who once said, The buck stops here ???

Many people are really talking about an EMS devise like the Progressive unit that is highly regarded by RVers. Spikes and surges do happen but they are fairly rare. Much more common is low voltage. I don't want to have my A/C units run on voltage under 105 VAC. They may run but they will sustained cumulative damage and that's not a good thing. If you have a 50 AMP coach and hook up to a pedestal with an open or compromised neutral that fails during use, you may very possibly get 240 VAC coming into anything running. That will be expensive. Those reasons made a very good case for an EMS type unit and a Walmart or and other just surge protector will not help you.

[Koop]

[CampDaven]

Originally Posted by flaggship1

Pepper2 - some people survive some direct lightning strikes, some do not. Some survive two.! As said above - they vary greatly - perhaps some strikes can be stopped and some not. Like most INSURANCE - I hope I never find out, but I'm insured.

Hey Steve, you RV Mutant!
Have heard on this forum of PI units being fried and saving the coach. And they simply send it to PI and get a new one due to the lifetime warranty.

All I can say is my PI saved me twice last year. And it survived!

Forgot to mention in earlier post, the PI dropped my power when a neutral went bad in AZ after I had been there for 2 weeks. That is three!

[flaggship1]

Originally Posted by CampDaven

Hey Steve, you RV Mutant!
Have heard on this forum of PI units being fried and saving the coach. And they simply send it to PI and get a new one due to the lifetime warranty.

All I can say is my PI saved me twice last year. And it survived!

Forgot to mention in earlier post, the PI dropped my power when a neutral went bad in AZ. That is three!

Yes the lifetime warranty has reportedly been exercised by a number of people. Why they fried - I don't recall - but whatever the cause - in the absence of the SP I can only guess that other things would have fried. Always good to have something with a no questions asked, lifetime warranty get fried instead of something else. And in the posts I recall - I don't remember anyone saying my SP was fried and so was everything in my coach. But I have by no means read the countless pages of people singing the praises of the PI and SurgeGuard full boat SPs.

[NeilV]

I run both a SurgeGuard and a Hughs Autoformer. The SurgeGuard is first in line to stop spikes and surges while the AutoFormer boosts low voltage back up to safe levels. I have not had any AC Compressor, Hard Start Capacitor or motor failures since I installed the AutoFormer. With the aging electrical systems that there are at most campgrounds many of which are on old aluminum wires the AutoFormer is one of the most important electrcal devices you can put in your motorhome aside from a sacrificial main line surge protactor.