Hughes Transformer Installation Help

[Tom Goudie]

I would like to install a Hughs 50 amp protector in my garage to keep it safe and dry. I was told it was no big deal, just attach it to the transfer switch and your good to go. I am lost with not knowing where to find it. Has anyone encountered this with their rig?

Thank you for whatever help you can give me.
Tom

[howson]

I would like to reach out to the forum with a couple of situations that you may have some thoughts on. We have owned a 2018 373FB for a little over a year.
1. I have a dump problem sometimes, where I am unable to dump after a week or two of camping. The last time I was here in California at a Thousand Trails in Oregon House for about 3 weeks. I did have the Honey Wagon come out and pump have way through the trip. Upon leaving, I was unable to get a drop out at the dumpsite. I have brought this up to our only service center in the past, it is the only one in the area in the area and they said I needed to change the additive from the little packets to a liquid, I did and still no go. Any Thoughts?
2. I would like to install a Hughs 50 amp protector in my garage to keep it safe and dry. I was told it was no big deal, just attach it to the transfer switch and your good to go. I am lost with not knowing where to find it. Has anyone encountered this with their rig?
Thank you for whatever help you can give me.
Tom

Tom--welcome to the forum.

I'm going to move your post to the applicable Technical Forum channels and separate them into separate threads, as the questions are completely unrelated to each other. I'll send you links to both threads here momentarily.

-Howard

[howson]

I would like to install a Hughs 50 amp protector in my garage to keep it safe and dry. I was told it was no big deal, just attach it to the transfer switch and your good to go. I am lost with not knowing where to find it. Has anyone encountered this with their rig?

Thank you for whatever help you can give me.
Tom

Here's the electrical question, Tom. I don't know anything about the device so hopefully someone with knowledge will chime in here soon.

[TucsonJim]

I would like to install a Hughs 50 amp protector in my garage to keep it safe and dry. I was told it was no big deal, just attach it to the transfer switch and your good to go. I am lost with not knowing where to find it. Has anyone encountered this with their rig?

Thank you for whatever help you can give me.
Tom

Hi Tom - Are you talking about the Hughes Autoformer such as shown in the link below?

https://smile.amazon.com/Hughes-Auto...ustomerReviews

Jim

[Tom Goudie]

That is the one.

[TucsonJim]

That is the one.

It couldn't be easier. Plug the autoformer into the 50 amp shore power outlet, then plug your RV shore power cord into the autoformer. It is not connected to the transfer switch in your RV.

Jim

[Tom Goudie]

Hello Jib,
I have been using the autoformer as you said on several trips. One is in the snow and one is in the rain. They are not waterproof, so I need to put at least a plastic bag over it and make sure it chained to the electrical station. These things as you are aware are not cheap and others may want to do a midnight run and use if for their own use if you know what I mean.

[TucsonJim]

Hello Jib,
I have been using the autoformer as you said on several trips. One is in the snow and one is in the rain. They are not waterproof, so I need to put at least a plastic bag over it and make sure it chained to the electrical station. These things as you are aware are not cheap and others may want to do a midnight run and use if for their own use if you know what I mean.

A plastic kitchen size trash can turned upside down makes a great way to hide it and protect it from the elements. And then lock it to your RV with a heavy duty cable lock or chain through the handle.

Jim

[boyscout]

I would like to install a Hughs 50 amp protector in my garage to keep it safe and dry. I was told it was no big deal, just attach it to the transfer switch and your good to go. I am lost with not knowing where to find it. Has anyone encountered this with their rig? Thank you for whatever help you can give me. Tom

If there isn't a reason to be stuck on the Hughes device, there's another consideration.

Perhaps one of the most popular such devices is this one:

https://www.progressiveindustries.net/ems-hw50c

It costs more than the Hughes, but it mounts permanently inside the trailer's basement and abates the concerns about theft and weather as well as the issue of handling it each time you set up and take down a camp.

