Champions are great also. I have one and it works great. i have the dual fuel 4500W model. My only complaint with them is that they dont make any dual fuel inverter models over 4500w. If you want something larger that's dual fuel from Champion, you're looking at the non-inverter types and those usually generate power that has a high THD so the power is quite dirty.
Generator gods, purchase advice sought.
- Thread starter Nan_wpg
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Steve_S
Offgrid Cabineer, N.E. Ontario, Canada
Just as a point of interest, as I am a fellow Canuck in Ontario. I have always used Pump Gas which includes 10% Ethanol in my Generators over the past 15 Years, same with other gear like Lawn Tractors etc and NEVER EVER Had a Fuel Related problem. When Ethanol first appeared I did have some issues with "some" equipment and those issues were mostly related to incompatible gaskets (once changed no more leaks) but that's pretty much it. FYI, I also was a Hot Rodder running 400HP Small Blocks and even my 900HP 402 Roller on Premium Pump Gas (with ethanol) and never an issue.
I do regular oil changes with my Champion Gensets @ 50 hours run time approximately and after the first Regular Oil Break-in I switch to Pure Synthetic 0W30 and never look back. Note the Regular Oil will be pretty dark at 50 Hours whereas the Synthetic is still see-through but browning by 50hrs.
Vigo
Solar Addict
I go even further.. I keep changing the oil with 5-10 minutes run time in between, until it comes back clean. So this makes my first 'commissioning' (makes it sound more complicated than it is) of a new small engine take about an hour. It's crazy the amount of junk that comes out in the first few oil changes.
I'm an auto tech and one of the things i learned along the way of building engines is the 'white rag test', basically if you put some oil on a white paper towel/rag and wipe inside the engine and it comes back 'not white' (usually gray from iron/steel machining swarf), then it ain't clean! I think a white rag would change colors just looking at the inside of a brand new 'zero-hour' small engine. After all, zero hours just means 'not proven to stay running for any length of time'.
That’s just weird….I go even further.. I keep changing the oil with 5-10 minutes run time in between, until it comes back clean. So this makes my first 'commissioning' (makes it sound more complicated than it is) of a new small engine take about an hour. It's crazy the amount of junk that comes out in the first few oil changes.
I'm an auto tech and one of the things i learned along the way of building engines is the 'white rag test', basically if you put some oil on a white paper towel/rag and wipe inside the engine and it comes back 'not white' (usually gray from iron/steel machining swarf), then it ain't clean! I think a white rag would change colors just looking at the inside of a brand new 'zero-hour' small engine. After all, zero hours just means 'not proven to stay running for any length of time'.
I have a infrequently used/abused honda 3000is I bought 15? 20? years ago. The initial purchase was driven by noise. The National Parks were imposing generator noise restrictions and the Hondas were one of the few brands that could meet the requirements. I am finally looking to replace it because the gas tank has finally started to rust, to the point where the debris cup clogs pretty quickly. Replacing the tank seems like a lot of work. I suspect a lot of the newer inverter style generators are almost as quite.
Even the engine?
Steve_S
Offgrid Cabineer, N.E. Ontario, Canada
Champion is a Huge Manufacturer of a lot of power equipment and they make all their own stuff.
Not so fast.
Who Makes Champion Generators & Where Are They Made? [AUTUMN 2022]
Are you thinking about buying a new Champion generator? I have great news for you! Our team here at Generatorist has helped over 600,000 visitors find information about generators and we will help you … Who Makes Champion Generators & Where Are They Made? Read More »
generatorist.com
Where are Champion Generators Made? - Generatorbeast
So, where are Champion portable generators made? The company operates from America.. Its equipment is phone engineered.. but made in China...
generatorbeast.com
Meh. The lines are so blurred now. Does anybody actually “make” 100% of their product entirely in the US? Or Canada?
I don’t think it actually matters where anything is made. Do the parts have to be made locally? Is it about jobs?
at the end of the day for me it’s reliability (quality) and value for my dollar. If I can shop locally even better.
I think most equate China with garbage. It’s up to the manufacturer to determine quality. Company specs out a price point, and manufacture accordingly.
wal mart wants the lowest price period. That’s where the low quality mindset comes from.
and There’s a difference between a Chinese knock off vs China made product that’s designed, and supported in the us.
I don’t think it actually matters where anything is made. Do the parts have to be made locally? Is it about jobs?
at the end of the day for me it’s reliability (quality) and value for my dollar. If I can shop locally even better.
I think most equate China with garbage. It’s up to the manufacturer to determine quality. Company specs out a price point, and manufacture accordingly.
wal mart wants the lowest price period. That’s where the low quality mindset comes from.
and There’s a difference between a Chinese knock off vs China made product that’s designed, and supported in the us.
I'm running a Pulsar I got off amazon for backup power to my newer house.
Its $999 right now with free shipping if you have prime.
Its listed as a 12kw but its really a 9500 that can surge to 12kw.
It has electric start which was a must for me and it comes dual fuel but I bought a kit off ebay that made it tri fuel. I run it on gas or natural gas now.
If you add a kit to it then you can do auto start for outages but I haven't done that yet. Good unit and very reliable and for its size very good on fuel.
All that said its LOUD. So if your going to use it often I'd recommend a sound deadening enclosure.
Its $999 right now with free shipping if you have prime.
Its listed as a 12kw but its really a 9500 that can surge to 12kw.
It has electric start which was a must for me and it comes dual fuel but I bought a kit off ebay that made it tri fuel. I run it on gas or natural gas now.
