notlost
traveling the U.S.A., and Canada
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Joined: 03/16/2003
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we are new to rving and were told by many friends about the necessity of a power surge unit.
recently went to fmca rally in buffalo and bought an "electrical management system" from travelin' sales. we looked at surge guard. travelin sales gave us a comparison between the 2. surge guard was $622 installed, electrical mgmt was $495 installed.
it will check over/under voltage as wll as surge protection. if it determines any problem, it will shut off power to coach. there is also an override, if you want to turn power on for any reason.
there is a built in digital volt meter, and also a remote unit so you can have one inside coach to monitor.
i feel very secure with it installed. before we installed it, i turned on my heat pumps. we were plugged in to the same pole as my neighbor who had the surge protector already installed. he came out to ask if we lost power, i said no we were fine. turns out we had very low voltage (which could've blown my heatpump/ ac unit). i pulled the power from the pole and since he went to low voltage the protector turned off his power.
travelin sales phone # is 800-334-5686. tell them dominic recommended them!
they are a small company, and my only concern was service. they assured me the unit is field upgradeable and we'd only have to send the board to them for repair or upgrade. i know 3 or 4 other mhs that have it installed and they never had a problem.
Dominic & Sue Ambrosino
Fulltimers Travelin' the U.S.A.
"All who wander are Not Lost"
2005 Beaver Patriot Thunder 42',Cat 525
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Banandangees
PA
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Joined: 07/05/2001
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Thanks everyone for the input and suggestions.
Fred
Banan
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wshrman
Orange, Ca.
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Joined: 05/26/2003
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There is an installation kit available from AutoFormer that allows you to keep the unit in the power compartment without hard wiring into your system. E-mail me if you need more info.
2000 Rexhall Roseair 3450 V10, GearVendor, AutoFormer
2001 Ranger, Remco, BRAKEbuddy
Belgian Sheepdogs, Blazer & Chayna
Shareholder Pismo Coast Village
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FloridaFitz
Orlando, Florida
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Joined: 02/18/2003
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I self-installed an internal SurgeGuard 50A unit in my outside electrical compartment recently before a cross-country excursion. It can be removed if necessary, but I now consider it a permanent addition to my shoreline electrical system. As previously mentioned, it has a high rated surge protection circuit and both high / low voltage protection. It also does a 2 minute diagnostic on shoreline power before allowing it in the coach. Cost me $305 from Camping World and I enjoy the peace of mind it provides. The autoformer may be a good alternative if you anticipate extended periods of low voltage connections, otherwise SurgeGuard is a lower cost option. Remember: even motorhomes under full mfg warranty will be be denied free repairs for electrical related problems determined not to be a mfg defect. Could be very costly.
Jim
Orlando
2007 Tiffin Phaeton / Mercedes 926
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Kamo0130
Tennessee
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Joined: 04/08/2003
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Is there any major difference between the Hughes Autoformer and the Surge Guard, if each is 50 amp? Why is it called and autoformer?
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Roland H.
McIntosh, FL
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Joined: 09/28/2002
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Kamo0130,
A Surge-Guard has two major functions. 1) It is a surge suppressor that stops high voltage spikes from reaching your RV's electrical system. 2) It acts as a management system that constantly monitors the voltage level being supplied to your RV and cuts the power to the RV when it is over 132 VAC or under 102 VAC.
An Autoformer is a transformer that monitors the voltage level being supplied to your RV and when the voltage falls below 116 VAC boosts it by 10%. It stops boosting at 92 VAC and does not care how high the voltage goes. It acts as a surge suppressor by being a heavy plate transformer(50 Amp = 47 lbs).
I have both an Autoformer (50 Amp) and a Progressive Industries EMS (Electrical Management System) which is similar to Surge-Guard. Many older campgrounds have poor power and the Autoformer corrects the problem, most of the time. The EMS protects both the Autoformer and the RV. If a strong surge/spike were to damage your Autoformer - you will have to return it (your cost) and pay to have it repaired. I don't believe that surge/spike damage is covered by the warranty. I chose Progressive's EMS because the varistor board in it is "user replaceable". You don't have to remove the whole unit for repair.
Hope this helps.
Roland, Diane and the 4 footed kid
'01 Monaco Diplomat 38'- ISC8.3-330 - MD3060 - Pacbrake
Progressive Ind. EMS HW-50C Elec Mgmt/Surge Suppressor
50 Amp Hughes Autoformer, Trik-L-Start Battery Maintainer
'06 Jeep Liberty CRD w/ Brake Buddy
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Banandangees
PA
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Joined: 07/05/2001
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Kamo0130
I'm glad you asked that question. I posted it on another forum. Roland has answered it quite well for me.
Fred
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Capt. Charlie
St. George Island, Florida
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Joined: 03/25/2002
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notlost,
I beleave I have the same system. I had it installed at a rally in Myrtle Beach, S.C. last year and it has saved me several times in just over a year.
It is hard wired to the trailer so I don't have to think about hooking it up, it's always there ready to protect. 
1998,34' Airstream Classic Excella 1000, WB.(WBCCI #1901) '04 Chevy 2500HD CC, LT, 4X4 SB, D/A, Dark gray. Hensley Arrow. Prodigy B.C. Guided by Garmin 2610 GPS. Twin Honda EU2000i's. 45 gal Transfer Flow fuel tank.
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Kamo0130
Tennessee
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Thanks Roland, I never quite understood the difference but now I do. Are yours permanently installed? If not, would you just plug in the surge protection unit at the pole and that into the autoformer and then to your motor home. Thanks again.
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Roland H.
McIntosh, FL
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Joined: 09/28/2002
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Kamo,
Both my Autoformer(just sits there) and EMS surge protector(mounted on the wall) live in the electrical bay where my 50 Amp cord is stored. Aside from lots of rain in Florida - I have more peace of mind with the best part of a $1,000 out of sight and out of the rain.
My 50 Amp shore power cord is hard wired into the EMS box - which has about a foot of 50 Amp power cable coming out of the other side of the EMS and going into a 50 Amp female receptacle in a box mounted on the wall. There is a 50 Amp male plug on a 5' pigtail that is hard wired in to the transfer switch box and plugs into the female receptacle. When the EMS tells me that the incoming power is marginal (less than 120 VAC under load) I plug the male plug into the Autoformer and plug the Autoformer into the female receptacle. This way the Autoformer is not altered in any way (warranty) and can be removed from the circuit (e.g.: not required or needs to be returned to the factory for repair) or replaced at will.
If I was going to leave both items outside - I would plug the EMS / Surge guard into the "shore power" pedastal and the Autoformer into the EMS and my "shore power" cable into the Autoformer. Then I would chain all items to my rear axle or the the power pedestal and post a guard dog..(just kidding - I think).. I would also prepare to field all of the comments from those folks that think you are stealing their power with your Autoformer.
Hope this answers your question.
* This post was
edited 07/29/03 03:36pm by Roland H. *
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