Need input on surge suppressor install

[wincrasher]

Today I tore my 59K apart. I wanted to install my Progressive Dynamics surge suppressor. Amazon.com: Progressive Industries HW30C 30 Amp Hardwired Electrical Management System with Remote Display: Automotive

Of course, I couldn't finish because I had forgotten to bring my volt-meter.

But I did make some discoveries under the bed in the K.

This is under the curb-side bed. Mostly a water tank.

The converter is nicely on a shelf. It was noticeably cool, so I suspect the ventilation is better than in the G. On my G, this space was quite warm all the time. Below the converter shelf is the main 110 circuit breaker box.

The rest of the compartment is the water tank.



With a small area at the end with switches and a 110 outlet

[wincrasher]

On the street side, it's mostly plumbing and the Truma. But the transfer switch is on the bathroom wall bulkhead.

[wincrasher]

The transfer switch:

inside:

Here you can see a little of the stickers inside the box. On the left input it says generator, on the right, shore power.


Of course, I didn't have my clamp-on volt meter to see if this is right. But if it is, my thoughts are to clip this cable for the shore power input and install the surge protector in-line and mount it near the transfer switch. I wouldn't mess with anything already inside the transfer switch box.

So I need some input if I'm on the right path, or is there a better way to do this?

[bobojay]

Ron, you do what you want, but it was a lot simpler for me to cut the output line after the transfer switch, the orange one coming out the top, and install the HW-30C in that line somewhere. A side benefit of this is coverage of your genset also, which isn't really needed, but also give you an extra time period for your gen to get stabilized before the HW's timer releases the juice to the coach. Another reason I did it the way I did was ease of removal if/when we trade or sell our current ERA.
Otherwise, your thinking is correct if you want to put it in front of the transfer switch....

A a side thought, looks like you can use some Truma ductwork routing cleanup a bit. Get the kinks out etc.

[wincrasher]

Thanks, I was thinking that too. It may be nice to find some hard plastic sheathing like they cover the electrical cables with.

The nice people at PD offer instruction doing it either way - before the transfer switch and after. I'll have to look at the wiring again to see if it's easier the way you suggest.

One thing that concerns me is I don't see the EMS box anywhere to see how that is wired in relation to the transfer switch - I can only assume it is downstream somewhere from this transfer switch.

[bobojay]

On the sheathing, I used the plastic flexible serrated stuff that automakers use now to cover wiring as it's routed. You can get that in auto parts stores.
Where I mounted the HW-30 is on the wall that your knees/shins would be up against as you stand looking down into the compartment. Had to pull some slack, just a couple inches to have enough of the orange wire to go into the HW-30, then remounted a couple of the screwed in wire clamps to hold from shaking. Also used some zip ties in there to clean up WGO's wiring conglomeration.
No issues whatsoever in 3 years, other than the HW finding the bad pedestals, grounds etc, where the previous unit we had didn't. Worst campgrounds we've run into so far have been Florida state parks up in the panhandle with voltage surges during the night. No storms in sight either

[thefitrv]

Ron, AM Solar mounted ours on the shore power line, ahead of the transfer switch. We've had no issues. The EMS holds off on connecting the generator for quite a while anyway, so I doubt there's any benefit to installing it on the output, but either way should be fine.

I've never seen a "box" per se for the EMS. If you pull the 120v circuit breaker panel, you should see some stuff in there that relates to the EMS. I think it has a separate sense wire to know that the generator is running - I don't think it picks that up from the transfer switch or anything you'll be messing with.

[bobojay]

Correct James, the pics look like the exact same equipment and wiring setup we have in our ERA other than the converter of course. The Travato has a much better converter than our 2013 did. I have since upgraded

[wincrasher]

Got her finished. The cable tested out as the shore power feeder. So I clipped it and installed the box. Mounted it to the floor and mounted the display near the access panel near the refrigerator. I wanted to be able to see it from the doorway in case there were any issues when setting up camp.

[mlts22]

Looks pretty nice.

The only reason I'd mount it before the transfer switch is in case the connect I'm plugging into is 240 volts, so it means less stuff exposed to that... although a transfer switch most likely can take the increased voltage without sizzling.