My RV generator runs but does provide power to the motorhome

by Craig
(Point Pleasant, NJ)

Can someone help me out? I have a 1996 Chevy FourWinds 5000 with a 454 Motor- The Generator had worked fine powering the unit - Until we plugged it into a hard line at a campsite and left it for a few months.

When I disconnected the land AC Power and drove the RV Home- I tested the Generator, it runs FINE but there is no power to the unit- I found the fuse box, it seems okay as well- I plugged into the House outlet and it works with direct AC Power-

The GENERATOR is running perfect, but no power in the unit when I just use the GENERATOR-

Does anyone know why? Any help would be appreciated!

ANSWER: Greetings Craig thanks for submitting your question on our Ask An RV Question Page.

I have a feeling you may have a bad RV Generator Transfer Switch. But, we need to eliminate a couple of other possibilities first.

1. You stated that you looked at some fuses and all of them are good. You need to be looking for tripped circuit breakers that look like the ones you have in your house. Let's start in the generator compartment. Depending on the model of generator you have; the generator itself can have a couple of circuit breakers on it.

Look at the generator itself and see if you see a circuit breaker(s) on it. If you do and it is tripped; reset the breaker(s) and restart the generator. If there are not circuit breakers on the generator or if they are not tripped, move on to step 2.

2. You need to check the circuit breakers of the motorhome. The circuit breakers for the motorhome are located in the electrical compartment of your motorhome. The electrical compartment is usually located in an outside storage compartment of the motorhome.

I cannot tell you exactly where yours is located, but if you start opening up the outside storage compartments of your RV you will run into it. You will know because you will see electrical wiring, a series of breakers, some fuses, etc. All of these electrical components are what control the 120 volt and 12 volt power in the house portion of your motorhome. Check all of the circuit breakers in this compartment and reset them as needed. Then run the generator and see if this resolves your problem.

If you do not find any tripped circuit breakers in your RV or if you reset the circuit breakers and they trip off again when you start the generator then you could have a short or ground problem with the generator. You will need to take it in and have it diagnosed and repaired by a qualified RV Technician.

If all of the above does not work then there is a very good chance that the RV Generator Transfer Switch is bad. The RV Generator Transfer Switch automatically lets the generator power the RV when the generator is turned on. If it is not working the generator will run but no power will reach the appliances in your RV. You should take the RV in and have it repaired by a Qualified RV Technician.

Just a note here for older RVs without Generator Transfer Switches you actually had to plug in the electric cord for the RV to an electrical outlet located on the generator itself.

Hopefully the above information has been helpful to you.

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Happy RVing

RVing Al