No 30 amp plug on generator

[John in Santa Cruz]

an autotransformer is actually something else entirely, what I think you guys are describing is whats known as a 'constant voltage transformer' or CVT, or colloquially, a "Sola" transformer (Sola was the biggest maker of these).

they are quite inefficient. they are also tuned to 60Hz, and if your line frequency varies at all from that (<cough>non-inverter generators</cough>) they can really suck down a lot of excess juice without helping.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by John in Santa Cruz

an autotransformer is actually something else entirely, what I think you guys are describing is whats known as a 'constant voltage transformer' or CVT, or colloquially, a "Sola" transformer (Sola was the biggest maker of these).

they are quite inefficient. they are also tuned to 60Hz, and if your line frequency varies at all from that (<cough>non-inverter generators</cough>) they can really suck down a lot of excess juice without helping.

What I am talking about is a Hughes Autoformer sold at Camping World for $362.44 on sale right now for $362.44 Item 102449 for a 30 amp one. This one has a built in surge protector. I bought mine a few years ago from Hughes directly and it did not have the surge protector. Don't know what anyone else is talking about but it is an autoformer. Sola is not even mentioned with this item.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Jann Todd

What I am talking about is a Hughes Autoformer sold at Camping World for $362.44 on sale right now for $362.44 Item 102449 for a 30 amp one. This one has a built in surge protector. I bought mine a few years ago from Hughes directly and it did not have the surge protector. Don't know what anyone else is talking about but it is an autoformer. Sola is not even mentioned with this item.

ah, ok, not an autotransformer OR a CVT... I have a similar AC voltage conditioner for some audio gear, mine has a bank of relays that engage different taps on a transformer to maintain 115-120V output when the input is as low as 90VAC, but its only a 300W max unit, I used it to protect some audio recording gear as bad power tended to make bad recordings.

[trainman]

Here is a drawing of the system that some Casita users use for their upgrade with a generator.

trainman

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

We never take our generator camping for purely philosophical reasons so I cannot be of any further assistance.

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

Many find even relatively quiet generators obnoxious.

Originally Posted by steve dunham

Count me in that group , I can take barking dogs , screaming kids , obnoxious drunks and even rap music to a point but Generator Noise has to be one of the most obnoxious sounds ever inflicted upon mankind .
A constant irritating drone that seems to go on forever
and ever.

Thank you Steve!

Enjoy,

Perry

[Rzrbrn]

Sound pollution is one big reason I am going solar. However, having said that, I have an onboard generator and so will have and use both as needed.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

Sound pollution is one big reason I am going solar. However, having said that, I have an onboard generator and so will have and use both as needed.

Sometimes noise is less important than charging a dead battery. And sometimes there are no other campers in the area. As much as possible, I don't want to subject others to the noise, as I don't want them to do with me.

You mentioned earlier that your built-in genny was only good for charging batteries. Why? Do you mean it has no 120 volt output, or you can't use it because it's not an inverter charger?

Non inverter generators have always run everything I've tried them on. And it was the kind everyone had before the inverter models.

Quote: "I have an onboard Cummins Onan 2500LP Generator. The only thing is does is charge the batteries. It is not an inverter generator."

[steve dunham]

Hopefully the NEC will make some changes to address the issue with low voltage issues in campgrounds. The current code derating factors for campgrounds were not designed for modern trailers with their increase electrical demand .
( Many Class A motor homes now have two A/Cs and laundry facilities )
To be fair to campground owners , many of their campgrounds are often only partially full during the week and empty much of the year so wiring for the maximum usage / worst case scenario would be impractical and not cost effective
Like others have said auto transformers and CVTs do not solve the root problem and often make the problem worse
For the present time the cheapest solution is lowering usage / demand

[Rzrbrn]

Raspy, my Cummins Onan 2500LP generator is located in the middle of the trailer side to side, well in front of the axles, and is underneath hanging down. As far as I can see from the manual, there are no electrical outlets. It is wired into the trailer electrical circuits. According to Cummins support it is designed to only charge the battery, I sent them an email just to be certain. The manual says it will run the AC, but we have not tried that, we have only run the AC when plugged into shore power. We also have not tried to plug anything into the 110v outlets while it was running. We did use it to charge the battery, to run the microwave and to run the furnace fan. We have been camping only one season with this trailer. It has a voracious LP appetite. It does not have an external muffler, which may be a future project.

The trailer is at the service shop and not accessible to me, other wise I would go under the trailer and check to see if there are any outlets, but I don't remember seeing any.

If I were to ever order a Big Foot from the factory I would not order a generator or generator prep. I mounted a gasoline Honda eu300is gen on the tongue of our Casita and just ran a power cord from the gen to the 30 amp outside receptacle. It ran everything and was great.

[Barb and Alan]

To each their own, I suppose but given the choice (where quiet isn’t one) I would prefer a quiet hum of a generator to screaming kids, loud drunks, and barking dogs. A steady hum is far easier to tune out.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

Raspy, my Cummins Onan 2500LP generator is located in the middle of the trailer side to side, well in front of the axles, and is underneath hanging down. As far as I can see from the manual, there are no electrical outlets. It is wired into the trailer electrical circuits. According to Cummins support it is designed to only charge the battery, I sent them an email just to be certain. The manual says it will run the AC, but we have not tried that, we have only run the AC when plugged into shore power. We also have not tried to plug anything into the 110v outlets while it was running. We did use it to charge the battery, to run the microwave and to run the furnace fan. We have been camping only one season with this trailer. It has a voracious LP appetite. It does not have an external muffler, which may be a future project.

The trailer is at the service shop and not accessible to me, other wise I would go under the trailer and check to see if there are any outlets, but I don't remember seeing any.

