Got A Bad Power Pedestal

[RKassl]

The power pedestal blow out my 50amp surge protector and saved the Montana, thank goodness.


The 30amp circuit is OK. So I am running on just 30amps.
Here is what I am doing:
1. went to gas on the hot water tank
2. shut off all unnecessary 120 volt things.
3. running one AC


Any suggestions what else I can do to salvage this trip?


I have looked and looked and can't find anything that doesn't work, converter has battery fully charged.


Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.


Thanks

[BB_TX]

Sounds like the surge protector did its job. What exactly was wrong at the pedestal that caused that?

[Carl n Susan]

I am assuming an on-board surge protector is what blew? And you are running off the 30 amp plug on the pole with the bad 50 amp plug?

If so, then you can run a lot on 30 amp as long as it is not the AC and the microwave at the same time (and even then if you turn everything else off). We run off of 30 amp frequently and run the refer and the water heater on propane. Then one AC and everything else is no problem.

[RKassl]

Before it blew, said something about reverse polarity, the surge protector is an external one that plugs into the pedestal between it and the camper.

[Carl n Susan]

OK an external one is much easier to bypass is all. But I would be reluctant, i.e. no way in hell, to use that 50 plug again until the park repairs it and I have a replacement EMS.

Reverse polarity shouldn't kill an EMS, so there is something else seriously wrong with the pedestal.

[BB_TX]

Reverse polarity on 30 amp (or 20 or 15 amp) means reversing the hot and neutral connections. That would not necessarily damage anything as the voltage is still 120 vac.

But reverse polarity on 50 amp would mean reversing neutral and one of the hots. That would put 240 vac on the devices on the other hot line as that hot would now be referenced directly to the other hot rather than the neutral it should be referenced to. I can see where that would blow the surge protection.

The reversed hot would still be referenced to neutral and still be 120 vac although flipping the phase.

[AZ Traveler]

I would not be comfortable using the 30 amp on a known bad pedestal without using an EMS.

Do you have an option to move? You can always buy another EMS to continue your journey.

[BB_TX]

I agree with Zach. The fact the 50 is apparently miswired doesn’t mean the 30 is. But I would want to know for sure. Reverse polarity on the 30 amp would not likely damage anything but it does present a shock hazard. At least get one of the plug in outlet testers to make sure you are ok. Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes, probably even Walmart.

https://www.amazon.com/Electrical-Re...58703601&psc=1

[Daryles]

If you have a multimeter you can check the receptacles.

[Mark7]

I find it odd that a (high priced) surge protector would self destruct because of a mis-wired outlet of any configuration.

Granted, a 50A outlet with a hot and neutral reversed is insane and should trip a the breaker the millisecond anything wired correctly is plugged into it... think about what is going on there. There has to be more to this story.

Any surge protector should be able to take any kind of mis-wire situation without sacrificing itself. I would call the manufacturer and ask for a replacement.

[BB_TX]

Originally Posted by Mark7

I find it odd that a (high priced) surge protector would self destruct because of a mis-wired outlet of any configuration.
…………
Any surge protector should be able to take any kind of mis-wire situation without sacrificing itself. I would call the manufacturer and ask for a replacement.

I agree with you. Reversed hot and neutral is something it is (or should be) designed to protect against and block power without destroying itself.

[usandacat]

If this is not your pedestal, contact who ever is in charge and tell them to fix it. Your paying for SAFE 50amp.

[DutchmenSport]

Ah! You just confirmed I did do the right thing by keeping my 30 amp Hughes Autofoamer when we purchased our 50 amp Montana.

Regardless of where you are currently located, if it were me, I'd be searching high and low for any RV dealership / repair shop / parts store and buying another 50 amp EMS (a portable one). Also .... insist that this campground fix the shore power pedestal.

[rames14]

Glad you didn’t do any permanent damage. You could ask the campground to pay for your surge protector, since it was their issue. Usually a surge protector will fail if it gets a surge, not mis-wired. It is one of the reasons I like the Hughes Watchdog. I have a spare surge module that is user replaceable. Best of luck.

[BB_TX]

Out of curiosity and reading Progressive Industries Frequently Asked Questions and answers I ran across this;

Q: Will these models provide voltage protection?
A: No. The surge protector models do not include voltage protection. The surge protectors strictly provide protection during an actual power surge. However, Progressive Industries surge protection units have additional features which include a built-in surge status indicator that note the condition of the surge protector, plus a dual line polarity tester that checks the status of the source prior to use. For complete protection, we recommend our EMS units.

[rames14]

And this link has the features of the Hughes EPO.
https://hughesautoformers.com/power-watchdog-faqs/
One question we get asked is “What is EPO?”

We have two models of our Power Watchdog line. We have the base model model which is PWD30 for the 30-amp and PWD50 for the 50-amp. Then we have the upper end models which have emergency power off (EPO). Essentially it’s a surge protector that has a computer that analyzes the incoming power and a switch or contactor that either allows power to go into your coach or it shuts it off. So when you hear EPO, it’s the same thing as EMS (electrical management system), which means it has an auto shutoff function.

For example, normally you would have around 120 volts coming in from the park, which is good. If the volts drop below 104, then the unit sees that as too low and will cut power to your coach, sparing your coach from damaging low voltage. The Power Watchdog units with EPO will also look for reverse polarity, open ground, open neutral, high voltage, low voltage and too many amps, as well as open neutral from the coach end. If any of those faults are detected, the Power Watchdog’s face turns red, displays the error code on the faceplate, and if you have the unit paired to your phone, you will get an alert letting you know it’s detected a problem. On the app it will let you know what the error is, why it’s potentially bad, what you may be able to do and more information on that particular error.