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08-12-2015, 06:45 PM
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#1
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Ontario, Ontario
Trailer: 2015 17B Sold
Posts: 89
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Surge and Electrical Protection
Good Evening,
Our 17B is not equipped with the ETI's surge protector. Rather than buying a hard wired version, would this Progressive Industries portable one ( EMS-PT30C 30 Amp Portable EMS ) work effectively. Anybody used one of these? Experiences if you have?
Fred
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08-12-2015, 08:05 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Middle, Tennessee
Trailer: 2017 Escape 19' #2
Posts: 1,441
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Yes it would. We used this one
http://www.bestconverter.com/SSP-30-...l#.Vcvt70o8KK1
for years with our Casita. The one you linked does everything the one provided by ETI does.
__________________
Tom
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08-12-2015, 08:08 PM
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#3
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fbalexander
Good Evening,
Our 17B is not equipped with the ETI's surge protector. Rather than buying a hard wired version, would this Progressive Industries portable one ( EMS-PT30C 30 Amp Portable EMS ) work effectively. Anybody used one of these? Experiences if you have?
Fred
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My biggest concern would be theft. That is why I would prefer the hard wired version.
__________________
What a long strange trip it’s been!
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08-12-2015, 08:20 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Benton County, Iowa
Trailer: 2013 Escape 21 Classic Number 6, pulled by 2018 Toyota Highlander
Posts: 8,235
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That's what we thought too. Theft can be a problem in some areas. Kind of depends on how you camp and whether you are obviously away from your camper for the day. We went with the hard wired ETI unit even though we've not knowingly experienced questionable voltage. Had
It retrofitted this spring. There are lock boxes but the reviews aren't that good on some either. With some shop time and a little thought you might be
able to come up with one of your own.
Dave
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08-12-2015, 09:29 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Central, Pennsylvania
Trailer: Escape#5 2022 E19
Posts: 26,268
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Another issue with the portable units is clearance. I used one for a couple of years and found some campground outlets were too close to ground and I was unable to plug in directly.
__________________
Jim
Sometime life gets in the way of living.......
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08-13-2015, 12:45 PM
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#6
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Ontario, Ontario
Trailer: 2015 17B Sold
Posts: 89
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Many thanks folks, for your input on this issue. All good and valid points.
Fred
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08-13-2015, 01:56 PM
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#7
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Nanaimo Vancouver Island, British Columbia
Trailer: 2015 17b "Shelly"
Posts: 457
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For those with a hard wired surge protector I have a question. Is there a audible hum coming from it? We heard there was, so since the surge protector on our 17B would be directly below our heads when we sleep we went for the portable one. And as far as theft is concerned I’ve been told it is extremely rare and besides if I was even a little concerned I would simply disconnect, and stow it in the trailer overnight or when we were away from the campsite.
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08-13-2015, 01:58 PM
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#8
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Trailer: 2015 19 foot
Posts: 439
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We have a 19 and have not heard any hum or other sound from the surge protector.
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08-13-2015, 02:16 PM
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#9
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Sarnia, Ontario
Trailer: 2015 Escape 19 sold, 21NE on order
Posts: 130
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We have a hard wired surge protector in our '19'. Last week while camping at Pinery Provincial Park, it shut off the power on a LOW VOLTAGE condition. It came back on after about a few minutes. That night we noticed the protector was humming. This continued into the next day. The next day there was a short power outage in the park. When the power came back on, I noticed the protector was no longer humming. In the future if it is humming again, I will try unplugging for a few minutes to see if this fixes it.
Jack
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08-13-2015, 02:29 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Benton County, Iowa
Trailer: 2013 Escape 21 Classic Number 6, pulled by 2018 Toyota Highlander
Posts: 8,235
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There is no hum from our ETI installed unit either. I believe, however, there was a discussion on this sometime back. Disconnecting and storing is an option and you're right, theft is probably rare, for us, the internal unit was just one less thing to think about as far as getting it out and putting it away. That and not having a concern about clearance, water tightness, etc.. It's probably a matter of personal choice. I just like knowing we have the protection. Same goes for water pressure reduction devices. "Don't need the hassle" of damage that isn't my fault. I can do enough in my own.
Dave
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08-13-2015, 03:54 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sunrisetrucker
For those with a hard wired surge protector I have a question. Is there a audible hum coming from it? We heard there was, so since the surge protector on our 17B would be directly below our heads when we sleep we went for the portable one. And as far as theft is concerned I’ve been told it is extremely rare and besides if I was even a little concerned I would simply disconnect, and stow it in the trailer overnight or when we were away from the campsite.
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But if it is stowed in the trailer then it is not doing what it is intended to do.....
__________________
What a long strange trip it’s been!
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08-13-2015, 04:19 PM
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#12
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Member
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Ontario, Ontario
Trailer: 2015 17B Sold
Posts: 89
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Ok, so if I opt to install the hard wired version at some point, and I don't run the A/C until the unit is installed, will a "brown out" or some other surge damage any of the other components in the trailer?
Fred
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08-13-2015, 04:28 PM
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#13
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sunrisetrucker
For those with a hard wired surge protector I have a question. Is there a audible hum coming from it? We heard there was, so since the surge protector on our 17B would be directly below our heads when we sleep we went for the portable one. And as far as theft is concerned I’ve been told it is extremely rare and besides if I was even a little concerned I would simply disconnect, and stow it in the trailer overnight or when we were away from the campsite.
