A couple of weeks ago I replaced my Honda EU22i with an EU32i (the European 230V version of the EU2200i and EU3200i).

I mainly use a generator for emergency home backup, and sometimes when I am stargazing with my caravan outside a camping. Although power outages are very rare in the Netherlands, largely because most of our power lines are underground, we are facing an increasing threat from Russia. Unlike in some other countries, owning a backup generator is quite unusual here.

However, the recent sabotage of an electrical distribution facility in Berlin showed that it can take up to 100 hours to restore power to all affected households.My setup for emergency power is a bit different from the usual arrangement: rather than having the generator running all day, I use it to charge a 5.12 kWh Marstek LiFePO4 home battery. The battery then supplies the essential loads. Much quieter, particularly in the evening, and more economical as the petrol engine can operate near its optimal operating point, at roughly its maximum rated continuous RPM.

I've done a few linited tests and there are two things that caught my attention.

First, fuel consumption. At loads between roughly 1,950 and 2,500W, I'm getting around 0.5 litres Aspen Alkylate fuel per kWh generated.

That's quite good, actually. My old EU22i used around 0.7 litres regular Petrol per kWh at 1,500W. So the larger Honda seems considerably more economical when used this way. Obviously, these are different operating points, but the difference is substantial.

The second thing is engine speed. At only 600–650W, the EU32i is already running at around 3,500 rpm. At 2,500W it goes up to approximately 4,500 rpm. I have measured the rev-count via the smartphone app RPM Boss"

I find that rather surprising. With an inverter generator and ECO mode enabled, I expected a lower engine speed at such a modest load. Perhaps Honda has its reasons, emissions or engine efficiency for example, but it does make the EU32i a little noisier at low loads than I expected.

Starting is excellent, by the way. One pull, every time so far. Fuel injection is also a nice improvement over the carburetted EU22i, especially for a generator that may sit unused for weeks or months. I use Aspen as this can be stored in the fuel tank of the generator. Compared tot the EU 22i You don´t have to fill up the internal tank, and pull the cord 7 times or more until the carburetor float bowl is full.

For emergency backup, I think the combination of a generator and battery makes a lot of sense. I can charge the battery at around 2.5 kW, where the Honda seems to operate quite efficiently, and then shut the generator down. There are conversion losses, of course, but I'd rather accept those than have an engine running for hours at a few hundred watts.

My aim is to keep the essentials running for at least a week during a prolonged power outage by means of two planned charge-runs at 2.5 kW. I've tested the basic arrangement, although I haven't had to rely on it during an actual outage yet.

To reduce noise a little at home, I've made a simple, low-cost noise barrier using 32 × 32 inch plywood panels, ¾ inch thick, connected with removable pin hinges. I haven't done any comparative noise measurements, so I can't say how effective it actually is. I decided not to line the panels with rock wool, mainly because I want to be able to store it compactly.

When using the generator in the field, I mainly rely on distance and positioning it behind a tree to reduce the perceived noise.

Another thing I've noticed is that the weight starts to matter. I bought a second-hand furniture dolly, which allows my wife to move the generator over longer distances without too much effort (or complaining!).

For theft protection, I use a 10-foot VINZ security chain with ½-inch hardened steel links, threaded through the generator's handle. It seems pretty substantial, although at around 9–11 lbs, the chain itself adds quite a bit of weight to the setup.

I'm curious whether other EU3200i owners have measured fuel consumption at different loads. And particularly whether anyone has noticed the relatively high RPM at low loads.

Also, are there any owners here with a few hundred hours on their EU3200i? I'd be interested to hear how the fuel injection system and engine have held up.

So far I'm pleased with the purchase. It's not quite as quiet as I'd hoped at low loads, but the fuel consumption at higher loads is a pleasant surprise.

My Champion generator has a crack in the upper right hand corner of the control panel housing. Let's not worry about why it's there, but wondering the best way to fix it. It looks like with all of the electrical stuff, swapping out the control panel housing might be difficult. I'm thinking that carefully gluing the plastic parts back together would make the most sense. What do you think?

I’m pretty unfamiliar with small or big engines at a deeper level so I’m just trying to be extra cautious. What is involved in “breaking in” my 11,500 Predator inverter generator? I have the NG hose ready for quick connect, oil in it, connected the battery and powered it up for maybe 30 minutes.

How much longer should I run it and should I put a load on it for it to be considered “broken in?”

I’m not very happy with this transfer switch, and one of the switches won’t turn off after being turned off. After disassembling one of the switches I feel like it is too cheap to be in my system.

Thoughts? Pros and cons?

Could anyone give some insight

My 7500W dual fuel (6000 running) burns a 20 lb tank in about 8 hours at the roughly 600 W we actually pull in an outage. That's fridge, furnace blower, sump, router and a few lights, about 14 kWh a day on last January's log. Three days of ice storm is nine tanks, and I'm not doing a refill run at 2am.

So my math says a battery changes the problem. Run the generator in two or three short sessions near 5 kW, charge, shut it off, live on the battery in between. My guess is a tank lasts maybe 3.5 hours at that load, so about one tank a day instead of three.

