New Generator

[Charles.maine]

Picked up a new generator this morning. Well sorta last night and this morning. Went to CW to order a new Champion 7500 watt generator. I know its loud I will get to that. They said there was one coming on the truck in the morning and it was mine. I went home and found that Champion is also sold at Tractor Supply and for $100 less. So I went to TS and picked it up last night. Get it out this morning and start putting it together just to find that its not the same one. Champion makes a Model #100165 and a Model #100296 that does not have the RV 50 amp plug. The one sold at CW Model #100153 has the 50 amp RV plug.

So this morning I called TS and they will let me return the generator since its not the one I wanted. I went to CW and picked up the one that was reserved for me.

Set was easy other than this thing is HEAVY!!!! I think its like 215 lbs. Insane heavy. All you have to do is attach the wheels (super easy), attach bracket on the other side, add oil and connect battery.

Fired it right up and its loud. I would honestly say its about as loud as a push mower.

Let it run for about 10 mins and then plugged in the 5th wheel. Fired up rear AC and then the front AC. Both took like 20 seconds to come one (seemed like a while, dont remember it taking that long before, but it may have). And turned on TV with no issues.

Now back to the noise. I know this thing is not for everyday use. We really only plan on using this if we have to. The main purpose is when we visit the in-law in Georgia. They like in a very rural area on 80 acres and do not have anything even close to being able to plug 5th wheel into. So we will run off generator in the evening when we come back to the RV. It will be March so we will not have to run the AC's all day and night. The generator will be probably 100 yds or so from any of there houses.

Thoughts???

PS: This is the "wrong one" that I am returning.

[SidecarFlip]

Why didn't you get an Inverter? Those 2 pole screamers are heavy, noisy and hard on electronics... But cheap (right).... (modified sine wave)

An inverter is quiet, lighter (usually) has pure sine wave output for safe electronics use and cost more.

Think I know your impetus....

Don't be running your flat screen or stereo or microwave on that noisemaker, they probably won'y like it too much, may crap out.

May eat your ac too after a time and above all, don'y take it to a campground Campground owners from on those noisemakers.

I bet it sounds like a lawnmower.

[Charles.maine]

Originally Posted by SidecarFlip

Why didn't you get an Inverter? Those 2 pole screamers are heavy, noisy and hard on electronics... But cheap (right).... (modified sine wave)

An inverter is quiet, lighter (usually) has pure sine wave output for safe electronics use and cost more.

Think I know your impetus....

Don't be running your flat screen or stereo or microwave on that noisemaker, they probably won'y like it too much, may crap out.

May eat your ac too after a time and above all, don'y take it to a campground Campground owners from on those noisemakers.

I bet it sounds like a lawnmower.

Now I do have a WFCO 1000 watt pure sine wave inverter. Yes I copied that off the label and no I am not sure if it has anything to do with you are talking about.

Oh and yes I have no intention on ever using this at a campground. Typically would just be for our annual trips to Georgia.

[SidecarFlip]

Don't get a hernia hoisting it in your truck.......

Keep in mind my comments about your on board electronics too. MSW power generation is not kosher with electronically operated appliances.

[Charles.maine]

So someone help me out....I thought I had done all the research and this was going to work for what I needed, with the only downside being the noise.

Like I mentioned the noise will not be a factor with where we are using it. However if it is going to destroy electronics (2 flat screen tvs, 2 laptops, cell phones, microwave, ACs) I cannot have this.

Do I need to return it? I cannot drop $3000-$5000 on a 5500 watt inverter generator.

[Charles.maine]

And I have/will be using a Portable Surge Guard Protectors, 50 amp. I always plug this in when I am connecting to shore power. I figured the same would go for the generator.

[Musky Dave]

The standard, non inverter generators are fine. They are what's used in every medical facility, business, and home for emergency power backup. They run entire buildings without any problems. Sensitive medical equipment works just fine, I'm sure our fancy flat screens will survive. I'm not an expert by any means, just looking at the obvious.

Just my $.02

Dave

[KyDan]

Who says a standard non-inverter genny puts out modified sine wave?
I believe a true generator by design does put out sine wave.
The down side of non-inverter genny is that the gas motor has to run
at full speed all the time even with no load because the RPM is critical to
get 60 Hz output.

And yes they are heavy! We have a briggs 5kw bought years ago after
a severe storm left us with no power for a week. That sucker is so
heavy it's hard to get over the door threshold in my walk out basement!
It saved our bacon literally twice when we had extended power failures.
Once in the summer we had severe straight line winds that took out power.
I wasn't able to run my house AC but I have a whole house exhaust fan
and was able to keep the freezer and fridge going. We also could run the
whole house fan in the evenings to help cool the place off.

Another time we had ice storm. Since we have gas heat and hot water I was able
to run my furnace using the genny. I also have a wood stove so we could fire that up
and shut down the noisy genny at night.

When we brought it home my wife and I tried to unload it off the back
of my pickup alone. We literally dropped it half way down! It was still
in the box and wasn't harmed... I hate to think of trying to get that
sucker back in the truck!

Sounds to me like it will do what you need.
Have fun!

[youroo]

Originally Posted by Charles.maine

And I have/will be using a Portable Surge Guard Protectors, 50 amp. I always plug this in when I am connecting to shore power. I figured the same would go for the generator.

Charles,have you tried your New Genny with the Surge Guard plugged into it? On the Champion Inverter type the Surge Gard will prevent Power u

nless you install a "Edison Plug" then All is well! Just asking,our Hondas didn't require the Edison Plug but the Champions did when using the Surge Gard! Youroo!!

