The NEC / NFPA code is regulating cascaded in line autoformers used and installed by the park, not by end point devices. What the code is intending to accomplish is to avoid parks with inadequate wiring from permanently installing autoformers to boost low voltage caused by inadequate park distribution wiring. It does NOT cover "end use devices" such as RVs and other things plugged into an electrical outlet. Autoformers are very commonly used in end use devices that require better voltage control. It is also important to understand that the actual power consumed by motors can dramatically increase with a drop in voltage. I.e. a 13,000 BTU AC unit scroll motor may require 10A @ 125 VAC but @ 110 VAC may require 15 A. The reason for the increased current draw beyond the P=IE formula is related to the inefficiencies of the lower voltage due to increased impedance causing more heat. This is also true for the locked rotor current (LRA) draw at initial startup. Bottom line is end use autoformers are a good thing even for parks with bad wiring. It reduces the actual load on the over stressed park infrastructure. Less energy is lost as heat.

Breakers are rated for only 80% continuous loads just a little input from a electrician. Keep up the good work

Great tips most don't know about this stuff. 1 bad power pole can ruin a vacation and a lot more.. Keep it up Thanks!

Great stuff Jared! The low voltage during surges and the potential resulting damage isn’t something the average weekend warrior typically encounters or worries about. Good reminder.

Thanks for sharing! A great informative video for newbies and a great reminder for full timers/ weekend warriors!

Thank you Jared for clarifying a half dozen questions I had about surge protectors, EMS , and Autoformers. I also really appreciate the tip on how to configure my inverter generator so my 50 Amp Surge Guard doesn't see an Open Neutral! Awesome!!

Thanks Jared for your comprehensive explanations of RV wiring. Every RV'er should watch and learn from your vids. Thanks again.

Great video. Thanks for explaining things so clearly, and detailed. I was able to understand it all very well. Being new to RV life, this info is very helpful.

Thanks for the tip on the bonding plug, Jared. I'm installing a hardwired Hughes Watchdog 30 and just realized I will need a bonding plug when using my inverter generator. I just ordered two plugs made by Southwire (one for each generator).

Not even in the US, but this is great. I wish we had more RV/Camper channels here in Australia like this that went into this sort of detail rather than the infomercial style we seem to have. Subscribed.

Good job, Jarrod! You kept it very simple and explained it all for the layman. I'm a retired utility electrical power distribution engineer (40 years) and I couldn't have said it any better. Thanks for the post ... keep 'em coming ....... Jim

Thank you so much for explaining these surge protectors in more detail.

Great information! I’m impressed with your knowledge of split phase. I was talking to an electrician doing a job at our church that did not know the concept of if you pull equal current on each leg you would get zero current on the neutral leg. As you stated measure L1 to L2 and should get 220 to 240 VAC. What might confuse the novice if L1 to L2 is zero but each leg to neutral is 120 VAC you know it is as you said boot legged. Both legs are on the same phase. Can be confusing!

Important information is very well presented. Listen, comprehend and react!

You answer a question that I had. We have 50 amp but sometimes we have to hook up to 30 amp. Glad to hear I only need the 50 amp surge protection.

Great video as always. After viewing it I went directly to the garage and wired a neutral to ground 15 amp plug for my generator. What a simple solution! Thanks for the tip.

Thank you for this video!! We're new to the RV'ing world because of Hurricane Ian that destroyed our house. Had to purchase a Travel coach to live in until our house is back. This video has helped me with some of the electrical questions.

Excellent information! But I would like to add a simple safety practice. This comes from a career as a building engineer. I've opened and closed a lot of breakers in my time. My advice is to not stand directly in front of the panel or pedestal when operating the breaker. If a direct short in the panel causes an explosion, you could be severely injured. Stand off to the right or left of the panel and only expose your hand to the risk.

