# Opinions on Costco Smarter Tools dual fuel 7500W generator?



## Dakine

Hi all, I was at Costco today and saw they have a 7500W genny that is $700 and has some interesting features.

It's dual fuel, it can burn gasoline or LPG! I could use either BBQ barrels or buy/lease a full sized tank after I buy a place of my own.

It's 70db which is quiet enough to be "good enough" for the price.

It's also got some negatives...

it's not UL listed
it does not have GFI outlets
it does not have SINE inverter to filter the output

Also... the only retailers I found that had it were Sears and Home Depot, HD had 18 customer reviews and it averaged 4 stars but that still doesn't convince me, but neither do the 1 star reviews dissuade me. (in addition, the models that Sears/HD carry are GAS ONLY, not the dual fuel and I have NO IDEA what that does to the technology and build QA that this model goes through compared to the gas only model)

the 1 star guys ordered online and had it delivered, and they got machines that were obviously shipped upside down and who knows what else. Any internal liquids became external fluids... it wasn't a good experience for them!

by that same token...

several of the 5 star guys bought them, took it out of the box, put in a quart of oil and a quart of gas and fired it up, yep it works and called it a day.

IMO... that's a big mistake, as one of the other reviews pointed out, he lives in the south, bought it for emergency power use because they are subject to hurricanes and tornadoes I think he said, and after like 7 hours it puked on him. thats completely UNSAT!!!! 


So I'm wondering... does anyone have one of these? this exact model? the gas only model?

what are your opinions? your experiences?

My thoughts are that I could buy this, go through a full 48 hour burn in period to test it, and if it passes then I'm good to go, and if I have any problems... well, costco customer service and return policy is pretty much drop it off and get your money back. Piece of cake!

$700 is a lot of money to invest in a generator, but Costco's return policy is a big incentive, it's VERY close to home and work for me. I have other things I'd like to buy with this money, but power on demand is something easier to fix now when things are good than later when things are... not so good.


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## SlobberToofTigger

Let me start out by saying I do not own one of these units so anything I say is speculation on my part. This unit appears to be the standard offering you can find on Alibaba from china. The engine is a copy of someone elses and the generator head will be sub par at best. With that said I do own 1 Chinese generator out of my three and it works great. I care for it meticulously and it cares for me. For what you are getting you are probably paying about $250 to much but unless you find a direct importer you are stuck. If you do the burn in as you suggested and care for it you will probably be fine using it for emergency use.


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## ZoomZoom

I can't find the details online but in general, I agree with slobbertooth. 

Ponder the propane for a bit. I don't have details but believe it's a lot more costly to operate compared to gas. I'm thinking that generator would go through a 20# propane tank (like what's on your grill) in about 5-8 hours. Personally, if the power was out, I'd be saving the propane for cooking or heat.

I picked up the same size Honeywell generator with a Honda engine at Costco for nearly the same price. I trust those two brands more then a Chinese knock-off.

BTW, what all do you plan on running? I can pretty much run my whole house off that size genset (minus furnace and we don't use the electric stove/oven). I keep a smaller generator around for times when I only need lights and small appliances which saves a lot of fuel.


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## Moby76065

When I purchase prepping equipment I always go higher end. Remember this stuff is not for everyday use. It's for a SHTF situation and reliability is paramount. Generators are expensive for a good one, no doubt. I purchased a Yamaha 2000is and it was a whopping $998.00 and yes that hurt.

However it is small enough to be quite, will run all I need to run in an emergency, and is light on fuel consumption. My firearms are Glocks, Remington, and Armalite. My pressure canner is the American Pressure Canner 931. The point I'm making is save money up and but things you are confident in.

Because when you need them, *THEY MUST LAST A LONG TIME!*


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## SlobberToofTigger

As for the LP gas generator, that is what I use for my main house backup. I picked LP so that I did not need to worry about gas rotation. With that said ZZ is right that LP gas has about 20% less energy per volume then gasoline.


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## ZoomZoom

STT - Are you using a 1000# propane tank? That (or at least a 500#) is the way to go so you do have plenty of LPG without having to swap and refill tanks constantly.