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Our hummed when we got the trailer. Called Progressive Industries, they had me clean out the relay. When I opened it it had a bunch of junk in the box, like it was left open while ETI built the trailer. Blew it out, got better but still hummed. Progressive sent me a new relay that I installed, no hum since.
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
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08-13-2015, 05:10 PM
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#14
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fbalexander
Ok, so if I opt to install the hard wired version at some point, and I don't run the A/C until the unit is installed, will a "brown out" or some other surge damage any of the other components in the trailer?
Fred
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Fred, A severe surge can damage anything, but particularly something with a circuit board. And while I would recommend getting the ETI installed surge protector, if it makes you feel any better I can tell you that before I purchased my 5.0TA, I had a Colemsn pop-up, two Aliners, and a Scamp 19, all without surge protection and in years of camping/RVing never had any surge damage. The only time I would be most concerned is in a raging electrical storm. You could always unplug the entire trailer until the storm passes.
__________________
What a long strange trip it’s been!
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08-13-2015, 05:14 PM
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#15
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Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: North Vancouver, British Columbia
Trailer: 2009 Escape 17B 2020 Toyota Highlander XLE
Posts: 17,136
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Ditto. I've been thinking about surge protection for seven years, but that's as far as I've gotten.
__________________
What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?
- Bertolt Brecht
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08-13-2015, 05:37 PM
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#16
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Surrey, British Columbia
Trailer: 2015 Escape 21
Posts: 699
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Surge and Electrical Protection
Our previous trailer ended up with a partially melted battery fuse as a result of a spark on connecting improperly to shore power. We didn't notice it for a long time, but it impacted our electrically system. When we found it and fixed it I resolved to get a surge protector on our next trailer. So we have it on our Escape 21 and don't have to worry about things like Brown outs causing a surge in amperage and maybe damaging our fridge or so on.
Bob K
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08-13-2015, 06:07 PM
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#17
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Ventura County, California
Trailer: 2013 19 Escape
Posts: 7,204
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobbito
Our previous trailer ended up with a partially melted battery fuse as a result of a spark on connecting improperly to shore power. We didn't notice it for a long time, but it impacted our electrically system. When we found it and fixed it I resolved to get a surge protector on our next trailer. So we have it on our Escape 21 and don't have to worry about things like Brown outs causing a surge in amperage and maybe damaging our fridge or so on.
Bob K
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Heaven help us ! Let's not damage the Dometic frig ! We have the surge installed . So far one instance . A circuit was overloaded and blew and surge shut down the electrical in trailer immediately . No damage to trailer back in Nov, 2013 just after we picked up . Pat
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08-13-2015, 06:34 PM
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#18
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Tampa Bay Area, Florida
Trailer: 2015 Escape 5.0TA (Little Elsie) Extensively Personalized
Posts: 2,960
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bobbito
Our previous trailer ended up with a partially melted battery fuse as a result of a spark on connecting improperly to shore power. We didn't notice it for a long time, but it impacted our electrically system. When we found it and fixed it I resolved to get a surge protector on our next trailer. So we have it on our Escape 21 and don't have to worry about things like Brown outs causing a surge in amperage and maybe damaging our fridge or so on.
Bob K
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Always a good idea to turn the 30amp breaker off, plug in the trailer, then turn the breaker on.
__________________
What a long strange trip it’s been!
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08-13-2015, 07:28 PM
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#19
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Box Elder, South Dakota
Trailer: Bigfoot 25' 2018
Posts: 347
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We've traveled in our vintage Shasta trailer for years without an electrical protector. Haven't had a problem. But our 19 has a lot more electronics than Shasta, so I added a built in Progressive Industries surge protector. Don't know if there'd be any problems without, but I'm paranoid.
On our last trip it came on with a loud electrical buzz. It was irritating enough that we un-plugged. I called Progressive Industries and they suggested cleaning any debris from the contactors. I did this. The noise changed some, enough to see the problem was there. But cleaning didn't solve the problem. When I got home I bought a can of "air" and blew out the contacts. Didn't help.
Now, I am a professional. Nothing to do with electricity, but I am a professional. This next step is not recommended for anyone, professional or not. DON'T DO THIS AT HOME. After blowing out the contacts I was quite irritated with the surge protector. I pressed the contactors together, while under power, with a piece on NON-CONDUTCIVE material, I used the lid of the surge protector box. Did this a couple of times, with gusto. To my surprise it stopped buzzing and has been OK since.
I have the feeling talking to Progressive Industries that this isn't unheard of. I suspect if I called back they'd send a new set of contactors as they did for Bob.
Anyway, no recommendation given and your mileage may vary.
Thanks.
__________________
Hugh Currin
2018 Bigfoot 25'
2018 RAM 2500 Diesel
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08-13-2015, 07:51 PM
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#20
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Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Southwick, Massachusetts
Trailer: None, sold my 2014 5.0TA
Posts: 7,124
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That was one of the steps PI had me do, beat on the contactor some (technical term). This is something we used to do at work fairly often so I was familiar with the idea although we did it more as a means of checking to see if the unit was working as opposed to a way to clean the contacts.
__________________
Happy Motoring
Bob
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