Thanks so much for all the detail information!👍🇨🇦

I just watched this video for the second time. I am truly impressed how you made it so simple. It is simple but so many people make it complicated perhaps because they don't fully understand themselves. I have never heard a better explanation of the autoformer debate. It really doesn't need to be banned but I also understand why campgrounds don't like them. It is hard to explain to campsite 2 that they don't have enough voltage to run the AC in 100+ degree heat when campsite 1 is running fine with their autoformer.

Awesome video! We just got our first camper. I got the 50a hard wired version because I didn't want to chance leaving it behind accidentally. My brother in law parked his Class A in my driveway shortly after we moved in about 5 years ago. He plugged into my 30a RV outlet in the shop. Turns out it was wired for 220v!! He heard a loud pop at the back of the RV followed by smoke. Fried the panel and cost him thousands. This would have prevented that. The Progressive Industries EMS is worth the cost.

The grease you talked about is a wonderful thing. RVing is supposed clean plugs every time you plug ind take out but Dielectric

Thanks....I finally understand. Great diagrams, very useful.

Thank you for all your videos. You give sensible solid information.

You might want to mention the Progressive EMS you have analyzes and checks electrical service for two minutes before it allows any electrical current to flow into the rig. I love my unit. Tells me amp draw on every single appliance so I can pick and choose how much load to take on. Best money ever spent for RV.

Excellent video! Great content!

Great video! Watched it twice. Saved it. Thanks!

I understand now why my Honda EU3000IS is labeled 23.3 Amps at the connector instead of 30 Amp. Thank You!

High resistant faults baby! Keep those connections tight. Same goes for your outlets in the RV or house. Nice job as usual.

My Progressive EMS has saved me countless times. Once, the park we were in had a lightning strike within the park, and several 5th wheels were fried. Later, my Progressive unit started making a loud noise like a chain saw, so I emailed Progressive and they gladly sent me a new unit, they only asked for a few pictures of the EMS, and asked me to cut the cord off so it could no longer be used. I'm a big fan of them.

Good stuff. Never paid too much attention to our electrical system, but now that we are renting out our camper and it's getting used non-stop, I think I'm going to invest in one of these.

A detailed video as usual. It's unfortunate that more RVers haven't schooled themselves on the details of the systems in their rigs. We use the Southwire Surge Guard with the wireless display. It's always good to know what kind of power is being supplied to your RV before you connect it. The wireless display also allows you to see at a glance what you are using and if there are any problems without having to go out into the elements. A good note about the neutral/ground bonding plug. It's a simple solution to what seems to be a very common problem. Thanks for posting and safe travels.

Great video Jared! Super thorough and very well explained. The cost of some of these devices may seem steep but in the long run it’s really cheap insurance. 👍

Thank you Jared, great video

Excellent video for newbies!

We recently stayed at a city park and found two pedestals with reversed polarity and one pedestal with a dropped ground out of ten spots. We reported them to the park host which denied the problems and a city vehicle was driving through the park and I showed him the issues and he immediately had their Master Electrician come and fix the issues. Not sure the park host still has a job or not.

Excellent information!!! Its a must-see for RV owners.

This is the most informative video on the subject. Thank you for your content.

Really chock full of practical and useful information

Great info 👍. I learned a lot today.

Great info thank you. Easy to understand...

Great information.

Great information. Thanks

Love LOVE LOVE my Hughes Performance Power watchdog surge protector WITH APP!! LOVE IT ,. WELL worth every penny ,. Made in USA too!! Do not have to go outside to reset anything. I just use the app.. The last time I moved I went to a private party RV location. When I hooked up my Hughes performance surge protector the code and app gave me what was “wrong” with the electrical outlet. A professional electrician hooked up the electrical outlets and my RV is 30 AMP,. It was wired wrong. The electrician came back out and I showed him what was on the surge protector readout. Electrician fixed the wiring issues and wallah !! Everything works great! He even fixed the other RV onsite electrical outlet for the other RV, which BTW did not have any surge protector at all. Love their product! It’s a RVers MUST HAVE !!..Thanks for this video !! Happy Trails

Nice job!

