Progressive Industries Portable RV Surge Protector – EMS-PT30X

Introducing our lil’ Superhero. The Progressive EMS-PT30X!

Electricity is serious business, that’s why we plug this electronic gizmo into campground pedestals whenever they are provided to protect our wiring from any potential damage due to power surges.

Sure, everyone has experienced power-overloads in extreme climates when systems are strained by high-use. When it’s cold everyone plugs in their space heater to avoid high propane costs and when it’s hot everyone turns on their air-conditioner. This surge protector isn’t about that. In high-use situations we simply lower our usage and monitor the interior temperature with the Micro-Air Digital Wireless RV Thermostat when we are away. The Progressive EMS–PT30X addresses the big stuff, grid failures that will happen if you go Out There enough: lightening strikes, reverse polarity, open ground, high or low voltage and voltage fluctuations.  

Having stayed in 450 campgrounds to date, we’ve seen quite a few power pedestals with salt-corrosion and extreme weather damage. Of course, we never plug into bad poles and we report them immediately to the campground. But serious damage to our trailer and it’s contents cannot always be prevented by simple observation and common sense.

We’ve used the Progressive Industries Portable RV Surge Protector since Day One. In those seven years it has shielded our rig from interrupted currents in over a dozen different campsites – everything from national parks to pricey private resorts – involving electrical storms, brown-outs and city-wide blackouts. Those power surges could have caused catastrophic damage to our equipment, or even resulted in fire-damage to our rig, or worse.

Here’s how it works: When we pull into a campsite where we intend to use electrical service, we visually inspect the pedestal for quality and do not plug in until our surge protector gives us the “thumb’s up.” The Progressive only takes a couple of minutes to process and evaluate the service quality.

In our 2,400+ days and nights on the road, this expensive piece of equipment has not once been tampered with or stolen. But if we did lose it, for any reason, we would immediately acquire another one because it protects the value of everything we own. Low voltage could destroy our air-conditioner. High voltage could fry our ice machine. Improper wiring could electrify the skin of our trailer and kill us, seriously. Not kidding. All of these catastrophes have happened to RV campers due to bad electricity – not an every-day occurrence, mind you, but geez!

In cases of lightening strikes to a service power line, our lil’ superhero would give its life before allowing a surge to damage our trailer. That’s why this expensive gadget is essential. And, if it ever fails us, we will buy another one before we plug into power.

Electricity is scary stuff. Plugging into an unfamiliar source is a risk. Serious risks require serious protection.

For a rig with two air conditioners, you will need the 50 amp version.

If you use electrical hook-ups at all, you will need a surge protector. There are several on the market. Our testimonial for The Progressive EMS-PT30X is that we’ve used the same device for nearly seven years. It has endured extreme heat and extreme cold. Still looks good. Impressive.