Yes, you need one. They can pay for themselves many times over. The hardwired version is much more convenient - just plug in, flip the switch, and forget it.
I have the model you are asking about. It may have saved me big $$ last weekend. The voltage in the parked dropped to 104 vac about 10:00 pm, and the unit shut the power down. I went and looked at it a few minutes later and the voltage was down to 71 vac. It kicked back on about 12:15am. that would have been have been over 2 hours with everything running 71 vac, don't want to thing about how much damage/cost that would have caused.
With all the electroninc in the newer RV's, I think it should be on the first things you buy?
Steve & Linda
Son married (1 DIL, 3 granddaughters 1 grandson)
Daughter can now be called a Teacher.
Miami Co. Kansas
2004 F350 CC dually 8ft bed 6.0 PSD
2009 Bighorn 3670RL
B&W under bed hitch with 18k companion hitch
You can purchase the built in unit at Camping World for a substantial discount over the normal list price. This is an internet/catalog sale item only. Progressive Industries 50 amp
I used one of these in our fifth wheel and just bought another for our new motorhome.
And once you have connected to the campground power pedistal nothing ever changes! Your "tests" are a moment in time test which provides absolutely no protection once the rinky dink testers are disconected. The point you seem to be missing is that the environment, including campground electrical supply systems, is dynamic, not static. I would therefore suggest that your advice is dangerously misleading.
Vic
Lack of common sense is the greatest mental illness known to mankind.
If the polarity changes on the fly that would be a rather interesting type of wiring.
As it happens I do have inexpensive surge suppression on the converter. That protects all the twelve volt "board" items down stream at a cost of $2.00. It is rated at 20,000 joules just like the PI unit.
For every rv that has a surge suppressor there are at least several hundred that don't. If they were an essential item RV's would come with them as standard equipment. I don't think any RV's come with them as a matter of course.
The low voltage cut out on PI and others is lower than I'm comfortable with. I get worried at 109 volts, and shut down motors at 108.
But by all means spend money on them if you choose to do so. They won't protect an rv from a truly big surge, such as a lightening strike or faulty transformer, and the low voltage cut out is rather too low for an electric motor. But other than that they work as advertised.
vic46 wrote:
And once you have connected to the campground power pedistal nothing ever changes! Your "tests" are a moment in time test which provides absolutely no protection once the rinky dink testers are disconected. The point you seem to be missing is that the environment, including campground electrical supply systems, is dynamic, not static. I would therefore suggest that your advice is dangerously misleading.
Vic
That's fine for the 12 vdc items you have items running off the converter, but how does it protect the items running on 120 vac? (air conditioner, refrigerator, water heater, TV, microwave) I'll stay with what I have thank you.
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