TT-30 wiring

dnewton3

Administrator
Staff member
Found this info when searching for which is the "hot" blade of the typical 30amp RV plug; thought it might be helpful as a reference to anyone making their own home-made various connections.


I am making my own parallel kit for my two inverter generators. Need the above to know to make the plug connections.
 
I would like to see how you make the wire connecting the generators together. Which generators do you have?
 
I got the little new Powermate units; PM2200i. They are the Powermate version of the Generac units. Same design, literature, etc. 2200w surge; 1700 running watts. They are stupidly cheap right now at Rural King. $379 plus tax. I can buy TWO of them for less than one Honda or Yamaha, and still have plenty of money left for cigars and bourbon. Two of them will cost me $810; you cannot even get one of the new 2200w Honda or Yama's for less than $1000 right now. Admittedly, the PM brand may not last as long, but then I don't expect to ever wear it out because I don't boondock that often anyway. These came out as 2000w units in the Generac line about three years ago. They got bumped up to 2200w this year, and then Powermate (Coleman) picked them up.

The parallel wiring of any inverter generator is simple, you just connect the same wires unit to unit. Wire an outlet receptacle from each genny into a common outlet. (ground to ground, neutral to neutral, hot to hot). The inverter technology works between units so that they phase properly for the correct sine-wave. Most of them use the banana style plugs, so that there's no "hot" plug to hurt you should one come out of the unit. However, these are a pain because you have a separate ground to connect on both gennys. I prefer to rig up make plugs for the 5r-20 outlets. Yes; it could be dangerous should one come out and lay "live". OTOH, they will always have a positive ground as long as they are attached because the ground is integral to the plug and not separate.

Amazon has many choices in both styles. Here is but one of many examples of each:
shielded style
prong style


Check out YT vids; plenty of info there on how to make your own parallel kit from simple supplies at any hardware store.

WARNING - this type of connection between generators is ONLY applicable to inverter type that have parallel circuit capability built into the control of the inverter. (most of the interver type do have this; but check to make sure). This is NOT, repeat NOT, true of the older style of square step wave brute force generators that simply run the wave regardless of what's going on around it. DO NOT try to tie any non-inverter generators into one supply; they are not going to phase properly and you can ruin your generators and anything plugged into them. This parallel-generator concept is only applicable to inverter generators that have parallel tech build into them.
 
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Good information! How do the generators match phase at startup and stay in phase?
 
Don't have the slightest clue. Maybe there's a YT vid that explains it?

I accept it as magic the way I accept other things not within my grasp. Household wiring is a piece of cake; I have always been good at household wiring and 12v vehicle stuff. But "electronics" (circuits and diodes and transistors, etc) are just things I accept as functional in my world without needing to know "how" they work. Same goes for computers for me; when you all talk about server this and router that, and XYZ-PDQ computer language, I just am sooooooooo lost. But that does not stop me from using the end products, despite my ignorance in how they work.
 
I just read that inverter generators made to parallel will sample the AC coming from the line first, then sync phase to line. Makes sense.
 
BTW- I am fairly certain that ANY inverter genny that is parallel capable will pair with any other one that is parallel capable. They don't have to be the same brand or even same size. You can pair a 5000w Honda with a 2000w Generac or other and still get the same effect; that of additive power in sync.

Soooooo .... you can use your Honda 2200 as your primary unit for lower expected loads. And you can buy a cheaper PM2200 like I did ($379 at RK) and only use it when you need to double up on heavy loads. No need to own two Hondas when one Honda and one PM will likely accomplish the same task.
 
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