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Monday, October 19, 2020

Do You Need a Surge Protector for Your RV?

With all of the items that you need to remember to bring along on your average camping trip, or just to keep in the garage for maintenance when you’re in home port, it might seem like a surge protector for your RV is just another extra.

Well, to make very short of a long topic, there is a chance that it might be. However, there are some situations in which you really would not want to go without a surge protector. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what surge protectors do and how they can be valuable for you when you are out in camp.

How a Surge Protector Works 

You’re most likely already familiar with surge protectors as they are commonly used in domestic, household settings. They frequently take the form of a long power strip with a thick wire and a switch that you plug into an outlet, giving you the ability to plug in more than one device.

They don’t just allow you the convenience of “extra outlets,” though. A surge protector is also instrumental in protecting your electronic devices from surges in power, which can destroy them past repair.

All electronic devices are rated to operate safely within a specific range of electrical potential. In the United States, 120 volts is standard for most household appliances. If the electrical potential fed to the circuit exceeds 120 volts, then the circuit is experiencing a surge. Surges heat electronics, damage their circuitry, and in extreme cases can cause fires.

As for surge protectors themselves, there are quite a few different types of surge protectors available to consumers. Without getting into the physics of how they work, think of them as a switch that stands between the power source and your electronics. If the power source suddenly surges, the surge protector will cut off the supply to the electronic devices, thus sparing them damage. 

What Does a Surge Protector Provide for Your RV? 

As you may know, RVs contain their own electrical systems, and the real value of a surge protector for your RV comes when your RV is hooked up to a shore power supply at an RV park. Some camps provide you with electrical hookups for shore power so that you can draw power from the campsite without having to drain your RV’s battery or tax its onboard electrical system.

A surge protector for your RV does the same thing for your entire rig that a surge protector connected to an outlet does for your electronics. In this case, think of the outlet in the wall as the shore power connection, and your RV as the “big electronic device.”

Only in this case, the RV is a large electronic device that is not only much more valuable than domestic appliances but also a lot more susceptible to damage from a surge. If your RV experiences a surge from a shore power connection, it can damage or destroy many of the electrical components of your RV. Very bad surges can even start fires, putting you at greater risk.

An RV surge protector does the same thing described above. If the potential supplied to the RV spikes or even goes too low, the surge protector will shut off the power, sparing the RV’s electrical systems and components. Many RVs have either 30 amp or 50 amp service, so, to keep things simple, you’ll want to get a surge protector rated accordingly to your RV.

Surge protectors are not the only solution you can find out there to afford you a high level of protection against electrical surges, but they are the simplest to implement. You might also be interested in an Energy Management System or EMS for your RV, that will do much more than just protect your RV against high voltages. You can find some of these in our collection of surge protectors above, among user-friendly options with LCD displays and much more. If you have questions on the different types of surge protectors we offer and their differences from energy management systems, reach out to us! 

Get in Touch with Us 

If you’re looking for a surge protector to help safeguard your RV against electricity issues like surges, spikes, and dips in voltage, then take a look at our collection via the link above. We offer a lot of quality models that offer a high degree of electrical protection, and if you make a habit of hooking up to shore power, then it’s a good idea to use a surge protector.

If you’ve come here to learn more but want to know more than what we have provided in this article, don’t be shy about getting in touch with our team. We pride ourselves on customer service and that’s why we provide a number of different ways for you to get in touch with us at your convenience. You can reach us via a live chat while you are on our website. If it’s easier for you or you want to speak with a person, you can give us a call at 866-332-7881 anytime you need to learn more - give us a call, our team is always ready to help!

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