Power protection for trailers

[topcat7736]

The majority of places we camp, (where there's electric available), don't have any power problems. We now have a permanent site at a campground that is "on the fringe" of the areas power grid. Seems there are lots of brownouts and blackouts which occur at all hours of the day & night.

I bought a small refridgerator and microwave for the popup last summer and all seemed to go ok. One fall night, the microwave was running but not cooking. Then the power died in 1/2 the sites, then in the other. After an hour or so, 1/2 had power. 3 hours later, everybody had power. The following morning, people had burned converters, tv sets, radios, appliances, etc. The campground looked like a hurricane had hit with all the destroyed things tossed out for garbage pickup. (The camp managers tv and microwave both burned up).

As I'm a worry wort, I think something needs to be purchased to protect our popup & TT from power problems wherever we go.

After checking around, I've found there's an Autoformer (which keeps the power up and can give it a 10% boost plus has, supposedly, surge protection) and a Portable Surge Guard (not the GFCI one) which offers over/under and spike protection. See them by clicking HERE for Power Protection Devices.

1) Does anyone have any useful info on either of these devices?
2) What are you doing to protect your trailer from potential power problems?

[forestwalker]

Currently we are not doing anything to protect our pu's electrical devices from brown outs,spikes,or surges.Sounds like we should-Thanks for the "Heads up"!

[mike4947]

You have to look at if a $70 microwave and  $150 fridge are worth spending $359 to protect.

Surge protection alone is much mre reasonably priced with out the voltage transformer.
What we've learned to do is carry the trusty multimeter and before plugging in, checking the voltage and just use a surge protector and not plug in if the voltage is low.
It would be different for a seasonal site where there was a continuing problem with low voltage or power surges or with an AC unit that would cost more the the power center.

[jawilson]

Even a $50 surge protector from the home center can afford some protection, and that may be all you need to save your stuff. Make sure you get the one with most Joules you can. That's one of the measures of ability.

[2manytoyz]

This is right up my alley, so I'll chime in.

Surge suppressors won't help if you have a lightning strike.  They also won't help if you have a low voltage situation.  

Surge suppressors use Metal Oxide Varistors (MOVs) that clamp spikes to ground.  This is a good thing.  The bad news is MOVs eventually wear out.  The very bad part about that is as they wear out, they get hot, VERY hot.  There's no telling when one will fail as its life is determined by the number of spikes it's taken.  The failure mode of an MOV can be FIRE.  Homes have burned to the ground, along with an embassy, so think twice before running out and buying one.

The semi-good news.  The UL commission realized there was an issue in testing, and made the standards much tougher.  There's now a thermal fuse connected to the MOV, so when it overheats, the fuse pops.  The bad part is there is almost NO way of telling whether a product complies with the first set of UL rules, or the second edition.  No new stickers were issued, and manufacturers aren't quick to tell you what you are buying.

It was such a problem at where I work that contacted our safety office and got them up to speed.  As a general rule, we replace surge suppressors every 2 years (research showed that's on the safe side), we only buy ss that have a metal case, and we only buy NAME brand, such as Tripp Lite model DG206 (DataGard).  This one complies with the 1998 revision of the UL code.  We've taken them apart, and performed our own in house testing.  Great product.  If you buy a $4 Walmart version, you get exactly what you've paid for.

Be careful how much you plug into one of these.  Follow the ratings printed on the back of the case.

A simple plug in type AC voltmeter, available at most camping stores, is the most valuable tool.  You can quickly look to see if you have enough voltage to run your goodies.  Motors and compressors will die if not fed full voltage.  Until the motor comes up to speed, it's very tough on the system.  At any time you can look across the camper and see if the needle is in the green.

Honestly, if you are really in a brown out situation, a 10% boost isn't going to help.  Turn everything off until your meter shows it's safe.

We had a powerline fall down while camping.  I'm certain that's what killed my first rooftop A/C.  Details here: http://www.2manytoyz.com/hrsp.html  None of these products would have helped during that few moments of massive voltage swings.

My background is electronics.  I've tried to keep this readable.  

[topcat7736]

After considering the options, I'm moving toward the 30 amp SurgeGuard instead of the Autoformer. It shuts off power at 102v and 132v so we'd be protected at high & low ends and it's on sale for $233 at Camping World.

Here's a description of the SurgeGuard from their website:
SurgeGuard Description

I agree that the majority of mechanical surge protectors are junk. Most give very limited protection & are better used as multiple outlet extension cords than for protection. I sold Transtector surge protectors, (the inventor of surge protectors), for use with computer systems back in the early 80's. At that time, should a surge occur, their solid state unit would open in less than a nanosecond and couldn't be "reset". It also clamped the surge while it was opening the circuit. The mechanical suppressors are sold only to make consumers "believe" they're protecting their investments and to extract a few dollars more from them. The first spike down the line will take out everything plugged in to them before they can do anything.