The 7 Best 50 Amp Surge Protectors

Editor's Notes

October 23, 2020:

A quality surge protector will give you peace of mind that the appliances and electronics onboard your RV won’t suffer damage from power surges due to lightning strikes or other problems with a campground’s power. Our list includes several such 50 amp devices, like the simple and portable Surge Guard 44270, a budget-friendly choice that accurately identifies problems with a park’s pedestal before you plug it into your coach. Another such model is the Progressive Industries SSP-50XL, which is available from an industry leader and comes with a protective rain guard and is backed by a lifetime warranty. In addition to such surge protectors, though, we were sure to include several more comprehensive electrical management system (EMS) models that not only shut the power down to your rig in the event of surges, but also safeguard against a host of other problems like miswiring, open neutral, and reverse polarity. One such selection is the newly added Hughes Autoformers PWD50-EPO-H, a hardwired selection that’s housed on board, so you won’t have to worry about it being stolen or destroyed by the elements. This is the only one on our list that’s designed to send an alert to your smartphone when there are power problems. It also can perform remote monitoring of your usage via Bluetooth.

We’re partial to both portable and hardwired EMS models from the aforementioned Progressive Industries, one of the best-known names in the market. This company dedicates itself solely to making surge protectors, and its Progressive Industries EMS-PT50X is a portable choice that’s easy to transfer to a different RV if the need ever arises. While it’s easy to plug and unplug from the pedestal, accordingly, it’s equipped with a secure bracket to which you can attach a lock to ensure it stays put. If you prefer a device that doesn’t stay out in the elements, the Progressive Industries HW50C is definitely worthy of a look. It’s housed on board and comes with a handy remote display that you can use to monitor your electrical use and check for error codes from anywhere in your RV. If it does restart due to voltage fluctuations, it makes use of a time-delay feature that helps protect the compressor of your air conditioner from damage. In this update, we removed the Surge Guard 35550, a hardwired model, due to issues with availability.

January 24, 2019:

Anyone in the market for an RV surge protector should know there are both hard-wired options that are housed inside your vehicle and portable ones that sit outside of it. Both types connect your rig to a campground power pedestal via wires. Standard surge protectors will safeguard from a voltage spike, whereas the pricier electrical management systems will do that, plus protect from a wide range of additional power problems. Our list features all of these options to fit your needs and budget.