I had 30 amp shore power sitting right under my nose

[wildwest450]

I'm not the most electrically literate person, I know just enough to be dangerous.
We routinely lose power where I live, and have had a few ice storms where we were without power for as long as 8 days, so a generator is mandatory. I have a 30 amp double pole breaker running to a 4 prong generator outlet by the main house service, so I can run heat, a few lights, and the refrigerator when we lose power.
Fast forward to me browsing YouTube and watching a video of a guy who is making a pigtail so he can run his camper off of a big generator, it didn't have the RV plug like some do. He just used 10/3 power cord and only wired one side hot on the 4 prong plug that connected to the generator, TADA! 30 amp 120volt power.
So for $25, I can now run whatever I need to when getting ready for a trip.

[MartyG]

Some generators also have a three-prong twist lock outlet for 120 Volts, 30 amps. If you have one of those, you can use one of these: https://www.campingworld.com/30-amp-...male?rrec=true

[persistent]

"Just enough" looks like a professional job. You may wish to protect the plugs from rain and snow. Maybe wrap in a plastic bag.

[larrypride]

You might consider running both hot legs to your unit if it has a 50 amp chord. If your trailer is wired for 50 amps you could run 2 hot legs and a neutral and ground. If the gen has a 240 volt 30 amp 4 wire plug you could make the pigtail and be safe because your generator already has 30 protection for the #10 wire.

[Rayt38]

That is incredibly unsafe. That male end plug is REQIUIRED to have an interlock so that it can’t be energized when the main breaker is on. Otherwise someone could disconnect the adapter and get electrocuted.

[wildwest450]

Originally Posted by Rayt38

That is incredibly unsafe. That male end plug is REQIUIRED to have an interlock so that it can’t be energized when the main breaker is on. Otherwise someone could disconnect the adapter and get electrocuted.

I'm not sure what you are going on about, this setup is NO different than plugging into any electrical pedestal at any campground anywhere.

[Wanderer]

Seems OK because it is the female end that comes out of the house.
I agree though that it should be weather protected.

[larrypride]

I was fallowing rayt38. I thought you had a male lead coming out of your house to plug your trailer gen into to power your house if needed.

[wildwest450]

Originally Posted by Wanderer

Seems OK because it is the female end that comes out of the house.
I agree though that it should be weather protected.

It is, it's kinda hard to take a picture when it's hidden away

[wildwest450]

Originally Posted by larrypride

I was fallowing rayt38. I thought you had a male lead coming out of your house to plug your trailer gen into to power your house if needed.

I do