Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Topic: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed (Read 1376 times) previous topic - next topic

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #25 – February 16, 2016, 05:23:16 pm

Quote from: Michelle – February 16, 2016, 05:18:52 pm

Sorry for any confusion I caused, I was responding to Trent. Feel free to delete my posts if needed to keep the topic on track.

No, Michelle, it is good for readers to know that there is no "this is how they are all wired"!

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #26 – February 16, 2016, 05:24:17 pm

Quote from: wolfe10 – February 16, 2016, 05:06:57 pm

Mike, et al;

A surge protector is NOT, repeat NOT designed to handle a direct or even near-by lightening strike. And they will say so in their disclaimer.

Best practice (BY FAR) is to unplug during an electrical storm. Spikes can come in not just hots, but also neutral and/or ground connections, so turning off breakers is no guarantee of isolation.

So, if I (or Dianne) are in the coach and hear thunder, the CG breaker is turned off and the shore power cord is unplugged, PERIOD. Same if I am looking at radar and a storm is approaching. League City, TX (77573) Forecast | Weather Underground (for your location) is your friend!

We use that same WU bookmarked for our areas. Great info, Brett!

Gives the gen-set an excercise, as well.

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #27 – February 16, 2016, 07:25:51 pm

Quote from: Hans&Marjet – February 16, 2016, 04:39:30 pm

Have a great and safe trip....Let us know when your back in "town"

H&M

Thank you, friends! Will do. Had hoped to stop through Nacogdoches, too, but our route put us there over a weekend and we couldn't change the departure or arrival dates on either side of that weekend.

Looking forward to getting back together and catching up soon.

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #28 – February 16, 2016, 07:50:13 pm

Hi Ted & Karen,
I bought a portable 50 amp unit from John Lang. John was the second person to run this forum. I had a failure. I called Progressive and they said to send it in. I did, and expected to get a call with repair details and costs. A few days later I received a brand new unit no charge. Now that's great customer service.
Raymond

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #29 – February 17, 2016, 03:48:43 pm

Update- talked to Progressive- another unit is on the way to my next destination next week. I am boon docking now but I have my Progressive Surge Protector if I need to plug in before I get the new one. I will send the old one back in- great company to deal with.

FYI- a lot of talk about theft- have been using pedestal units for over 6 years ( with a bicycle cable lock when possible) and no theft.
Guess I shouldn't say it too loud.

Always use protection at a campground, who knows how much $$$$ damage back electricity can do to your unit.

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #30 – February 17, 2016, 04:19:38 pm

Quote from: Ted & Karen – February 15, 2016, 06:08:16 pm

Today I was plugging in and my EMS ( at the pedestal) was giving me error messages,- low voltage. I have a 50 amp portable surge guard for some protection

Help me out here,do I understand you have a coach-wired EMS and a back-up portable EMS ?

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #31 – February 17, 2016, 04:32:37 pm

Mike- I do not have the hard wired EMS- I use the portable one at the pedestal. My other Progressive is a portable surge protector with the LED lights on it- offers protection but not as much as the EMS. I had the surge protector before I bought the EMS.

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #32 – February 17, 2016, 04:43:27 pm

Quote from: Ted & Karen – February 17, 2016, 04:32:37 pm

Mike- I do not have the hard wired EMS- I use the portable one at the pedestal. My other Progressive is a portable surge protector with the LED lights on it- offers protection but not as much as the EMS. I had the surge protector before I bought the EMS.

The price difference between the two is (gasp) different. So, bottom line, should I open the safe and buy the EMS-PT50C ?

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #33 – February 17, 2016, 05:06:01 pm

Quote from: mike leary – February 17, 2016, 04:43:27 pm

The price difference between the two is (gasp) different. So, bottom line, should I open the safe and buy the EMS-PT50C ?

Mike, I installed the hard wired unit and it works great...the install is hmmm "tight" not the unit but running the cables into the box.
Took about 4 hours for me....

Hans

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #34 – February 17, 2016, 05:35:25 pm

The PT 50C is what we use.

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #35 – February 17, 2016, 05:38:01 pm

Mike- like most things you have to decide what works best for you. Both in protection ( no difference) , ease of use, and cost.
I like the portable because if it finds something wrong it cuts it off before bad electricity gets to damage anything in my coach. The trade off is it is exposed to the weather and the slight chance of theft ( I covered that in another post).

Having protection is better than not- like having to replace an inverter/charger ( ask me how I know that one......lol).

Hope this helps Mike

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #36 – February 18, 2016, 12:21:34 am

I installed two units under the bed - one on the shore power side of the transfer switch and one on the coach side, so transfer switch is protected from shore problems, and the coach is protected from generator problems.
One of them has been on for 7 years, and the other for 5 years, and no problems so far.

We also disconnect from the pedestal if we expect or hear thunder.

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #37 – February 18, 2016, 09:46:12 am

Great news about Progressive Surge protectors.
We purchased the SSP-50XL at the Tampa RV show in January. Will install it when we get home in May.

Just a word about campgrounds power pedestals. We were in Bahia Honda SP, Fl. last Dec, 2015. We had problems with the 50a breaker tripping. I reported it to the Rangers before we left and they said that it would be repaired.
So here we are in the same site arriving Feb 8, 2016. Now the breaker is dead on one leg.
Their electrical certified Ranger pulls the panel apart. Finds both the 30a and 50a breakers loose to the bus bar. Then finds the feed line not even attached to the 50a terminal, just pushed into the hole. There was even more problems in the box, but that covers the main problems.
Sure wished that I had the surge protector installed at that point. We didn't suffer any problems and hadn't turned anything on yet.
That was a close call, don't want to do that again.

