Surge Guard RV power protection surge protectors are made by Technology Research Corporation (TRC), which provides electrical protection for recreational vehicles, as well as protecting every other market affected by electrical hazards such as power surges. Their product, Surge Guard, protects your RV’s electrical system and any electronics running within the vehicle when plugged into an RV park power supply. There are several protection devices in the Surge Guard lineup, including the 120 Volt, 30 Amp RV surge protector to the 120/240V, 50A Portable and Hardwired models.
You should always have your RV protected when using power supplies at RV stations. Why? Because, RV park power is dirty at best and the first time you connect to a faulty pedestal and encounter a power surge you will understand why this is important. With the 240v surge protector hardwire models, if you are unsure how to install RV surge protectors, you can have a professional do it for you. This is always the best thing to do if you are not familiar with RV surge protectors or how they connect to your coach.
A few manufacturers who make surge protectors for RV coaches add displays that let you monitor the Amps being used. This is a nice feature but you don’t need it. When you connect your device to the converter, it should make a loud pop if it is working properly. That is, if the docking pedestal is wired properly. With Surge Guard’s 50 amp RV surge protectors, there is no display but two LED lights.
These indicate correct power supply and let you know when there is something wrong. There is one light for each line and each becomes illuminated when the device is plugged in to a power supply. Other indicator lights alert you when there is a dip in power or if there is something wrong with the wiring configuration, including bad grounding connections.
When you run into an RV power fluctuation that dips below normal voltage levels the device will kick off and cut the power supply to your coach. When the indicator lights stop blinking, the power will be restored. There is a manual override to bypass the overload, under which you are still protected. The bypass is only recommended if you have everything turned off beforehand.
These display lights make it simple if you aren’t familiar with Amp readings and what to look for. If you are the DIY type, installing the RV surge protector hardwire model is fairly simple. The instructions are easy to follow and purchasing this model is recommended as it is installed within the coach so that no one can take it. However, if you are not comfortable with doing it yourself, a professional installation is advised.
You can use these units in all temperatures as the circuitry is not temperature sensitive.
One thing you may want to take into consideration is your EMS. The electrical management system is not a surge protector. It controls the loads of current and maintains levels when the RV park has 30 amps or less running through the pedestals. The EMS shuts down appliances that draw too much power away from the AC unit.
In all honesty you should stick to the hardwire devices over the RV portable surge protectors. The reason should be obvious. The portable models plug in outside of the camper, so it is easy for someone to steal it from you. The hardwire devices come in both 30 and 50 Amp models and install inside the coach. You’ll want this security after spending a couple hundred dollars on one.
In comparison, to find the best surge protector for RV coaches, you could try the hardwired unit from Progressive. This is one for the tech geeks who want to see the amps cycling. Both legs are monitored and it checks cycles of 60; it also monitors your open neutral and grounding. This nice thing about this unit is that it does all of this before it lets power to your vehicle.
You can also install these yourself. Just cut a power cord twelve inches from the converter on the output side and mount the surge protector at the output terminals. You connect the power cord to the input terminals and just plug the cord into the pedestal. Viola, you are protected. This setup will guard against surges from any supply under 50 amps.
When the Progressive device checks for polarity for the first time it displays the voltage and cycles. Then it switches power on to the converter. It will make a loud pop when the connection is done. You can then monitor the signals as the power cycles. The voltage will differ on each leg depending on what you have running at the time. It will shut off power same as the Surge Guard and return everything to normal once the coast is clear. It will also let you know what happened through a code index.
As to which RV surge protectors are the best, you have to decide which will be easier for you to handle. If you are somewhat tech savy, you may prefer the devices with the displays. If that’s not your thing and you like to keep it simple, then the Surge Guard RV surge protectors from Technology Research Corporation are for you. Regardless of your choice, you should never connect to any power supply in an RV park or anywhere you are not familiar with without protection. You should always have your RV surge protectors installed wherever you are.
We have been using a portable surge protector for about eight years, and have yet to have it stolen. That’s not to say it could never happen, just hasn’t happened to this point.
We never, ever plug in without it.