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## cowboyhermit

Not to contradict ZoomZoom, we all have different opinions and experiences but we use gasoline generators a lot for various reasons and I believe propane is a much better fuel for this purpose. 
Dual fuel or preferably (for me) trifuel generators give you more options which is good, the only problems with these setups are when configured wrong, which often happens when people install kits themselves. Natural gas, at least here is much cheaper and often available when power is not, at least in short term emergencies but having an exclusively natgas powered generator won't help you in a true grid down situation. 
If you get one I would recommend leaving the gas tank dry and running on propane for as long as you can, avoiding the problems of stabilizing gasoline in a small engine. Propane may be priced a bit higher, depending on markets, but the unlimited storage and clean burning is a big plus. Make sure you get propane that doesn't have road tax on it. 
I am also partial to smaller generators after experience with ones ranging from tiny, to eight cylinder diesels. Unlike an inverter or most electronics I would recommend getting a generator just a bit bigger than what you need because peak efficiency (fuel/watt) is at near capacity. You might be able to afford two smaller ones and have redundancy.


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## SlobberToofTigger

ZoomZoom said:


> STT - Are you using a 1000# propane tank? That (or at least a 500#) is the way to go so you do have plenty of LPG without having to swap and refill tanks constantly.


My home is in a very tightly controlled residential area (think Nazi HOA) and so I cannot install a large LP tank. What I have done is buy a bunch of the 40# LP cylinders (weigh about 70#s full) and connect two of them to the genset at a time. With my genset and average load I get about 24hours per tank set. That is actually cool for me as I want to shut down every 24 hours and change the oil. I have never had an outage of more than 2 days so I plan for 4 days worth of fuel. I also have all of the propane filling stations marked out in a 100 mile radius. Grin.


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## NaeKid

SlobberToofTigger said:


> My home is in a very tightly controlled residential area (think Nazi HOA) and so I cannot install a large LP tank. What I have done is buy a bunch of the 40# LP cylinders (weigh about 70#s full) and connect two of them to the genset at a time. With my genset and average load I get about 24hours per tank set. That is actually cool for me as I want to shut down every 24 hours and change the oil. I have never had an outage of more than 2 days so I plan for 4 days worth of fuel. I also have all of the propane filling stations marked out in a 100 mile radius. Grin.


If the power is out, propane filling-stations will also be out as they use electricity to pump the propane into the portable containers. If you really need propane, maybe see if you can make good friends with a propane service truck-driver ... :ignore:


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## cowboyhermit

4 days doesn't sound like much to me but better than most people I am sure and as long as you feel comfortable. That is a big plus with dual fuel, 5 gallons from the car can help a lot. Am guessing if it looked real bad you would not be running it 24hrs a day, that could stretch your supply as well. The smaller bottles might make rationing it more manageable.


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## SlobberToofTigger

Interesting thing about the state of FL is that the state has mandated that filling stations have generator backup. So every filling station that also sells propane will be up and running and able to fill my tanks. And if all else fails I will go out and start the genset in my boat where I store 210 gallons of fuel which gives me about 10 days of power. VBG.


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## NaeKid

SlobberToofTigger - In that case ... you are in a very good position! :congrat:


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## SlobberToofTigger

Well I am not patting myself on the back because if there is a hurricane and the power is knocked out for more than 2 days my house will probably be under water (I am at 9 feet above sea level). So it does not matter how many generators or plans I have I am SOL.

Essentially if there is a cat 2 or greater hurricane I get out of dodge. If my house gets clobbered so be it I will just move to my BOL. In the interim I insure everything and enjoy life.


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## cowboyhermit

9 feet  
Good thing you have a boat


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## LincTex

Dakine said:


> Hi all, I was at Costco today and saw they have a 7500W genny that is $700 and has some interesting features.


I am beginning to get wary of all modern 3600 RPM gensets. Even ones made 20 years ago are doing well if you can squeeze 300 hours out of one before something fails.

The newest made stuff is all garbage as far as I am concerned, warranty or not! Everyone builds them so cheap to compete pricewise, that they all produce garbage (except the actual Honda, and Yamaha produced products).

I have an older Onan modified to run on natural gas/propane, and at 1800 RPM it is smooth, quiet and will run forever (40 years old and still going strong!).

Just be careful.... far more gens available now-a-days are just not worth it.

