EMS vs Surge vs nothing

First time with a camper and we got the Progressive Industries EMS-PT30X and a wire bike type lock and feel it is a good insurance too and I like to see the volts / amps from time to time. Not been activated in our first season. If the power pedestal is sloping forwards / a bit loose then a bungee cord can be needed to keep it plugged in as it is a bit of a weight. Or if the pedestal is low then it is sitting in the dirt.

It depends on how you use your trailer. I only plug mine into shore power a couple of times a year and we don’t really have lightning strikes in Northern California, so I just use a surge protector with a circuit tester. 

I failed to mention this word of caution in my previous post but soon after installing my surge unit I purchased a 30 amp extension cord off eBay. When I went to plug it in I received a "reversed neutral" warning from the Power Watchdog. Turns out the extension cord had been wired backwards. My guess is that it would've just tripped the breaker but I'm not an electrician. Could've been worse. 

4th RV and the first one I have used an EMS. I also installed the hard wired Progressive Industries with the remote display. Although we rarely camp with electrical available to us unless it is hot and we need AC, I installed it for peace of mind and because this is the last RV that I plan to own.

Although I have to admit that I have looked at the Black Series (specifically the HQ19), the only thing our 400 BDL doesn't have is heated tanks. Even if I were to pay someone to add the pads and wiring, it wouldn't be a dent in the price difference between the 2 and most importantly the 400 is as close to perfect as can be for our needs. If my wife even heard me mention a different RV, there would likely be a trip to the hospital involved if I survived the beating. 

Brad

We had our dealer install the Hughes Power Watchdog. Glad we have it for the security, and the Bluetooth app is nice, but it does hum noticeably. It is installed near the head of the bed in our BD 400. I’ve gotten used to it, but it bugged me enough at first that I would get up at night and cut off the shore power.

I've been in all 3 camps - we started with nothing and don't plug in often but after finding an open ground at one friends house and some low voltage at a campground with a plug in tester, we bought a Progressive industries EMS (external).  It was so big and clunky though that I found I didn't take the time to drag it out.  This spring I installed the hardwired version and like it - nothing to do or think about.

Hardwired Hughes Watchdog - I don't plug in much but for all the reasons to use it above. Blowing out the circuit boards of the converter, Alde or AC is enough to pay for this but not the service call or time waiting for repair. Personally I think the risk of a real issue is low but in only 1 1/2 yrs of ownership I've plugged into a few sketchy places and wasn't at all concerned though it hasn't triggered once.

I’ve traveled both ways, with and without in the13 years I’ve owned the teardrop style trailers.  With my former 2015 T@B I decided to hardwire in the Progressive Industries unit and was very satisfied and comfortable in knowing my trailer was protected and it did ferret out some shaky park equipment on a few trips out west.  I had nuCamp wire in the same unit as part of my 2019 400 build too.  I agree with what Sharon said too, when you plug into campground equipment keep in mind that others before you have backed into these sites, the pedestals are hit by campers, grounds and connections are loosened up and breakers are flipped on and off thousands of times over the years, yet these facilities really are not inspected and are seldom maintained unless a major event takes place requiring immediate repair work.

For me it also meant one less apparatus to plug in at the camp site, it provided peace of mind and was a small price to pay while protecting the more expensive investment I was towing behind my truck.  I’ve been around electricity most of my adult life, have seen some crazy things happen and am of the opinion that if you can build in a safe guard to protect yourself and your equipment it is probably a very worthy investment.  But again, to each his own!  😉

There was a post in one of the FB Tab groups earlier today about a hot skin on a Tab, an EMSbshould prevent that, it would dectect the condition and not power the Tab.

https://www.rvtravel.com/rv-electricity-reflected-hot-skin-voltage-update-rvt-1028/

Thanks, @Sharon_is_SAM, for that important reminder!  I enjoyed reading that article & also the reminder that a corroded water heater element can be deadly, as it makes me feel even better about installing a protective anode rod in our glycol tank.  I plan to follow the link in that article to do the electrical tests for checking the cable ground & wiring in our T@B.
Also, I was surprised & disappointed to see the recent facebook quote in that article citing a real world example of a "hot skin" situation that also involved faulty campground electrical ground wiring at Pocahontas State Park.  Please tell me this is not the same one in our county here in Virginia! (And where we spent our very first night in our T@B over 4 years ago.)  I applied to join that group to read more.