Y adapters...

Bad idea.

It will not do what you think it will.

And it might cause major damage.


I have a 1600 watt (1800 surge) inverter generator that I use for camping. It does only 120 volts, and if you do the math, that's exactly 15 amps. And it has two 15 A outlets. but they are on the same windings, and are only capable of giving me 15 amps total, no matter how I wire them together.

You can't get 30 A from a "small generator" that offers only two 15 A outlets. If the genny does only 120 volts, you will get no increase in power wiring them together. if those are actually opposite sides of a 240 volt genny and if you connect them that way, you'll either get 240 volts or a direct short that will blow the breakers if you are lucky, or more likely burn out the generator before the breaker has time to pop.

If you want 30 A from a generator, you have to buy a generator that offers a 30 A outlet. 30 A at 120 volts is 3600 watts, meaning you have to buy a generator that big if it only does 120 volts, or one that is 7200 watts if it does 240 volts.

Given that trailers wired for a 30 A hookup will only draw 30 A for surge on AC start up, and then only if the microwave and all the lights are on at the same time, you can get buy famously with a smaller generator. For instance, I have a 5500 watt (6850 surge) generator that I wouldn't hesitate to use, as that's close enough.

The two outlets are tied together so you wouldn't gain anything by this kind of cord. It would also make it very easy to get shocked which is why they aren't made.

I would not use a "Y" adapter but google Generator adapter 30 amp

Or just Click Here to see what I'm talking about.

I'd just get one that plugs into a 20A receptacle and has a 30A plug from Camco and call it done. If more electricity is needed, time to get a -master- electrician to wire up a 30A circuit. The reason I mention master is that there are stories on this forum about someone getting a 30A receptacle wired up... and in reality, it is a 240VAC dryer outlet that has two hots and one neutral (with the disastrous consequences to the RV and every appliance inside.)

WA8YXM - interesting sales article. bet they gonna have a bunch of lawsuits if these are the original unmodified adapters haha..

I have three of those original supplied adapters and currently still use them. These adapters plugs into a standard dual receptacle like those installed on alot of generators but are strapped together with large metal bars between the two sockets. Even looking at the inside of these units it would not be easy to cut out the metal strapping to make them do what was described in the sale pitch. Maybe this company has come up with a way to do just that. I noticed they did make comment that these will not give you 30AMPS being plugged into a Honda Generator.

The original purpose for these adapters was NOT to give you 30AMPS from two separate windings on a single dual receptacle. Their purpose was to give a large connection footprint to reduce over-heating of the adapter by plugging into two sockets at the same time of the same phase.

The photo used in the sale article are the same for the original ones that were produced but their article sure is full of BS if this is truly the same product.

However if they are still around I made pick up another one but one should be very much aware what they are. If you plugged the original version adapter into a separate phase dual receptacle you will most definitely gets some fireworks until the circuit finally trips...

Think I paid around $20 bucks for these before AMAZON stops selling them on their site - Probably five years ago...

Still use them today on my 2kW Honda generator


Roy Ken

No

Thank you for all the replies. Once again you've demonstrated why this is my go-to for RV knowledge! Looks like there may be that new Champion in my future...may even start seeing remanufactured ones on eBay come next spring...

BEWARE! Larger generators will present a genuinely new and temporarily exciting DIFFERENT problem if you try to "parallel" two different outlets.