If noise is a primary concern, avoid all 3600 RPM gensets. They are not impossible to make quiet, but they are far more difficult to make quiet than a 1800 RPM genset. (These are usually Onan or Kohler brand, and are commonly found in older motorhomes and generators made in the late 70's and earlier)


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## LincTex

SlobberToofTigger said:


> ....40# LP cylinders and connect two of them to the genset at a time. With my genset and average load I get about 24hours per tank set.


You may not be concerned, but that is wasting fuel. You should run for just an hour or two as needed to keep the fridge/freezer cold and wash a load of clothes and make a meal. Then turn it off until it is needed again 8 hours later.

Otherwise, you are using a lot of fuel to make very little power. An unloaded generator usually burns about 50% of the fuel used at full power, so it's quite a bit to just keep it running - - even when not loaded!


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## SlobberToofTigger

LincTex said:


> You may not be concerned, but that is wasting fuel.


You are 200% correct and if I was in an extended grid down, not during the middle of the summer, I would do exactly as you described. But since most of the time the power only goes out in the summer my generator uses 60% of the fuel burned keeping a few rooms in my house cool. This way I do not suffer the wrath of an angry wife and two whiny children... I look at it as fuel/money well spent. Grin.


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## SlobberToofTigger

LincTex said:


> I am beginning to get wary of all modern 3600 RPM gensets. Even ones made 20 years ago are doing well if you can squeeze 300 hours out of one before something fails.


I agree with the exception to this being marine gen sets. The one on my boat has 900 hours on it and is going strong. After about 3000 hours I might consider having it rebuilt but there is no reason to get in a rush.



> If noise is a primary concern, avoid all 3600 RPM gensets. They are not impossible to make quiet, but they are far more difficult to make quiet than a 1800 RPM genset. (These are usually Onan or Kohler brand, and are commonly found in older motorhomes and generators made in the late 70's and earlier)


Excepting the marine 3.6k units I agree. And even in the marine units the 3.6s need a sound shield to = the same noise as the 1.8k units.

Good advice!


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## ZoomZoom

Anyone want to buy my big generator?

It's really noisy and burns a lot of fuel, but... it can easily power about 20-30 houses.
250 KVA 
200 KW 
120/208 VOLTS, 694 AMPS

It's powered by a Solar (turbine division of Caterpillar) turbine engine that burns 11 GPH at no load, 44 GPH at full load.


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## LincTex

SlobberToofTigger said:


> This way I do not suffer the wrath of an angry wife and two whiny children... I look at it as fuel/money well spent. Grin.


LOL! My gen will run the upstairs central A/C (2.5 ton) but not the downstairs (4 ton). If needed, we can get the upstairs down to 66 degrees in the summer and then shut the gen off and will be able to sleep most of the night.

My Uncle in Houston did the same thing after Hurricane Ike in 2008. They had 14 people in their house (one family had a 100+ foot tall Ponderosa Pine land on their house!) and everybody slept upstairs because his 8000 watt Generac would run the upstairs A/C unit.



SlobberToofTigger said:


> I agree with the exception to this being marine gen sets. The one on my boat has 900 hours on it and is going strong.


They are far better built, and you pay for it, too!!!

Of the marine units I have worked on (Westerbeke and Onan), they used circulated lake water to cool them (and also water mufflers).... how do you run your marine generator when the boat is in the driveway? I have never seen an air cooled marine generator?


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## SlobberToofTigger

LincTex said:


> LOL! My gen will run the upstairs central A/C (2.5 ton) but not the downstairs (4 ton). If needed, we can get the upstairs down to 66 degrees in the summer and then shut the gen off and will be able to sleep most of the night.


I wish! I use window units in the rooms I want cool. The rest of the house is 90 degrees. The rooms I want cool I have sound proofed their walls so they have pretty good insulation in them and they have solid core doors.



> how do you run your marine generator when the boat is in the driveway? I have never seen an air cooled marine generator?


Won't fit in the driveway. But sits fine in the water behind the house... grin.


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## LincTex

SlobberToofTigger said:


> Won't fit in the driveway. But sits fine in the water behind the house... grin.


Oh, OK. Just need a long enough cord! 
Who makes the 3600 RPM gen in your boat?


