How to connect a generator to an RV or camper

Step 1: Know your RV's plug

Look at the plug on the end of your RV's shore power cord.

RV service	Plug	Volts	Most it can draw
30 amp	TT-30P (3 prongs, one round)	120 V	3,600 W
50 amp	14-50P (4 prongs)	120/240 V, two 50 A legs	12,000 W

Watts = amps × volts. 30 A × 120 V = 3,600 W. A 50 A RV has two 120 V legs of 50 A each: 2 × 50 A × 120 V = 12,000 W.

Most RVs won't use anywhere near that. What matters is your air conditioner. See what size generator for a 30 amp RV or for a 50 amp RV.

Step 2: Match it to the generator's outlet

Generator has	RV plug	What you need
TT-30R ("RV ready")	30 A TT-30P	Plug straight in
14-50R	50 A 14-50P	Plug straight in
14-50R	30 A TT-30P	A 50 A to 30 A adapter
TT-30R	50 A 14-50P	A 30 A to 50 A adapter, but you only get 30 A on 120 V
L14-30R (4-prong twist-lock)	50 A 14-50P	A rated L14-30P to 14-50R adapter, up to 7,200 W
Only standard household outlets	30 A TT-30P	A rated 30 A to 15/20 A adapter, for small loads

Use a ready-made adapter rated for the job. WEN, for example, sells an L14-30P to 14-50R adapter rated 120/240 V, 30 A and 7,200 W. Champion's help center explains how its twist-lock outlets can feed an RV, and warns never to join the two hot blades together. It says that "will void your warranty and damage both generator and your appliance from excessive voltage." That's a wiring job. If you're not sure, buy a listed adapter or ask an electrician.

An adapter doesn't add power. A 50 A RV on a 30 A outlet gets 3,600 W at most. A small inverter on a household-outlet adapter gets only what that generator makes.

Step 3: Place the generator

• At least 20 feet from the RV, and from other campers. CPSC says to run generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from homes and buildings, with exhaust pointed away from windows, doors and vents. Treat your RV the same way.
• Exhaust pointed away from the RV's door, windows, roof vents and slide-outs. Mind the wind.
• Never in the RV's generator compartment unless it's the RV's own built-in generator. Champion's manual says never to run a portable inside "the generator compartment of a recreational vehicle."
• Never in the back of a truck, camper or trailer. Champion lists the back of an SUV, a camper, a trailer and a truck bed as places a generator must never be started or run.
• On level, dry ground, with clear space all around.

Outside isn't automatically safe. CPSC reviewed generator CO deaths from 2011 to 2021 where the generator sat outside the space people were in. Twenty of those deaths, in 12 incidents, were people inside an RV, camper shell or camper trailer. One more person died sitting in a chair outside a camper, next to a running generator.

Step 4: Start, then connect

1. Turn off the big loads inside the RV. That means the AC, the water heater on electric, and the microwave.
2. Switch the RV's main breaker OFF.
3. Start the generator with nothing plugged in. Champion says never to start or stop it with devices plugged in or turned on.
4. Let it warm up for a few minutes. Generac says generators need to stabilize and warm up before you add appliances.
5. Plug in the shore cord at the generator. Use any adapter you need.
6. Switch the RV's main breaker ON.
7. Turn loads on one at a time. Start the AC last, with nothing else big running.

To disconnect, do it in reverse. Turn loads off, switch the main breaker off, unplug, then stop the generator.

If the overload light comes on: Honda says it's normal for the light to flash briefly when a motor starts, as long as it goes off within about 4 seconds. If it stays on, turn something off.

Grounding, floating neutral and surge protectors

• Grounding. Generac says that when you connect a portable generator to an RV, you need to connect it to a ground rod. Check your own manual, and local rules at the campground.
• Floating neutral. Champion says most of its generators have a "floating neutral," and that this is common for RV use. It also says polarity testers "may not properly indicate polarity" on a floating neutral circuit, and a very sensitive one may wrongly read a reversed connection.
• If your surge protector or EMS shows a fault on the generator, but not on campground power, the floating neutral is a likely reason. Check your protector's manual and your generator maker's support. Don't open up either one to fix it.

Inside the RV

• Keep CO alarms working. Honda's manual says to put battery-operated CO alarms, or plug-in alarms with battery backup, on every level and "outside sleeping areas." In an RV, that means near the beds.
• If anyone gets a headache, dizziness or nausea, get everyone outside to fresh air and call 911. If a CO alarm sounds, do the same.

Not enough power for the AC?

A 13,500 BTU RV air conditioner is the usual problem. It can take far more watts to start than to run. Fixes include a soft start kit, a bigger generator, or two inverters linked with a parallel kit. See can a 2,000 watt generator run a 13,500 BTU RV AC and paralleling two inverter generators.

What about a "solar generator"?

A battery power station isn't a generator. It has no engine and no exhaust. Some larger ones have a TT-30R outlet and connect the same way. Check its output watts against your loads first.

Run it outdoors only, 20+ feet from the house or RV, away from windows and doors: generator carbon monoxide safety.