No where on the CRC silicone product does it say you can use it on electrical contacts. Furthermore, a silicone coating could actually insulate the contact to prevent a connection or degrade the quality of the connection. Its also flammable. Use an oxide inhibitor paste for electrical connections. Home stores should have this.

Very well presented information. You have a very good working knowledge of the NEC (NFPA 70) regarding circuit breakers. Your explanation for auto-transformers is satisfactory for laymen without going into electrical theory. Here's one for me, I did not know that the 50A service at RV parts was split phase. I had assumed that these were single phase L-N 50A. Thanks for the lesson. I enjoyed the previous video regarding portable generators, though you should dig into grounding/not-grounding some more. Maybe discuss bonded neutral and GFCI and their relationship (if your RV is so equipped).

Great Vid!

Jared, love your very informative and fact based videos. I have an interesting problem. Just bought a one year old Winnebago Navion in perfect shape. Bought a portable Progressive EMS PT30X and plugged it in to my hard wired 30 amp single phase plug on my garage. Had it plugged into my RV for about 30 hours before my first trip to top off the batteries. Had electrical issues on the trip- no outlet power, heat pump and micro wouldn't work, even with the generator running. Got home, plugged in again, things worked but checked the plugs with my outlet tester. Negative polarity! It had tripped my generator breaker so that didn't work all weekend. Tested the EMS with my voltage meter and found out it was the culprit. Wired wrong at the factory in Mexico. Question is, did I damage my batteries in electrical system with reverse polarity shore power plugged in for 30 hours?

We bought a 30 year old class A and I saw that it's shore-power plug was a 4-prong 50 amp so that's what I installed at my house for it. Come home one day and the smell of an electrical fire permeated the neighborhood, the MH air conditioner was off and smelled like the neighborhood and our MH had no juice. I finally located the densest smell at the Transfer Relay Switch. The wires inside got so hot they melted the wire-caps which dripped into puddles. I purchased a new 50 amp TR Switch and when I began installing it discovered that the original switch was only 30 amp and the shore-power cord had only 3 wires in it even though the plug was 4-prong. So, I bought a 30 amp TR Sw., replaced the 50 amp shore-power receptacle at the house breaker panel with 30 amp, replaced the shore-power cord with a proper 30 amp cord. I did twice the work and I now have a 50 amp $200 TR Switch that I have no use for unless I can use it for my house. I'm sharing this so people will be real cautious about any work they do on pre-owned RV's.

Always plug the bonding device into the generator. If you plug it into your trailer you'll probably forget and the next time your on hookups the park will be chasing the problem back to your trailer.

Good info!

We use the 50amp Hughes. It caught a problem at the last park we were at. They are a good company customer service wise. Great Info thanks

GREAT JOB!!!!

This is a great video. While we have a built in surge protector and EMS in our class A, we decided to get a portable one (Surge Guard). This allows us to go through the process you stated in the video. We test the pedistal before connecting the RV. We added the portable so if there is a surge or if there is a catastrophic failure it would be at the pedistal and not in the electrical bay. The portable would be easier to replace. We have a lock we use to secure the portable device with the pedestal. One item that might be considered is if your EMS device also has a delay when there is a loss of power. Both our portable and internal device will delay power when power is available so items like the AC can cycle the compressor. When power cycles on off on in shirt time periods, this puts a lot if stress on the AC compressor when it has not cycled. We found this to be an important feature. Since we spend a lot of time in Florida, lighting can cause temporary loss of power. Keep up the great work. Your videos are very thorough and informative.

Great explanation on the autoformer... Btw, I solved the campground and their AC voltage issues , as I’m just never going back to the overpriced , over crowded places anymore ….

Great channel! At first I was skeptical about the current being a net zero with a 30 amp load on each phase but after I drew out the AC wave forms (ignoring load power factors) I realized- thats amazingly and you are totally correct! Well done! Its always great to get to learn something new!

Great information, thanks!!

First class all the way great job I learned a lot God bless

Saved this one

WOW!!! Sooo much awesome info here and so well presented. Great video. Thanks.