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## SlobberToofTigger

LincTex said:


> Oh, OK. Just need a long enough cord!
> Who makes the 3600 RPM gen in your boat?


Kohler. The exhaust was the nosiest part so I bought longer hose and made a loop. It is now almost silent except for the water and exhaust sloshing noise.


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## tinker

Hi,
I have a 7000w generator from Costco. It saved my bacon after hurricane Sandy plowed down trees in my neighborhood. We had no power for 12 days. Getting gas was a real pain, hours on line. As soon as I could I converted it to dual fuel. Now it runs on both propane and gasoline. Made storage a real snap. I wish the dual fuels was available. Champion just started making dual fuel gens! They just confirmed it and are updating their website. (Yes, a Honda clone.)

IMHO figure out only what you absolutely need. Round up. Then buy a generator with twice the wattage. Generator gas consumption are rated at half power. Ours would run all night, chill fridge, keep house warm, TV and some lights, and we had hot water. In the morning it was turned off. (Sun room helped.) 

Opinions may vary but propane will run a little less efficiently, maybe 20%. I figure a barbeque propane tank is about equal to a 6 gallons of gas in my generator. Next outage will confirm. 

Pouring gas sucks. Swapping tanks takes 1-2 minutes. Go for propane/gasoline. After Sandy propane was available in BBQ tanks. You can submerge a BBQ tank in salt water for days. Gasoline would be gone. Cost: gas here in NY $22(3.69/gal) BBQ propane tank $21 without coupon. After hurricane Sandy gas went to $4/galon. BBQ refills did not budge. 

Good luck.

JMB


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## LincTex

tinker said:


> Opinions may vary but propane will run a little less efficiently, maybe 20%.


That is pretty close. If you run the numbers for "BTU's per pound" or "BTU's per gallon" the numbers will be a little different (each fuel has a different specific gravity) but somewhere around 20% less is a pretty close number. The conversion factor is about 1.3 when using gallons-to-gallons.

Propane
1 gallon = 91,000 BTU
1 cubic foot = 2,500 BTU
1 pound = 21,500 BTU
4.24 lbs = 1 gallon

Gasoline = 115,000 BTU per gallon



tinker said:


> I figure a barbeque propane tank is about equal to a 6 gallons of gas in my generator. Next outage will confirm.


Not quite. 
SADLY, a full 20lb bottle (20 lbs of net propane) will hold only 4.7 gallons. 
Due to the reduction in BTU's, a full 20lb bottle (4.7 gallons) is only equivalent to around 3.45 gallons of gasoline. 

**BUT** - NONE of the "exchange" refillers will put 20lbs in the tank (because people will still pay $21 for only 15 pounds). The standard 20lb grilling tank will safely hold 20 lbs (with room for expansion), but they won't give you that much; Read the label and it may surprise you.

Better yet, take your bathroom scale with you and weigh an empty bottle alongside a full one. Prepare to be surprised. Sometimes if you are lucky you will get 17 but I have weighed some that only had 12 pounds in them!!!! They aren't very accurate about refiling them.

A 5 gallon gasoline jug would be equivalent to about 6.8 gallons of propane (That would be about 28.8 pounds of propane).



tinker said:


> After Sandy propane was available in BBQ tanks.


That IS convenient!



tinker said:


> You can submerge a BBQ tank in salt water for days. Gasoline would be gone.


LOL, unless you are like me and store gasoline in propane canisters. That way it never goes bad (hopefully) because it can't evaporate, can't oxidize and can't draw moisture out of the air.



tinker said:


> Cost: gas here in NY $22(3.69/gal) BBQ propane tank $21 without coupon.


It seems like the best path, but the numbers don't lie.


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## tinker

Gas degrades because of its inherent volatility, water contamination, and oxidation. I am ignoring light as a problem. So, unless you store it in a pure nitrogen atmosphere you will always get oxidation. (Ignoring any type of iron or metal contamination.) I do like the idea of storing the gasoline in propane tanks. Just seems like using an M1 tank to go to grandma's house, a little heavy.

If you can find them there are plastic propane containers. That would make more sense. Just keep them out of the sunlight if you are storing gasoline. They cost a lot. 

