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Thread: Hughes Autoformer experience
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09-01-2022, 11:00 AM #11
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5 years ago I was frequently “camping” at a friend’s house plugged into his 30 amp rv outlet next to his barn. Frequently my EMS would shut down the power to my RV due to low voltage. I bought him a 30 amp Autoformer as a gift to leave at his barn. It solved the problem for me.
He had his class C motorhome plugged into that receptacle without an EMS for 2 years before I bought him the Autoformer. In that 2 years his AC compressor died twice, likely due to low voltage. Since the Autoformer was used he never had another AC problem.
I now keep a 50 map Autoformer in my RV and have only used it twice. But it is worth having. The thing works.Jerry & Linda
Emma & Abby our Mini Golden Doodles & JR our Amazon Parrot
2017 Reflection 337RLS, Build Date 01/2017, Titan Disk Brakes, Goodyear G614s 235/85/16 G Rated tires
2022 F-450 King Ranch Ultimate, 4,868 lb Payload, Bedrug Bedliner, Andersen Ultimate II Aluminum 5th wheel hitch
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09-01-2022, 01:59 PM #12
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Something else to consider. A lot of times a 30 amp Autoformer would suffice. It was my experience (in Canada) about 8 years ago that when I needed the boost it was almost always at a 30 amp connection to begin with.
Something else to consider...
Have you ever noticed that if there is low voltage it almost always is on the leg 2 side of 50 amps? It seems to me when 50/30 amp boxes are wired they mostly use leg 2 as the 30 amp side. At least that has been my experience/observation.Larry KE4DMG
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09-10-2022, 10:35 PM #13
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Being an electrician and having seen first-hand the carnage done to induction motors (the kind our AC's use) when the voltage is low because everyone in the RV park is using a lot of power at the same time.
I wanted to buy a 50 Amp Autoformer since I first heard about them and spent a lot of time looking at and pricing them, but there was always something else that needed the $500+ more urgently. That did not include the shipping cost for something that weighs 40 Lbs.
Last winter in Florida as we are every year to escape the Michigan winter, I happened to look for something on Amazon. At the bottom of the screen, since I had previously looked at the Hughes Autoformer, was an ad saying that I could buy one for $450 today and because it was over $25 the shipping was free!!! I told my wife this was the deal we were waiting for...
The Hughes Autoformer was designed to sit outside near the power pole because it is too heavy to hang from anything, yet it is NOT watertight. It comes with a 50 Amp RV pigtail and male plug. The outlet is a receptacle mounted on the left side of the unit. I didn't want ours to be 'portable' but I also wanted to be able to bypass it if something went wrong. I ended up mounting it to the divider panel in the basement after reinforcing the wall so it would not move. I then cut my main 50 Amp power line before the electrical panel and ran it to a 50 Amp RV receptacle mounted next to the Autoformer. I put a 50 Amp RV plug on the lead to the electrical panel. This way I can unplug and bypass the Autoformer if I ever need to.
Here is what took me by surprise... The first place we went after I installed the Autoformer was a popular private RV park in Michigan. We have stayed there many times before. It has 50 Amp service with full hook-ups. On a mild day when no one was running AC's I opened the basement door to get something and looked over at the Autoformer. The yellow 'voltage boost' lights were on. Long ago I permanently-mounted volt/amp meters in our unit for both phases. They confirmed that the voltage was indeed being boosted. I measured the voltage both before and after the Autoformer to double-check. I wouldn't have thought we would have had a problem with voltage at that place, but evidently we did.
Now, this week, we are at our favorite Michigan state park (Yankee Springs - Gun Lake) where we have always had power problems when it is hot outside...30 Amps only! (They have been promising electrical upgrades for the last 20 years) Since the very first day here I noticed that the Autoformer was boosting almost continuously. My brother, 4-lots over, had his in-line monitor shut down his RV due to low voltage while my Autoformer kept mine alive...! The Autoformer is a reasonable insurance policy against burning up AC motors and other low voltage problems...Last edited by fez111; 09-10-2022 at 10:49 PM.
