Why Won’t My RV Surge Protector Work With My Generator?
If you have a hard-wired surge protector in your camper or want to be extra careful and use an RV surge protector, you are going to run into some issues when you plug it into your RV generator.
While it can be done, most good RV surge protectors with an EMS (electrical management system) will come up with a warning when you plug it into most generators or inverter generators.
See Also: Best RV Surge Protector & EMS For 30 Amp & 50 Amp
You will normally get a warning for open ground or reverse polarity and the surge protector will not allow electricity to pass. That’s because many generators (especially the newer inverter generators) have what’s called an open or floating neutral.
A floating neutral is when the neutral is not connected to the frame of the generator or the earth’s ground. The floating neutral acts as a safety feature to stop the potential for electric shock and is ok for RV generators.
If you want to use a generator with a surge protector whether it’s a hard-wired or portable one you are going to need to fix the floating neutral. You can do this by using a neutral ground bonding plug.
What Is A Neutral Ground Bonding Plug?
A neutral ground bonding plug more commonly called a “generator plug” or “grounding plug” is a simple way to tie or ground the neutral and get your RV surge protector working.
Note that this is not always necessary for all kinds of generators. Generators over 5000 watts will usually already be neutral ground bonded and work with surge protectors. You can test for an open ground by using a receptacle tester like the Sperry Instruments GFCI Outlet Tester (click to view on Amazon.)
Related: How To Connect/Plug RV Camper Into Generator (15/30/50 Amp)
To use this receptacle tester first start up your generator and get it running. Once running plug the tester into one of the standard 15 amp (Edison) outlets. Use the diagram on the tester so you know what the lights mean.
On this specific one, a single yellow light illuminated on the far right will mean you have an open neutral. A single yellow light in the center will mean an open ground, either of these warnings should be fixed with the neutral ground bonding plug.
If both yellow lights are illuminated your generator is neutral ground bonded and you shouldn’t need a generator plug to use it with your surge protector.
Where To Get A Generator Neutral Plug
If you do need a generator plug to tie the floating neutral you can get this one made by Southwire.
Southwire Company Generator Neutral Plug
Southwire is a fantastic company that makes some of the best surge protectors on the market today. Its products are always of high quality and this plug does the trick every time.
Just plug it into an open outlet (Edison plug outlet) on your generator and the surge protector should stop detecting an open ground or floating neutral and start working.
DIY – How To Make A Generator Neutral Plug (Ground Bonding Plug)
If you don’t have access to a generator neutral plug you can also make one yourself with just a few items that can be found at most hardware stores.
Note that this is a DIY project and should only be done if you are comfortable with electric wiring. It isn’t hard but if you don’t do it right it could damage your generator.
To make your own generator neutral plug all you need is a standard male three-prong Edison plug like this one (click to view on Amazon). Even smaller less heavy-duty plugs will work as well.
Related: Will A 50A RV Surge Protector Work In A 30A Outlet?
The next thing you need is bare copper wire that is 12-14 gauge like this (click to view on Amazon.) This is going to be the kind of wire you see used as grounding wire used in electrical outlets.
Next, you open up the plug and use a small piece of the copper wire to connect the neutral prong (White Wire/Silver Screw) to the ground prong (Green Wire/Green Screw).
Whatever you do, Do Not Wire The Hot Leg Prong To The Ground. It has to be the neutral connected to the ground. If you do not feel comfortable doing this you are better off buying a generator plug that is already wired.
Once you have put the plug back together just plug it into an open 15 amp or “Edison” outlet on your generator and your surge protector should start letting electricity through.
See Also: Best Portable Quiet Inverter Generators For RV Camping
Final Thoughts On Using A Generator Neutral Plug
This is a simple trick that is used by many people to solve the open neutral problem with their generators and RV surge protectors. It’s mostly for campers with hardwired RV surge protectors in their electrical systems.
Most people don’t use a surge protector with their generators. That doesn’t mean you can’t. It’s just that most people don’t feel the need to.
You should read the manual that came with your surge protector before plugging it into a generator. Some companies have information about what kinds of generators can or cannot be used with its surge protector.
Sometimes plugging a surge protector into a certain brand or style of generator can void the warranty. Make sure you know your surge protector and it’s restrictions before plugging it into a generator, even one with a neutral plug or bonded neutral.
See Also: The Best Camping Gas Generators That Will Run Your RV AC
Have any more questions about using RV surge protectors with generators? Leave a comment below.
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With a larger inverter generator capable of 240v, do you need ground/neutral plug for both circuit s (aka legs, or phases)?
Hi David,
If your generator is capable of 240V it should already be grounded internally and not require a neutral ground bonding plug to work with a surge guard.
Is there a problem using a neutral ground bonding plug on an inverter generator? I fear that there might be some design of the inverter that might be damaged by shorting these points.
No, neutral ground bonding plugs are ok to use on inverter generators.
Why do people “not feel the need” to use surge protection with generator?
I would like to run my two YAMAHA generators in parallel. (EF2000iSv2, 1600 Running Watts/2000 Starting Watts). A knowledgeable friend advised that I will only need one neutral ground bonding plug. I’m a bit skeptical. Is my friend correct of should I purchase a second neutral ground bonding plug?
Hi Pat,
I’m not an expert on parallel connecting generators. I’ve only done it myself a few times. I do know that when in parallel generators are connected with ground wires as well. I think your friend is correct but like I said I’m not super knowledgeable when it comes to parallel connected generators.
I have a new champion 4650 inverter generator and a Southwire 34931 surge protector. When I plug my 30 amp Keystone Passport 2019 RV into the suppressor I get the open ground light and no power to the RV. Read your blog and purchased a Southwire generator neutral-ground bonding plug (model 44400). Plugged it into the generator and still had the same results (open ground). What do I do now? Just not use the surge protector when using the generator? I do have the generator grounded to a grounding rod while doing all of this. Thanks for your help!
Hi Dick,
I honestly don’t understand why the neutral ground bonding plug isn’t working. Champion recommends using one on their own website to fix the open ground problem.
I would try using the grounding plug in different outlets while the generator is on and the surge protector is plugged in to see if that works. Or try having the plug in before connecting the surge protector.
The problem could be that the 20 amp plug is only fixing the problem for the 20 amp outlets and not the 30 amp one. To test this you could try plugging the surge protector into the free 20 amp outlet instead with an adapter to see if the open ground is fixed there.
If it still isn’t working there could possibly be a problem with the plug, the surge protector, or even the generator.
Unfortunately using the grounding rod won’t fix the grounding issue for the surge protector but it would make using the generator without the surge protector a little safer.
You could try contacting Champion directly to see what they recommend as well.