Roadtrek power hookup to surge protector

[Davydd]

Originally Posted by wny-pat

I deleted that post twice! Going to cable lock it to park pedestal at whatever park we're at!

My surge protector is inside the van just ahead of the receptor plug. That is what ARV does. No need to lock it up at a campground pedestal. I don't know why others don't do this.

[Nic7320]

Not everyone has that option. My class C rig has 25 feet of hardwired cord with no power connectors before it disappears into the rig. My Roadtrek class B has a storage compartment on the driver's side that the EMS fits in nicely.

Adding an external bulkhead power inlet to the C would make hook-ups easier, since I wouldn't have to fish the cord through the round access port in the wet bay and also sometimes, I could use a shorter cord.

[booster]

Originally Posted by Nic7320

Not everyone has that option. My class C rig has 25 feet of hardwired cord with no power connectors before it disappears into the rig. My Roadtrek class B has a storage compartment on the driver's side that the EMS fits in nicely.

Adding an external bulkhead power inlet to the C would make hook-ups easier, since I wouldn't have to fish the cord through the round access port in the wet bay and also sometimes, I could use a shorter cord.

Lots of people have hardwired cords with the power conditioner/monitor inside, I think. Our Roadtrek 190P on a 2007 came hardwired , although I did add a socket and plug later, but when I put I put in the hardwired power protector it went inside, just like it would if it was still a direct wired cord without the socket and plug. AFAIK, it is very common to put it inside, with our without a hardwired cord. Like davydd said, no need to lock it to the post.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Nic7320

When I asked Hughes "Are your surge protection and EPO products UL listed?"

I got this response:

"[I]Not at this time. They are going under CSA testing as we speak. This will be at least equivalent if not better than UL certification. We should have this completed in about 8 weeks.

Being in the process of being tested and having passed the tests are two very different things. The safety tests for line-voltage devices are not pushovers. The path to hell is paved with good intentions.

On another topic:
If you have a good-quality inverter with a built-in transfer switch, you most likely already have line-quality protection. In this case, fancy power protection devices are redundant and a waste of money -- all you need is an inexpensive surge-suppressor like the one that George referenced. That Leviton device (which I have) has better specs than any RV-specific surge suppressor that I have seen, and costs much less.

[booster]

Originally Posted by avanti

If you have a good-quality inverter with a built-in transfer switch, you most likely already have line-quality protection. In this case, fancy power protection devices are redundant and a waste of money -- all you need is an inexpensive surge-suppressor like the one that George referenced. That Leviton device (which I have) has better specs than any RV-specific surge suppressor that I have seen, and costs much less.

I agree with a minor caveat. All of your AC power has to run through the inveter/charger before the van sees any of it, so things like the Roadtrek system that they used where some AC goes to inverter/charger to charge and pass through to the inverter outlets, and the rest of the AC goes directly to van off the input ATS which is the first thing after the cord would not be able to use the inveter/charger for protection on shore power. Most of the better inverters do also have the internal transfer switch and good power protection, so the they just have to get all the AC and be first in line.

[Nic7320]

Older Roadtreks have no surge protection or EMS device, unless you add one. My 1997 170P also didn't have a generator, so it lacks an ATS and neutral bonding. Power is sent directly from the pedestal cable to a circuit breaker panel for distribution within the RV.

One installation issue that's often overlooked on add-on surge protective devices is to keep the wires as short as possible, and that may require moving breakers so it can go in a top slot. The inductance created in the loop area from Line into the SPD and back to Neutral adds voltage rise (L di/dt) to the SPD suppression voltage and should be minimized.

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Nic7320

One installation issue that's often overlooked on add-on surge protective devices is to keep the wires as short as possible, and that may require moving breakers so it can go in a top slot.

I installed the Leviton surge device and a BlueSea master breaker (which checks for reverse neutral/hot) just behind the shore power plug:

control panel 1.JPG

[Nic7320]

That looks very good. Your SPD is close to your main power feed, so the loop area is kept small.

Where installers often err in homes is when they add a SPD to an existing panel full of breakers somewhere at the bottom, and then don't even attempt to keep the wires short, because there's a knock-out somewhere else over on another side.

With most appliances running on 60 cycles, inductance of AC wiring is not an issue, but with fast rise time lightning and surge spikes, it can significantly reduce the clamping performance of an SPD.

[Thevon]

This is off topic and I apologize. Can somebody tell me how to start a new thread with an Android phone? I don't see anywhere on this page that says post new topic. Thanks

[hbn7hj]

Back up one level. Thread/thread sarter is on top of the list of topics.