Frank and Char + Maya, Newport, Michigan. 2016 Solitude 379FL/2006 F250 6.0 diesel w/dually conversion. 4th rain-sense roof vent, two ceiling fans, Kodiak disc brakes, Carlisle G 14-ply tires, Water Miser x2, final dump valve, water header tank, fridge cond fan switch, outside range exhaust, elec hot water anode, filtered drinking water, triple battery box,
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09-11-2022, 08:32 AM #14
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Frank,
Thanks so much for taking the time to write up this lengthy and helpful response. I picked our 50-amp Autoformer up from the Post Office yesterday and it's sitting here in the living area waiting for the rain to go away so I can put it through its paces. It's a long story, but I ended up getting it for $501 including tax (no shipping - Amazon). Laura has already started bugging me to make plans to go back to Cincinnati (the place where we most often have issues) to see those grandkids and now I no longer have an excuse.
To everyone else - thanks for your thoughtful responses. They have helped us feel good about this purchase and the peace of mind it will bring.
RobU.S. Army Retired
2012 F350 DRW CC LB Lariat PS 6.7
2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes,
Sailun LRG tires, solar, DP windows, W/D
(Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
Full time since 08/2015
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09-11-2022, 01:01 PM #15
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We bought one when traveling in the NE and Canada. I have an AC voltmeter that is visible in the coach and was surprised at how many parks in that region of the country had low voltage issues. It seemed more common than not to have only 108 volts or less, especially in parks that have only 30 amp service.
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09-14-2022, 07:40 PM #16
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Rob, so sorry to just now be replying. I bought the Hughes autoformer 50 Amp for my new 310 GK-R before we hit the road about 3 years ago. It worked well through 210 RV campgrounds and several power interruptions (off/on) in electricity. I never had an appliance (AC, Frig, etc) burn up etc. I can't tell you how many times it actually "added power" though. My electric interruptions were all campground wide.
However, just a month ago it burned out one of the 50 amp legs in the autoformer itself. The autoformer out plug (to RV power cord) was burned on that one leg plug and the 50 amp power cord plugged into the autoformer was burned on that same 50 amp plug in. I have no idea of the cause. There was no RV camp wide event at the time. Mine cost about $500 2.5 yrs ago. Now they are about $600 or so. I'm coming off the road next spring 2023 so I went with the Southwire 34951. I just didn't want to spend the $600.00 for short term use. The Hughes is "heavy". Plus you'll want to elevate it up on some platform when it is under your RV due to potential water flowing. In summary can't say how many times it booster power for me and can't say it didn't perish doing what it was supposed to do. My gut is it was an internal component failure and premature death.RV: 2020 Solitude 310GK - FB Paint, 300W Solar, Onan 5500 Gen, DP Windows, Samsung R-Frig, Splendide Stacked W/D.
Tow Vehicle: 2020 3500 Silverado, DRW, HC Pkg., D-Max 6.6L Diesel, 10 Spd. Allison Trans.
Hitch: Andersen 3220 Ult 2 With Safety Chain Package.
Satellite: Winegard Pathway X2/Wally Rec. RV Tow Camera Rear: Furrion Sharkfin 7" Monitor.
Autoformer/Surge Protect: Hughes 50 AMP
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09-14-2022, 08:06 PM #17
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From the manufacture web site: https://hughesautoformers.com/produc...ter-and-surge/
Low voltage likely isn't the issue since it was on the output of the autoformer at the frame mounted receptacle. It likely was a bad connection. I would call the manufacture. According to the site they have a 3 year warranty
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What Causes Melted Prongs and Plugs?
A big question many RVers ask is “What causes prongs or plugs (or sockets or the receptacle) to melt?”
Typically, the two most common causes of a melted plug or socket are a loose connection or low voltage. As long as you have a good, full connection at proper voltage, there should never be any issues.
