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Old 01-27-2007, 03:31 PM   #61
Illini Trekker
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Got one looked like a good quick and cheap fix. It may not be the best but it's more that I had, a poor boy sometimes as poor ways.LOL
 
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Old 01-27-2007, 05:04 PM   #62
Ozzie
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At least you got yourself something. Protection against a spike is a good thing. You should learn to monitor your voltage though. It's a good habit to get into, you learn what draws your power and when you go too far. Things like air conditioners don't like low voltage and can be pricey to repair.
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Old 01-28-2007, 01:00 PM   #63
kmh3212
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I put plug in surge protectors on all my electronics in the camper. Never had a problem. Low voltage protection I don't have. I would worry most about the compressor in the Air conditioner units from low voltage though. I plan to get one of those little plug in 120 VAC circuits. They are about $20 I think.
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Old 01-28-2007, 06:19 PM   #64
stiles watson
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kmh3212,

Everyone will do what they feel comfortable with, but I want to share with all my real experience with "plug-in surge protection". I lost $7000+ worth of electrical appliances and electronic equipment that were all plugged into "plug-in surge protection" when a lightning bolt hit about a 1/2 block from my stick house. This is not a third party scare rumor, it happened to me.

People, who know, will tell you that these small devices are simply not quick enough to handle a large, fast spike. They will handle many of the smaller spikes, but the really high speed spikes will be past them before they can react. You may want to get online and research this matter. By-the-way, I own no stock in any surge protection device manufacturers, but I have been there and gotten zapped.

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Old 01-28-2007, 11:46 PM   #65
H. John Kohl
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by pparamore

My plan is to have the Hughes Autoformer installed with a surge protector before the autoformer (to protect it). I was aware about the lightning strikes, but how big a unit do I need. I have read that some offer low voltage protection, but that is what the autoformer is for so I feel I don't need that redundancy. Besides the autoformer boosts the low voltage whereas some surge protectors shut down in case of low voltage. So, my system should be: CG power - surge protector - autoformer - breaker box. Does this sound correct? Then my only question is about the surge protector....
pparamore the last time I looked at this I found some surge guards will shut off if the voltage drops below a certain lever. Now here is the delima. If it shuts off then the Autoformer cannot increase the voltage to your trailer. You need to check the specs on both items. Thinking about this I think this was discussed on this forum before with the above comment. My final conclusion was having the Autoformer first and then the surge guard. The problem is there is nothing protecting the Autoformer from damage. I guess nothing is "free".
Good luck and safe towing.
Cheers,
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Old 01-29-2007, 12:27 AM   #66
stiles watson
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John,

You are correct to say "some surge protection devices shut the system down on low voltage." That is what Surge Guard does according to their literature. That is why I choose to use another device, i.e., one that doesn't do that. The one I choose will only capture the spike, but it will not respond to low voltage. Since that is true, I choose to follow the plan espoused by pparamore.

His system will capture a high voltage spike but allow low voltage to pass to the autoformer for an appropriate boost. Therefore, the whole system will be as protected as possible including the autoformer. Since the autoformer has built into it some level of surge protection, that gives a certain amount of redundancy on spike protection. Guess I have been hanging around NASA too long. Kinda like the redundancy.
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Old 01-29-2007, 01:27 AM   #67
David and Jo-Anna
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As Stiles said, each person will do what they are most comfortable with. For myself, my current plan is to do the following:

Normal configuration will be to have a Surge Guard hard-wired into the system--the will protect against both the high voltage spike and against low voltage; the hard wiring will protect against theft. If I start encountering prolonged low voltage at a particular CG that is causing the Surge Guard to disconnect from the power supply, then I will plug in an Autoformer upstream of the Surge Guard to see if it can boost the voltage high enough to get over the Surge Guard's low voltage threshhold. To protect the Autoformer against a voltage spike, I'll put a less expensive surge protector (one of those $60-80 in-line protectors) ahead of the Autoformer. Just haven't figured out where to install the Autoformer when I hook it up.

Adding the in-line surge protector makes this a slightly more expensive setup than those who use just the Surge Guard and Autoformer, but I think it gives me as much or more protection than any other setup I've heard anyone describe while giving me the best chance of keeping power to the rig in times of low voltage. Just MHO. To each his own.
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Old 01-29-2007, 02:55 AM   #68
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I have to agree with Stiles. Every one should do what they are comfortable with. For me, I only use the Surge Guard, normally. When I do encounter the CG with low voltage,
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