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Aftermarket installation of hard-wired surge protection?

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savvydog

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Aftermarket installation of hard-wired surge protection?
« on: June 25, 2015, 12:30:56 pm »
I'm wondering if anyone has installed (by themselves or a third party) a hard-wired surge protector after teh coach is built?  I just talked to Earl about having one installed in my motorhome and he said they won't do it except at the time the coach is built.  I like the idea of the hardwired version, but I'm curious about the feasibility of installing it now. (I wouldn't attempt it myself but would look for somewhere else to get it done.)

Thanks,
Gretchen
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JWW

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Re: Aftermarket installation of hard-wired surge protection?
« Reply #1 on: June 25, 2015, 04:02:05 pm »
Gretchen,
On our previous coach I decided I wanted a hard wired surge protector. After studying the options I decided to use a "portable" surge guard and reconfigure the wiring of the coach with a male and female plug inside of a storage area. This allowed for the surge guard to be unplugged and the coach wiring to be reconnected using the existing (new) plugs in the event that the surge guard malfunctioned.
A qualified person would be needed to perform this modification, but an unqualified person could simply unplug the malfunctioned device and connect the two plugs togather, allowing power to be restored to the coach.
This set-up kept the expensive portable surge guard from being displayed at the power pedestal for all eyes to see, gave me the desired electrical protection, and gave me a plan "B" if it failed.
We do not own a P.C. at this time, so I do not know if your P.C. has the available space to perform this install.
Happy Motoring
Johnny
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TomHanlon

Re: Aftermarket installation of hard-wired surge protection?
« Reply #2 on: June 25, 2015, 04:24:01 pm »
 A surge protectors job is to sacrifice itself in the event of a power surge. Once it does that is no good anymore and must be repaired or replaced. Therefore you need it installed where you can get to it to unwire it and bypass the split in the wires in order to have electrical power again, until you can get it repair or replaced. If you are out camping on a Saturday and it blows or you are a long way from a store or repair place, you will not have Electrical power until whenever. The reason that Phoenix will only install one during the builld is that they hide it behind a wall. Not a good thing to happen to you.

You would be better off getting a plugin type and a chain to tie it to the electric post at the campground. 
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Barry-Sue

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Re: Aftermarket installation of hard-wired surge protection?
« Reply #3 on: June 25, 2015, 04:36:44 pm »
Gretchen

I installed a hardwired Progressive Industries Electric Management System Model EMS-HW30C and found it works great.  A nice feature is that it can be turned off (no need to remove) if it fails or detects a problem that cannot be fixed immediately.   Also, the surge portion is warranted for life and is very easy to replace.  

The installation was very simple except for dealing with the stiff 10g wire. The unit provides voltage protection (<104V & >132V), frequency protection (<51HZ & > 69HZ), Surge Protection, Polarity Protection and Open Neutral/Ground Protection. Also, it has a built in volt meter, frequency meter and amp meter all very handy when it comes to troubleshooting power problems.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Here is a link to Progressive Industries web site and an Amazon listing:

30 Amp Service

http://www.progressiveindustries.net/ems_hw50c.htm#!ems-hw30c/cuun
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Industries-EMSHW30C-Surge-Protector/dp/B0050EGS5W/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1379717202&sr=8-1&keywords=ems-hw30c

50 Amp Service

http://www.progressiveindustries.net/ems_hw50c.htm#!ems-hw50c/cjk6
http://www.amazon.com/Progressive-Industries-EMSHW50C-Surge-Protector/dp/B007O6INSE/ref=sr_sp-atf_title_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1379854241&sr=8-2&keywords=progressive+industries+hw50c

One very useful feature is the amp meter that allows for real time monitoring of the current draw.  This feature allowed me to measure the current draw of each major electrical device in the PC.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2015, 07:09:08 pm by Barry-Sue »
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Barry and Sue 
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RKS

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Re: Aftermarket installation of hard-wired surge protection?
« Reply #4 on: June 25, 2015, 08:21:01 pm »
We have a  Progressive  plug in type.  We were recently at a KOA in NY.
Plugged in and set up for the night in the process discovered there was no power to the coach.  I immediately checked the surge protector and everything looked fine.  After a  bunch of head scratching and checking all the breakers I went back to the surge procteor and noted that in addition to the normal codes there was a code for an open ground that I must have missed on my first check.   Called the KOA office and no answer or emergency contact number (6pm), very reassuring.  I left a message and their maintenance person verified my findings the next morning.
The nice thing about the plug in unit was I just took it to an adjacent  site , plugged it in and it tested ok so we packed up and relocated. 
An aside, in the process I called Phoenix to see if maybe there was a breaker I was missing and Earl answered on his mobile while driving home, you can't beat that.
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Bob and Michele
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keelhauler

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Re: Aftermarket installation of hard-wired surge protection?
« Reply #5 on: June 27, 2015, 10:23:59 am »
I hard wired a Progressive Model EMS-HW30C into my 2006 2551 cruiser. I had Phoenix install one when I bought the 2012 2552.

As discussed, other than finding a good place to mount and the stiff wire, it was no problem to install. The read out unit has telephone wire cord that is easy to route where it is convenient to view, I put mine next to door under light switches.


I also love the readout unit that tells me what voltage is or any error signals. Once we had a really big power surge that blew a fuse on the circuit board, You could still use the power thanks to bypass switch and Progressive sent free a new circuit board which just plugged in and you needed to return the old board.

So where you install it, make sure you can get the cover off. You do not have to unwire it from your unit.
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John
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savvydog

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Re: Aftermarket installation of hard-wired surge protection?
« Reply #6 on: June 28, 2015, 12:58:13 pm »
Thank you all for your insight!  In the interest of getting immediate protection, I did more research on theft prevention for the portable models and I've opted for one of those for the time being. 
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TomHanlon

Re: Aftermarket installation of hard-wired surge protection?
« Reply #7 on: June 28, 2015, 02:11:44 pm »
I hope you din't get one of those locks that goes around both plugs to lock them together. They only work on the electric cords that are perminatly attached to the RV not the cords that are removable like ours. The thief just takes the protector and the electric cord together.  :'(
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Bruce

Re: Aftermarket installation of hard-wired surge protection?
« Reply #8 on: June 28, 2015, 08:46:30 pm »
Moved to new topic under Tips and Tricks.
--Bruce
« Last Edit: June 29, 2015, 11:12:29 am by Bruce and Sharon »
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