I will be installing the extra remote read out in the utility bay and the other one inside somewhere.

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #38 – February 18, 2016, 10:34:01 am

Just a heads up to anyone looking to install the hardwired version of the Progressive Industries 50 Amp EMS... I had the unit installed before the transfer switch in Quartzsite a couple of years ago. The installer was fairly competent (refreshing in my experience

) and he installed it under the bed as most have done. Well... the unit had a noticeable 60 cycle hum. Not super loud, but in the quiet of the night, not very restful.
Bottom line, I relocated it to the utility compartment when I installed the Glendinning power cord and hose reels.
Utility Bay 2.0, Part 1- WasteMaster Camlock Sewer Hose Install
The relief was immediate

as Tys was particularly bothered by the noise. The units apparently vary in how much they hum, and some owners who have called to complain have been told that is just the nature of the beast (according to some other forums I read while doing some web searches on the problem). Anyway, when I install a second unit between the generator and the transfer switch, I will be instilling that somewhere close to the generator...
Don

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #39 – February 18, 2016, 10:47:22 am

Thanks Don for the head ups.
The utility compartment was one of my choices.

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #40 – February 18, 2016, 01:05:16 pm

Quote from: Don & Tys (AKA acousticart) – February 18, 2016, 10:34:01 am

Just a heads up to anyone looking to install the hardwired version of the Progressive Industries 50 Amp EMS when I install a second unit between the generator and the transfer switch, I will be instilling that somewhere close to the generator...

Interesting, I'd never thought of a EMS off the gen, I suppose it's a good idea, tho I've never had problems with my Onans doing freaky things.

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #41 – February 18, 2016, 01:09:20 pm

Dick & Sue,

Thanks for sharing your campground wiring problems, as these may exist more than we realize. How did you plan to install your SSP-50XL?

Surge protectors like Progressive Industries SSP-50XL do not protect from over and under voltages. Too low voltage will cause motors, like in roof A/C to draw too many amps and may permanently damage the motors. Protection against too low voltage which may only last a short time while neighboring coaches cool down at the same time may still do permanent damage, so an automatic over/under device should always be used.

The word "Surge" when used in power strips and other devices seem to be marketed in a way that offers total protection, when In my opinion, do little to protect us from every day common electrical issues. Inside the devices may only have inexpensive MOV components. Extracted from Varistor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia :

"A MOV does not provide equipment with complete power protection. In particular, a MOV device provides no protection for the connected equipment from sustained over-voltages that may result in damage to that equipment as well as to the protector device. Other sustained and harmful over-voltages may be lower and therefore ignored by a MOV device."

"A (MOV) varistor provides no equipment protection from inrush current surges (during equipment startup), from overcurrent (created by a short circuit), or from voltage sags (also known as a brownout); it neither senses nor affects such events. Susceptibility of electronic equipment to these other power disturbances is defined by other aspects of ... system design, ... a voltage regulator or a surge protector with built-in overvoltage protection (which typically consists of a voltage-sensing circuit and a relay for disconnecting the AC input when the voltage reaches a danger threshold)."

I don't know what is inside the SSP-50XL. We think that Progressive Industries makes the best RV electrical protection products.

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #42 – February 18, 2016, 01:23:17 pm

Like others we have hard wired Progressive Industries EMS devices on the shore cable to the transfer switch and on the cable from the transfer switch to the main breaker panel. For years we only had one device on the cable to the main breaker which seemed to offer protection from both sources.

When the protection is only on the shore cable we are not protected against generator anomalies. Two years ago as we started our 2-week Quartzsite dry camping session, our EMS protected us from transient generator 160-volts caused by a failing voltage regulator. We observed the high voltage several times and a quickly ordered an over-night new plug-in regulator from PowerTech, which fixed the problem.

Later we heard that someone had a high voltage power line surge that fried the transfer switch which fused relay points allowing the surge to destroy the generator circuits. Since our EMS was not protecting for this type of problem, we added a 2nd EMS on the shore cable before the transfer switch.

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #43 – February 18, 2016, 02:05:08 pm

After finding an invoice this morning (not you, Brett) where the ATS and all the shore power connections were replaced, I KNOW this coach took a pretty good hit (coach buck and change to repair) , I'm on it for more than I have (which is just polarity). I've researched Progressive, and they seem to be the answer. The "buzz words" (pun intended) are "detects" and "protects". The SSP-50XL only "detects" open ground, open neutral & reverse polarity. The EMS-PT50C "protects" against over/under voltage, open ground, open neutral and "accidental 240 volt protection". I think it was Oscar Wilde who said, "I have the simplest of tastes, I'm always satisfied with the best." EMS-PT50C is on order.

UPDATE: With an adapter, the PT50C will protect on a 30 amp pedestal, as well.

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #44 – February 18, 2016, 09:40:28 pm

Good call Mike- I forgot to mention that the PT50C also works on 30 amps with the adaptor. Many parks I go to have only 30 amps so I use it that way also.

Re: Progressive Portable 50 amp EMS failed

Reply #45 – February 19, 2016, 09:35:02 am

My hardwired Progressive was frequently cycling with low voltage indicated. Took a known good Fluke meter and checked incoming voltage, it was ok. There is a small pot with an adjusting screw, turned it until the display read the same voltage as the Fluke meter. No problems since other than a capacitor lead which broke from vibration, resoldered. Nice to know Progressive has such a liberal repair replacement policy if needed but easier to fix on the spot.

Affiliate Notice