If it can run the Microwave and the AC, it is putting out 120 volts. I bet the inside plugs work just as they do when plugged into shore power. Try running it when not plugged into shore power, and test the interior plugs. "No external muffler" will help you remember it's running and will help you cut down on the propane use! Yikes!

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Deadhead517

To each their own, I suppose but given the choice (where quiet isn’t one) I would prefer a quiet hum of a generator to screaming kids, loud drunks, and barking dogs. A steady hum is far easier to tune out.

I actually prefer the sound of solar over any of the sources I mentioned in my post

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by Deadhead517

To each their own, I suppose but given the choice (where quiet isn’t one) I would prefer a quiet hum of a generator to screaming kids, loud drunks, and barking dogs. A steady hum is far easier to tune out.

Could be, but I've never had to face that choice. Usually, the choice is either quiet, or not quiet.

Recently in Death Valley, on a lovely and quiet evening, a big party decided to fire up the loudest generator ever, and then proceeded to turn on enormous flood lights and have a karaoke party, complete with an amp and loud speakers. It was so outrageous that I could not stop laughing at the absurdity of it. The definition of "over the top". Mindblowingly clueless and causing head shaking bewilderment amongst the other campers. Then there was a loud confrontation with another group who apparently wanted quiet. The yelling was drowned out by the generator. Finally, rangers were called that had to drive in from 60 miles away to calm the waters. The next night, the offenders gave us a break and simply ran the flood lights, turning night into day at the hot springs and eliminating any stargazing from the agenda. I have never seen lights so "loud" compared to the blackness of the desert sky. I became just as interested in who these people were as getting them to stop. An interesting case study.

[Rzrbrn]

It will be many days if not week before I get my trailer back. If I can remember I will run the genie and plug things in and report here.

I like quiet but I also like convenience, as in warm up frozen baked biscuits with cheese and sausage in the morning. Fast, tasty, filling and bam, on the trail.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

It will be many days if not week before I get my trailer back. If I can remember I will run the genie and plug things in and report here.

I like quiet but I also like convenience, as in warm up frozen baked biscuits with cheese and sausage in the morning. Fast, tasty, filling and bam, on the trail.

There definitely are times when convenience outweighs noise. The bigger problem is when someone else is running their generator and seems to "need" it running for long periods.

[Rzrbrn]

So true. We encounter this more at rest stops with the refrigerated semi's than campsites, but it does happen. Wife uses ear plugs, I use a sleep mask.

[Raspy]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

So true. I use a sleep mask.

Good choice! That way you can't see the noise.

[AC0GV]

[QUOTE=dfandrews;772402]Eva & Kirk,We purchased a Honda eu2200i for emergency use and for our trailer, an Escape 17 w/air conditioning (our big 120V load). It has 20A/120VAC receptacles, and we just use a 30A RV female/20A male adapter.

/QUOTE]

It looks like I was wrong again. The eu2200I has a two 20 amp outlets that can also take the 15 amp plugs . On the 2200 I companion, one of the 20s is replaced with a 30 twist lock that requires an adapter to get to the RV 30 amp..

[Raspy]

The various style plugs, such as 15, or 30 amp, etc, are designed to carry that amount of power safely, and are installed on wire capable of the same rating. It is their maximum safe rating. Some styles are used just because they are so common. But the style is not an indication that the generator can provide that much power. It doesn't mean you will get that much by plugging into that plug.

The adapters that allow us to plug a 15 amp cord into a 30 amp receptacle, or plug the 30 amp shore power cord into a household 15 amp receptacle are just adapters that must be used wisely, as we are in effect, defeating the purpose of the plug style and can easily overload the wire, causing it to burn up, or trip a breaker.

For instance, you can't adapt a 30 amp shore tie plug to a 15 amp household receptacle and then run the AC and the microwave at the same time, even though you have an adapter that allows you to plug in.

[CharlesinGA]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

Raspy, my Cummins Onan 2500LP generator is located in the middle of the trailer side to side, well in front of the axles, and is underneath hanging down. As far as I can see from the manual, there are no electrical outlets. It is wired into the trailer electrical circuits. According to Cummins support it is designed to only charge the battery, I sent them an email just to be certain. The manual says it will run the AC, but we have not tried that, we have only run the AC when plugged into shore power. We also have not tried to plug anything into the 110v outlets while it was running. We did use it to charge the battery, to run the microwave and to run the furnace fan. We have been camping only one season with this trailer. It has a voracious LP appetite. It does not have an external muffler, which may be a future project.

The trailer is at the service shop and not accessible to me, other wise I would go under the trailer and check to see if there are any outlets, but I don't remember seeing any.

If I were to ever order a Big Foot from the factory I would not order a generator or generator prep. I mounted a gasoline Honda eu300is gen on the tongue of our Casita and just ran a power cord from the gen to the 30 amp outside receptacle. It ran everything and was great.

The 2500 watt Onan is quite capable of running the A/C and charging the batteries (thru the power converter in the power panel)

I have the same generator and it works fine. Do you have a shore cord that connects to the side of the trailer with a twist lock connector? or do you have the hard wired shore cord that stows in a box in the side of the trailer?

The Onan only outputs 120V AC. It does not have a 12v DC output. The only way it charges the batteries is thru the power converter in the power panel. Note that all 120v wall outlets are also live when the generator is running, it is just like having shore power, just less capacity.

If you have the twist lock power inlet, then you have a automatic transfer box inside, probably under the dinette seat near the power panel. If you have the hardwired shore cord that stows in the storage compartment, you will find the generator outlet receptacle inside of this box, and you must plug your shore cord into it to get power from the generator into the trailer's power panel. Mine was like this but I have eliminated the storage compartment and installed a Marinco 30amp twist lock power inlet and a transfer switch for the generator output.

Charles