If your are new to Rving or even a seasoned RVer and check some of the forums most everybody recommends that you get a surge protector, but you’re limiting yourself by doing so. You stand far more of a chance of having low voltage at an RV campground than a surge of power.
Low power can occur for a number of reasons:
- Old RV park wiring
- Too many RV using electric for AC’s on a hot day
- Communities experiencing a “brown out” as they limit power when there is excessive demand
So why is low power bad and how do you solve it?
You should always carry a voltage meter to know what the voltage is at your park, anything below 113 volts can be harmful to your RV appliances. Most appliances that run on 120 volts will begin to draw more amps as voltage drops below 113 volts, and that in turn causes heat which will damage your appliances. We are talking about your , AC units, Residential Fridges, Microwaves, TV’s etc.
According to Hughes Autoformer website three things occur to damage your appliances:
- When line usage increases, voltage drops
- When voltage drops, more amps are drawn
- When more amps are drawn, you’ll experiance the following:
- Dramatic Reduction in Air Flow
- Excessive motor heat (40% of all motor failures are due to overheating, even a 5-10% drop in voltage can exceed the motor’s full load or even service level amperage)
- Dim Lights
- Breakers popping or worse, pushing the amps just below the break point allowing the motors to excessively heat up thus putting the coach at a risk of fire
With everyone using their appliances at different times in the RV park, voltage will fluctuate throughout the day. RV owners can protect their appliances and equipment by using a Hughes Autoformer. The Hughes Autoformer constantly monitors power levels and if it detect low voltage it will boost the voltage by up to 10% to maintain a proper voltage for your RV appliances and accessories. If voltage drops below 90 volts it will shut down power to the RV.
Some may tell you that the Autoformer takes power away from others and according to the company this is a misconception. First if you are plugged into 30 or 50 amps, that is the maximum you can draw from the outlet without triggering the breaker. Also, it help campgrounds by reducing the overall amps drawn by the RV since it’s increasing the voltage. Yet there are some RV parks that don’t understand how it works and doesn’t allow their use. For us – we would not stay at an RV park that had that policy, first because we are not going to risk our appliances and second, if they are concerned, then that’s a concern about the stability of their park electric system.
But what about surge protection.
Well, the Autoformer has a built-in surge protection too, so your covered on both ends of the power spectrum. When first connecting the Autoformer the lights on the using will tell you if the power pedestal is wired correctly or not and if it’s needing to boost the power.
The Hughes Autoformer is available in both 30 and 50 amp models. They are not cheap, but the savings you will gain over loosing an ac unit or Residential Fridge will save you in the long run. You can find the 30 amp model by clicking here, or the 50 amp model click here. At the time of this post both were cheaper from Amazon or you can order direct from www.hughesautoformer.com
