Help with 30A plug on generator

I have the wiring diagram for the generator. I was trying to confirm the location of the ground and the hot wire(the orientation of the L-shaped prong, which is supposed to be the ground is alittle differnet between the machine and the diagram), and I expected it to be like domestic AC (only juice flowing between hot (white) wire and ground, and hot wire and black (or red), but not black and ground), but I had juice flowing through all combinations?(although it looked like more juice between white and red wires than either of those and what is supposed to be the ground, based on a brighter test light). Is this typical for generators?

Also, the pigtail has white, black and green wires; Am I correct in assuming the green is the ground?

Thanks.

Red-to-white give 126V; Red-to-ground gives 63V; White-to-ground gives 63V. It looks like this is set up similar to a domestic 220/240 system - half the voltage from each pole.

I went into the camper and figured out which prong on the plug was black and which was white -then I made up my pig-tail/adapter so that the generator's red wire was matched with the black on the trailer, and white-to-white.

The only thing not completely consistent was the locking 30A plug had color codes inside (green, black, white) which did not match the pattern for the generator's receptacle as per the wiring diagram in the owners's manual. But seeing it is an AC system, and half the voltage comes from each wire, I can't see where it would matter.

I hooked up the trailer to the generator with my new adapter and everything ran alright; air conditioner, microwave and such.

Thanks for all the help gents.

I have not nailed it yet - haven't had the time. Though with the suggestions I've gotten, especially yours and Bus Drivers I should be able to figure it with confidence before I plug in. I will be working on it in the morning, and I now have a multi-meter to put to work. I'll let you all know how it turned out.

Thanks again.

Generator - Take your volt meter and put your black test lead in the L shape hole, then take your red lead and go to one of the other slots, if it doesn't read anything that is your nuetral, now move the red test lead over to the other slot and you should have 120vac. Make a note which one it is then determine the proper terminal on your plug.

Be careful on campers and boats when using color codes because they are different then what most folks consider normal.

Camper - You should be able to open your breaker box in the camper to verify the wiring, since it's 120vac, you will have one wire going to the gangs or bars for your breakers (that is the hot) and the other to should either tie into the same ground/nuetral bar, or two individual bars which have white wires on one and copper wires on the other. Where the copper wires go is Ground, where the white wires go is Nuetral. Remember the copper wires are the ones going to the L shaped connector.

The generator only puts out 120 volts; it is a maximum output (for short burst to start things like an air conditioner compressor) of 3000 watts (or, as listed in manual specs, 3.0 kVA), rated (sustainable) output of 2800 watts (2.8 kVA) divided by 120 volts = the rated ampere of 23.4 amps (as listed in manual). It is not a 220/230 volt system.

The 30 amp outlet is round with 3 prongs, one L-shaped (which, according to the wiring diagram is the ground) and two paddle-shaped prongs. One of the paddle-shaped prongs is supposed to be connected to the red wire (according to the diagram), and the other to the white wire, which is the one I expected to be hot. But, as I said, they both have juice flowing to them. It's not just the 30A outlet; when I use my test light in the 20 amp outlet (which looks exactly like the 15 and 20 amp outlets in our houses), both the red and white wires (i.e., both paddle-shaped holes) are hot, just as with the round 30 amp outlet.

Does anyone know whether or not this is a typical situation for generators which is different from domestic electric supply?

I did get the 30A plug from a Honda dealer; and I have never seen a generator that has a triangular outlet like the one they use on campers - I think it has more to do with differences in industry convention than some consistent building code (campers do move from town to town and state to state).

The multi meter sounds like a good investment (I'll tell the wife that you all said I need it!). Thanks again for your replys; hope to read more.

Sorry bout that, I started the hole 240 V thing.

As for you question, you will have to explain how you are testing them. I have reread you posts and think that there might be an issue with using your test light and the neutral not being bonded (grounded). Just explain what type of "test Light" you are using (i.e. pig tail and light bulb, pen style with no second lead, pen style with a wire and clip) and how you are connecting the tester during your tests (touching one wire to XXX and the other wire to XXX and the light is dim/bright/off).

You should never rely on colour codes because they change from country to country and device to device as well as voltage range. But that being said, the North American standard for 120V AC is that black and Red are supplies (hot) and white is neutral (return) and green is ground. Hopefully the devices you are working on match this but like I said do not rely on it.

If you reply back today by 1 pm I will try to help you. Other wise I will not have web access until Monday nigh and hopefully someone else can.

Tim B.

If you can't get the drawing you need and Honda can't/won't help you here is quick expanation.

What you should have at the 30 A plug is 240 V.

What that means is that you actually have 2 "hot" wires a neutral and a ground (4 wires). It you measure voltage across the 2 hot wire you will see 240 V (likely your "brighter test light" situation), if you then measure each of those hot wires to neutral or ground you should see 120 V. It depends on how your generator wire is wired as to whether the neutral and ground are connected together or not, however unloaded there should be little to no voltage across these points.

What you should invest in if you are going to do any electrical work (even 12 V DC) is a decent meter that can read AC Volts, DC Volts and Resistance. Then you can start to see what you are dealing with.

P.S. You should always ground you Generator to a known ground point or use and ground rod and drive it in the earth. If you do not do this the trailer would be ungrounded and could become energized if something inside shorts out causing anyone who touches the trailer on the outside to get shocked.