Great Video! Yepper, I have to use an Edison plug on my inverter/generator too. I did wire up a 30 amp inlet on the front of my fiver with an auto transfer switch to switch from outside shore power / generator or onboard solar setup with a 3k inverter. From this transfer switch I ran a 10-2 insulated wire to another auto transfer switch that switches from rear 30 amp inlet to front 30 amp inlet. The rear 30 amp inlet has a Progressive Industries EMS hard wired to one side of the rear to front transfer switch. Were you able follow me on this so far? I do not need a Edison plug if I use my inverter/generator on the front 30 amp inlet. I do use a plug in surge protector on the generator/shore power front 30 amp inlet because my EMS is bypassed. Whew! Best Wishes! 🇺🇸

I clean my male plug with Emory cloth and the coat it with dielectric grease. At the end of camping our camper is under a 42x24’ carport so I in plug my camper at end of year and the female plug in the side of camper was melted badly! So I bought new one and installed it so every spring I sand all three prongs and cost with dielectric grease. People don’t relish that plunging it in and out keeps them clean but if your like me it stays in one spot so when go home I unplug it and plug it back in when we go done for a week or two . So doing that it gets inspected twice when plug-ins it in and in plug when we leave .

Thank you..👍👍

Excellent Video !!!! Thanks so much for the info : }

Jared, I just recently found you on KZfaq. You do an excellent job explaining everything on your video’s. As a new RV’er the information you provide is most valuable. Thank you for your time and effort.

Great video. Thanks

Thanks, I am actually learning some things... :-)

Jared, The Huhges "Autoformer" does not take power away from the power grid, it is not a "automatic transformer" i.e. single winding and a common neutral. Their name is somewhat missleading. The Huhges "Autoformer" has 4 windings 2 primay and 2 secondary windings. You might want to look at Faraday's Law of induction. The Huhges "Autoformer uses that principal type of magnetic field coils to boost the voltage. Most people get this confnused with the water hose theory i.e. Volts is the pressure and flow is the current, that's not how it works with the Huhges Autoformer.

Excellent video, the clearest explanations I've seen, thank you. That said, I have the Hughes and am concerned about the NFPA 2020 proposal. So, I went to the Hughes website and their response (in part) is, "Technically the NFPA has been recommending ‘autotransformers’ be banned since 1971, so this latest publicity stunt is nothing new... the Hughes Autoformer is not even an autotransformer... An autotransformer has a single winding inside and the Hughes product has four windings, a different technology entirely. So, if someone looks at your grey box and says autotransformers are banned, tell them no, some board members recommend they not be connected. Secondly, you have a Hughes Autoformer which is not banned because it’s not an autotransformer." Hughes response goes into more detail than I've quoted. RV'ing is my hobby. I'm not an electrician and have only a rudimentary understanding. There's always two sides to a story, how would you respond to Hughes?

Just bout our RV. Thank you for this great video, I just hit your link to order the surge protector. Subscribed and Liked, done! :-)

another great video

I'm afraid you only got the Autoformer part half right, starting at about 11:40. It's certainly true that an induction motor driving a constant load like an A/C compressor (constant torque and speed, and therefore constant power) will draw more current as the voltage sags, roughly in inverse proportion to the voltage change. A 10% downward change in pedestal voltage (0.9V) will cause approximately a 11.1% increase in current (V/0.9), ignoring efficiency and power factor, which also droop with saggy voltage. BUT, when you boost the voltage to the motor by 10%, the current through the motor goes back down to where you started. So the boost transformer 'trades current for voltage' based on a reduced motor current. In the end, the current for that motor from the pedestal is essentially unchanged, whether you use a boost transformer or not. The boost transformer does waste a very small amount in the form of heat, but the A/C motor and fan run at a higher efficiency and power factor (the percentage of current that actually does work or makes heat), so it's sort of a wash. The benefit to the user, of course, is that the motors draw less current and therefore don't run as hot, which reduces the winding insulation longevity. Resistive loads like incandescent bulbs and water heaters WILL draw more current, but only back to where they should be in the first place (they're not fixed loads - those loads vary with voltage), but such loads are minor compared to running multiple A/C units continuously during hot weather, which is where the problem is. And no, I don't work for Hughes, or even own an Autoformer. But it's basic transformer and induction motor technology, regardless of who makes the equipment.

