Hondo 2000 vs Yamaha 2000

Hondas here due to availability in my area

Chinolbz wrote:
Question? Can't you make your own parallel cables with standard male cord end plugs? Yes the one end would be hot if you were not careful. But it would work, yes? Chino

In theory, sure, but incredibly unsafe. The good news is you can make your own cables with off the shelf parts...the connectors used are not special and readily available from a number of suppliers.

-Robert@Honda
Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding is my opinion alone.

Question? Can't you make your own parallel cables with standard male cord end plugs? Yes the one end would be hot if you were not careful. But it would work, yes? Chino

Wayne Dohnal wrote:
I think the big mystery is why Honda Canada sells parallel capability for the eu1000, but not the eu2000.

I recall discussing this a long time ago, and if memory serves, a parallel-style EU1000i is okay in Canada due to its power size. A pair of units is only 2k, and is not effected by CSA rules that otherwise prohibit larger EU2000i units with parallel connections being sold in Canada.

-Robert@Honda
Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding is my opinion alone.

The instruction manual for my Yammi 2000 said to pull the handle to feel the bump and then recoil the handle. I never felt the bump, let the rope back in to test again and it started!

I always wondered if it would have started on the first pull if I had been more aggressive instead of feeling for the first bump.

HTH;
John

Here is a picture of the Canadian model. To the right above the receptacle it says "neutral floating".

"WARNING: Generators sold in Canada with CSA certification have the neutral bonded to the frame in compliance with CSA standards. Disconnecting the neutral bond will void the CSA certification of the generator."

There are at least 2 ways to interpret this statement:

1) CSA requires the neutral to be bonded on all generators, or 2) CSA requires the neutral to be bonded on THIS generator. #1 is the obvious interpretation that IMO most people would choose. Since the generator is labeled as having a bonded neutral, disconnecting the bond is "illegal" unless the labeling is also changed, which I believe is the correct interpretation. The Internet is full of documents, many from Canadian governmental agencies, that clearly state the neutral can be bonded or not bonded, and the generator must be labeled as such. Here's one example from Schnieder Electric with references to the CSA chapters: Schneider Application Note .

I found a picture of the eu2000kc2 panel. Above the AC outlet it's labeled "Neutral Floating" and "Neutre Flottant".

As far a paralleling 2 generators with a bonded neutral goes, I believe it would be OK safety-wise if the connection cable was polarized, which the Honda cable isn't. I think the big mystery is why Honda Canada sells parallel capability for the eu1000, but not the eu2000.

robert@honda wrote:

Wayne Dohnal wrote:

Not an RVer, but do not the Canadians require that the neutral be bonded? If so, one would not want the possibility of two different grounds to exist simultaneously.

Just thinking out loud.

It would be interesting if somebody with an eu2000kc2 (Canadian eu2000i) could look in the Owner's Manual to see if the statement about outlet testers showing an open ground is there, or better yet, report what an outlet tester plugged into the eu2000kc2 reports. I can't find the eu2000kc2 Owner's Manual online anywhere to look at it myself.

I was able to connect with an engineer at Honda Canada. He tells me the Canadian version of the EU2000i is not, and has never been, neutral bonded. So, if tested with a typical household outlet testing device, it would correctly indicate an open ground, just like all USA model Honda generators, with the exception of EB-series models, which are neutral bonded to pass OSHA jobsite regulations.

-Robert@Honda

Thanks, Robert. I found the following quote at Champion's www site.

"WARNING: Generators sold in Canada with CSA certification have the neutral bonded to the frame in compliance with CSA standards. Disconnecting the neutral bond will void the CSA certification of the generator."

I also found 10 year old Canadian references which at that time specified that generators must have a decal indicating whether or not the neutral was bonded to the frame/chassis.

I likely am simply confused, but if one tried to parallel two generators each with their respective neutrals bonded to their respective chassis would that create the possibility of two different grounds and thus a real electrical hazard?

Again, I am not coming from an RV background. Just trying to learn more.

Wayne Dohnal wrote:

Not an RVer, but do not the Canadians require that the neutral be bonded? If so, one would not want the possibility of two different grounds to exist simultaneously.

Just thinking out loud.

It would be interesting if somebody with an eu2000kc2 (Canadian eu2000i) could look in the Owner's Manual to see if the statement about outlet testers showing an open ground is there, or better yet, report what an outlet tester plugged into the eu2000kc2 reports. I can't find the eu2000kc2 Owner's Manual online anywhere to look at it myself.

I was able to connect with an engineer at Honda Canada. He tells me the Canadian version of the EU2000i is not, and has never been, neutral bonded. So, if tested with a typical household outlet testing device, it would correctly indicate an open ground, just like all USA model Honda generators, with the exception of EB-series models, which are neutral bonded to pass OSHA jobsite regulations.

-Robert@Honda
Caveat: I work for Honda, but the preceding is my opinion alone.

Honda is more popular because it is red, like a sports car, everybody wants a red one.