One of the frustrating decisions which must be made for a newbie to the RV'ing world is surge protection devices.
RV parks are notorious for renegade electrical service and the RV stores all sell Surge Protectors to plug into the CG pedestal, then accept the power-cord from the RV. These are expensive, in the several hundred dollar range for the better ones, and the cheaper ones are $100 or so and do not provide any meaningful indications they are doing their jobs.
Plus, they are susceptible to theft while the owner is away from the coach.
The hard-wired, installed units are better from the theft side of things, but they still cost hundred$.
I have an electrical engineer BIL who assured me that the better solution is to use a "whole house" surge protector intended for the residence. A company which makes it is a well known U.S. company ...LEVITON.
I bought this unit at Home Depot for $50.
51110-SRG > Surge Protection > Power & Surge Protection > Connected Home > Products from Leviton Electrical and Electronic Products
It's easy to install. It can be installed anywhere you can access the input power cord to your converter. It protects against much larger surge-jolts than typical RV types. It has four leads.
One goes to neutral, one goes to ground, one goes to a 120 volt leg, and the last goes to another 120 volt leg. (Being made for the residential market, it presumes 240 volt service entrance. The typical RV only uses ONE of the circuits...which gives you a FREE SPARE should the unit ever fail.)
There are two indicator lamps which show the unit is working, and if extinguished, that the unit has failed. (You can now use the other lead.)
Be certain to insulate the unused lead.
Best of all.... it carries equipment loss insurance for any onboard equipment damaged by surges the unit did not catch (up to $5,000 worth.)
And the thieves will have to steal the entire trailer to get it, which will be covered by your RV insurance!
What a deal!
RV parks are notorious for renegade electrical service and the RV stores all sell Surge Protectors to plug into the CG pedestal, then accept the power-cord from the RV. These are expensive, in the several hundred dollar range for the better ones, and the cheaper ones are $100 or so and do not provide any meaningful indications they are doing their jobs.
Plus, they are susceptible to theft while the owner is away from the coach.
The hard-wired, installed units are better from the theft side of things, but they still cost hundred$.
I have an electrical engineer BIL who assured me that the better solution is to use a "whole house" surge protector intended for the residence. A company which makes it is a well known U.S. company ...LEVITON.
I bought this unit at Home Depot for $50.
51110-SRG > Surge Protection > Power & Surge Protection > Connected Home > Products from Leviton Electrical and Electronic Products
It's easy to install. It can be installed anywhere you can access the input power cord to your converter. It protects against much larger surge-jolts than typical RV types. It has four leads.
One goes to neutral, one goes to ground, one goes to a 120 volt leg, and the last goes to another 120 volt leg. (Being made for the residential market, it presumes 240 volt service entrance. The typical RV only uses ONE of the circuits...which gives you a FREE SPARE should the unit ever fail.)
There are two indicator lamps which show the unit is working, and if extinguished, that the unit has failed. (You can now use the other lead.)
Be certain to insulate the unused lead.
Best of all.... it carries equipment loss insurance for any onboard equipment damaged by surges the unit did not catch (up to $5,000 worth.)
And the thieves will have to steal the entire trailer to get it, which will be covered by your RV insurance!
What a deal!
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