Lots of good info there

Do not use Dielectric grease. It is not a conductor. >Check it out on the internet. If you get into freezing conditions, it will form a barrier between what you want powered and the power. While it' s recommended on spark plugs, the only part that you put it on is the ceramic or the rubber boot and lightly. Recently had someone's car towed to us who had dielectric grease on the plugs. Replaced them with out the grease, all is good. Same situation applied to Battery connectors. Had someone use it on their battery terminals and the vehicle came in with a battery issue, cleaned if off, battery now charges. If you put it on....only the outside of battery connectors or exposed cable wires, not on the battery terminals. It may seem to work fine in hot environments...but I wouldn't take the chance. Pros do recommend putting the stuff on electrical connectors...but here again not on the contacts. Oddly enough I have seen suggestions to not use the grease on silicone seals (which are most electrical connector seals) because it will eat them over time. What is recommended is to use a silicone grease to lubricate connector seals so they come off easier and seal out moisture and dirt.

Excellent, as always. :-)) :-))

I have been schooled to ALWAYS switch the pedestal breaker off whenever connecting or disconnecting your RV power cable. I understand with a 50a plug there is a scenario where if you happen to insert a 50a plug in a hot receptacle at an angle you could inadvertently send 240v into your RV instead of two 120v legs.

Really good videos. Do you know if I could use the EMS hardwired if I'm just bringing in a standard 3-prong 15A line? I'm planning on just hooking it up to my house mainly and then running it into a 12V/3000W Multiplus. And if so, do you know which of the many versions I would want to get?

I can see that the more Autoformers that are used, the more it drops the over all voltage in an RV Park. The Autoformer is just a transformer with two windings of different turns. Using the Autotransformer just allows more people to safely use the existing low voltage of the RV park, and as he said, the result is an overall lower Park Voltage.

seems like if you have the newer Hughes with the surge protection and some parks do not allow the Hughes then you will need a separate surge protector. I have the older Hughes without the SP and an older progressive SP and my Progressive SP will take 5 min to reset but that is small price to pay for not destroying the electrical system.

I was in harbor and playing around with my new toy. A FLIR one I phone attachment. It sees heat in colors. As I was panning around I spotted something. My shore power plug and receptacle box were glowing brightly. The plug felt hot but the box was sizzling hot. I transferred my power switch from shore to inverter and remove the plug. The harbormaster changed the receptacle to a new one and cut the wires back to where they weren’t melted. He said it was close the wrecking my plug too. Marine shore power cables are expensive.

You are in correct about the huges autoformer....there is plenty of in depth videos and charts explaining the auto former....here is the basics On the 30 amp version when voltage falls below 114 the autoformer uses .6 amps to create 10% more voltage...so let's say voltage drops to110 Autoformer boost 10% bringing your voltage back up to 121 this voltage is created in the autoformer by using available .6 amps...you will get that .6 back and everything will be running properly....point is voltage is created in the autoformer not taken from the park...so doesn't matter how many people in a park have one.

wondering if there are those parks out there that have issues , is there a way to know where to go so we dont end up at a park that will hurt my rv?? maybe we can start an app for that lol

Was watching this with my wife, she warned me it would be dangerous for me to use her expensive Bragg's vinegar for industrial cleaning. Much safer to get some cheap Wally World stuff. 😉👍

QUESTION - We have a surge protector and a Victron 3000 inverter and wondering if we still need an EMS since the inverter will pull power from the batteries if the voltage drops. Or are there other problems solved with an EMS that are not addressed by the surge protector and the Victron? Thank you for your very well presented videos, always full of great info.