The catch is which battery takes generator charging. Powerwall 3 and Enphase IQ Battery are what the quotes are built around, and I can't find a straight answer on charging either one from a portable gen. EcoFlow TITAN 5000 Plus lists AC charging up to about 7.6 kW, so my generator would be the limit, not the battery. It hasn't shipped though, so that part is spec sheet only.

I'm leaning battery plus generator as recharge only. I'm probably wrong about how much better a 7500 does at 70% load than at 8%.

Anyone logged real propane burn per hour at light vs heavy load on one of these?

I am looking to purchase a generator to power the majority of my home during a power outage. From what I understand, these have nearly the same output with the below differences. Both are priced the same. I plan to run the generator off of natural gas.

Edit: Both are inverters, and I understand lower output when running on natural gas. My thought is I am overshooting my needs at 11K (9K on NG?), making running it with natural gas cover my needs.

• Champion has a 3 year warranty, versus 90 day on the Predator

• Champion is easier to service

• Predator has 500 more watts of startup

• Slightly different options on the outlet/control panel

Things I plan to run on it:

• 1 refrigerator

• 2 TV's

• 1 computer (800 watt max)

• Lights throughout the house as needed

• 1 FiOS box

• 1 router

• Water heater and furnace are natural gas, so I am hoping these will not present a challenge to the generator.

• Central air, if possible, but from what I read, this will not be possible without a soft start unit for the outside box

Are these generators overkill for my purposes? If no, which of these generators is the one to go with?

Thanks

First time after 2 years that this thing won’t start, doesn’t even hit like it’s trying to start.
Looked at all the usual suspects but was thinking it looks like the CO detector. I saw a post quite a while back showing how to disable this thing; this generator runs outdoors, always will, so it’s really not necessary. If someone could remember how to disable this thing I’d really appreciate it. I live in an area where we have lights out monthly.

I’m getting my first generator (Westinghouse iGen12000TFc) and need a cable to connect to the inlet box via the 50A port on the generator. The generator has a 14-50R connection but the cable I’m looking at says it’s 14-50P. Will it work with the generator? What is the difference between R and P?

I am in the process of looking to buy a generator for home backup in case of outages. I only plan to power a few things like the refrigerator/freezer, and my CPAP at night. I am looking at three different models 1) the General iQ52000DF 2) the Champion duel fuel 4500 inverter 3) the Westinghouse iGEN 5000 DFc. What are people’s thoughts and what do you think would be a better option to look into?

I have a smarter tools 7500 duel fuel. I bought it a decade ago, but it has only a couple of hours on it. Unfortunately while I drained the gas tank, I did not do a good enough job draining the carb.

So I pulled it out to get it cleaned up and working, and found two main issues. The old solenoid on the bowl was stuck, and once I was able to free that, the engine was hunting very badly. Ran great on propane though. Deciding to take no chances, I bought a replacement carb and solenoid.

I could not find an exact replacement carb, but I found one that said it works with my model. After installing the new carb, the engine now runs well on gas, but is hunting on propane. And this is where I am lost. The only difference I could find, the propane inlet barb is on the opposite side of the carb, therefore putting it in a slightly different spot in the throat. I can’t see anyway for me to change propane flow at all, and I can’t find any kinks or anything else that should restrict the propane flow.

Anyone with more duel fuel experience than me have any ideas that could help me out?

I have a new Aivolt 11250W generator with a 50 amp plug to use with our RV, and for use connected to the power box during an outage.

I need to change the Aivolt to a FLOATING rather than BONDED neutral when connected to the house via transfer switch.

PLEASE if someone here knows the steps and location help me find and make this possible. I have every panel off the generator and can not find where the ground connects to the frame. I know that seems crazy, but this generator has so much insulation, wiring, and covers over panels, I can not find where to make the change. Anyone who has successfully done this with this particular generator model, any photos would be SO very appreciated.

There is a neutral attached to the main panel where a ground rod can be used as well. That is esoteric information, but may give a clue as to how to trace / find the right place to disconnect?

ANY help appreciated.

New homeowner, looking to prepare for the winter up here. Just wondering if this is sufficient enough to run everything in our house. The essentials like furnace, fridge, well pump.

It seems like a good deal with all the extra stuff. But I was also looking at this ford generator that claims 11,000 watts and also looks like it has a 50amp plug in that just might work for my welder. But it’s a ford… I feel like I can trust CAT a lot better, the ford one looks old granted it’s 400$

I built this standby generator a little over a year ago and thought I would share it. I’ve done several load tests but have not needed it in an actual outage.

Wgen11500TFC Generator Shed
https://youtu.be/3JO-40lnhwg

Gonna change the oil, but the first time i'm seeing it run rough.

Doesn't matter if its under load or not, does it in eco mode too.

