Surge protector

[Greg and Kathy]

Are they worth the money and should you get built in or external plug on the post.

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by Greg and Kathy

Are they worth the money and should you get built in or external plug on the post.

It's kind of like an insurance policy...worth it if something goes wrong, I guess. I like the display, provides good summary info about the status of the shore power. And during our first week of travel it alerted me to a problem with a shore power connection. I much prefer the built in EMS to yet one more thing I would have to set up and take down at every campsite.

[MikeS]

It’s worth the safety net to me. I wouldn’t plug in at a random campground without one. Both options worth, built in is harder to steal but less portable to a new RV.

[Iowa Dave]

Some folks believe a surge protector/ EMS is not necessary and have camped a lot and never been assigned to or had a bad electrical connection. Others have had a couple bad hookups a year. It’s understandable to form your opinion based on your experiences. I had two bad hookups last year. I believe in the surge protector/ EMS just like I do the pressure regulator. Kentucky Horse Park near Lexington KY had
Between 90 and 100 lbs water pressure both times I stayed there. I’d rather have those type of safety devices than say a propane quick connect or an extra couple lights that could be added later. But that’s just me
Iowa Dave

[cpaharley2008]

The nice thing about the EMS is it works while you are not there, all the time, there maybe a surge or under voltage issue while you are away, you are protected. I had a portable unit but found some power setups were too low to the ground to make use easy, the permanent one is more secure and always in use.

[jnfrombigt]

For cost reasons I went with the portable. Hey if you got the money get the factory installed. I was trying to figure out a way to keep the shiny aluminum wheels in the budget. The way I figured if someone steals the surge protector then I can buy two or three more for the price difference and my portable, I think, is made by the same company that makes the factory installed.

[emers382]

Jim, good you got the shiny wheels but not sure about going the portable route. We had a portable with last trailer but don't think it would have picked up on the bad 30 amp on one post we had on last trip. The built in EMS had two error codes and would not allow me to use power so I just switched to the 50 amp. It was fine.

[jnfrombigt]

Adrian you're probably right and truth be told I have already researched a Progressive industries EMS with all the bells and whistles. I'll also probably insulate the tanks. These and some of the other items I can do myself and in fact I enjoy solving the associated issues. Now if someone is not experienced or lacks the tools and they have the resources then heck yeah get Escape to do the job.
Just came in from going over some of the stuff going to Chilliwack. I'll leave in about 4 1/2 weeks. But nothing will done that sacrifices the shiny wheels.

[caddoster]

If you believe you need it, the advantage of a built in one is that you will not drive away without it.

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by caddoster

If you believe you need it, the advantage of a built in one is that you will not drive away without it.

At my age I'm subject to do such things.

[Donna D.]

Some of the portable surge protectors are pretty long/tall. And some power poles are short. IF you have a taller surge protector and it won't hookup to the power pole, does that mean you'll need to go without that protection? Hummm. You can work hard to save pennies and it ends up costing you dollars.

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

Some of the portable surge protectors are pretty long/tall. And some power poles are short. IF you have a taller surge protector and it won't hookup to the power pole, does that mean you'll need to go without that protection? Hummm. You can work hard to save pennies and it ends up costing you dollars.

I cannot imagine a pole situation where with the stuff I already have I cannot attach a portable surge protector. Maybe I'm wrong.

[marant]

Will never be without a surge protector again, and will want it built into our Escape. In our prior 5th wheel we parked at the National Park Service campground at Hot Springs, Arkansas and had a surge that fried our tv and microwave. They did not seem to care.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by jnfrombigt

Adrian you're probably right and truth be told I have already researched a Progressive industries EMS with all the bells and whistles. I'll also probably insulate the tanks. These and some of the other items I can do myself and in fact I enjoy solving the associated issues. Now if someone is not experienced or lacks the tools and they have the resources then heck yeah get Escape to do the job.
Just came in from going over some of the stuff going to Chilliwack. I'll leave in about 4 1/2 weeks. But nothing will done that sacrifices the shiny wheels.

If I had the choice , I would choose the shiny wheels . They do add a lot to the looks of the trailer .

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

If I had the choice , I would choose the shiny wheels . They do add a lot to the looks of the trailer .

A person has to have their priorities in order and mine are bright shiny things.