You can exchange tanks in NY, but it is too easy to assume that some company is not skimming. We bought the tanks and will keep them for decade or two. My local guy uses an old fashion scale and has sent me home if had not drained it fully. He will fill #30 if I had one. (6.8 gallons). Haven't asked him about the cost. Bigger tanks cannot be transported without permits in NY. 

I like the flexibility of two fuels. I had to convert mine and it came out okay. If I had a choice I would buy a dual fuel system. (Warranty covers both systems.) Mine due to modification may not be under warranty. 

Pouring gas in the cold was no fun after Sandy. It snowed less than a week later. I still recall the bite of the cold and stinking of gas. Not to mention how numb my fingers felt if they got wet from gasoline. Try pouring five gallons from a modern plastic gas container. Takes at least 20 minutes. Swapping propane tanks takes two minutes because you turn off the genny and then restart it. Unless it ran out. 

The bottom line is always cost. Spend the hundred bucks on the dual fuel generator. Conversion kits can cost two or more. You can always choose the fuel based on availability. Better to have a choice. 

Oh, we had rationing here in NY for gasoline after Sandy. 10 gallon max. Propane was not rationed. One guy I knew had twenty five propane tanks, no joke, for Sandy. Would not recommend that. Way to much potential energy...


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## LincTex

I feel your pain. I've been through a lot of what you recently experienced before in my life. 

I am spoiled now, I have a 4Kw Onan from a motorhome on a concrete slab behind the house that gets its fuel from the home's natural gas supply. That thing is a luxury and is not for me, it is for my wife and kids. We have had to use it twice for power outages that lasted over 2-3 hours, but less than 24 hours. It would run for days if we needed it to, and if the natural gas was still flowing. I have two diesel engine back-up gens that are not "wife friendly".


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## tinker

My wife actually likes our generator. I had her start it a few times. Ours has a remote. (I left her detailed instructions if I am not home.) Then again my wife helped me roof the house and knows were stuff is in Home depot. 

Onan 4KW!!! You could power most of my neighbors. 

My friends along the shore lost all natural gas with the power. The fires along the shores were from gas leaks and the electric being turned back on. So, the power company, LIPA, cut all power and had mandatory inspections. So, those poor families had no heat, no power, and water damages. 

I can live without electricity for a week in our house. The kids enjoyed camping in the house. Wife was not happy. She does not like camping...

We don' t have NG in my neighborhood! So, it is not an option. 

I do like diesel better than gasoline generators. They are not wife friendly.


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## zimmy

*Generator*

Diesel is the way to go for a generator. Diesel stores well, high BTU per gallon content, diesel engines last a long time, and diesel engines will run on vegetable oil.

Generators should be in their own building away from the house for noise and fire dangers. The generator can be maintained and started during inclement weather when inside a building.

Here is one of my generators on my property.


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## LincTex

tinker said:


> Onan 4KW!!! You could power most of my neighbors.


Oh, no... 4KW = 4000watts, although it is seriously underrated. I think it with safely put out 4000 watts with the leads shorted, LOL! It will carry an honest 6000 watt load for quite a while and not appear to struggle with it at all.

The engine is about 14HP or so, its about 48 cubic inches (CCK series) and runs at 1800 RPM. I milled the heads a bunch and advanced the timing a fair bit to optimize opn on natural gas or propane (I can switch between the two in 2-3 minutes). The timing and compression changes helped reduce fuel burn rates a bunch.


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## helicopter5472

zimmy said:


> Diesel is the way to go for a generator. Diesel stores well, high BTU per gallon content, diesel engines last a long time, and diesel engines will run on vegetable oil.
> 
> Generators should be in their own building away from the house for noise and fire dangers. The generator can be maintained and started during inclement weather when inside a building.
> 
> Here is one of my generators on my property.


Looks real similar to mine I have a Yamaha EDL 6500, Same design and has the Kubota diesel. I have a remote start from the shed to the transfer switch in the house.


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## tinker

Ops, I read 40kW. That would be a beast. 

I built a mini shed for my generator, a foot off the ground, with doors that can be opened up on two sides, and it is bolted to the floor. There is a real ground rod nearby only for it. It has a round window for the wires to exit. The wires drape down to keep the insertion point dry. My kids play in it. In an emergency in goes the portable generator. Otherwise it is locked away in my garage.


