2023-01-16 Update! Hughes DID cover the defective device under the warranty and shipped a free replacement to me. It's GREAT to work with a manufacturer that stands behind their products. Thank you, Hughes! I'm a happy Hughes customer and have no reservations recommending their products or using them in my rig in the future.
@brandonmurray9966 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for the videos. You are the reason I got my watch dog hardwire. I have it in my Jayco Eagle. I got a 50a plug tester just like you used on your 110 plug. Just for 50a so that I can test at every camp site before I plug in. No need for another surge protector.
@AdventureRocks Жыл бұрын
Great idea on the 50a tester!
@bobwest47805 ай бұрын
Thank You for video. I found this after researching the red light on ours. Guess I’ll be contacting Hughes as well and see how it goes.
@AdventureRocks5 ай бұрын
Sorry to hear it happened to you. I later learned that there was a batch of them produced that had a faulty component causing it to give the false positive on that red LED over time...all of them in the batch will do this eventually. So my understanding is in reality there are no issues on your rig or power source, as if there were it would show an error code. However, that one LED lights up regardless. They are fully aware of the issue now and they will take care of you. I've been super impressed with their willingness to stand behind their product. I would 100% buy it all over again.
@user-mh1mm1nc9y5 ай бұрын
I had the same problem. Watched your video. Sent it back to the company and they exchanged it for free. Problem gone.
@AdventureRocks5 ай бұрын
They stand behind their product...that is why I'm sold on them.
@davidseale30203 ай бұрын
Any chance it is the user replaceable board. I just noticed the red light. I carry extra replaceable cards and will change it out.
@AdventureRocks3 ай бұрын
It's my understanding there was a batch of units made back around 2022 that develop the fault shown over time, but the unit itself still is working and protecting properly, it just erroneously displays the red open neutral light. Hughes will replace it for you under warranty as they are aware of the bad batch.
@DavidJohnson-ep1wf11 ай бұрын
I have had 2 different progressive industries surge protector fail. If you have a progressive unit they ask you to pull the cover and take a picture inside to send to them before calling. In both cases the problem was a connector had come loose. The first time this occurred I went and bought a new progressive protector before I read how to submit a warranty claim. So then I had two. After pulling the cover and finding the connector issue I just kept it as a spare. Then the second/new one did the same thing??? And yes it was an internal connection again! Again east to fix, but frustrating! So now I have a Hughes watch dog and two progressive spares. I suspect what caused the connection issue is just getting knocked around while running down the road. I now have mounted my Hughes inside the RV, but I installed 50 plugs in my RV and plugged in the Watch Dog to allow for either easy swap or by pass. I hope you find out what was going on inside your bad unit. I am a little surprised you didn’t crack it open? That is what you would have had to do if you changed out the EPO circuit. I would bet a dollar it was a connector in this one also! Thanks for the video!!
@AdventureRocks11 ай бұрын
Hughes asked for the defective one back so not sure what it ended up being. It's great to have a manufacturer honor their warranty. I'm very grateful.
@kpedro161 Жыл бұрын
Great information in this video. Thank you. Do you not worry about arcing when you are plugging in your power cord to the wall. I always turn off breaker at CG pedestal to make sure nothing is drawing current from the coach. i.e AC left on. I melted the end of our 30 amp cord from an arc last year. Learned to always turn breaker off first.
@AdventureRocks Жыл бұрын
Great point. It's a good idea to kill power when plugging in, but arcing is more of an issue when you have a heavy load/amp draw while plugging in...that heavy amp draw while plugging in is what causes the arc. So another way to avoid is to make sure AC is always off before/after disconnecting or reconnecting.
@ChaseTheRide Жыл бұрын
Did Hughes send you the swap? They have a lifetime warranty. There is a module that is replaceable in that unit for $30 instead of replacing the whole unit. I carry a module with me all the time just incase.
