Certified 6550W/8200W Portable Gas Generator

Wonderful generator! Great price. I did not find this generator overly noisy. It is as noisy as my Champion generator. It is a little heavier but generates more watts.

I bought this generator recently, with hopes of it being able to support near-full-household load duty during power outages. Just an FYI, this generator is actually exactly the same model as the Champion Power Equipment generator Model # 100462, only painted green. Parts between them except for the front panel design are identical. Another FYI: There are 3rd party companies who build dual/tri fuel conversion kits that can be installed to this Champion 389cc engine, allowing it to run on local utility natural gas supply, propane cylinders or the fuel tank on the engine. LNG/LPG contain less BTU thermal energy per gallon of gas equivalent, so the engine power output/rated running wattage of the alternator will be less when running on those fuels. The rated output of the generator on LNG/LPG fuels will be close to equivalent to the ratings on the Champion dual fuel generator Model# #100320, which is technically identical to this generator in every way, except it contains the included hardware necessary to support LPG fuel. I put this generator through a light dummy load for the break in period. Break in load was a 1500W halogen work lamp set, and with a full tank of fuel the generator ran for almost 16 hours! Mind you, it wasn't at full load so it didn't surprise me that the engine was more fuel efficient due to being worked less. After the break in, I wanted to take the generator up to over 60% running load to determine engine running condition, voltage output, RPM and Total Harmonic Distortion (measured with an oscilloscope using FFT to determine a glimpse of overall harmonics, compared directly against live grid harmonics) as a simulation to how my house would typically perform in normal conditions while on the generator. I plugged in the work lamp again, the wife's hair dryer and hair straightener into the outlets on the side of the work lamp units, a large heat gun from the garage, a 2 slice toaster and 3 laptop power bricks charging all of their PCs with one of them turned on, all into the 20A 120V outlets, which brought running load up to around 4000 watts. The unit would bog very slightly when the lamps, toaster, heat gun or hair dryer were switched on or off individually, a tiny bit more when ALL of them were toggled on and off at the same time. In either case, the engine was able to keep up and maintain a very consistent RPM and voltage output with loads well over half of the rated running capacity suddenly being turned on and off. The engine speed governor is very well calibrated for this specific RPM, and resists RPM over/underspeed flare ups pretty well, which helps to avoid voltage/current spikes in sensitive electronics. The next step was getting it hooked to the house. I have a semi-permanent panel installation that can be installed into the panel and then removed when not in use. When installed and the generator configured appropriately, the setup is perfectly legal and complies to code. I use a generator backfeed lockout device installed to the face of the panel that only allows the 100A main OR the 30A double-pole breaker that supplies current from the generator to the panel, to be on at any given time. I am using a 50' length of 10/3 SJOOW for the cable that goes from the generator L14-30P twist lock plug to the panel breaker. My home has natural gas water and furnace heating, so running the furnace fan for heat puts hardly any load on the generator, less than 400W when the blower is up and running. I have an electric clothes dryer, and this sucker pulls 5500W by itself, so to use it EVERYTHING else in the house (as a precaution) is turned off with the exception of power strips/surge protectors powering digital device power transformers/converters/bricks/chargers. The other thing I did was install a 5-2-1 hard-start capacitor and potential relay kit to my 3 ton house A/C compressor. You can buy these 'hard start kits' from contractor supply stores/HVAC supply warehouses, and they are add on components to the already existing hard start capacitor installed in most condenser units. This 'kit' allows for another capacitor to help the compressor start when it is commanded ON, but the relay will cut the capacitor off from the compressor supply circuit once load has decreased, but will charge it up again when all load stops. Not only does this help the compressor start more easily when connected to the grid, but with this kit installed to your compressor unit you CAN run a 3 ton whole home A/C system AND the rest of the house basics (fridge, TV, computers, all home lights as long as they are all CFL or LED, microwave, and ceiling fans) with this generator! My 3 ton A/C system with air handler consumes around 2400 watts while running, leaving lots of wiggle room for the rest of the house! As long as you and your family/other users in the house are aware of their surroundings and components/devices that are ON in the home while on backup generator power, this generator is very capable of powering almost all essential appliances WITH central A/C in an average 3-4 bedroom home (provided the appropriate modifications are done to compressor beforehand, and power saving features are present like LED/CFL light bulbs). The generator comes with the alternator ground bonded to the generator frame from factory. There are notes about this on the front panel. Champion has how-to videos on how to convert these generators to floating neutral, proceed at your own risk! The unit MUST be converted to floating neutral before feeding your home panel. If you don't understand what this means, PLEASE consult a licensed electrician and hire his services before attempting to add this generator in ANY WAY to your home outside of using an extension cord! PLEASE NOTE!!!! I am NOT a licensed electrician nor am I attempting to advise or offer instructions on how to use your own personal generator, or offering advise on how to connect it to your home. I am only listing things that I personally do and have done with my personal home and home electrics, having spent a very large portion of my life surrounded in this kind of environment, with hands-on knowledge and working experience, as well as having available friends/family who are professional electrical contractors by trade. Hopefully this review write up is helpful to those considering this generator as a glimpse into its capabilities that it can provide to you and your family in emergency situations!

I bought this generator this morning but some oil and gas and it ran great The only thing is a little loud which I knew or else I would give it 5 Star.

Bought on sale today - big power outage in Quebec. Put the wheels on and rubber feet. Filled with oil (bring your own) and gas. Started one pull. A bit loud but I only need for emergencies so not a huge deal. Enough power and plugs for my requirements. Will be running a portable heater later with TV, cable box, surround sound, and refrigerator.

Filled with oil starts right up! Nice big tank to keep er going!