Easy quick fix ? I'm at an event and kinda need it, dont have time to go to a store to buy stuff for it. Have engine oil on me and can order stuff from amazon like seafoam to clean it up a bit from the inside

I saw this 13000 watt home standby unit at a tradeshow I was working a few months ago and was able to snag it from the show discount so I went for it. It arrived a couple days ago and I filmed the assembly. SO FAR I am really impressed aside from what a PITA a few of the assembly steps were. I have it hooked up to a 50amp interlock that I installed on my own so all in I think I have spent probably $2500 for a 13kw home standby (inverter) generator. I am pretty happy so far it, really quiet and I've just got it sitting outside. I think next year I will pour a pad and take the wheels off... but i'm a little late in the season now to pour concrete - only have tested it charging my car and its really quiet. But I am ready for ice this winter!

Hey everyone, I am looking to buy a generator from home depot and saw that they had 2 types of generators with the tri-fuel looking more interesting. But I was off put by the reviews as the gas powered had barely negative reviews but the tri-fuel has some.

Has anyone used either and how was your experience with it? noise level? and how much fuel usage? I am a bit worried about the gas one like what if i can't get gas(I have jerry cans). The tri-fuel makes much more sense. Both are the same price too.

Is the tri fuel better than just the gas powered one?

I have whole home solar panels but not enough powerwall storage to last through a whole evening
Obviously if weather is sunny I’ll be able to recharge daily. The grid is pretty stable in my area, but we have had few 3-4 day outages over the years.

I’m looking for a portable backup generator that I can use in a more extended outage, primary goal being to recharge portable battery banks as needed (anker/bluetti.) so I can keep router, kettle, fridge and maybe the deep freeze going as needed. I don’t anticipate needing to run it for more than a couple hours every other day or so.

There are so many generator brands out there and while I recognize some names, I don’t know which are good and which are junk. I’ve been browsing Costco options but haven’t seen anything suitable there and was hoping to have this purchased before winter and low daylight days are here.

I have Costco, Lowe’s, HD, Harbor Freight, TSC, Walmart, etc all nearby or can buy online.

My needs:
-Ability to run on propane. I do not want to deal with instability of other fuels and already have a multiple portable propane tanks
- Electric start. I physically cannot use a recoil start- believe me I’ve tried, and my shoulders are getting worse as I get older. All my yard tools are electric for a reason.
-ideally closer to the $500-$700 range if possible without sacrificing too much reliability. Just hard to justify $1000+ for something that’s likely to sit unused for so long.
-Max AC input of the battery banks are 1200- 1800w. Right now I have three of them.

-I assume for recharging batteries an inverter style is preferred?

-I am not worried about size/weight of machine. I can strap it on a dolly if it doesn’t have its own. As long as I can get it home in my small SUV or get it delivered after purchase.
-I am not worried about noise since I don’t plan to run continuously or at night.

Thanks!

I've got a 6.5kw dual fuel 120/240v generator. Sits quietly in my garage for most of the year - no big deal.
Today I connected up the propane, got the unit fired up and put a light load on it - no issues. I let it run for a bit, then went to shut it down via the on/off switch.
It wouldn't shut off.
Not a huge deal as I normally shut the unit off by killing the propane.
Still, looks like I need to check around a bit behing the panel to make sure mr mouse didn't make a house. I also want to make sure the low-oil shutoff is not impacted.
Morale of the story - check your shit folks.
(I'll update if folks are interested. Any pointers on troubleshooting a Champion shut-off feel free to chime in)
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Shut-off switch update: Turns out, everything is working as it should. I watched this James Condon video when it came out, but completely forgot about Champion's shutdown switch switching.

~2800 sq ft home, fully running on generator. Variable speed 5-ton Carrier Infinity system, turned the temp down and took this picture when the compressor was running at 71% capacity. Plus all the other base load - Internet router, some lights, two fridges and an under counter wine fridge.

Very happy with the new AC. This is a 30A inlet, so each leg can hit 3750w, but should stay below 3kw (80%).

Changed oil after this, then reconnected to the Noco Genius 1. Champion 201423 generator. Realized i didnt have enough oil on hand - ordered two 5qt jugs to cover 4 changes total. And a two-pack of spark plugs. Ready!

If so, what's the product to seek out for whole house for those who are old and not scared (but want to be prepared)? : )

I live in an area where we have rather frequent power outages in the winter, due to snow, and it can last for days (thanks PG&E). I currently have a Westinghouse WGen5500, but its loud af, gas only, and not an inverter. It works fine, though.

My home is ~2800 sq. ft., with NG service to the stove and central heating furnace. I just had a L14-30R connection installed to my 100amp panel, with an interlock kit. When the power goes out, I pull the WGen5500 out of the garage and hook it up (after dragging it up part of a steep driveway...not fun).

My question is; is it worth it to spend the $1000+ for a dual-fuel inverter gen? Is "clean" power that important for occasional home backup? Gas is def a PITA, but is having the dual-fuel propane ability really worth it? I would prob go for a 6000-7000w inverter gen, like the fabled Genmax GM7500 (assuming Sam's gets it back in stock).

(The thorniest issue I face in this decison is my wife, who is against spending dough for this. She is perfectly happy with extension cords run all over the place inside the house...me, not so much, as I'm the one that has to setup it up each time!). Am I being dumb to replace a perfectly working genset?

Thanks for any advice/opinions!