Hughes 30 Amp Autoformer

[BornFree_n_Now]

We have been considering the purchase of one of these units for years, but always have been a bit put off by their price ~~ has anyone used one with their coach and, if so, have any comments one way or the other.

[Mike Jean Bandfield]

I see this as one of those insurance policies where you have to weigh the risks and benefits. It helps if you have an unusual requirement that will help sway the decision. Some things which may influence the decision are:

• - Frequenting a park or campground with notoriously bad power.
  - You depend on your AC a lot.
  - Working from your BF and requiring high availability of communication equipment.
  - Medical needs requiring clean power.
  - Full timers and trekkers who don't have a home base to return to for repairs.
  - Any others?

I'm a little cavalier about it probably because (1) I've never been bit yet. (2) I always test the voltage and wiring configuration before plugging in. (I've been told by camp ground maintenace people that RV'ers sometimes rewire outlets - usually with their rear bumper.) And, (3) We don't have any high reliability requirements. So for us, without a pressing need, its just one more thing to keep us from enjoying camping.

I might feel differently if it were still the 70s and 80s. These days surge protection for individual electonics is pretty easy and cheap; and voltage regulation for a laptop isn't really necessary. If it's <105Vac we don't use it for the AC or microwave. Some food for thought: When you disconnect your batteries while connected to shore power you lose the batteries ability to sink randon pulses and surges in the 12 V system. I've also thought about getting a spare controller circuit board for the refer just in case.

Mike

PS. The Autoformer will also displace 3 gallons of beer from your ccc.

[BornFree_n_Now]

Mike:

Well reasoned response, and basically what our thought process has been. In our recent travels, however, we have found ourselves using a 100 foot, 30 amp cord, plugged into a 15 amp receptacle, when visiting relatives in hot climates ~~ this coupled with our continuous need for AC (two coach cats), caused us to revisit the issue ~~ our understanding is, that through the use of the Autoformer, at the coach end of the extension run, we can overcome the line loss, and keep the AC unit happier ~~ your final point, with regard to the unfortunate associated problem of beer displacement, does, however, give one serious pause for consideration

[Mike Jean Bandfield]

Do you know the AC line voltage when the AC compressor is on? I'd be currious how much extra current this thing will draw.

Your's sounds like the perfect application for this product. However, I'd be a little concerned that the device is going to draw more current which it "transforms" to a higher voltage. The 15A circuit is probably right at it's maximum capacity already with a 13.5K BTU AC. Are you sure the autoformer won't just trip the breaker. (Maybe you can find a circuit that could safely handle a 20A breaker.)

I've heard the Hughes unit works well and there are not a lot of alternatives on the market for the price. The SOLA transformers I'm familiar with would cost 3X as much as the Hughes, do less and displace more beer . If you are buying from Camping World make sure you're getting the new model with the automatic mode. (They sometimes sell back level products.) Occasionally you see them used on eBay.

If you go this route please let us know how well it works for you.

Mike

[BornFree_n_Now]

Mike:

Opted to go with the Frank's Electronics booster (http://voltagebooster.com), as it offered greater boost than its competition, and also provides high & low voltage protection ~ the fact that it checks for polarity and ground faults are also nice features.

The unit seems well constructed, and using the optional install kit, we chose to mount it under the bathroom sink, in a fashion which allows it to be quickly removed from the circuit.

Initial tests of the unit have left us very happy with the purchase (one of those things that we really wonder why we didn’t purchase earlier).

Where voltage at our home (80 feet of 30 amp cable), at times would drop to 113 volts, it is now 124-25 volts, with everything running far happier. The unit runs warm, not hot, although I may opt to put in a small computer fan in the compartment just because I have easy access to power there, and it could be turned on only if we were using everything in the coach at once.

All-in-all, we will test more thoroughly on an upcoming trip, but at the moment, we are very happy campers.

[Brent]

How does this differ from the line units such as Camping World's surge guard? They seem to also protect from low voltage.

I had two bad experienes with low voltage and since using one of these, no problems.

[BornFree_n_Now]

How does this differ from the line units such as Camping World's surge guard? They seem to also protect from low voltage.

I had two bad experienes with low voltage and since using one of these, no problems.

The Frank's unit is somewhat like the Autoformer which Camping World sells, in that both units actually boost low voltage, rather than just alerting you of its existence, and/or disconnecting you when it occurs.

[Trisha]

I have heard that those units which actually increase voltage pose a larger drain on the resources. Do they? So if everyone in a park had one, one would cause major problems for the park?

Something like that.

I use one of those surge protectors from Camping world. I also really do no tlike to plug into 15 amp outlets. 20 amp preferred.

The camping world surge protector alerted me to a problem on the line at a friends house, turned out that there wa s voltage going to ground on their circuit and it warned him in time to fix his house wiring instead of a possible conflagration at a later date. So I can attest that if there's a problem they do show an error light. But short of delaying the inevitable shut down, they don't do much good when the power goes off for an expanded time.

Trish

[BornFree_n_Now]

I have heard that those units which actually increase voltage pose a larger drain on the resources. Do they? So if everyone in a park had one, one would cause major problems for the park?

Something like that.

Seems that has been/is an invalid belief, at least per this site which sells and discusses the Hughes Autoformers: http://rvperformanceproducts.com/index.php?id=toddqa

“Q. I have been told that the Autoformer steals power from others in the RV Park. Is this true?

A. The answer to this question is NO. How this got going, is beyond me.
Anybody who has even the slightest knowledge of electricity has to know that is impossible. What occurs when using the Autoformer is a little less than one Amp is consumed when it is converted into ten volts. This is a mathematical equation as described in Ohms Law. The resulting higher voltage allows the RV to operate more efficiently when using its electrical appliances. I guess that when some idiot sees that you have a higher voltage than he has, he must think (using the term loosely) that you must be taking voltage from him.â€