Progressive Industries PT-50

[truk4u]

Jdub,

Exchange it for the cheap one, just a few LED lights, not a problem for 3 years!

[phorner]

I, too, have had my share of returns of the Progressive PT-50. However, they have replaced it time after time after time.

That being said, the last time I thought mine had crapped out yet again, I found that it was simply taking a loooong time to let power through. On the portable unit, this can take as long as 5 minutes.

Apparently I wasn't being patient enough and thought that because all the appropriate displays were made, yet no power, that I had a problem when, in fact, I didn't.

Hopefully your "fix" will be just as simple....

[Jerry Winchester]

I'll give mine the "Long Time To Power Up " test before I box it up. In fact, the perfect box came in today and I had it saved for this very purpose.

[dreamchasers]

I also have a PT-50 that I have returned twice, so far. The first two times I returned it, Progressive could not find a problem with it.

I now have removed it from service. The latest symptoms was a "puzzler" for me. I stepped into the coach and noticed one of my inverter panels with an alarm stating high AC voltage. I glanced at the voltage panels and confirmed the high voltage of 150 V plus on one leg and 0 on the other. I immediately turned the coach breaker off. After a few moments of "thoughts", I removed the Progressive PT-50 from the circuit and plugged in the coach into the 50 amp plug and all was normal again? So, the culprit appeared to be the PT-50. At the time, I did not take the time to look for any alarms on the PT-50, I wanted to turn off the breaker as soon as possible.

So I will box it up again and send it in for repair. Progressive has always checked out and returned it to me, but the reliability of the device has been very low. On the bright side, I am glad I selected the portable unit that plugs into the pedestal, because it is easy to ship back for repair.

Hector

[phorner]

Hector,

Having the portable may just be the problem. I have had a minimum of 4 portable, counting all the "replacements" and I'm not real confident that my current one will be any more reliable than the rest.

That being said, I had the same unit hard wired in my Beaver coach and it performed flawlessly, in constant use as we are full timers, for 4 years. It was that experience that lead me to purchase the portable unit for the bus.

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

I have used the PT-50 at my bus barn since owning the bus without incident. I have very good and stable power there.
Since going on the road in Sept. the unit has worked flawlessly and saved my electricals several times.
Many campgrounds do not have good distribution of power and varying power usage in campgrounds stressed under high load cause the PT-50 to kick out until everything is normal again.
Twice accidents involving utility poles caused high voltage spikes to also turn power off.
If the PT-50 is unattended and turns your voltage off, it will turn it back on when it sees the proper voltage again automatically.
In some campgrounds I have found it disconnects every day at about the same late afternoon time, maybe when the power company throws more power on line for added loads?
A neighbor at one campground lost his TV and stereo and printer and and...
I like my unit and would feel very nervous without it.

[Jerry Winchester]

Maybe we need the Progressive guy to come to Austin? I mean, I really like the data it puts out at the pole and I like the protection it offers, but it's worse than owning a Harley.

[merle&louise]

Does anyone have proof that the PT-50 will actually stop a power surge from lightning?

Has your bus survived an electrical spike in an RV park where other coaches have sustained damage?

I am not trying to be sarcastic, I would just like to know the batting average of a PT-50 under real world conditions. I don't have one so any spike could cause damage to my coach. So far I have not lost any electrical accesssories or sustained any damage from electrical spikes or lightning in 20 years of RVing.

It seems to me that devices like this are more trouble than they are worth.

[RussWhite]

Hi Tuga,

You may remember I am an electrical engineer with my career spent in industrial automation and computer controls. I also spend 90% of my time each year in my motor home. The executive summary is I think an attempt at surge suppression as well as neutral protection is worth the investment. Now for a little anecdotal example for which you asked.
It was June 29th, one of those hot and humid summer afternoons when thunderstorms so often occur in the southeast. I was actually standing on the steps of the RV when the lightning struck a large hackberry tree about 25 feet from my feet :-) The bark was ripped off the tree from top to bottom and there was a new trench from the base of the tree to my power post. The gravel that used to be there showered down on the roofs of several nearby motor homes. I could place my forearm in the trench that was instantly created. About as soon as I realized I was okay I felt suddenly even warmer and heard a blowing sound. I think everything that was on at the time, and some things that were not, was damaged by the surge. The noise and heat was my furnace running - the thermostat contacts where welded together. I won't bore you with all the details of the damage but I was a busy beaver for a few days doing board level repairs or about everything you can imagine. To add insult to injury, next time I tried to use the cruise control, it too was fried.
I had no surge protection at the time and I think if I had the PI system installed, that would have been just one more thing that would have been ruined. There are times when lightning and its proximity to your equipment can release energy beyond the capability of the best suppression system. But, on the other hand, there is plenty of evidence there are the other occasions when the surge will have subsided enough due to distance that the suppressors work and project equipment downstream.
I personally have seen more damage at RV parks from poorly made neutral connections on 50A service than damage from high or low voltage.
My present bus has been dumbed down such that the only indications of available voltage were two lamps. I think I enjoy the remote display of the PI that shows phase voltage, phase current, frequency, and reason for last disconnect enough to justify it for that reason alone.
I am disturbed to read about all the trouble on this forum. I thought I had done my homework better than I apparently did. For what its worth, my PI ( hardwired in ) has been trouble free from installation about a year ago. Russ

[merle&louise]

Russ,

What brand of PI do you have?

Does it show reversed polarity?