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RV power surge guards act as a primary defense system for your RV against electrical harm.
Your RV contains numerous electronic devices that are susceptible to even minor fluctuations in the incoming power supply. A sudden drop or spike in power can lead to costly damage that could cut your trip short.
This reason alone should be sufficient for you to already possess or quickly acquire a surge safeguard. However, if you require further persuasion, you’ve come to the right spot!
What Exactly is an RV Power Surge Safeguard?
For most of us, we depend on grid electricity to power our RVs. Once we arrive at a campsite, one of the foremost tasks is to connect to the power source.
Once your RV is linked to the campground’s power supply, it becomes vulnerable to significant damage. While grid power typically flows smoothly, any slight deviation from the norm can lead to severe consequences.
RV power surge guards serve as a safety measure, monitoring electrical levels and shutting off power if a potentially hazardous situation arises.
Although surge protectors may appear unassuming on the outside, they house intricate mechanisms within.
How Operates an RV Power Surge Safeguard?
An easy way to understand surge protectors is by likening them to a car fuse or a household circuit breaker. When an issue arises, they trip to prevent damage to the electrical system.
While your RV contains fuses that serve this purpose for specific components, the role of a surge protector is to safeguard the entire electrical system.
A 120-volt power supply may not always be a consistent 120 volts; it fluctuates within a certain range. However, once the power exceeds 130 volts or drops to around 105 volts, problems start to emerge.
RV power surge guards adhere to a safe operating range. For instance, they might function between 132 volts on the high end and 105 volts on the low end. Any incoming power beyond this range will trigger an RV power cut-off.
So, what lies inside that seemingly ordinary plastic casing that enables this function? Metal oxide varistors (MOV) serve as the essential components that absorb the impact in the event of a power surge. Similar to airbags, they absorb the shock and may sacrificially protect the system.
Surge guards are rated in joules, determining their capacity to endure large or multiple surges before becoming ineffective.
The number and size of MOVs in the device dictate its joule rating. It’s advisable to seek models with higher joules and replaceable modules. Some devices with irreplaceable components necessitate complete replacement once their joules threshold is reached.
What Types of RV Power Surge Safeguards Exist?
There exist two primary varieties of surge protectors. As their designations imply, hard-wired units are directly integrated into your RV system, while portable variants are those you connect your RV to. Both types employ the identical technology as mentioned earlier to shield your RV from power surges.
Hard-wired units are installed in-line along your RV’s primary power path. The placement of the surge protector occurs between the RV’s power cord inlet and any electronics, ensuring the identification and prevention of out-of-range incoming power before harm ensues.
Portable RV power surge guards are commonly seen dangling from campground power pedestals. Close inspection will reveal that many are secured to the pedestals to deter theft, given their value and ease of pilfering.
Prior to plugging in your RV, the surge guard must first be linked to the power source, followed by connection to your RV’s power cord. This sequence ensures that power undergoes monitoring from the source and is severed, if necessary, before traveling through the RV’s power cord to the vehicle.
While shopping for a surge guard, you’ll encounter varying levels of protection to select from.
Basic models simply disengage power upon detecting a surge, necessitating a reset akin to a home circuit breaker.
More sophisticated models conduct a swift inspection upon connection to identify any electrical irregularities, like poor grounding or faulty connections. These models maintain continuous monitoring of power flow and often feature indicator lights or displays signalling the status.
Several companies specialize in RV power surge guards. Although their functionality is largely congruent, RV owners must decide which brand they trust to safeguard their roving abode.
Which RV Power Surge Safeguard Stands Out?
Is Ford superior to Chevy, McDonald’s to Wendy’s, or chocolate to vanilla? Let’s be real, chocolate wins hands down in that scenario. Nonetheless, personal opinion plays a role in these matters.
Given the similarity among all RV power surge guards and the consensus that any safeguard is better than none, determining the optimal choice is challenging. Observing campgrounds, perusing Facebook groups, or exploring online RV forums will likely spotlight the three prominent brands below.
1. Progressive Industries
Progressive Industries offers a range of surge guards that are well-regarded and favored by RV enthusiasts.
They present models that solely feature surge protection as well as EMS (electrical management system) versions. These EMS models are accessible in both portable and hard-wired configurations.
Everyone knows Progressive Industries, RVers’ go-to choice for power surge protection.
Industries power protectors come in both 30-amp and 50-amp setups.
2. Southwire Surge Guard
Following that is the Southwire Surge Guard series of RV power protectors. Southwire not only produces RV power protectors but essentially every electrical solution possible.
This company is highly knowledgeable in electricity matters and provides various choices for RV enthusiasts.
A choice of 30-amp and 50-amp is available across all products ranging from fundamental guard with manual resets to comprehensive electrical control systems.
Hughes Power Watchdog
Similar to the rest in this concise collection, Huges Power Watchdog presents a safeguard for every RV owner.
They stand out as among, if not the most, trusted brands in RV power protectors. The distinct fierce dog emblem on their products is a frequent sight in campgrounds.
Huges provides some of the most innovative power protectors and presents interesting features like Bluetooth for system supervision directly on your smartphone.
Should You Acquire an RV Power Protector?
RV power protectors are akin to auto policies in that no one enjoys spending on them. You might never utilize your power protector; yet, even the reassurance it provides is valuable to most individuals.
A single flawed RV connection or an electricity surge at the campsite could result in costly RV maintenance. Though not inexpensive, RV power protectors are unquestionably a valuable investment.
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