rwitt Report post Posted December 11, 2015 I currently have a Sure Guard 34750. It has been giving me some weird alarms lately so I'm thinking about getting a new one. Question: What do you recommend and why. TIA Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted December 11, 2015 "I currently have a Sure Guard 34750. It has been giving me some weird alarms lately so I'm thinking about getting a new one. Question: What do you recommend and why. TIA" Is this at the same location? What kind of weird alarms? Every time I have gotten a alarm it has been the power. I have a Surge Guard 50 amp. If you have concerns I would talk to the company at: Tech Support at 800.780.4324 x 20311 or 727-812-0578 You might ask what it would cost to have yours checked out. I know mine saved me this summer from bad power at the pedestal. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
huffypuff Report post Posted December 11, 2015 I recommend Progressive Industries hardwired 50 amp EMS-LCHW-50. Lifetime guarantee if something goes wrong with it. If you go to one of FMCA rally, be sure to attend on of their classes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted December 11, 2015 We use the TRC model 34850. I like it because it also handles the following; Voltage and Amp Draw (RMS) Surge Failure (light indicates when surge protection has expired) Reverse Polarity (miswired pedestal, elevated ground voltage) I have the lock for it and that is the one thing I do not like is it could be stolen easily. It has saved me twice so far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obedb Report post Posted December 11, 2015 I have a Progressive Industry portable. Not as sophisticated as yours Joe, but a help anyway. I bought a quality 15 foot 50 AMP extension cord and when close enough to the electric pedestal I can keep it in the electric bay locked up and out of the weather. Oddly enough, I am usually able to do that most of the time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted December 11, 2015 ObedB, if yours only covers surges look into www.50amppowerpal.com. Brett turned me onto this gadget a few months ago. It will test the tower prior to connecting. I picked one up from their website. I love gadgets like this especially when I can justify it with the DW as something that could "save the coach". I call it my second line of defense to protect us from the miss wired tower that is becoming more and more common. After the last coach started to catch fire from a bad tower she has no problem with gadgets like this. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwitt Report post Posted December 11, 2015 Bill, it has been on several pedestals lately. Twice it has shown low voltage on L2 and was very intermittent. The second time, the park had a Power Pal tester and when he plugged it in it checked OK. We left it there for about 30 mins since mine was intermittent. Now I'm getting reverse polarity warning intermittently but then it clears up. When I plug the Surge Guard (50 Amp) in without the unit plugged in it does not show a problem, but when I plug the unit in it starts intermittently. I did call tech support and didn't et much help. They said they couldn't tell what was going on and they really had no way to check it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted December 11, 2015 rwitt, how old is it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted December 12, 2015 Just a thought. Have you (when not plugged in) checked to see if the connections are good where the cable connects to the coach. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lenp Report post Posted December 12, 2015 Continuing from what Bill said..... Could a loose connection anywhere between the Surge Guard and the coach breaker panel cause the intermittent problem? I had a loose (read that as not connected) neutral in the male plug end of my cord. The surge guard saved my bacon by shutting down immediately. I was surprised that it shut down the power as I only expected it to "look" at the pedestal side. I would expect an intermittent connection could very well cause you some problems. Suggest you unplug from the pedestal and check ALL connections in the cord (both ends) and your AC breaker panel(s) before purchasing a new surge guard. Lenp Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwitt Report post Posted December 12, 2015 I noticed today that the male plug on the surge guard that plugs into the post has a prong that looks like it may have overheated at some point. Is it possible that this could be causing the intermittent problem? Of course, if it is then I need a new one. Jleamont - my surge guard is 3.5 years old. Ron Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted December 12, 2015 Yes any bad connection could be causing your problem. You are shutting off power at the pedestal before plugging in or unplugging right? Plugging in with power present can cause arcing that will damage connections. I would check your power cord and where it connects to the coach and any other connections that might be a problem. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rwitt Report post Posted December 13, 2015 Yes Bill, I always shut power off at the pedestal before plugging in. Thanks for checking. I've seen a lot of people just plug in. Also, see a lot that do not have any type of surge protection. I may have found my problem. I started checking electrical connections with special emphasis on the neutral. Everything was looking good until I checked the neutral going from the main bus to the to the power management bus. The screw was extremely loose. NOT NOW. I am hoping that this was the problem. I have not seen it flashing red so maybe it was. Of course, I have not been watching it for long periods, but I haven't noticed any problems in the unit today. Thanks to all for the suggestions. Great group. Ron Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted December 13, 2015 Good hope that was the problem. Cheaper than a new Surge Guard. Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted December 14, 2015 rwitt, keep us posted. I have to change the end of my cord soon, I just noticed it has a crack in it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted December 15, 2015 Having a surge protector helps with parks that don't have a breaker at the post. Yes there are parks we've stayed at with no breaker at the post. With a surge guard there is a delay from the time you plug in the surge guard until full power is switched on to the coach. During this time, there is only a very tiny draw of electric to power the surge guard (no matter which end of the coach power cord the surge guard is located on, at the post or internal). This way, everything is fully inserted into the outlet of the post before the full draw of the coach is switched on. I've had an external surge protector for a while and am noticing signs of wear and the weather seal is starting to break down. I'm thinking of going with an installed internal unit to get it out of the weather. Glad to see some suggestions for different models in the previous discusson. I'll take a look at all of them and pick the one that seems to best meet my needs at an affordable cost. Just seeing a coach with no surge protection at the post doesn't mean that they don't have one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
desertdeals69 Report post Posted December 16, 2015 I still flip the breaker before I plug or unplug out of habit. What Tom says is correct that no current draw is present until the surge protector closes, which on mine is about 3 minutes so technically it is not necessary to turn the breaker off when plugging in. Breakers are not designed to be used as switches and it shortens the life of the breaker. I was told this by several different electricians. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildebill308 Report post Posted December 16, 2015 Tom, one thing I like about the portable one over the permanent installed one is I have used mine to go check sites before parking the RV. This summer at Galveston State Park I had a bad power pedestal and had to move. I used the Surge Guard to go check several other sites to make sure I had good power before moving. I have been in several campgrounds where they say "go find a spot and let us know where you parked" So I check the power before picking a site. I will keep on using my portable until I get something like this. http://got50amps.com/ Bill Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted December 17, 2015 Wildbill308, I have the unit in the link you mentioned above. It is a neat device, works well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted December 17, 2015 Tom, one thing I like about the portable one over the permanent installed one is I have used mine to go check sites before parking the RV. So I check the power before picking a site. I will keep on using my portable until I get something like this. http://got50amps.com/ Bill That is a good point. If/when I go with an internal surge protector I'll have to get the tester. It looks great. jleamont: Have you ever encountered a box where you couldn't plug in because the tester is too wide or boxy to fit into the outlet? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jleamont Report post Posted December 17, 2015 Tom, not yet, one or two that were close but I was able to just make contact (funny the one at home was the worst to connect it to when I first unwrapped it). I have had a few problems with towers being to close to the ground for the hanging surge protector. The TRC we have requires it to stand straight up or as close to straight up as possible or damage may result. I have already had to bend the power cable into an "S" and ratchet binder it to the tower. Perhaps there is a short 50amp cord you could purchase to keep just in case if you come across a tower with the outlet closer than normal? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obedb Report post Posted December 17, 2015 RV Upgrades is where I bought my Progressive Industries unit and the extension cord. It is a quality cord. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wayne77590 Report post Posted December 18, 2015 Tom, I had a Progressive portable that stopped working because the seal where it entered the box was bad. PI repaired it in no time and I took some of that plumber's tape and did a wrap around the wire going in. It's almost time to replace the tape - but that plumbers tape has to be cut off. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
obedb Report post Posted December 18, 2015 Wayne, Try the extension cord I recommend. I really do rarely have to leave the Progressive unit outside. Our trip to Colorado and back to PA this year, only twice. Although they are advertised as weather resistant why chance it? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wayne77590 Report post Posted December 20, 2015 Mine has had torrential downpours on it and since they resealed it 6 years ago it has not failed yet (knocking on wood). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