@AdventureRocks Жыл бұрын
Yes, they replaced under warranty :) Guess it was some kind of fluke in the electronics outside of surge itself. Great tip on carrying spare surge just in case.
@myfastcars2 ай бұрын
I am very glad Hughes replace the Surge Protector? Great Warranty? I'm looking to get the Hughes Autoformer and Watchdog.
@AdventureRocks2 ай бұрын
Indeed. They stand behind their product 100%.
@phoeg11 ай бұрын
My unit developed the same problem about a month or two ago. I had moved the RV (and thus the unit) and noticed that now…no red LED. 🤷🏼♂️ That’s a puzzler, but things are working.
@AdventureRocks11 ай бұрын
Interesting. You'll have to report back in the future if otherwise.
@phoeg11 ай бұрын
@@AdventureRocksHowever, what did I notice last night? A RED LED. I will have to contact the company.
@kreutztimothy Жыл бұрын
Good stuff Jay. Did you check the app to see if it was reading any errors or verify what your voltage was at? Ironic, we have both the exact same placement for the watchdog...I do like what you did with the transfer switch! My next project 🤣 Thanks for the great video! ....Oh I remember when my basement looked like that... There's so much I've done to that "inner" bay, which opened up so much more room. Now my entire solar setup and 6 lithium batteries are in that inner bay...I sure love working on making things better 😁..
@AdventureRocks Жыл бұрын
Thank you. Yes, forgot to mention the app showed nothing, just regular status. App matched the multimeter readings on voltage. Basically if I hadn't physically seen the red LED on device itself, I would have never known anything was out of ordinary. But, I'd rather a surge/EPO give me a false positive than a false negative, so thankful to have it onboard still.
@kreutztimothy Жыл бұрын
@@AdventureRocks I totally agree with you about having it onboard. One less thing we need to worry about disappearing. When we arrived in Louisiana for the winter, I watched the watchdog app for a week and noticed the power was fluctuating from 118v down to 109v. No one in the park knew it was so low, do I notified the mgr, and now their working on finding the cause. Thanks again Jay. Merry Christmas to you and the family.
@AdventureRocks Жыл бұрын
@@kreutztimothy Thank you! Merry Christmas!
@myk555017 ай бұрын
Hey, The hughes surge protector I heard they have problems I do have autotransformer I use different one for my main unit and have a pedestal one that is the sacrificial lamb as they say. Lighting will blow them out and I want the one on the post to blow and catch fire rather than the one in my bay.
@AdventureRocks7 ай бұрын
I think it's actually one of the more reliable surge protectors on the market. It does become the sacrificial component in cases of extreme surges or other power issues, but that is its purpose after all. Don't think you'll have to worry about it catching fire and such. One thing I really appreciate about the company is that they stand behind their product. You'll hear countless stories of fellow owners on social media with the same exact product sharing how it protected their coach or RV in a failure and the company replaced it free of charge. I'd definitely buy it all over again and it's my go-to moving forward.
@crprovost Жыл бұрын
Great video! Was it still under warranty?
@AdventureRocks Жыл бұрын
Still waiting to hear back from Hughes on verdict for warranty. Seems like it should be, but I didn't want to take any chances in the meantime.
@stevedenoyer5956 Жыл бұрын
Sometimes mechanical stuff fails. It’s never fool proof in just about anything. Liked how you trouble shoot everything. Might be a good idea to carry a volt meter with me. Not something you normally think about. I have the portable watch dog, same as you just the pedestal version. It’s already saved us a couple times.
@AdventureRocks Жыл бұрын
I learned a lot in process, and thankful in the end it was just a false positive. Would rather have it throwing a false positive than a false negative for sure!
@curtisa95 Жыл бұрын
Great video - Who did you talk to at Watchdog? Mine is doing the exact same thing. Thank you!
@AdventureRocks Жыл бұрын
Yes, I believe it was Ian. Email seemed to work best via sales@autoformers.com. I just got the replacement under warranty today. It is great to work with a company that stands behind their products.
