A/C power from generator.

[Kevin Dullea]

I just bought this 83 Brougham rv and the gen charges the battery, but no A/C to the camper. There is a 30A outlet mounted right inside of where the power cord is stored. The power cord was cut. and I am adding a male 30A plug. it did come with a 30A extension cord.  The A/C does work when plugged to shore power. Could the Gen be powering that box? Plugging the RV cord into that box be how I get A/C to the camper? I do not see any power center. just the A/C-D/C power bow with CB and Fuses. 

Thanks for the help.

[david craft]

I meant I agreed about the plug John. I didnt want folks to think the fuses were the breaker. If the auto transfer switch switches all three leads, would not the neutral be bonded on all systems?

[John "T" Nordhoff]

 David, yep we are in agreement as far as the plug and receptacle.

 YES the Transfer Switch should switch all three leads, namely the Hot UnGrounDED Conductor; The GrounDED Conductor (Neutral); and the Equipment GroundING Conductor, and the 2 Pole 3 wire GroundING NEMA TT30 R Receptacle accomplishes that when you aren't at an RV Park pedestal so instead plug your cord into the gensets output via that Receptacle, I.E. you're indeed switching all three wires. The GrounDED Conductor (Neutral) is bonded to the Equipment GroundING Conductor at one location ONLY, which is the main panel in the RV Park (NOT in the RV Distribution Panel) OR what's considered a "Separately Derived Source" the Onan Genset which is NON floating, meaning its Neutral is bonded to its case/frame.

 Clear as mud lol

 I'm long retired as an Electrical Distribution Design Engineer and rusty as an old nail but believe the above is still accurate, however NO WARRANTY

 John T

[david craft]

Thanks for clarifying that for me and other readers present and future. One preacher put it this way...you may have a little snow on the roof, but you still got a fire inthe furnace. I wish you a happy vacation as do the rest of the GORV clan as well...Thank you for all you do here...

[Jim Stoltz]

Yes - thank you! I had ASSumed that those were AC fuses. But in looking at my maual, they are "Start-stop DC fuses." So where the heck are the breakers? I thought the genset had AC breakers, too?

[John "T" Nordhoff]

On many Onans, the 120 VAC single pole 30 amp circuit breaker is in front but partly hidden in a recess not visible from the front but its there and its a smaller type of breaker and they have been known to trip out. Look and feel around in the front but sideways in a recessed area.

 John T 

[James and Yvonne Hoak]

The breaker on mine is on he gen set it self

[david craft]

Feel around the side and in front...its just a little toggle and it should have one...

[Jim Stoltz]

I though there was 2. Its a 6500 with a 30a feed to the breaker panel and another 20a to the rear AC. My curiousity is piqued now. Will look when I get home.

[david craft]

6500 should have 2....i thought i saw a 4000

[Jim Stoltz]

I thread-jacked with my 6500. There are 2 - I found 2 little push-button breakers.

My manual also says it puts out 12V DC at a charge rate of 1-4 amps. I'm not sure how that works when my converter is on, or how it all works when the engine is running (alternator, generator and converter charging the batteries) but I've done enough damage in this thread. I'll do some more research on my own :-)

[david craft]

Your good bro...bored as heck in this hospital bed...thanks for the therapy. Its just like hoses filling a pool. When it senses charging current, one just backs off. The surging is called "hunting". Warm it up good. The local onan guy says a new carb is better than fooling with an old one. Rpm determines cycles per second or "hertz". So its important. They recommend scraping carbon from heads every 200 hours.

[Jim Stoltz]

Thanks.There were less than 200 hours on it when I got it, but it did sit for a long time. It was fine for a while, but then began to hunt under a load. The can of Sea Foam run through with a gallon of gas cured it. I have the original manual and the governor setting procedure makes my head spin - it does have to be just right to get the right output. It seems fine as-is though.

On the 12V charging thing - I'm not sure mine is working anymore. I get the 12V feed to the hour meter but the battery health gauge doesn't work. I'm wondering if it's connected? But, I have a battery health monitor as part of the tank level panel so I don't really care. The converter charges the batteries when the generator is running anyway (and the Trick-L-Start charges the chassis battery).