generator question

[hud60]

does anyone know if I can pair a 2021 onan gen. prepped 5th wheel with a Honda 6500 generator? could a knowlable electrician be able to do this?

[ajriding]

rlw999, I think you figured it out.

Any generator can be connected to an RV. I think maybe the question is more specific to the remote start/stop switch as that is the only unique thing to different brand generators. It could be made to work since the remote wired control is just switches, but only needs to make sure the switches are switching the right thing on the generator control.

[rlw999]

I think there's a misunderstanding about what @hud60 is asking:

does anyone know if I can pair a 2021 onan gen. prepped 5th wheel with a Honda 6500 generator? could a knowledgeable electrician be able to do this?

I read his question as meaning that he had a 5th wheel with an Onan generator "prep", but no actual generator, so he wants to know if he can make his Honda EU6500 work with it.

Others are assuming that he wants to run his Honda EU6500 in parallel with his built-in Onan generator (much like how some generators can use a parallel kit to pair up 2 generators to generate more output). I think there's wide agreement that it is not possible to pair an Onan and Honda generator like this. (though if he has 50A service, he could conceivably run one generator on one 50A leg and the other on the other 50A leg, which gives mostly the same end result).

@hud60 will have to clarify which he meant.

[time2roll]

Honda will say NO.

[2oldman]

ajriding wrote:
you are wanting to pair to make 240 volts?.

Beats me. The story changes.

[ajriding]

you are wanting to pair to make 240 volts?
It would be easier to re-do the RV electrical system to run everything on one phase than to pair two different brands. The two need to put out the same current, and that is unlikely as stated above. The only paired.parallel I have seen are two identical gens that are factory made to be paired to the exact same gen.

[hud60]

thank you DrewE for the feedback. it's not totally necessary to do what I am proposing but it would be nice to control generator from inside our 5th wheel.

[Bobbo]

rlw999 wrote:

wnjj wrote:

rlw999 wrote:
I don't see any ready-made 50A bonding plugs, so this is probably something to talk to an electrician about.

You can bond anywhere there is neutral and ground available on the generator, for example the 120V receptacle.

I didn't want to suggest that (even though it will seem to work just fine), because then you're bonding a 50A circuit over a 15/20A path.

All you are doing is simulating a house's ground. The wire you use is only 1 to 2 inches long. There is no problem with that. If you are REALLY concerned, use a 6g wire in the bonding plug. Voila, you have a 50 amp bond. (A 22g wire will work just fine.)

[wa8yxm]

hud60 wrote:
does anyone know if I can pair a 2021 onan gen. prepped 5th wheel with a Honda 6500 generator? could a knowlable electrician be able to do this?

With like model inverter generators parallel kits exist and work because the SECOND one to start senses the phase of the current and locks into it.. They are designed to do that.

But if that ONAN is a regular generator and the Honda an Inverter job.. NO paralleling is not possible because where as the INverter generators maintain a constant crystal controlled frequency and use assorted means to lock to each others

The frequency will vary with load on the regular generator

And if both are standard generators (not inverter) it's even worse.

Now. on big enough generators there is a way to do it.. Professional power plants do it that way.. but I won't even risk explaining how to phase lock generators.. I know how, in THEORY but have never done it.

[rlw999]

wnjj wrote:

rlw999 wrote:
I don't see any ready-made 50A bonding plugs, so this is probably something to talk to an electrician about.

You can bond anywhere there is neutral and ground available on the generator, for example the 120V receptacle.

I didn't want to suggest that (even though it will seem to work just fine), because then you're bonding a 50A circuit over a 15/20A path.

[wnjj]

rlw999 wrote:
I don't see any ready-made 50A bonding plugs, so this is probably something to talk to an electrician about.

You can bond anywhere there is neutral and ground available on the generator, for example the 120V receptacle.

[rlw999]

hud60 wrote:
does anyone know if I can pair a 2021 onan gen. prepped 5th wheel with a Honda 6500 generator? could a knowlable electrician be able to do this?

It should be possible, the EM6500 (not sure if that's the one you have) does output 240V across 2 120V legs. It will only provide around 25A per leg so you may not be able to run every appliance like you would on a real 50A power source.

Looks like Camco already makes a dogbone adapter to let you plug your 50A cord into this generator. But, you need to be careful about neutral bonding.

I just saw that you said you have the EU6500 -- I'm pretty sure this inverter generator does not have a bonded neutral (I'm not sure about the EM6500, most (but not all) larger contractor style generators are bonded). This is where you might want to talk to an electrician, I *think* that an RV generator should bond neutral+ground but I'm not an electrician and I've seen sources online that say the opposite. If you have an EMS, it may refuse to let power flow of the generator is not neutral bonded.

Here's some more discussion on generator bonding.

I don't see any ready-made 50A bonding plugs, so this is probably something to talk to an electrician about.

[2oldman]

I'm not sure what the question is now.

[DrewE]

I think you are in luck; the remote control connections for the Honda generator appear to me to likely be compatible with typical Onan controls, at least for the start and stop controls. The pilot light circuit may not be compatible. Your generator manual has a wiring diagram that includes the remote control connections for the start and stop controls.

[hud60]

the generator is an eu6500 very quiet. it stays in our pu box to use while traveling. it will not be installed in rv. just want to be able to control from rv while parked for the night