Quote:
Originally Posted by Jim M
I agree with Punkinhead....
In my research the Hughes models offer the best protection and they have a cheap easy way to repair them if you do get a massive spike issue that happens to cause damage.
Check them out on the web.
I just changed RVs so need a different Surge Protector and I'm going to buy another Hughes as I trust them 100%.
If you go cheap; one day you will end up paying large for the mistake. If you camp long enough and as much as we do be careful with this. This is one area you do not want to cut corners and there are a lot of campsites that have bad electrical issues. Good Luck!
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I haven't seen anyone on this thread suggest "going cheap". I believe that there is a consensus that proper protection is very important.
But, please don't confuse this with the issue of the pointlessness of paying for protection that you already have. What kind of inverter/charger do you have? Does it have power quality analysis? As I have said, most high-end units do, and if so, paying hundreds of dollars to get it again buys you precisely nothing (except for taking twice as long for the power to come on after plugging in). If you have a unit that lacks these features, by all means purchase a quality power analyzer. But, forgoing a feature you already have is not "going cheap". If all you need is surge suppression, the fact is that a good, name brand residential surge suppressor will provide superior protection for much less money than the "we have lots of joules" guys.
BTW: For anyone who may be curious, the reason the standards organizations discourage the use of the "joules" statistic has to do with the way these alleged "joules" are delivered. Many of the manufacturers touting high joule numbers do so by simply putting multiple MOVs in parallel and adding their individual joule ratings together to produce the advertised values. Typically, no testing is involved. The problem is that it doesn't work that way. Although two perfectly-matched MOVs would indeed be additive in protection, in real life, unless the units are carefully matched, they will have different threshold voltages, and so one will tend to "hog" the current from the other. Worse, they often fail short-circuit, which would render the other ones useless.
For these reasons, you want a surge suppressor whose manufacturer reports detailed test statistics, not just "joule" measurements. The Leviton device I referenced does so (and doesn't even bother with the semi-meaningless "joule" value).
Bottom line: By all means don't "go cheap". But nor should you fall into believing that simply spending money will improve results. Take the time to understand your real needs, and buy accordingly. ...and don't fall into the "joule trap".
Linear Mode