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## charliehorse14

I bought a GP-7500DEB propane or gas smarter tools, on propane hooked to my camp trailer it ran 5.9 hrs, it quit, drained oil, chunks of metal and filings. Probably a rod. called costmer service 2 days email with return info to cosco happy with service but not with generator.


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## tinker

Charliehorse14,

Sorry to hear your GP-7500DEB blew its engine. Most retailers will not fix any motors. They should take them back if they die like that but that is just my take. Otherwise your stuck with the manufacturer and they can be a pain. I have had success with showing them with pictures in emails and photographs what was not done right. (Had a dishwasher handle/face come off in my wife's hands several years after a manufacturer approved repairman had fixed the machine. I proved it was a part that had not been properly attached. They paid for half of the part.) Show them the hours running and the areas where oil leaked out. Can't hurt. They may get you to a local repair guy who will check your claim and agree with you. Is a royal pain but that is a lot of money for a garage paper weight!

I think you got a bum engine. Me, I converted mine after I had thoroughly broke it in, 80+ hours. I have not run it on propane for more than a half hour. I can still use gas. So, I hope the company replaces your generator. It is a new product and they should look into these things to fix a problem. 

Again call and email. Be a polite pain and get it replaced. If they annoy you say refund.


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## ssanchez

Just ordered a Smarter Tools 7500W/9500W portable generator which Costco is running on special for $650 through 11/03/13. This is my first generator which I bought as an emergency backup for running A/C, refrigerator/freezer, etc. in the home in case of emergency. 

I found this thread looking for reviews of the generator and am wondering about things like initial burn in, dual/tri-fuel conversion kits, etc. I'm as new as they come on this so I'm looking for pages or videos on what I should do after the generator gets delivered. Run gas through it for 48 hours? Buy a conversion kit and convert it to propane use? In the event of an emergency, how long should you typically run these and how long to leave them off before restarting? What maintenance should I perform when using a generator? etc. 

I've picked up some great tips reading this thread and am hoping someone can point me to some good "orientation" instructions or videos on how best to be prepared. 

Thanks in advance!


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## LincTex

I would do one oil change after just one hour of running, to get the metal shavings out. Use plain ol' SAE30 weight, but not the cheap SA stuff. Make sure it is at least SH, SJ, SL, SM..... look in the API "donut" on the back of the bottle.

I would then do the next oil change at 25 hours, stopping every 3,4 maybe 5 hours to monitor oil consumption. Some engines will use NO oil at all, and some will be down a lot. Learn yours. If you have one that uses a lot, it will always be a problem child.

You should not use/add more than 1/2 quart in the 25 hours of run time. I have seen some that will use a quart in 10 hours, those were junk. I have a Honda that will run 50 hours and use NONE.

Switch to Mobil-1 synthetic after 25 hours. Not before then. I only use mine about 15-25 hours a year so I only change oil once every 2-3 years. Honda GX390 engine). My diesel generator has never had the oil changed in it, but I only run it once a year.


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## LincTex

ssanchez said:


> dual/tri-fuel conversion kits, etc.


generator propane conversion


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## GarnMar

*Don't purchase anything from Smarter Tools!*

Hello,
Warning. Do not purchase any Smarter Tools products!
We just purchased a brand new Smarter Tools generator, ST-GP6500DEB
Propane and gas electric start and it was defective right out of the box.
It just revved constantly and after doing so for a minute or two the exhaust pipe started to glow red hot.
We contacted Smarter Tools and all they had to say was we don't know what the problem is and immediately turned me over to AWS, American Warranty Service. AWS has done nothing more than blow us off for a few days now and even stated Smarter Tools does not make such a generator.
In short, Smarter Tools does not take any responsibility for their poor manufacturing and defective tools.
You would be much better served purchasing a reputable manufacturers product; which Smarter Tools is not.


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## LincTex

GarnMar said:


> Propane and gas electric start and it was defective right out of the box.
> It just revved constantly and after doing so for a minute or two the exhaust pipe started to glow red hot.


