Hughes Autoformer, a leader in voltage protection and correction, has launched the Power Watchdog EPO (emergency power off) version of advanced smart surge protection.
Hughes Autoformers’ other products, voltage boosters/regulators, correct high and low voltage before it travels to the coach from shore power. The Power Watchdog, an entry level surge protector with a Bluetooth app, is the mid-line product that utilizes the technology of the previous Bluetooth app along with the automatic shut off and restart of an EMS system.
EPO is the industry equivalent of EMS for auto shutoff surge protectors.
The Power Watch Dog EPO continuously monitors all power conditions, low voltage, high voltage, open neutral, open ground, reverse polarity, how many volts the park is providing, how many amps a user is drawing, and even how many kilowatt hours someone has used in that particular park. All this information can be viewed on a phone, according to the company.
Volts, amps and kilowatt hours can be seen in real time by the customer. In dangerous power conditions, the Watchdog will shut down the RV. An alert is immediately sent to the customer’s phone via Bluetooth. These alerts inform the customer why they’ve been shut down and what they should do.
Once the Power Watchdog has shut off the RV, it will keep it off until it sees the problem has been corrected and the RV has been safe for 90 seconds. The Watchdog will then turn the RV back on automatically.
The Power Watchdog EPO, like all Hughes Autoformers products, have replaceable surge protection. The Watchdog unit will notify the user if the 2,400 joules in the 30-amp model or 4,800 joules in the 50-amp model have been exhausted. The customer then contacts Hughes Autoformers who will then send the new surge board overnight to the customer. This is a free service for the first two years after purchase (product warranty registration required), after two years it is only $30 or $50 depending on the model.
The second unique feature is Power Watchdog has the iconic image of a watchdog on the front of the unit. The dog image is illuminated in white LED light when all is well. The image turns red when park power conditions go bad.
The Hughes Autoformers Power Watchdog EPO comes in both hardwired and portable versions. Retail pricing for the 30-amp models average $225 and 50-amp $275.
Product are available through RV dealers, RV distribution or contact Hughes Autoformer direct for more information.
