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MtCamper · 08-11-2016, 03:08 PM

I have a 2016 Arctic Fox 27-5. I installed EMS the other day and found a female plug in the compartment where the shore power cable connected. It is a 30A RV plug. I emailed AF a their reply was it was to plug a generator in. That makes no sense to me. You would just plug the shore power into the generator. If you did want to do it that way, you would have to make up a 30 Amp male-male cord. Not a good idea. Anyone have any good answers for what it's for?

plasma800 · 08-11-2016, 03:21 PM

Wells doesn't that unit have an option to purchase a generator that would be placed into the front compartment? Maybe that plug is just their method to get the genset power to transfer swtich?

TonyMac · 08-11-2016, 03:22 PM

MAybe the generator supplies power to that female, and you are the transfer switch, by plugging and unplugging the cord from shore female to genny female.

plasma800 · 08-11-2016, 03:24 PM

also, most off board gensets have a 30 amp plug... not sure though if your RV has 30 amp service or 50 amp service.. i know 50 is an option. So if you had 50 amp, that 30 amp plug would make sense matching up to most off board generators, and would be very convenient .

MtCamper · 08-11-2016, 03:42 PM

It is a 30 amp unit. Best answer is it is for a on board generator. I didn't think of that. There is a cover plate in the generator compartment that I bet you wire into and then just plug the shore power cord into the outlet. That would clear up the mystery and also explain the reply from AF. They could have expanded on their answer. Thanks for the replys

MtnTrek · 08-11-2016, 04:04 PM

And we second guess the mfr. because? Perhaps you should clarify this with them. It's not like the AF people are neophytes.
The portable generators I've used have a different twist lock connector, not the 14-30A camper SP connector.

Be well

TonyMac · 08-12-2016, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MtnTrek

And we second guess the mfr. because?

We second guess the mfgr because our rigs give us every right to; there is evidence of lazy and stupid in even the best rigs. Read this forum and see how stupidly these things are put together.

FOR INSTANCE: My awning controls are in a cabinet above the entry, no one under 6' can reach them with arms extended. Plenty of room for the awning controls on the wall below, where all the main switches for the coach entry are located; step controls, inside and outside lights, step cover, batt bypass, etc. These things show evidence of people who are either lazy or stupid, or both.

nothermark · 08-12-2016, 11:35 AM

Actually neither lazy nor stupid. No transfer switch so they connect a socket to the generator output. IF you have shore power plug the shore cord into the post. IF you do not have shore power plug the cord into the generator output. As simple a setup as can be had. Still too simple for some folks. ;-)

kgreylgrey · 08-17-2016, 01:09 PM

I agree, no transfer switch makes the most sense.

Statgeek · 08-17-2016, 02:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nothermark

Actually neither lazy nor stupid. No transfer switch so they connect a socket to the generator output. IF you have shore power plug the shore cord into the post. IF you do not have shore power plug the cord into the generator output. As simple a setup as can be had. Still too simple for some folks. ;-)

Our previous RV, a Coachman Mirada 35 bunkhouse, had this setup. Since it was my first RV, I didn't think it was unusual at all. I was the transfer switch, and that never bothered me much. I'd plug the shore cable into that plug before leaving home or campsite, and then if I started the generator before or during the drive (I usually did so that we'd have roof a/c) then everything would work just as if we were plugged into shore power. When I'd arrive at a campsite, it was only logical to unplug the shore cable from my generator "plug" and use the shore power instead.

Newer RV has a transfer switch, which saves me 1.5 seconds at the campsite, so it's really not a convenience for me personally. But it also has some smart technology to help protect the RV, so that's the benefit.