If it is *SURGING*, it is too lean because of the ethanol fuels in your area have made it even leaner still (due to emissions regulations!!)  :brickwall:

Take out the carburetor brass main jet (center, very bottom, inside), and open it up VERY carefully - - you only need to go about another .001" or .002" larger! Use a "micro-size" drill bit from a hobby shop (expensive) or a "torch tip cleaning tool" (common and very cheap).

Remember, just a bit little at a time!!

http://gardentractorpullingtips.com/carbfuel.htm


> But if an engine idles well, but runs only at higher rpms (up to 3,200 rpm with a fixed main jet; or 3,600 rpm with an adjustable main jet) with the choke partially closed, or if it surges or hesitates to rev up upon acceleration, this means the engine is running too lean on fuel, and following are the most likely causes: (listed from most common to rare)
> Partially clogged hole in the main jet, or if the carburetor has a fixed (non-adjustable) high speed main jet, then the hole in the main jet is calibrated too small for the size of engine it's installed on.
> Solution: Remove carburetor, remove float bowl and float, and use a carburetor jet cleaner wire set or an oxy-acetylene welding torch tip cleaner to clear out the dried gas and/or dirt/debris from the main jet. When cleaning the hole in the main jet, use a wire cleaner of the appropriate size, and be careful not to enlarge the hole, or the engine may run too rich on fuel! But if the engine still runs the same after cleaning the main jet, then the hole in the main jet will need to be slightly if enlarged a few thousandths of an inch to give the engine a little more fuel. After cleaning or enlarging the hole in the main jet, always use [150± psi] compressed air to clear the debris and/or metal fragments from the carburetor.





















http://gardentractorpullingtips.com/carbfuel.htm


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## TheLazyL

Why spend a lot of money for something that I might need every other year?

So I bought a used China generator from a Buddy. 

Took my "new" generator to the local small engine shop for a look over. They told me everything look good, spare parts would be next to impossible to get.

Hook the generator up to the house and mark which circuit breakers to leave on.

Year later power outage. China generator started on the second pull. Ran for 8 hours until the utility power was restored.

Next year another outage. China generator started on the first pull. I let it warm up and then switch it over to the house. About the time it took me to walk from my shop (where the generator is) to the house the China generator start running rough and popping. Stalled. Gasoline pouring out of the carburetor and pull rope wouldn't turn the engine.

TIn the morning I took the China generator back to the small engine shop and told them, "Merry Christmas! He are some spare parts for you1". Then I drove into town and bought a quality generator!

Got my new generator home, assembled, oil in the engine. Just ready to pour in the gasoline when the power came back on.

So I said all of that to say this. Any generator is better then none, but quality will serve you longer.


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## tinker

Hi Ssanchez,

Conversion kits can be a little tricky. There are a number of nice youtube videos, as noted above. The company that I dealt with sent me a complete kit but the instructions were a little vague. I figure they don't want to be responsible if you screw up. 

My humble advice is realize that before you convert it you are voiding the warranty from the manufacturer. If you can live with that. Break the generator in according to the manufacturer's instructions. My gen had an oil change ever 25 hours even though the manufacturer suggested much longer. After a good break in I converted it, 80 hours. Since then no outages... It gets exercised every month or twice a month. 

Linctex suggestions tend to be pretty good. 

If you want to tinker with a conversion kit you may want to consider using a decent old gen. Unless you torch the engine you can reuse the kit. The kit I used just attaches between the air filter and the carb. Real easy. If you end up using the same general size engine you can reuse it. 

As far as the smarter tools issue. You get what you pay for. 

A few companies are making portable propane gen sets. They are not dual or trifuel. They seem to cost a little more. Check the reviews on-line and here. Several models have had problems. When it come to doing it yourself you can save some $$$. I can find a trifuel gen for a little over a grand. If you do it yourself you can save 1/4 or 1/3 off the entire price. You still eat the warranty.

Good Luck


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## Dakine

I ended up buying the costco genny, the HF was $100 cheaper, but I got the costco model with the wheel kit & handles, and it's dual start, pull and battery, and the battery is included and installed on mine, and on top of all of that, I have the costco return policy.

This was a no brainer for me.


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## Rumore57

US Carb is selling a Natural Gas Conversion kit for 187.00.


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