20 amp Shore power OK?

[Ruthless]

We’ve never used a surge protector but decided we should look in to one after reading these posts. All the ones I’ve looked at, including the progressive industry, have some review that state they’ve had fires at the post where they plug-in and that it could’ve been disaster had they not seen it or been notified by someone. I was wondering if you could comment on this. Thanks.

[dhally]

A surge protector could prevent a fire at the Shore power pedastal.

[Ruthless]

But these were fires when they were using the surge protectors.

[posplayr]

Originally Posted by Ruthless

But these were fires when they were using the surge protectors.

I looked at this link to find top-ranked surge protectors.

https://www.bestproductsreviews.com/rv-surge-protection?trackOld=true&targetid=dsa-19959388920&matchtype=&device=c&campaignid=1866065 4893&creative=629644852253&adgroupid=139534136861& feeditemid=&loc_physical_ms=9051700&loc_interest_m s=&network=g&devicemodel=&placement=&keyword=$&tar get=&aceid=&adposition=&trackid=us_all_top_standar d_exact_6_1&mId=4071324411&gclid=CjwKCAjwrdmhBhBBE iwA4Hx5g-V-OQ6gkTcdiVDx5_dHR6Yt8PS5tzDx18IE7cJ-3MO3yvkuVI4rexoCBgoQAvD_BwE


I picked this one and went to the Amazon reviews and the first picture posted was this one.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JFWKM0C...kCode=osi&th=1


I would think that there is something product specific going on here. It is hard to imagine that all surge protectors tend to burn up if they are from a reputable manufacturer and are not being missed used.

Find one with good not only good reviewed no evidence of having burned out. So focus on the bad reviews to see if there were any fires.

[Twoxentrix]

@Ruthless: Many of the "waterproof" Surge Protectors do state to make sure they are positioned vertically, so I suspect water still plays a factor in something going wrong. Being 'forewarned', I've always carried 2 small 6x8 tarps for bad weather - one always goes over any firewood, the other I've used for various things which has included throwing it over a campground power pedestal (I secure it with a bungee cord wrapped about 6" off the ground). Admittedly, I've only done this 6 or 7 times in real bad weather - and it keeps everything dry.
Maybe something similar would provide you more confidence (could use clear plastic if you prefer the option of visibility).
This is very similar to what I have (Reinforced), but there are many less expensive options:
https://www.amazon.com/Tarp-Heavy-Bl...4&sr=8-17&th=1

[Scalf77]

So my view is the above picture of fire started with the cord to surge protector loose connection of bad cable. It does not appear that it started in side the surge protector. In general this connection is generally pretty strong, the problem end is the twist lock that goes into the rig. The surge protector will not prevent a problem like this.

It is possible that the surge protector could start a fire, it is highly more likely for one to start without it.

-greg

[REF]

I’ll add that when we were on the road traveling full time for 2 years (‘19-‘20), and pulling a travel trailer, we often plugged the trailer into less than ideal power supplies.
I ended up getting one of the Progressive Industries 30 amp EMS surge protectors like the one referenced above, it was nice to have the piece of mind and it definitely saved us a few times by shutting down and showing faults before any damage was done. We sold the trailer and I included the surge protector, along with a lot of other goodies, in the sale.
For some reason, I have not used a surge protector when plugging in the van, even to 30 Amp, except for a few times when we had the trailer and used the Progressive unit I had to top off the van batts. For one, it was quite bulky, but I may get a smaller 30 Amp unit to stash away in the van or at least this tester and module kit
Progressive Industries 30 Amp and 50 Amp Portable RV Surge Protector Kits, Modules and Testers https://a.co/d/ieIb9jd
But I will say to the point about the link to the surge protector that caught on fire, the key operative point there was that it happened after a hard rain, water and electricity do not mix, that unit in the photo didn’t seem to have a protective cover, at least not any more.
@Steve Hunt, if you’re looking at adding a rooftop A/C unit to the the van, take a look at getting a Micro-Air Easystart, I added one to our trailer, it was super useful and worked great. It regulates the initial power needs of the A/C start up power demands so you can run the unit off of a lower rated power feed circuit without tripping, the true test was that we were able to run our travel trailers roof mounted A/C unit off of our 2000W portable generator no problem, without it, no way.

MICRO-AIR Easystart 364, Air Conditioner Soft Start Compressor Unit for Travel Trailer Accessories, Soft Start Up for RV 115 Volt A/C Motor, RV Easy to Install Electric Accessories, 364-X20 Model https://a.co/d/hl54x1L

[N147JK]

Originally Posted by posplayr

I would think that there is something product specific going on here.

Side story.. I bought a Camco folding step. Good ratings and all, but once I set it up I noticed the design is faulty and unsafe. A corner will unlock and collapse after a few times stepping on it. Could lead to a twisted ankle, or worse. Very poor, amateur design. No more Camco products for me..

[dhally]

Here we are on the Russian River. Mrs.dhally's laptop is plugged into a redwood tree. No surge protector!!

[BrianW]

^^I had to click and zoom in on that picture! [emoji23] Pretty funny.