There are three main types of surge protectors for an RV: portable with ground, a standard portable, and a hardwired model; all of which act as whole house surge protectors that cover your entire rig and all the electrical appliances inside. But there are other types you could consider for specific uses. We’re going to discuss a few of the variations you could install in your RV setup. It’s always good practice to use a surge protector no matter what the circumstance to avoid having to replace expensive gear and electronics.
First let’s mention the standards: the 30 amp surge protector and the 50 amp. These are whole house surge protectors for RVs. They protect every electrical article within the camper by plugging between the park’s power source and your camper. Modern larger RVs will use the 50 amp surge protector as they typically have more high powered appliances to run at the same time. Still the 30-amp model is efficient enough for smaller connected campers.
Next is the backup battery surge protector that stores power in a battery cell. If you carry your laptop with you it’s a good to have this installed when plugged into an RV park power source. If your laptop is compatible to your inverter then you might be able to get away without the ups surge protector, but if you are not certain then you will want to carry at least a travel model. The best thing about one of these over ups surge protectors in your home is that it relies on the battery supply of your camper while it’s charging so there’s virtually no down time.
Not exactly a surge protector, but still important for surge protection on RV campers, is the polarity checker. You use this to test the AC power supply of any RV parks. It’s a little $10 gadget that plugs into the power supply and lights a particular code for how safe the line is. You should always practice this method even if you return to a park you’ve already been to.
Line conditioner surge protectors will keep the voltage coming into your RV at a safe and constant level. In some instances it can raise power levels to sustainable levels. This isn’t a surge protector in the commercial sense but some models have protection installed on them. Being that’s the case, you have to monitor power levels to make sure there are no dangerous spikes. Most people don’t want to do this so they stick with a 50 amp surge protector or some other kind of device that lets them remain worry-free. You should still use the polarity protector with a surge protector line conditioner.
On models that don’t have surge protection built in you can use the line conditioner with a separate device. You just plug the RV surge protector into the park AC line and then connect the line conditioner to the RV surge protector and your RV power supply plugs into the line conditioner. This is expensive equipment and can be easily stolen so consider installing an RV compartment to house all the equipment within the camper.
The reason this might be the best solution for some folks is that you can never trust the AC power of a park. The currents dip and surge constantly and you can’t afford either to affect your appliances and RV overall. Surge protection for your RV will stop surges while line conditioners will maintain an even current to prevent dips and slight power flow increases.