[rubicon327]

Just in case this was missed by some the fact that Escape calls the HW30C a surge protector is incorrect and is really selling it short. It is an Electrical Management System (EMS) with many features:
Over/Under Voltage Protection
Open Ground Detection
Open Neutral Detection
Reverse Polarity Detection
Accidental 240V Protection
Miswired Pedestal Indication
Surge Failure Indicator
Amperage Meter Display
Previous Error Code
A/C Frequency Protection
Adjustable Time Delay

[MikeS]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

If I had the choice , I would choose the shiny wheels . They do add a lot to the looks of the trailer .

You do have a choice! A Wisconsin company carries them and while I had no experience with them prior to ordering the wheels from them last summer they arrived as expected and with no issues.

https://recstuff.com/trailer-wheels/...trailer-wheel/

[jnfrombigt]

Originally Posted by MikeS

You do have a choice! A Wisconsin company carries them and while I had no experience with them prior to ordering the wheels from them last summer they arrived as expected and with no issues.

https://recstuff.com/trailer-wheels/...trailer-wheel/

Now those wheels are bright and shiny. Another happy camper

[Bea]

Originally Posted by rubicon327

Just in case this was missed by some the fact that Escape calls the HW30C a surge protector is incorrect and is really selling it short. It is an Electrical Management System (EMS) with many features:
Over/Under Voltage Protection
Open Ground Detection
Open Neutral Detection
Reverse Polarity Detection
Accidental 240V Protection
Miswired Pedestal Indication
Surge Failure Indicator
Amperage Meter Display
Previous Error Code
A/C Frequency Protection
Adjustable Time Delay

Hey Greg and Kathy, perhaps you've already made your decision on a surge protector or EMS (pardon my late arrival to this thread) but just in case there are others still on the fence regarding ETI's EMS system here's our surprise find. All you wise veterans here, I'm sure you probably have a very similar story...but for any newbies, like us....grab the popcorn!

This past week we went to one of our favorite little campgrounds (with W&E hookups). The first day, it was getting uncomfortably warm so I turned on the air conditioner. 5 seconds later it suddenly quit - not only did it die, the whole trailer's shore power was cut and the fridge cycled back to gas. Checked the fuses - all were good. Then the shore power mysteriously came back on again so I tried again a few times to get the air conditioner to work but it would not stay on. (At this point I was worried rats had made a home in our air conditioner - )

But the same thing happened with the microwave....5 seconds after turning it on, it would die and the shore power to the trailer died, and the fridge would auto switch back to gas. (OK, the rats are now safely ruled out - Phew!) However, after each occurrence, 3 minutes later, the shore power would kick back on.

Then it dawned on me....I knew the EMS takes about 3 minutes to cycle on so I then realized (Ah ha!) maybe it was our EMS system?! So I pulled out the manual and then realized our EMS was flashing me a PE 4 code, (previous error code) - which meant too low voltage coming into the trailer. So I went to ask the camp host about his thoughts on my low voltage reading.

He then, (to my surprise) apologized and said the cg was very old with old equipment and has low voltage/wattage sometimes. He said it was not uncommon when everyone uses their air conditioners, etc at the same time, the available power to every site does go down and that's what was probably activating my EMS. (BTW our EMS unit shuts off shore power to the trailer when the voltage is below 104 or above 134.) Oh, what a relief to finally understand what was going on! We had been coming here for 20 years and had no idea this cg had this issue.

Our lesson learned this trip: When shore power mysteriously dies - be sure to check the EMS for error codes! Also, as Rubicon327 pointed out earlier, ETI's EMS is so much more than a surge protector. Had I bypassed the EMS system or not had an EMS system at this cg, it could've caused premature or permanent damage to our air conditioner by causing the motor to over heat with too low voltage. Not to mention the risk to other electronics on board. We eventually, learned how to manage and use everything with the EMS - kinda turned into a balancing act - but it worked, and everything was safe.

BTW my sister was running her air conditioner on her trailer and another friend was running his air conditioner on his trailer, but neither of them had an EMS or surge protector and were surprised to learned what my EMS was telling me. Understandably they both wanted to stop at Camping World on our way home...

Kudos to ETI for not only building such great trailers, but for their sales rep who talked us into keeping the EMS on our build sheet! Much respect for this little device now. Hope this helps! - Bea

[cpaharley2008]

It is an electrical "safe sex" or safe electric for a myriad of issues. Protects you 24/7,,,,,