[KyDan]

Follow up. It looks like you got an LP gas genny.
I wonder about that.... LP is going to cost more than gasoline I believe but
you don't have to worry about a carb gunking up while the genny is
in storage so there's that up side.

[youroo]

Looks like it is "Dual Fuel"! Youroo!!

[timfromma]

Originally Posted by KyDan

Follow up. It looks like you got an LP gas genny.
I wonder about that.... LP is going to cost more than gasoline I believe but
you don't have to worry about a carb gunking up while the genny is
in storage so there's that up side.

Every generator I've ever owned has fuel cutoff valve. Just turn the valve and let the generator run out of gas in the engine.

[5picker]

It will run everything in your camper just fine.
Folks have been using generators just like yours for years for everything from home use (think off grid Alaska) to Emergency Med Services.

Yes, noise will be a concern but you've addressed what your intentions are for that.
Stay true to your intentions and you won't make others mad should you decide to drag that out in a campground.

As youroo said, if you have a Electrical Management System in your rig you 'may' need to explore the 'Edison Plug' which will allow the EMS to work with the generator's floating neutral.

EDIT:
Remember, when running off propane, the wattage will be slightly less than when on gasoline.

[emm-dee]

Originally Posted by 5picker

EDIT:
Remember, when running off propane, the wattage will be slightly less than when on gasoline.

I keep hearing that but don't understand why. Are you saying the engine runs at a lower RPM when using propane? If not it seems to me that if the engine is running at the same RPM then the generator would have the same output. If the driveshaft is spinning at, i.e., 3,600 RPM then the generator wouldn't care if the shaft was driven by an engine or 40 hampsters running in a rotary cage.

[timfromma]

Gasoline has a higher energy density so you can run longer on a gallon of gas compared with a gallon of propane. The output power of the generator won't decrease if you run on propane, you will just use more of it.

[KyDan]

Originally Posted by timfromma

Every generator I've ever owned has fuel cutoff valve. Just turn the valve and let the generator run out of gas in the engine.

Mine too but with the ethanol gas we have now it's not good to store more than a few months so when I'm done with mine-
I shut off the gas and run it until it misses. I turn on the choke and it
runs a bit longer then dies.
Mine has a carb bowl drain so I drain the remaining tablespoon of gas
out of the carb that you can't get just by running it with fuel shut off.

Then I remove the gas line from the carb and stick it into a 5 gal container
and drain the tank.

It's a big hassle but since we only use it for emergencies that's my routine.
LP I guess I wouldn't have to do all that....
But that week we needed it in hot weather I ran thru at least 3 5-gal cans
of gas. I have means to siphon gas from either my truck or one of the cars so we could go longer even if the local gas stations were in-accessible due to weather or lack of power at the gas station.

Everything's a trade off.
That dual fuel sounds interesting! I guess I never heard of that...

[timfromma]

Originally Posted by KyDan

Mine too but with the ethanol gas we have now it's not good to store more than a few months so when I'm done with mine-
I shut off the gas and run it until it misses. I turn on the choke and it
runs a bit longer then dies.
Mine has a carb bowl drain so I drain the remaining tablespoon of gas
out of the carb that you can't get just by running it with fuel shut off.

Then I remove the gas line from the carb and stick it into a 5 gal container
and drain the tank.

It's a big hassle but since we only use it for emergencies that's my routine.
LP I guess I wouldn't have to do all that....
But that week we needed it in hot weather I ran thru at least 3 5-gal cans
of gas. I have means to siphon gas from either my truck or one of the cars so we could go longer even if the local gas stations were in-accessible due to weather or lack of power at the gas station.

Everything's a trade off.
That dual fuel sounds interesting! I guess I never heard of that...

Stabil will help keep your gas usable longer. I use it will all my portable gas containers.

[5picker]

Originally Posted by emm-dee

I keep hearing that but don't understand why. Are you saying the engine runs at a lower RPM when using propane? If not it seems to me that if the engine is running at the same RPM then the generator would have the same output. If the driveshaft is spinning at, i.e., 3,600 RPM then the generator wouldn't care if the shaft was driven by an engine or 40 hampsters running in a rotary cage.

It's all about the efficiency of the fuel.
Propane is less efficient than gasoline and therefore won't 'react' to loading as well as gasoline especially as temperatures get colder.

You are correct when referring to the genny purring along at 3600 RPM it really doesn't matter what is powering it at that point.
But it is when you introduce a load(s) to the generator, as to which fuel can react better to keeping it purring at 3600 RPM. Propane simply cannot as it's BTU's per gallon (combustion power) is less than gas. Simply put, a propane powered engine just doesn't produce as much horsepower as a gas fueled engine, therefore the derating of the wattage.

[NMWildcat]

Non-inverter generators will NOT 'eat up' electronics if used properly. The danger lies in that the power they provide can fluctuate, especially during start up and shutdown. Which is why instructions say to turn off breakers during these times, although very few folks actually do that Some electronics will not handle power fluctuations well.

Inverter generators always put out clean, steady, power due to design so you don't have the power fluctuations.

[Dmaster79]

I have the smaller Champion open frame we got from TSC. I think it's 3500watt but only 30amp. Ran many times last year to power our 266rr toy hauler when boondocking. Just made sure ac was off before stopping or starting generator to avoid any issues but otherwise the champions are a great choice.