It's not a hugely-technical thing to install this - it comes with great instructions and lots of online help available - but it's a bigger bite the first time than just hanging out the Hughes. You also potentially DO have to know about your transfer switch, if you have one. (Do you have a generator?) Or, you can pay a mobile tech for about an hour's work to install it for you.

The HW50C comes with an excellent warranty and support. While reports of problems with it are rare, those who have had trouble report that the company was outstanding.

I started with a pedestal-hanger (not Hughes) but soon wearied of the handling and the worry and installed the HW50C. Very happy with it.

[lobsters]

[Edited from a previous post of mine on another forum.]

You may want to consider this when thinking about whether to buy an autoformer. I haven't yet seen the final 2020 NEC myself, but the following has many references on the web.

In an article about the new (2020) revision of the National Electrical Code (NEC), I came across this paragraph that I thought might be of interest here.

The panel took action to prevent autotransformers from plugging into RV site electrical equipment. The use of autotransformers helps the user’s RV maintain a good voltage in their RV, but at the cost of additional amperage used at that site and the possibility of lower voltage to surrounding RVs. This action helps RV park operators prohibit their use by having a code article to point to when speaking with their guests.

Many references to this NEW rule in the NEC may be found with the search engine string: "nec 2020 revision autotransformer prohibited campgrounds rv parks".

-Al

[lobsters]

If there isn't a reason to be stuck on the Hughes device, there's another consideration.

Perhaps one of the most popular such devices is this one:

https://www.progressiveindustries.net/ems-hw50c

...deleted...

Note that the progressive industries units are not autoformers, but are excellent surge / spike / over / under voltage protection. Therefore, they aren't quite the same as the Hughes unit above. Whether it fills TOm's need is of course up to him. Installing this was literally the first mod I made, the first night we owned the rig.

[OffToHavasu]

Just to repeat the warning I've put on another post, Autoformers are against the NEC regulations, so use at your own risk.

[TucsonJim]

Just to repeat the warning I've put on another post, Autoformers are against the NEC regulations, so use at your own risk.

Hughes defends the use of their autoformers, but it's still against the 2020 regulations (not law). They should not be able to sell these units to unsuspecting customers (like myself). It's going to get ugly when an RV owner plugs one in, and the RV park owner tells them to unplug their $500+ autoformer and to live with the 102 volts available on the pedestal. I think we'll be seeing quite a few autoformer owners figuring out a way to camouflage their units or wire them inside the coach.

Jim

[Cate&Rob]

Autoformers are not a complete EMS. You still need a Surge Protector/EMS to shut things down if the park voltage goes below the range that the Autoformer can handle.

From https://hughesautoformers.com/custom...ked-questions/
"If the park power is inferior (reading below 95), the Autoformer will not have enough power to work and will go into by-pass mode (and will not boost)."

Rob

[OffToHavasu]

Hughes defends the use of their autoformers, but it's still against the 2020 regulations (not law). They should not be able to sell these units to unsuspecting customers (like myself). It's going to get ugly when an RV owner plugs one in, and the RV park owner tells them to unplug their $500+ autoformer and to live with the 102 volts available on the pedestal. I think we'll be seeing quite a few autoformer owners figuring out a way to camouflage their units or wire them inside the coach.

Jim

I don't disagree about making owners will make it camouflage, and parks should definitely not be saying live with low voltage. I did a write up somewhere else, I think, on this forum on the negatives of the autoformer. But of course Hughes is going to defend, they're trying to sell it.

What will get uglier is when the customer barks back saying they won't unplug it even if the power is clean. I can see a lot of people using these "just in case". At that point, the park will say pound sand and see ya later.

My oldest NEC goes back to 2005 and back then states autformers shall not be used.

The confusing part about the NEC is which year your state, and even AHJ, has approved. Even though we're in 2020, some are still working off the 2011 code. However, whatever code they've adopted, that's what they will enforce. So even an NEC that's 15 years old still states they shall not be used, I can't imagine anyone not adopting a code exceeding that time frame.

Here's the link on the issues with autoformers:

https://gdrvowners.com/forum/operati...=6187#post6187