A Guide to RV Surge Protectors

Every RV owner should consider making a surge protector one of their first purchases to protect the investment. In this article, we will take you through what you need to know about electrical management systems and RV surge protectors.

The Function of RV Surge Protectors
The electrical systems and appliances in an RV need a steady level of voltage to be able to work safely and effectively. The consistency of the voltage can be impacted when you plug in to a defective RV park pedestal, or if the system gets hit by lightening, or the power lines fail causing the electricity at the campsite to be impacted.
If the voltage swings up too high or falls too low, your computers, appliances and TVs in the RV can be critically damaged.

Why Do You Need A Surge Protector?
If your RV is connected to an external power source, then you really need a surge protector. You may hear stories of people that claim to have used an RV for decades without a surge protector, but those people are just lucky. It can be extremely dangerous to operate without a surge protector and it only takes one time for all of your electronics and the wiring in your RV to be destroyed.

Which Kind of RV Surge Protector to Buy?
There are two key types of protection that you can buy: RV energy management systems (EMS) or RV surge protectors. The surge protector is somewhat of an entry-level system to protect the rig. It preserves the system from shore power problems at the pedestal and automatically switches off the system if the power supply becomes critically high or low.
In contrast, an EMS will do everything that a surge protector does, but will also manage when your appliances use power to stop the RV’s electrical system from becoming overloaded.

Hard-wired or Portable?
“One of the trickier decisions is whether you want to buy a portable unit that is plugged into the end of your RV power supply cable and into the shore power, or whether you want to hardwire the protector into your RV’s electricity panel,” says Linda Grey, a RV blogger at Boomessays and Academized. “There are benefits and problems with each option. Hardwiring the surge protector into the system takes electrical and DIY skills, but it makes the system much less susceptible to theft because it is inside the RV.”
Plugging the RV surge protector into the exterior of the vehicle increases the risk of it being stolen unless you utilize a product-specific cable lock with it.

You will likely have a surge protector at home. It is a power strip that you plug your TV, computer and other electronic devices into. It springs into action if there is a large voltage strike to stop it from causing devastating damage to the system.
The surge protector does the same thing in an RV. The only use for it is to protect the RV system from an over voltage-spike, like a lightning strike. That is the only thing that it does. An EMS, conversely, will protect the system from a range of different power issues.

This might make you wonder why someone would buy a surge protector instead of an EMS. The main reason is because it is cheaper. However, it is important to remember that choosing the cheapest option is not always sensible. It won’t guarantee to protect your rig from damage from low or high voltages, or open grounds, reverse polarity and a range of other issues that you could experience at an RV park power pedestal.

What Power Problems Could There Be?
As we have seen, there are lots of ways that your RV’s system and appliances might be damaged when they’re plugged-in to a park or other location.

1. Power Surges

If too much power travels through the wires to your RV at once, the electronics and wiring can be destroyed. The most common example of this comes from lightning, which creates a massive voltage spike. The RV surge protector will really be tested as lightning causes an overwhelming spike of voltage.

Even if you do have an RV surge protector installed, it can be sensible to unplug until the storm has passed to avoid any potential damage. The surge protector or EMS will protect your RV, but it might end up fried and you will need to purchase a new one, so prevention by unplugging can be a good idea to support the system.

2. Incorrect Wiring

Electrical wiring can be very complex. The wiring in your RV may have been modified, or a wire may have disintegrated or become loose. Perhaps the system is worked on by an electrician without the knowledge to do the job correctly.
“A common error that is made is to put the wrong voltage in, because the electrician thinks that the RV 30-amp plug is the same wattage as a dryer plug,” says George Stevens, a writer at Custom Writing Services and State Of Writing. “This is not the case. A dryer used 240 volts and the RV system works on 120 volts.”

We have heard stories from the wrong voltage being put in, to electricians thinking that your RV 30-amp plug is the same wattage as a dryer plug. If you try and connect your RV into a dryer outlet at home, it will lead to a huge electricity bill. Mistakes like these can cost you thousands of dollars when you need to replace the system.

3. Voltage Is Too Low

Similar to a surge, when the voltage is too low, damage can be caused. You might wonder how low voltage can even occur.
Imagine that it is a very hot day and the campsite is full of RVs. Everyone has their air conditioners running, which is taking loads of energy from the power outlet. This increased demand can cause the power supply to run low, particularly in older parks if the wiring has not been replaced for decades.

Serious damage can be caused to the electric system if the RV does not have access to enough voltage. This is generally where it drops below 104 VAC, which is not unusual in busy, overloaded camping grounds. The health of your rig will be protected if you have a surge protector to shut off power when the power supply drops.

It is possible to check the voltage and your wiring before you even plug the system in, but the voltage being sent out of the system changes constantly. The voltage can surge or plunge with no notice, which is why it is dangerous. Without an electrical management system to track the levels always, your system is vulnerable to damage.

For an easy way to protect your RV and appliances without a huge price tag, a portable surge protector might be the way to go. This means that wherever you travel in the world, you have protection against the power sources at the different sites, which will save you time and money in the future.

Katherine Rundell writes blogs about RV traveling for both Research Paper Writing Service and PhD Writing Service. Her blogs are also featured at Paper Fellows.