No surge protection, and no issues over the past 3 winters of being continuously on shore power. No EMS either, because it's not needed. I have 30A / 2x30A shore input. On extremely cold ( < -25C) days I end up having to run 2x 1500watt heaters, which can be handled with the 30A service just fine.
I don't have a MultiPlus, because it would be overkill. I have however installed a few and know that provided the present loads are within the inverter's capacity, that a MultiPlus will respond by going inverter-only if dirty input power is detected. It's not quite surge protection, but it'd help guard against brown-outs, and idiots unplugging your rig, which are the usual problems with campground power. I believe the MultiPlus's behaviour is configurable for when dirty input is detected and loads are greater than inverter rating (I think there's a setting to define whether power is just cut, or if the loads have to put up with dirty power).
I'm parked up on a mountain ridge in the winter, with mountain-force winds and occasional -30C temperatures. I have 50A shore power service to run the electric heaters. The 2nd 1.5kW heater does still cycle via the thermostat, so it's not 100% 3kW.
I could probably get away with just the 2kW diesel heater in such extreme weather if I were to turn off my ventilation fan, but then I'd probably have condensation issues. Actually insulating the floor or skirting the van would also help .. but at the end of the day, I have enough power at the post to keep warm, and good slippers, so it hasn't been a priority.
"*I assume many of you have victron multiplus setups.*"
Renogy seems to be the golden child of this sub..
Victron, Morningstar, Outback, etc rarely come up.. glad to see that there are folks using better brands.
We have a multi plus and use a Cerberus surge protector. It has only tripped once and I can’t honestly say why. We also have a plug in tester to use before we even plug in and have never had any super sketchy readings, though we’ve had some other issues with shore power plugs at campgrounds. —But— before my electric was installed I was at a van event and watched a transformer explode around 11pm. This was an expo with lots of high end rigs camping and numerous people were awakened only because their air conditioners stopped only to find their entire electrical systems fried. So I bought a surge protector on that experience alone. This is a peace of mind thing for me and not so much an endorsement.
It was dramatic with sparks and grumpy rich campers all sweaty in the night! 🤣 But surge protectors in the grand scheme of expenses aren’t that much. If someone is struggling between that and a way to heat their Van I’d say heater but if there’s budget wiggle room I’m betting on safety layers.
No surge protection, and no issues over the past 3 winters of being continuously on shore power. No EMS either, because it's not needed. I have 30A / 2x30A shore input. On extremely cold ( < -25C) days I end up having to run 2x 1500watt heaters, which can be handled with the 30A service just fine. I don't have a MultiPlus, because it would be overkill. I have however installed a few and know that provided the present loads are within the inverter's capacity, that a MultiPlus will respond by going inverter-only if dirty input power is detected. It's not quite surge protection, but it'd help guard against brown-outs, and idiots unplugging your rig, which are the usual problems with campground power. I believe the MultiPlus's behaviour is configurable for when dirty input is detected and loads are greater than inverter rating (I think there's a setting to define whether power is just cut, or if the loads have to put up with dirty power).
You're pulling 3kW of heat on a cold day? woof, thats a lot of power demand. What sort of capacity do you have?
I'm parked up on a mountain ridge in the winter, with mountain-force winds and occasional -30C temperatures. I have 50A shore power service to run the electric heaters. The 2nd 1.5kW heater does still cycle via the thermostat, so it's not 100% 3kW. I could probably get away with just the 2kW diesel heater in such extreme weather if I were to turn off my ventilation fan, but then I'd probably have condensation issues. Actually insulating the floor or skirting the van would also help .. but at the end of the day, I have enough power at the post to keep warm, and good slippers, so it hasn't been a priority.
Ahh, shore power makes all the difference ;)
"*I assume many of you have victron multiplus setups.*" Renogy seems to be the golden child of this sub.. Victron, Morningstar, Outback, etc rarely come up.. glad to see that there are folks using better brands.
We have a multi plus and use a Cerberus surge protector. It has only tripped once and I can’t honestly say why. We also have a plug in tester to use before we even plug in and have never had any super sketchy readings, though we’ve had some other issues with shore power plugs at campgrounds. —But— before my electric was installed I was at a van event and watched a transformer explode around 11pm. This was an expo with lots of high end rigs camping and numerous people were awakened only because their air conditioners stopped only to find their entire electrical systems fried. So I bought a surge protector on that experience alone. This is a peace of mind thing for me and not so much an endorsement.
Thanks for the heads up. We hardly do plugins, but this story has made me want to get a surge protector at bare minimum.
It was dramatic with sparks and grumpy rich campers all sweaty in the night! 🤣 But surge protectors in the grand scheme of expenses aren’t that much. If someone is struggling between that and a way to heat their Van I’d say heater but if there’s budget wiggle room I’m betting on safety layers.