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Old 05-27-2017, 06:15 PM   #1
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Shocking

I've had power surges that have blown out coffee makers, clock radios,. And now my brand new washer is toast. Reading other forums the issue seems to be the neutral on the 50 amp service. If that leg is open it can cause a voltage surge to one leg of the service. I've torn my rig apart and checked all the connections and incoming 50 amp cables. I just removed my 50 amp surge protector and everything seems to be ok right now. The other forum also said that a surge protector does not provide neutral protection.
Anyone else have suggestions? I don't want an electrical fire.
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Old 05-27-2017, 10:11 PM   #2
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Is this at one campground or many while traveling around. Sounds like you checked every single connection from the plug that goes in the pedestal to the internal wiring in your trailer.

After that....

Install a Progressive Industries EMS system. Energy Management System. It protects against over-voltage, under-voltage, spikes, surges, reversed neutral and ground, missing neutral, etc. You can buy portable or install one internal to your rig.

http://www.progressiveindustries.net/our-products
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Old 05-27-2017, 10:54 PM   #3
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I agree with Evereddie, get the PI EMS and unless you have an internal issue you should be protected. I use a different brand but when I hard wire one it will be the PI.

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Old 05-27-2017, 10:55 PM   #4
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Originally Posted by Evereddie View Post
Is this at one campground or many while traveling around. Sounds like you checked every single connection from the plug that goes in the pedestal to the internal wiring in your trailer.

After that....

Install a Progressive Industries EMS system. Energy Management System. It protects against over-voltage, under-voltage, spikes, surges, reversed neutral and ground, missing neutral, etc. You can buy portable or install one internal to your rig.

http://www.progressiveindustries.net/our-products
Ditto on the Progressive Industries EMS first Mod required in last 2 coaches. Definitely a must have.


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Old 05-28-2017, 03:51 PM   #5
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Thanks for the feedback. Update,. Everything is working properly after I removed the Surge Guard 34850 from the system. I'm not sure what happened but the issue had occurred at multiple camp sites. Guess I'll be getting one of those better surge protector.
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Old 05-28-2017, 04:30 PM   #6
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Thanks for the feedback. Update,. Everything is working properly after I removed the Surge Guard 34850 from the system. I'm not sure what happened but the issue had occurred at multiple camp sites. Guess I'll be getting one of those better surge protector.
Great. And BTW, a lot of people on forums where they talk about the Progressive unit would correct us all if we didn't point out that it is not a surge protector, it is an Energy Management System. Surge protection is just one of the many valuable things it does. I know of 3 times where mine prevented a possible problem by catching a major power issue at our campsites.
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Old 05-28-2017, 06:50 PM   #7
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Thanks for the feedback. Update,. Everything is working properly after I removed the Surge Guard 34850 from the system. I'm not sure what happened but the issue had occurred at multiple camp sites. Guess I'll be getting one of those better surge protector.
Sounds like you may have had a defective unit? I currently have a Surge Guard that I am using until I hard wire a PI unit in. It has worked perfectly so far. It has shut down a few times due to over/under voltage situations and once on a neutral issue. Mine is the 30 amp unit.

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Old 05-28-2017, 07:11 PM   #8
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Oh, after looking up what you had it is a complete Energy Management System. While not as well respected as Progressive it is suppose to provide complete protection similar to the Progressive. And yes it was definitely the cause of your problems. Maybe worth looking into to see if it has a warrantee. If nothing else get it replaced and sell it to buy a progressive. Worth a try.
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Old 05-29-2017, 02:06 AM   #9
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I've got my eye on one of these. As campsites get more crowded, and voltages start to drop, this device actually boosts voltage, not just warn you of low voltage. Any feedback on this? Any experience? https://hughesautoformers.com/
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Old 05-29-2017, 10:10 AM   #10
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I've got my eye on one of these. As campsites get more crowded, and voltages start to drop, this device actually boosts voltage, not just warn you of low voltage. Any feedback on this? Any experience? https://hughesautoformers.com/
I have never used one but have seen several in use. Typically on larger Moto homes. They have been around quite a while and have a good reputation.

We use power step up and step down transformers at work and they do what they are supposed to.

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Old 05-29-2017, 01:27 PM   #11
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I've got my eye on one of these. As campsites get more crowded, and voltages start to drop, this device actually boosts voltage, not just warn you of low voltage. Any feedback on this? Any experience? https://hughesautoformers.com/
That Hughs Autoformer looks pretty nice. I’ve used similar devices for many years on PLC and controls installations (Sola [brand name] transformers). They use what’s known as ferroresonant isolation for power regulation & transient protection, and they do work as advertised.

The Hughs appears to also incorporate additional surge protection by shunting transients to ground like a typical surge protector. MOVs maybe? That, according to Hughes documentation, could need “repaired” if a large surge is encountered.

I’ve never lost a system to power surges using the Solas, and we had a few biggies. The additional protection from the Hughes sounds really nice. Power regulation with two layers of surge protection. Another item to add to the wish list. (I need to win the lottery)

edit: some techie stuff from Sola explaining how they work (kinda).
http://www.solahevidutysales.com/pdf...rs/opchars.pdf
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Old 05-30-2017, 08:52 PM   #12
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Sounds like you may have had a defective unit? I currently have a Surge Guard that I am using until I hard wire a PI unit in. It has worked perfectly so far. It has shut down a few times due to over/under voltage situations and once on a neutral issue. Mine is the 30 amp unit.

Aaron
As I understand it 30A and 50A are different animals whet it comes to RV's. 30A has a (1) hot 110v, neutral, and ground. 50A has (2) hot 110v , a neutral, and a ground. The 50A problem arises when the Neutral is open (not connected) which allows the 2 110v legs to combine causing high voltage in the coach.
I'm installing a hard wired EMS-HW50C this week. That way I can be certain that I do not have any issues into the trailer. Including any issues with the power cord coming from the pedestal to the trailer.
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Old 05-30-2017, 11:36 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by TomW View Post
As I understand it 30A and 50A are different animals whet it comes to RV's. 30A has a (1) hot 110v, neutral, and ground. 50A has (2) hot 110v , a neutral, and a ground. The 50A problem arises when the Neutral is open (not connected) which allows the 2 110v legs to combine causing high voltage in the coach.
I'm installing a hard wired EMS-HW50C this week. That way I can be certain that I do not have any issues into the trailer. Including any issues with the power cord coming from the pedestal to the trailer.
That sounds right, regardless the TRIC Surge Guard should have still protected the unit from the power pole in. I am anal when it comes to electric stuff, too easy to get hurt. I have had a power company "lose the neutral" burned up everything electronic that was plugged in and powered on. They paid to replace everything. The one thing we missed in the initial assessment was the GFCI breaker in the panel, the bad neutral burned it out too. This was on a beach house. RV's are more of a challenge because of the mix of the two systems and the fact it is mobile, and we don't normally hook up to the same power location twice in a row.

Aaron
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