Confusion with Honda Generators

[dpgllg]

Hello,

Please my questions are specific and I really don't want to start a discussion on which generator is best. Those discussions always get nasty and really don't help anyone.

I have some questions on the new Honda EU2200 generators. It seems that they have the EU2200 and a EU2200 companion. The companion seems only to be used in parallel mode and provide a 20 and 30 amp RV outlet. On the Honda website the MSRP for the companion is more money than for the plain EU2200.

Can you run two of the plain EU2200 in parallel mode? Why would I spend more money on a generator I could only use in parallel? with two plain EU2200 I'd have the option of splitting them up for use if need would dictate. Do the new parallel cables prevent you from connecting two plain EU2200 generators?

Thanks!

Dave

[aguwa]

there is a cable on amazon and eBay to connect the two generators and provides a 30 amp plug in the middle so no need for a companion 

[2oldman]

ktmrfs wrote:

2oldman wrote:
Yah, looks like one of those curvy jobs. How many people have that?

more than have the 30A RV plug!!!

Maybe RVs come that way, but I've yet to see a pedestal with it.

[ktmrfs]

2oldman wrote:

Ron3rd wrote:
And from what I've read, the 30a receptacle is not the 30 amp RV type so you still need an adapter.

Yah, looks like one of those curvy jobs. How many people have that?

more than have the 30A RV plug!!! the socket is the NEMA std for a 30A 120V receptical. the RV socket is the odball. Most construction equipment or anything non RV that needs 30A uses the 30A NEMA twist lock.

and the 30A twist lock to 30A RV is an easy adapter. 30A RV to 30A twist lock is RARE

[ktmrfs]

dpgllg wrote:

2oldman wrote:
From my research the only difference is the 30a outlet, so no worries.

OP here,

I did more digging on the Honda website and the companion only is to be used in parallel mode with a plain 2200. It just doesn't make sense to pay more and get less functionality to me. I would rather pay less and have two fully functional generators.

For those of you that have a 2200i how hard are they to start? I have disabilities that would make a hard pull to start out of the question.

Dave

not hard to start. and as for the running only in parallel mode, that contradicts the owners manual and other documentation. the companion runs just fine as a stand along generator. It's just easier to hook up for parallel operation than two honda 2200 regular units. you pay for convienience

[Larryect]

road-runner wrote:
Now that multiple solutions have been identified, each person can make the decision of which one is right for them. No need to make it a Ford/Chevy/Dodge debate.

Yep.


As a side note. Since Honda is stating a serial number range the new ones are compatible with, I would be curious if the balancing logic has been changed. It may be found that the new ones won't play as nice with the many configurations people have been cobbling together, i.e. 1000. 2000, and 3000's........

[road-runner]

Now that multiple solutions have been identified, each person can make the decision of which one is right for them. No need to make it a Ford/Chevy/Dodge debate.

[Larryect]

2oldman wrote:

Larryect wrote:
I have made a suicide type cord that actually works just fine. However, they call it suicide for a reason and I don't recommend that route. .

You have to really want to kill yourself. Once you plug both in, as you're supposed to before starting either one, you're good. Standard 120v plugs are in there pretty tight.

True. And, I consider myself qualified to use it. But, I started worrying about other people around it, like the DW or grand-kids, or a brain-fart, and figured it may not be worth the risk. Although I still carry it.....

[2oldman]

Larryect wrote:
I have made a suicide type cord that actually works just fine. However, they call it suicide for a reason and I don't recommend that route. .

You have to really want to kill yourself. Once you plug both in, as you're supposed to before starting either one, you're good. Standard 120v plugs are in there pretty tight.

[Larryect]

2oldman wrote:

Larryect wrote:
That should work, but it's a bit pricey..

What would you pay for one, larryetc?

This has been answered already, but:

I have made a suicide type cord that actually works just fine. However, they call it suicide for a reason and I don't recommend that route. And I understand the OP doesn't want to make something.

I bought mine about a year ago. I came across a sale at Northern Tool.com. They were offering a $200 e-gift card for orders over $1000. So, I ordered one at $999 and bought something else for $5.00 or so to make sure I got the Gift Card. I only had so much time to use the gift card, so I purchased the extended run tank set up with the gift card.

