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cdhiles's avatar
cdhiles
Explorer
Jul 01, 2013

Don't buy 2 ryobi generators to parallel them! Read this,

Hello all,

First time poster and new RVer.. My wife and I recently bought a 2007 Springdale Clearwater edition 23 foot travel trailer. Today, I bought two Ryobi 2200 watt digital inverter generators (2200 starting amps and 1800 running amps) from Home Depot. I bought two because they are parallel compatible with the kit sold separately.. I want enough amps only to run the small roof mounted air conditioner a couple times a day to cool the trailer down for my 6 month old's daily naps while we are on vacation for a few days. I didn't think 1800 would be enough.. Anyway, after I got them home, assembled, and running, I began my search for the parallel kit- Guess what? They don't exist. As far as I can tell, they were only sold at Home Depot and they have since been discontinued, I have spent over two hours trying to find one for sale... No luck.. Only Yamaha, Hondas, and champion parallel kits- so now what? Any advice on where I might find one?

I am pretty upset I just spent $1200 for two generators for the sole purpose of hooking them together and the part is no more. Feel like I just got screwed

24 Replies

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  • cwilliamp's avatar
    cwilliamp
    Explorer
    Aug 03, 2013
    About July 12 I purchased and received from Home Depot a "2200-watt gasoline powered inverter promo" consisting of two Ryobi 2200 generators and the associated parallel cable. Apparently HD has the cable sometimes. Unfortunately one of the two generators has some problem and I had to return the whole set of equipment to HD.

    Today when trying to reorder that equipment HD had discontinued the "promo" but had the generators and gave me a price discount to match the "promo" price I got in mid July.

    Unfortunately the parallel cable is out of stock with no information about when more would be in. When I looked for other sources of this cable I found this thread and thought you all would like to know that since this thread started, HD has had more of those hard-to-find cables.

    Cheers
  • JiminDenver's avatar
    JiminDenver
    Explorer II
    Jul 02, 2013
    Could you get the kit for the powerhouse inverters and replace the ends?
  • n7bsn's avatar
    n7bsn
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2013
    ScottG wrote:


    And even those who know how to do this know that with this gen there's no way to do it safely. That is, with out making a "dead mans cord".


    Eh?

    The NEC requires that the wires used be hooded, so must (including I believe Ryobi) use hooded banana jacks, which are available at many outlets (I know I have bought them from Mouser, Fries, and at one time Radio Shack)
  • uzikaduzi's avatar
    uzikaduzi
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2013
    my wife bought me a belt sander in a tore up box without the plastic storage box that said "As is" in marker on it... she knew i wanted one and it was on sale for $40.00. when she gave it to me, i tried to use it and realized that the case that holds the bearings for the motor were cracked and it wouldn't spin... i didn't think HD would take it back but i thought i'd try. not only did they take it back, they asked me if i wanted the cash or a replacement. so for $40.00 i have a brand new $200.00 belt sander with the storage box. my vote is to return it.
  • crcr's avatar
    crcr
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2013
    md2lgyk wrote:
    westend wrote:
    Home Depot (at least in my area) is really good about returns.


    Same with my local HD. But without a receipt you'll get store credit and not your money back.


    Only true if you paid with cash. If you pay with a credit or debit card at Home Depot, when you take a return in, just give them the card you bought it on. They swipe the card, then the items you are returning, it pulls them up, and the return amount is credited back to your debit or credit card. I buy a LOT of merchandise from Home Depot, and return frequently, and I NEVER take a recept along -- don't need to -- have used this method for years. It's quite convenient, and I haven't as yet run across any other retailer that does it this way.
  • ScottG's avatar
    ScottG
    Nomad
    Jul 01, 2013
    n7bsn wrote:
    I would suggest you not try to "build your own" parallel kit. No offense, but if you don't know the difference between amps and watts, you lack the knowledge to do this safely.


    And even those who know how to do this know that with this gen there's no way to do it safely. That is, with out making a "dead mans cord".
  • md2lgyk's avatar
    md2lgyk
    Explorer II
    Jul 01, 2013
    westend wrote:
    Home Depot (at least in my area) is really good about returns.


    Same with my local HD. But without a receipt you'll get store credit and not your money back.
  • n7bsn's avatar
    n7bsn
    Explorer
    Jul 01, 2013
    I would suggest you not try to "build your own" parallel kit. No offense, but if you don't know the difference between amps and watts, you lack the knowledge to do this safely.

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