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Old 09-27-2005, 08:20 AM   #1
Montana_2779
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Generator for my 30 amp service

Howdy, all, from VERY wet southeast Texas! Although we survived Rita intact, we are now looking into the purchase of a generator for supplemental electrical service. I've reviewed a number of the threads on generators via the "search", but had some difficulty finding an answer to my question. If anyone is aware of a good thread for this, please point me in the right direction:

We have the Mountaineer 297RKS with 30 amp service. I would like to buy a stand-alone generator (I'm currently looking at the larger "cheap" ones at Pep Boys) to run the A/C, frige and TV as we lose power. Unfortunately, all of the units I'm seeing (3000-6000 watts) have a couple of 120v/15amp plugs and a 240v plug (4-prong circular if I remember correctly). Is anyone aware of a generator that has a 110v 30amp outlet that will match my rig's power cable. If that is not available, what is the next easiest solution to get appropriate power to the rig?

If possible, I'd like to avoid any hard-wiring as the unit is still under warranty, and we don't expect to use the generator more than a couple of times a year. If a straightforward adaptor is available that will allow me to use the 240v output and convert it down to 120v 30amp (or the like), that would be fine with me, too.

Thanks for any insight!!!
 
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Old 09-27-2005, 11:16 AM   #2
BillyRay
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there are adapters out there you could buy or have an electrician make you one. there not that much money.
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Old 09-27-2005, 01:34 PM   #3
Glenn and Lorraine
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I would not try it on my own but for safety sake I would instead contact an electrician. There should be no problem wiring the 240 to 120 by making up an adaptor.
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Old 09-27-2005, 01:50 PM   #4
OntMont
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Take a look at the Generac 4000XL, it has a 30 amp, 110 volt outlet that is just ideal for RV use.
All you would need is an adaptor made up to convert the twist-lok outlet to an RV outlet. Mine came from Home Depot a few years ago. It has proven to be very reliable and fairly quiet for a modest price. We use it at home during power outages, and take it with us for boondock camping.
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Old 09-27-2005, 01:56 PM   #5
richfaa
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We got ours at Sears at it has a 30 amp outlet and plug...3.5K and it was not real expensive. It ran everything on our TT but of course not at the same time.Have used it many times here in Northern , Ohio during power outages, Ice storms, severe summer weather etc. ...Normally if the power outage is prolonged we just move out to the camper which is always along side the house. If during hot weather it will take care of the fridg/freezer and some lights. I would however suggest a larger unit. 5 to 6K.
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Old 09-27-2005, 02:29 PM   #6
jsmitfl
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Pete, I have a 5000 Honda and it has the 30 amp twist lock. What you need is the male twist lock to match whatever you get. You can go either way here, get a 20' 30amp extension cord at CW and cut the male end off and put the twist lock on, or they have a short pigtail there also. It has just the female end on it and then you add your 30amp twist to it. If you get the longer cord you can get the generator a few feet away from the coach and sheild it with some plywood to get away from the noise. Just make sure it is away from anything hot or it will catch fire. Also leave enough area open to keep generator cool. sorry for the long post.
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Old 09-28-2005, 06:38 AM   #7
VanMan
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There's a 1000+ thread on the Open Roads RV Forum under "Tech Issues". Looks like what I'm going to do is the suggestion to get the Power Pro 5500 from Pep Boys and then make an adapter using Harbor Freight parts + a male RV plug. The two 110 outlets are already "parallel" (the cheap 3600's are not and folks are having to rewire the outlets) which allows the adapter to plug into both at once keeping the voltage at 115 but doubling the amperage (I think to 46 amps). Go HERE and look for an entry by "HATCH - TX"
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Old 09-28-2005, 06:55 AM   #8
Jeff Heiser
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I have a Homelite 5600 generator. The model I have has 1 30 amp socket that takes a locking type plug; a type I have never seen before; 1 240 socket and 2 20 amp sockets. For the last 4 years we have used it in the following manner to provide 30 amp service to our TT. You go to WalMart and buy a 30 to 20 AMP plug adapter and use it to connect your 30 amp rig cord to the 20 amp socket on the generator (just like in cmapgrounds with either 20 or 50 amp service but no 30 amp). We have run our air conditioner, microwave, televisions, computers etc many times at the same time and never have we had a problem. In fact when we first tried it I wanted to make sure the plug and cord were not getting hot when we loaded it; it has never even come close to getting hot and the breaker has never tripped do to overloading the circuit. In my most humble honest opinion it works great for us, why not try it with yours.

God Bless America,
Jeff Heiser
Merritt Island Florida
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