Improper/loose connection: When you have electricity flowing through wires, it is like electrons moving down an eight-lane freeway. If there is a loose or bad connection, there is a point of high resistance – it’s bottlenecking. It’s like that eight-lane freeway going down to two lanes. Electrons will be bumping into each other at this point. This will generate heat, which causes the melting. Heat in itself is resistive to the flow of electrons; this causes more heat – which is more resistive – and so on, until that point melts or burns out.
Low voltage: Low voltage can also be a cause. This is because with inductive loads, the lower the voltage, the higher the amp draw to compensate. For example, your AC unit that is usually only 12 amps now requires 16 amps at a lower voltage. Amps are the flow or volume of electrons going through the wires. So if you increase your amps to compensate for low voltage, the wire will heat up. Again, heat is resistive to the flow of electrons, so it causes higher resistance that requires more amps and so on.Last edited by Jerryr; 09-14-2022 at 08:10 PM.
Jerry & Linda
Emma & Abby our Mini Golden Doodles & JR our Amazon Parrot
2017 Reflection 337RLS, Build Date 01/2017, Titan Disk Brakes, Goodyear G614s 235/85/16 G Rated tires
2022 F-450 King Ranch Ultimate, 4,868 lb Payload, Bedrug Bedliner, Andersen Ultimate II Aluminum 5th wheel hitch
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09-14-2022, 08:35 PM #18
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Jerry, You could well be right. Being plugged and unplugged in at least 210 RV parks could have worn the plug in from my 50 amp RV power cord to the Hughes out power plug. Interesting Hughes warranty declines coverage for "burn't plugs" if I remember reading it correctly. You are correct on the 3 year warranty. If I was going to stay on the road another 2-3 years I probably would have bought another one. When it burned out I needed surge protection now and didn't want to wait and battle it out with Hughes, time to ship it to them if needed etc. Interesting note the day after I installed my new surge protector lightning hit a tree 40 yards from our RV. No damage to our RV or surge protector. Big oak tree is now dying. With the surge protector, I replaced the 50 amp RV power cord also with the burnt male prong just to make sure all 100% new.
RV: 2020 Solitude 310GK - FB Paint, 300W Solar, Onan 5500 Gen, DP Windows, Samsung R-Frig, Splendide Stacked W/D.
Tow Vehicle: 2020 3500 Silverado, DRW, HC Pkg., D-Max 6.6L Diesel, 10 Spd. Allison Trans.
Hitch: Andersen 3220 Ult 2 With Safety Chain Package.
Satellite: Winegard Pathway X2/Wally Rec. RV Tow Camera Rear: Furrion Sharkfin 7" Monitor.
Autoformer/Surge Protect: Hughes 50 AMP
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09-14-2022, 08:52 PM #19
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If the burnt plug was at the pedestal connection i could see them not covering it due to a loose pedestal receptacle. Since the burned receptacle is on their output side, then their loose receptacle would be the cause and they should cover it. (hopefully) It should be simple fix for them to replace the receptacle. If it were mine I would to to repair it myself.
Jerry & Linda
Emma & Abby our Mini Golden Doodles & JR our Amazon Parrot
2017 Reflection 337RLS, Build Date 01/2017, Titan Disk Brakes, Goodyear G614s 235/85/16 G Rated tires
2022 F-450 King Ranch Ultimate, 4,868 lb Payload, Bedrug Bedliner, Andersen Ultimate II Aluminum 5th wheel hitch
http://visitedstatesmap.com/image/FLGANCSCsm.jpg
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09-15-2022, 05:57 AM #20
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Thanks @bhop56 and @Jerryr. We have purchased our Autoformer and it is tucked away in the basement. I do not intend to use it or keep it on-line all the time - only when there are issues with low voltage. We have a Progressive Industries EMS that tells us about voltage and takes us off-line when it gets too low. Where we are wintering this year the voltage never strays from 123 VAC (that makes it easier to type), so there is no need to have the Autoformer outside, exposed, and in use all the time.
Again - thanks to everyone.
RobU.S. Army Retired
2012 F350 DRW CC LB Lariat PS 6.7
2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes,
Sailun LRG tires, solar, DP windows, W/D
(Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
Full time since 08/2015
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