Need advice for Texas rolling blackouts coming to a town near us this February! We visit relatives in DFW every winter and have an Excel which has both a 30amp and a 20amp circuit. We will be running a space heater on each circuit plus the water supply heater hose. Is there a single device that can accommodate both of these circuits and that will automatically allow the circuits to turn back on every 30 min while things are rolling? I am imagining an octopus looking surge protector with two male and two female connections. Would be really great if you did a video on the rolling black out situation. Last year both of our space heaters and the Nashone remote temperature devices that we used were fried (not to mention the fire hazard.) The propane companies ran out/shut down so the gas furnace was not an option. Because we had to evacuate, our propane tanks were stolen. People were desperate. We had our cupboards filled with canned and preserved goods that were subjected to -10F. We had to evacuate to the relatives an hour away for a week and the roads were closed with ice/snow. BTW REI and Camping World doesn't sell -10F sleeping beds. @all about RV's

oh my gosh haha great video! We live aboard our sailboat preparing to sail around the world... very similar to the RV lifestyle! We actually just redid all of our wiring lol. ;) Cheers!

*Just bought a southwire 34950 surge guard that is supposed to do everything that your boxes do. Have you heard any thing bad about them? just curious i'm still a complete noob at this. i have a 50 Amp Heartland Big Country in my old one i can't run the AC and my air fryer at the same time or the main 20 amp breaker trips any other suggestions? When do you add a transfer switch? or do you really even need one? Again i'm new and this is how i learn*

The Hughes PowerWatchdog is an EMS. Using the HPWD and PI units is 100% redundant. I own both; have the installed PI EMS in a bus conversion, the HPWD with our trailer.

So I am in Mexico and will be for quite awhile so I "hear" the power changes and outages. Should I be using the EMS AND a plug in surge protector at the post AND a HughesAutoformer all at the same time on my 30amp cord? I am plugged into a family members home here and power outages and drops are a normal daily thing.

I am truly impressed with your knowledge. I was wondering, do you have a degree in electrical engineering? I also chose the Progressive EMS , mostly because my rig will be a rental as well as personal and I wanted one less thing for my vacationer to worry about.

Do I need a surge protector if connected at the house? New to the game. Those surge protectors look they plug into the shore power at a campground, which we have not connected to yet. Thanks for any help to this newbie question.

Thanks great information! I have a Montana 5th wheel 50 amp, but currently running on 30 amp in a campground. Which power watchdog would I buy for surge protection 30 or 50 amp? I'm assuming 30 amp since that's what I'm using. Thanks for the feedback!

I enjoy your content very much. Dielectric grease would be more of an insulator I would think, but a conductive grease that was an anti-oixident would be good as you noted. Thanks for presenting all the information that you do so well.

Anyone learning from the video for marine use should add a Galvanic Isolator. Do you use soft-start to protect your AC?

New to RVs, I bought a remote start generator and have been advised I should unplug the trailer before starting it ever time, kinda defeats the remote start thing right? .. anyway I know there is a simple fix but figured I’d get a bit more info before spending a couple hundred extra bucks

I have a 50 amp system with a AM Solar Phase Selector wired in with a Victron 3k Multiplus Inverter the same as your video on that installation. My question is, should I install a hard wired EMS in line before the Phase Selector or after it? I'm considering the Huges EMS.

Jared, if you install the hardwire EMS, do you, should you have a portable for the pedestal? We are just getting ready to head out in our new 2022 Jayco Redhawk 26M.

Hi Jared, maybe you answered these questions but I am wondering if a surge protector on an AC plug in the RV is advised even though I have a Surge Guard both wired and one attached to pedestal? I would think it would be a good idea to protect my iPhone and iPad when charging! What say you? Thanks! Also, can I wire my signal booster for TPMS to my Li ion battery like you can for an lead acid battery? Many thanks!

If using two 2200 watt inverter generators wired together do you need to make a 15 amp plug for both for the end to work?