Is this okay to power my TT AC?

[Uvafan15]

My TT has a standard 3 prong 30 amp plug, my generator has a 120/240v 30 amp (L14-30R) 4 prong locking plug. I purchased the Camco 55382 12" 30Amp Locking 4-Prong Male / 30Amp Standard Female PowerGrip Generator Adapter to use.

My question is will this be ok? I don't want to send too many volts to my camper, and I've read it will only be sending 120v, but I am new to this.

My generator is a 5,000 watt continuous.

[norty1]

Nothing in your rig needs 240v. I am not familiar with your adapter combo, but a voltmeter check may be in order before actually plugging it into the camper.

[DustyGeek]

I think it should work fine. The receptacle on your generator has two 120V hot legs (opposite phases), a neutral and a ground. I believe one of the hot legs on the generator plug end of the adapter is just not used since there's nowhere to connect it on the receptacle end. If you want to be absolutely sure, take a voltmeter and measure it, testing each leg against the other two. You should get 120V from hot to both neutral and ground, and nothing from ground to neutral.

[mike837go]

I've built such adapters in the past. As long as only 120VAC is presented to the 120V receptacle, you are safe to operate.


However, you are going to be near the limits of the genset. 5,000 watts is at 240V. So its rated capacity is about 21A. Since your are only using 1 side of the generator, you'll only have 21A at 120V or 2,500 watts for your trailer.


And, no. You can not connect the two sides to get 42A @ 120V.


Just to start a flame war: you'll have to bond ground to neutral at the genset while your are running independently.

[Uvafan15]

Now I am even more confused....What do you mean by I will have to bond ground to neutral? I thought it was as simple as plugging in my power cord and running the AC.

[DustyGeek]

Thanks to Mike, TIL about ground-neutral bonding.

Here's some info that seems to have written it up fairly nicely: Generator Ground-Neutral Bonding | No~Shock~Zone

It's possible the dogbone you purchased does that for you. A continuity check between ground/neutral would say for sure.

[djtho1]

Uvafan, is this for your tailgating trip? That generator you are describing will certainly power your camper once set up correctly, but I would check and see if there are any noise requirements where you are going. That unit is likely to be quite loud and you may run into difficulties if they have noise rules.

As said above, checking for the ground bonding is a good idea. My last construction generator came bonded from the factory, and I had to un-bond it to hook it up to my home. Yours may or may not have that.

[Jagiven]

I would check your generator’s owner’s manual. Typically a 4 prong outlet means there are two hot legs of power, aka 240 volts, one neutral and one ground. You need a single hot leg of power for 120 volts.

I looked up the “dogbone” you mentioned and the one online I looked at appears as it should work for you, as it will step it down to a single power 120V leg. You will probably have to order it online, or visit a good home improvement store.

[Seann45]

Originally Posted by Uvafan15

My TT has a standard 3 prong 30 amp plug, my generator has a 120/240v 30 amp (L14-30R) 4 prong locking plug. I purchased the Camco 55382 12" 30Amp Locking 4-Prong Male / 30Amp Standard Female PowerGrip Generator Adapter to use.

My question is will this be ok? I don't want to send too many volts to my camper, and I've read it will only be sending 120v, but I am new to this.

My generator is a 5,000 watt continuous.

Yes it will work fine.. that plug is designed to use the way you have it set up...

[jmsokol]

Originally Posted by mike837go

And, no. You can not connect the two sides to get 42A @ 120V.

I'm Mike Sokol from the No~Shock~Zone. Thanks for posting a link to my article on generator neutral bonding.

The answer to using a 240 volt generator to produce full power at 120 volts and full power is yes you can. However, it requires a large and heavy 5KW 240/120V transformer costing around $500. But that's beyond the scope of this course...

Mike Sokol
www.NoShockZone.org

[jmsokol]

Originally Posted by DustyGeek

I think it should work fine. The receptacle on your generator has two 120V hot legs (opposite phases), a neutral and a ground. I believe one of the hot legs on the generator plug end of the adapter is just not used since there's nowhere to connect it on the receptacle end. If you want to be absolutely sure, take a voltmeter and measure it, testing each leg against the other two. You should get 120V from hot to both neutral and ground, and nothing from ground to neutral.

Here's my No~Shock~Zone article about how to measure an outlet BEFORE plugging in your RV. RV Electrical Safety: Part III – Outlets | No~Shock~Zone

And here's a video I made on how to test a campground pedestal for proper voltage and grounding.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5pLlZm8O84

Mike Sokol
No~Shock~Zone.org