@curtisa95 Жыл бұрын
@@AdventureRocks Thank you for the reply. I will send them a message. I hope I have the same experience.
@larryd57167 ай бұрын
Mine is doing same thing .. did they warranty box ??
@AdventureRocks7 ай бұрын
Yes, reach out to them and likely they'll replace it. Apparently there was a batch of devices manufactured where a specific part fails over the long-term causing the false positive. So they are definitely aware of the issue and which units are affected. But if it helps to know, it's my understanding that the device itself is still functional, it's just giving a false reading.
@stevebeaulieu261710 ай бұрын
Hi, did you ever have an E8 code with the 50amp Power Watchdog when you are plug at your house and you dont have many things drawing power in the coach ? I have a little issue when I draw not much power, let say 0.1 or 0.2 amps I'm getthing an E8 code for missing neutral at the coach, that is not true because the neutral is ok when I got stuff working at the same time. Thanks for your help.
@AdventureRocks10 ай бұрын
I have not gotten an E8 before. Do you have a full 50a connection, or are you having to use dog bone adapters to step down?
@indycrownroyal Жыл бұрын
Mine is doing the same thing. I thought it was the parks problem and they testes their power and find my Hughes is defective too.
@AdventureRocks Жыл бұрын
Interesting. Hughes was great about replacing it, so hopefully you'll be up and running again soon
@indycrownroyal Жыл бұрын
@@AdventureRocks I emailed them today. They are sending me the parts to fix mine, I have the Hughes Autoformer with booster.
@CWS17311 ай бұрын
I have the same issue but Hughes doesn't seem to want to return phone calls or emails.
@AdventureRocks11 ай бұрын
Sorry to hear that. Maybe try Instagram if the email doesn't work?
@CWS17311 ай бұрын
Need to update, they finally responded and are sending me a replacement unit.
@AdventureRocks11 ай бұрын
@@CWS173 Oh good! It's great when a company stands behind their products. I've really enjoyed my watchdog.
@ifish5409 Жыл бұрын
Great video. I have the same unit from power watchdog. Since these have replaceable surge modules I wonder if replacing that would have done anything? Be an interesting test as the modules are a lot cheaper than replacing the unit. Hope you hear good news on warranty from Hughes. Let us know.
@AdventureRocks Жыл бұрын
Thank you. I wondered the same thing on the surge module. I am awaiting final verdict from Hughes, but sounds like it'll be covered under warranty either way.
@rockyjay55 Жыл бұрын
Mine is doing the same thing does that mean my surge protector isn't doing its job?
@AdventureRocks Жыл бұрын
I'm not sure about that, but it seems like the LED indicator light for the open neutral condition was malfunctioning. Basically it was giving a false positive in my case where in reality nothing was wrong with my power source. Hughes was great about replacing it though for me so definitely reach out to them.
@darrylt5300 Жыл бұрын
I think I would have changed the Watchdog to a South Wire surge guard I am not a fan of the Watchdog because of the trouble I am having and their customer service it terrible or not at all. Oh and the company is 5 miles from my house so I drove over to them and talked to Brett and he did not offer any help and now has me on ignore because I have emailed and called and left messages at least 5 times. Mu Watchdog turns off the power completely for a few min. and then comes back on E6 code plus the trailer is plugged into my house where it has been for a few years and I tested the plug with another surge guard and it reads good. I wish I would have stayed with the portable surge guard. I may find a junction box and removed the hardwired Watchdog and use my South Wire SG plugin type.
@AdventureRocks Жыл бұрын
Sorry to hear. I'm supposed to get a replacement under their warranty, but we'll see if they follow through. The service I got wasn't the worst, but certainly could have been better.
@longgone2023 Жыл бұрын
We used a Surge Guard brand in our Class A mounted in the electrical bay which is just forward of the genset compartment. For our trailer I think we will buy another along with the digital display and mount it in the pass through.