Then I watched for another sale, and sure enough, they put the Companion on sale for $100 off and offered another $100 gift card if you spent $1000. So I bought the Companion for $999, got the gift card and purchased the parallel cables.

I was hoping to parallel the first one with my Yamaha 2400, but that didn't work very well. Nothing blew up, but the generators ddidn't share well due to voltage differences.

So, I have about $2000 invested in my two generators, one being a Companion, parallel cables and extended run tank.

The cable on Ebay is made by who? Looks like there are probably wiring connections covered with heat shrink.....


I think in the big picture of things, getting the Companion is the simpelest solution and not really any more money. And, it works fine as a stand alone. Saying it only has one 15 amp out let is just silly, use a plug strip.

[SoundGuy]

Spridle wrote:
Buying two EU2200i absolutely makes no sense at all. Financially or electrically. A Five dollar saving and having to make or buy parallel cables adapter makes no sense at all, and you have to carry additional equipment to make it work.

Both generators make the exact same amount of power and both can run independently with exactly the same capacity.
Cobbling together homemade adapters to save a few dollars makes no sense at all and creates the possibly of unexpected consequences.

Why some are so polarized over this issue is a mystery. :h Who cares? Both approaches achieve the same results - 2 standard EU2200i gensets with a parallel kit that terminates with a TT-30 RV receptacle OR 1 standard EU2200i paralleled to a Companion EU2200i that has a 30 twist lock receptacle that has to be adapted out to a TT-30 anyway for RV use. The downside to the latter is that when it eventually comes time to sell that Companion you'll be trying to sell a genset with a 30 amp receptacle that on it's own can't deliver anywhere near 30 amps. :S

[valhalla360]

Ron3rd wrote:

That makes sense now. Still wish they would have put the 30a RV receptacle on the Companion

A lot of newer RV's use the twist lock style and pretty much all 30amp boats...They probably looked at what is the most common option and went with that.

An adapter won't cost you any amps and is insignificant when looking at the cost to buy 2 hondas.

[Spridle]

bgum wrote:
The eBay plug will work but it is the same cost as the difference between the base 2200 and the Companion. Several readers suggest to cobble together some fixes but they would void any warranty and why not just buy the right package from the start.

I completely agree. The eBay adapter from the last post makes no financial sense. the difference between a EU2200i Honda generator and the EU2200i Honda companion is $100 dollars. The eBay adapter is 95 dollars.

I say stick to the Honda Design, the Honda engineers probably spent thousands of hours perfecting the combination between the two, and the EU2200i Companion has exactly the same capacity as the EU2200i. There are no losses in available power between the two models. They produce the exact same amps at 120 volts.\

Online pricing has the combination selling at 2181.00. The 81 dollars gives you the parallel cables and the twist lock to TT30 adapter and two nice generator covers, and you don’t need to make or buy a combining cable from eBay for $95 dollars.

Buying two EU2200i absolutely makes no sense at all. Financially or electrically. A Five dollar saving and having to make or buy parallel cables adapter makes no sense at all, and you have to carry additional equipment to make it work.

Both generators make the exact same amount of power and both can run independently with exactly the same capacity.
Cobbling together homemade adapters to save a few dollars makes no sense at all and creates the possibly of unexpected consequences.

[bgum]

The eBay plug will work but it is the same cost as the difference between the base 2200 and the Companion. Several readers suggest to cobble together some fixes but they would void any warranty and why not just buy the right package from the start.

[burningman]

Yes but Honda also says you can’t parallel different size EUs, and I started paralleling every combination of 1000, 2000, and 3000 watt EUs well over ten years ago.
I’ve even seen an EU2000 paralleled with a pure sine wave inverter.

There’s pretty much zero reason to buy a Companion. As has been correctly noted, you have to parallel a couple sets for 25-30 amp output through a single outlet, and there’s no reason you can’t just use a junction box between the two with whatever style outlets you want.
And yeah, circuit breakers are redundant in a junction box. You’re already going through the ones in the generator front panel.