If you add a kit to it then you can do auto start for outages but I haven't done that yet. Good unit and very reliable and for its size very good on fuel.
All that said its LOUD. So if your going to use it often I'd recommend a sound deadening enclosure.
Steve_S
Offgrid Cabineer, N.E. Ontario, Canada
This is a Rabbit Warren ! I've been chasing that monster for a few years and I can tell you that small generators are a PITA for using an AGS ! None have the capability and believe me when I say I looked long & hard. Now an Electric Start model with an AUTOMATIC Choke can be modded to start & stop using an Atkinson GSCM.
I had considered a Generac Stand-BY but the vendor/installer said NO GO with Off-grid as it requires grid power & no warranty without it. So then I looked at the Champion Stand-By Generators and same story. (this was 2 yrs ago) This may have changed since then but who knows. The dealer/installer also warned me that the Generac Generators have gone down hill in quality and the required service calls have become intolerable so he is redirecting people to other brands, in fact he said he has zero issues with the Champions he sells.
Thanks. Yeah, I went down this rabbit hole last night for 6 or 7 hours. I can't believe this isn't really a thing out of the box. I see the new Honda eu30is has it over seas, but nothing here yet. There has to be someone out there that's made one of these wireless remote start, small, quiet inverters work.
Steve_S
Offgrid Cabineer, N.E. Ontario, Canada
I'm now in the process of making another major update to my systems which will have to include a revisit on the generator aspect. It will need to be capable of providing 240V/60A+ for charging & passthrough power. That will certainly bring a few new challenges hehehe...
With the smaller gennies, even like the 4650W Champion Inverter I am presently using, it's really best not to pull too much. I use my Inverter/Charger set to 80A Charge for my 24V Bank, this is pulling 120V/23A +/-1,2A (2700-2850W) from the L5:30 Plug which leaves enough to handle the Fridge or Well pump start surges. I have tried to use more power but I felt the genny was struggling too much and not worth it. I do have an Advantage with the Samlex Inverter, it does compensate for the surges from the battery bank when needed and that does reduce generator load stress quite a bit, not all Inverter/Chargers or AIO's can do this, especially the budget ones. You really have to UPSIZE the Inverter Generators to make sure that you are pulling from the "Running Watts" range when charging your battery systems while leaving a bit of room for other things that are running on the system.
Steve
So I currently have a 7.5 kw Kubota generator with a 2 wire start remote on it already installed at my place. Problem is that it's a long way away from my aio and I'd have to bury 150-200 feet of cable. I'm also concerned that the lv6548 won't like the power coming from it. That's why I'm trying to find an inverter. I guess I'll dig into the Atkinson and see if I can make it work.
ElectricIslander
Solar Enthusiast
I also have a H3000is that was abused by feeding a tank of old gas into it that was mostly water. The tank rusted inside.
I cleaned it out best I could. Your comment reminded me that my brother fixed his old rusty Landrover gas tank with a product that is designed for lining gas tanks. You drain and cleanout your tank as best you can and pour in this compound that seals the interior of the tank and then sets impervious to gasoline. I think that you need to remove the tank so that you can roll the compound around inside the tank. I wish that the H3000 had a plastic lined tank like the H2200 has .....
so, I’ve been using my genny (exact ml as yours), and it runs like a champ(ion).
first oil change @5hrs I switched to amsoil “small engine” synthetic 5/30. I just did the first 50 hour change and it was brown. Not see thru at all. Was actually concerned as I’ve never seen oil Look like that. Wondering if it’s a “small engine” oil thing?
I’ve used Kirkland 5/30 on other small power equipment and some of it well past its due oil change still looked pretty damn good.
air filter was pretty clean.
ElectricIslander
Solar Enthusiast
I have 5500 hrs on my Honda 2200, all of it on Mobil 1. It still runs great and doesn't use any oil. I change the oil every 100 hrs on the hour meter that I added. Generator sits in an enclosure on a rocky bluff next to the sea so the air is pretty clean (little dust on the ocean). To change the oil, we pump out the oil with a vacuum oil change device that makes oil changes really fast and non-messy. We add an exactly pre-measured dose of oil via a calibrated funnel with a valve and hose - that gizmo really eliminates oil overfilling and spillage.
At every oil change I add about 10 ml of Seafoam to the gas (to the 5 gallon external tank) and to the oil. The generator lives most of it's life at idle. Using the Seafoam is hopefully helping reduce carbon deposits on the valves and rings. Our Honda dealer says that carbon build up from excessive idling is a common complaint that they see on small inverters brought in for service.
The generator's oil is a bit reddish brown at the 100 hr point but is still somewhat "see-through". The red colour comes from the gasoline dye that our local marina adds to their non-ethanol fuel which is supposed to be for off road use only (dyed to mark use for taxation purposes).
Steve_S
Offgrid Cabineer, N.E. Ontario, Canada
I know Amsoil well but stopped using it long ago. Personally, I use Mobil-1 Synthetic 0W30 btw, as I do use it in Winter and I want that oil on the valves ASAP, especially when we have real cold. After 50 hours a bit brown is OK and you probably could still see through it. If that was the 1st oil change (after the short 5 hour breakin one) that is not unusual.
TIP:
It's easier to drain the oil out of that genny if you have it up off the ground so that stupid drain tube actually clears the lip of the cover. After 2 messes, lesson learned. I think they could have improved on that drain setup but I've seen much worse too.
No complaints otherwise my Champion 4650 has indeed been a Champion.
I add red stabil, and seafoam to all my fuel. This genny doesn’t run at idle, it’s around 75% when she works
