RV 101

[brcree]

Hello, just picked up a 99 Minnie. Using a 5500 watt gen. how do get the ac to work here at my home?

[Mrmedia]

I see two possibilities: 1. If gen is part of Minnie land line should plug into outlet at rear of Minnie; 2. If gen is external and has 30 amp receptacle just plug it into that.
Sounds too simple, did I miss something in your question?

[al1florida]

The Minne most likely is wired for 30amp 120V power. The male connector on the end of your shore power cord is unique to RV's and is to be plugged into 120V ONLY.

Your 5500 watt generator probably doesn't have a 30amp female plug for an RV.

You will need to determine what kind of female outlets are on the generator and what amperage the outlets are. Then you make a 1 or 2 foot dog bone (a short jumper cable with a male outlet to fit the generator and a female outlet which matches your shore power cable.



If you have an electrician do this, be sure they understand this is 30amp 120V power, not a 30amp 240V power such as what is used for clothes dryer.



For more details do an internet search for "30 amp RV plug"

[brcree]

Ok, more info.......the generator is a Troy Built 5500 watt. It has 4 reg. looking household female plugs saying 120v. One 4 prong round female plug in 120/240 volt. I have a dog bone that came with rv that has the 3 prong 30 female plug end, and a reg household type male plug end.

[al1florida]

Originally Posted by brcree

Ok, more info.......the generator is a Troy Built 5500 watt. It has 4 reg. looking household female plugs saying 120v. One 4 prong round female plug in 120/240 volt. I have a dog bone that came with rv that has the 3 prong 30 female plug end, and a reg household type male plug end.

That is a 30amp to 15amp or 20am dog bone. That allows you to plug into a standard household outlet to run most things in the RV other than the air conditioner.

You will need to measure the voltage on the 4 prong plug marked 120/240 volt and see what kind of adapter (dog bone) is needed to plug into it. As long as that outlet is rated for 30amp it should run your A/C.
If you are going to take that generator out camping, and you park near other RV's you are going to have a lot of very unhappy campers around you. That generator is most likely to be very loud.

[brcree]

Thanks Al....no.....This gen wont be going with us. I did plug this dog bone into my home outlet and the ac seems to run fine.

[al1florida]

Originally Posted by brcree

Thanks Al....no.....This gen wont be going with us. I did plug this dog bone into my home outlet and the ac seems to run fine.

That's great. Just remember a single A/C is about all that can be run on the dogbone at one time. Even charging the batteries might pull more current than the household circuit can safely handle. Even if it doesn't trip the C/B in the house it is possible generate a lot of heat in the plugs and connectors. Plugs/connectors have been known to melt.

[Ray,IN]

You stated your genset has a 4-prong 120/240VAC outlet, right? On a genset this is likely a 30A twist-lock plug receptacle, as I've never seen a portable genset with a 50A receptacle. The twist-lock plug must be wired correctly so it only conducts 120VAC instead of 240VAC.
YOUR DOG-BONE RV ADAPTER WILL NOT WORK! Instead you must have a proper dog-bone adapter made-up by an electrician, or do it yourself if you are proficient.


Another factor not yet mentioned is grounding. Most portable inverter gensets are not grounded internally, if your AC does not run this is likely the cause. Bonding plugs are the solution.
That's my opinion, FWIW.

[tkamsal]

I bit the bullet and bought an RV electrical panel ($75) that has a regular 20 amp outlet and the 30 amp (120 volt) outlet and put it outside my house nearest the RV which in my case is 60 feet away. (I had to buy a 50 ft. 30 amp extension cord to reach the RV.) I made sure the electrician who wired the box understood the 30 amp outlet was 120 and NOT 240. I doubled checked with my own voltage gauge when he got done. It cost a little, but running 30 amps to the RV instead of the household 20 gives piece of mind and allows me to use the RV normally...like living in it for 8 weeks while house was being remodeled. I also have two outside household outlets that I didn't have before.