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[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

I just came from a show where at least 4 different people were using generators in parallel.

How many of them were paralleling different vendors?  Why were they doing this other than the fact that they can? I'm still waiting for a reason paralleling is better than dividing the load for the OP's scenario.

[Frank DeWitt]

How many of them were paralleling different vendors?  Why were they doing this other than the fact that they can? I'm still waiting for a reason paralleling is better than dividing the load for the OP's scenario.

The ones I saw were rhe same brand. One guy had three different sizes. Four generators total.  In all cases they all fed one RV.  The RV had one circuit and the owner could use there appliances, air conditioner freely without considering what was plugged into where.  When they knew the load would be light they could run just one generator and save fuel and still have power available at every outlet and every light.  Non of this has anything to do with the OPs scenario and I am not recommending it for anyone.  Information is good.  It leads to knowledge. 

[Debbie Dunkley]

Yes- it as my understanding also that paralleling is mainly for RV use when that larger load is needed for things like the AC. As Frank says, owning smaller units that are parallel capable allows for use of smaller genny when a larger power draw is not necessary.

[TJ (Tom) Cornish]

The ones I saw were rhe same brand. One guy had three different sizes. Four generators total.  In all cases they all fed one RV.  The RV had one circuit and the owner could use there appliances, air conditioner freely without considering what was plugged into where.  When they knew the load would be light they could run just one generator and save fuel and still have power available at every outlet and every light.  Non of this has anything to do with the OPs scenario and I am not recommending it for anyone.  Information is good.  It leads to knowledge.

Information without context is dangerous. As you say, this is not helpful or relevant for the original situation. Might have been nice to start out with this rather than misdirect the thread.

[Frank DeWitt]

Information without context is dangerous. As you say, this is not helpful or relevant for the original situation. Might have been nice to start out with this rather than misdirect the thread.

See the 4th and 11th entry in this thread.

[Guy Holt]

Bear in mind that the available power drops by 200w when paralleled- not a lot but still a loss. You (or your friend) would get a little more power by keeping the gennys running separately and just bonding the grounds.

In my experience, the available power from paralleling generators is a lot less. Without some means of assuring the generators start at the exact same RMS voltage, one machine invariably picks up more of the load than the other and trips it’s breaker while the other machine can still take more load. To get the same output from two combined machines as two machines running separately, the load must be split evenly amongst them. And, as David Buckley correctly points out:

.. most small generators don't have the appropriate degree of control to … load-share correctly, particularly when they are of differing sizes…

This has been one of the biggest challenges when it comes to paralleling the larger inverter generators and why Honda withdrew it’s paralleling box for the EU7000 generators from the market. In the case of Honda’s EU7000 paralleling box, the out of balance condition generated cross currents circulating on the shared neutral bus sufficient to trip the breaker on the paralleling box. (For why this would be the case see my article on paralleling portable generators for Protocol which is available at http://www.screenlightandgrip.com/html/hd_plug-n-play_pkg.html.)
Since you will always get more power by running two generators separately, the only reason to parallel them is to run a load that is larger than their individual output.

Guy Holt, Gaffer
ScreenLight & Grip

[Frank DeWitt]

I read the above and it is interesting.  It seems that many would have the same problem but I can't find any one documenting it or complaining about it on the web.  I did find Honda and others advertising double the output.  Also I know a number of people parralling from 2 to 4 generators and all are very pleased with the results. 
In other words, I am confused.

[Stephen Swaffer]

I read the above and it is interesting.  It seems that many would have the same problem but I can't find any one documenting it or complaining about it on the web.  I did find Honda and others advertising double the output.  Also I know a number of people parralling from 2 to 4 generators and all are very pleased with the results. 
In other words, I am confused.

My take?  A very small percentage of people actually know how much power they really need.  If the light bulb lights, they are happy.

[Tim McCulloch]

I can understand the kludge of using multiple, parallel generators for RV use - big generators use more fuel, are typically louder, etc.  But it's still a KLUDGE and RV use (mostly environmental control) isn't exactly what we do in entertainment power.

My personal philosophy for the last 3 decades has been to acquire and use the single generator that can provide the needed electrical services.  No parallel gensets, no kludges, no bullshit.  Introducing multiple variables into an infrastructure system that needs 110% reliability is, to my thinking, a stupid and irresponsible practice.

The homily is ended, go in pieces.

[Frank DeWitt]

I can understand the kludge of using multiple, parallel generators for RV use - big generators use more fuel, are typically louder, etc.  But it's still a KLUDGE and RV use (mostly environmental control) isn't exactly what we do in entertainment power.

I don't see how using two generators that are factory designed to run in parallel with a factory parallel kit is a kludge. It sounds like redundancy to me.  Two amps for two sets of speakers is not a kludge. Two microphones is not a kludge.

[ProSoundWeb Community]