Connecting a generator to use as “shore power”

amylouise

Hi, and thank you all - this forum is a wealth of knowledge! I’m new to ALL of this so I’ve appreciated all of the information shared here. I have a 2021T@G-XL, picked it up a month ago. SO FUN so far! Lots of interesting puzzles to solve.... and certainly management of electrical needs is one.

I picked up an ALP 1000W generator and assumed I could simply plug it in to the trailer as “shore power” in the same manner as I connect to my house (I have a 3 prong extension cord with 15A to 30A conversion adapter) Is this correct, or do I also need to give consideration to grounding, surge protection, and/or a “transfer switch” for the generator? (I read that’s necessary for hooking a generator up to a house.) Please excuse my compete lack of knowledge in this area - if there is a better question to ask, I’d love any guidance available!

After I get that step sorted out..... I assume the battery shutoff in the tongue box should be in the “off” position when I plug the generator in to the trailer electrical port in the back? And that if I wish to use the generator to recharge the battery, that should be by a direct connection (not quite sure how to do that??)

Thank you in advance!
Amy

WilliamA

I use a generator with my trailer often. It's mounted to the trailer tongue. Speaking only for myself, I don't use a surge protector or other device with it, but I also don't use one when plugging into shore power either. My generator has ground fault protection built in as well as reverse current protection. How to connect? I just start the generator, warm it up for a minute or two and then plug into the trailer with an extension cord. The important thing with a gennie is to always disconnect before starting or shutting down the gennie. For charging the battery, just leave the battery switch on. The converter will charge the battery. If you charge your battery from a generator directly from the gennies 12V outlet, be aware that outlet is not regulated. It will overcharge if not monitored closely. Just use the onboard converter as it is regulated.

Generator grounding is always a good idea, although I rarely do it. If you choose to ground, a 10 gauge wire from the gennie grounding lug to a good ground is fine. What's a good ground? Good question with many answers. Code says at least 6 feet of copper ground rod driven into the earth. (Local ordinances vary) I put my landing leg down and call it a day. I don't have a rubber wheeled landing leg so I have metal contact to earth from my trailer. If you want that layer of protection, a metal tent stake driven into the ground for your ground contact connection to the gennie is better than nothing. Good luck pulling up a 6 foot ground rod...

WilliamA

amylouise

William, thank you! That all makes a lot of sense, particularly about using the onboard converter to modulate battery charge. I appreciate you taking the time to fill me in on this stuff - all of that was great and helpful info. I like the metal tent stake idea, supereasy. I’ll pick up some 10 gauge bare copper wire. TY!

beaky

https://www.trailerlife.com/top-stories/power-your-adventures/

amylouise

That’s a great writeup, thanks for sharing!

LuckyJ

I am with William on this. I'm not even sure my gene has a ground connection.

About charging my battery and powering the trailer, I also went the way of the 100 volts plugs. Maine reason more amp coming out of the 110 than from the 12 volt. So to me, it was technicaly a faster charge if the converter transfer it all to the battery. And you can run the AC at the same time for a little lost of power. 😎