Surge Protection
Pulling into a campground you have no idea the quality of their electrical service. Simply plugging into their pole may cause a number of issues:
- Is it wired correctly?
- Does the power fluctuate at all?
- Is there regular power loss?
Any of these could cause damage to your electrical system.
There are many solutions out there that can help protect your rig. After doing some research I chose the Hughes model primarily because I could monitor it via Bluetooth on my phone.
30 Amp Hughes Autoformer Power Watchdog Bluetooth Portable Surge Protector
 Hughes 30 amp externally hung device Available at compingworld.com |
 Hughes 30 amp internal (hard wired) protector. Available at campingworld.com |
I chose the internal/hardwired version because I didn’t want to worry about locking it to the pole and/or forgetting to lock it to the pole. Installation was fairly easy, I simply unwired the power cord from the RV and wired this in its place. Then attached the power cord directly to this device.
This is the storage bay in my RV where the power cord resides after camping. I removed the electrical box at the rear and wired in the surge protector.
Unfortunately I do not have (yet) a photo of the result.
A couple things to note:
– After installation, you need to make sure you clamp the power cord down inside this bay to keep it from pulling out of the surge protector.
– I had to wire the protector upside down due to the fact that the output connection is on the “bottom” of the device. No matter, electricity can flow uphill 🙂 .
 Hughes Power Watchdog 30 Amp Smart Bluetooth Surge Protector |
 Hughes Power Watchdog 30 Amp Smart Bluetooth Surge Protector |
All in all I have been pretty happy with this setup, not only does it have a nice lighted readout that indicates power is on and all is well, but it makes a nice, satisfying “CLUNK” (a relay inside) when you plug your rig in that you can hear at the pole indicating also that power is flowing. As an added feature, the device will automatically cut power if a critical condition occurs such as a high draw or voltage spike.
4 comments
Yep…same one that I have. Good investment!
2 questions please. When we bought our 2004 35E, the previous owners left the 30A Watchdog with EPO for us. It seemed to interfere with the Intelletec function in that it would trip off line before Intelletec could shift the A/C or Water Heater off to protect from overloads. So I was wondering if I should just get the surge protector unit only next time. Also, with the hardwired installation, how difficult will it be to remove should you have to replace the surge modult at some point?
Love the site. I’ve been learning a lot.
I am not familiar with that particular version. You might want to talk to the Watchdog mfg for suggestions.
I have the 30A Watchdog with EPO as well. I have not had any issues. My Intelletec doesn’t do anything with my water heater as far as I know. I have three light switches under the sink edge to control the water heater, washer/dryer, and microwave. What I like about the WatchDog is that with it being Bluetooth I can monitor my amps so I do not trip anything.