jamesyates Report post Posted May 13, 2013 I am new to RVing and own a 2012 Itasca Sunstar 30' 30 amp. Soon after I buying our RV, I purchased a 30 amp surge protector and have used it consistently. I have stayed in many private and public campgrounds with no power problems. But recently I was staying at an private campground which I have stayed at three times before. It was warm (85) and was running the AC. Then the microwave started chirping (display light went off and on) and the AC stated flipping off and on. This lasted about 3-5 seconds and then everything returned to normal. I turned off the AC as soon as I could and then waited for a few minutes before I restarted the AC. I didn't have another episode until the next day with a similar pattern. It once happened in the morning without running any AC or heavy electrical devices. I tested the power with a volt meter but it showed between 116-120 volts. I could never capture the voltage reading during one of these episodes though. The surge protector never tripped during these conditions. I even took the RV into a dealer and had them check over my 120v systems and they ran the AC for four hours without incident. I then asked for a different site which had both 50 and 30 amp power but I still had these once a day problems. My question is - was I experiencing a low voltage condition that was not low enough to trip the surge protector? What are the symptoms of a low voltage condition? What else could I do to protect my RV from electrical issues? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted May 13, 2013 What surge protector do you have? With low voltage they shut off the current until power is back to normal. It takes time for this process, sometimes minutes before it restores current flow. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jamesyates Report post Posted May 13, 2013 It's a TRC Surgeguard 30 amp. Model # 34730. Should I be concerned that the unit is not shutting down with low voltage? The A/C was definetly turning off and on. The generator worked fine so I don't think it is the automatic transfer switch. It would be interesting if I could test the unit in a known low voltage condition. I ran the A/C from my own shore power when I got home and it ran perfectly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jc21014 Report post Posted May 14, 2013 You need to place a call to SurgeGuard and run the scenario by them. It could be a defective unit and need replacing. We have the 50a unit and it has shut our unit down on a low voltage situation. If you don't have a ems with a led readout, I would suggest getting one or the other of these and keep them plugged in. http://www.trci.net/products/surge-guard/ http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/ac-voltage-meter/29375 http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_11?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kill+a+watt&sprefix=kill+a+watt%2Caps%2C240 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jamesyates Report post Posted May 17, 2013 Hello jc21014 I took your advice and ordered a digital line monitor from TRC. I also tested my SurgeGuard with a variable voltage regulator and found it does shut off at 102v as advertised but it takes 6 seconds to shut down. I think the voltage was dipping up and down so fast in this situation that the device just couldn't react fast enough. At least now I can document the problem and take action. Thanks Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jc21014 Report post Posted May 17, 2013 Hello jc21014 I took your advice and ordered a digital line monitor from TRC. I also tested my SurgeGuard with a variable voltage regulator and found it does shut off at 102v as advertised but it takes 6 seconds to shut down. I think the voltage was dipping up and down so fast in this situation that the device just couldn't react fast enough. At least now I can document the problem and take action. Thanks If you haven't done so, I would still consider calling the Surge Guard folks and running your scenario by them. A 6 second reaction time, by the surge protector, would be unacceptable to me and might warrant a replacement. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jamesyates Report post Posted May 23, 2013 Hello and thanks for your advice. I checked TRC troubleshooting page on this model and it states that if low power or high power condition exists for more than 8 seconds then it will trip the relay and isolate it until the power returns to >102 or <132 volts. So I would be careful in a fluctuating voltage situation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
