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quote:
Originally posted by mmbvd7
quote:
Originally posted by terracore
I have the 7000w/9000w peak dual-fuel Champion from Costco and have been very happy with it. More output per dollar than anything else I've seen. Not really advertised is that it has a clean sine wave output (less than 5% distortion). It has an LED display to help you track the hours its been running so you know exactly when to change the oil. It also tells you the voltage output. It is an electric start but does not have remote control and probably can't be wired to turn on automatically. It seems very solidly built and there are a lot of little details to its construction I appreciate (for example, it's REALLY easy to change the oil, literally takes only seconds, and there is no struggling to reach any components to do it). Also it has no-flat tires and even though its a heavy unit over 200 pounds its fairly easy to move around.
Here are the technical specs etc:
http://www.costco.com/Champion-7000W-Run...12008.html
I know most people are "Honda Honda Honda". I bought a Honda lawn mower and it's a piece of crap.
Thanks for the info. I saw this one at Costco. Have a couple questions...do you use propane or gas? If you use propane, do you have to choke, pump, or flip any switches ahead of time?
Also, do you charge a battery bank with it?
Thanks so much for the link and information.
Best wishes
I have this genny as a back up for my off grid system. You have to have the genny switched to propane, and then turn on the gas, choke if cold and then crank it. To shut off the genny you gotta turn off the gas. I run a IOATA 45 amp 24 volt charger without any issues. You do need a 30 amp outlet as the in rush is pretty big, but the genny doesn't even miss a beat. I have 12 6v GC and 12 245 24V panels and a midnite CC.
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quote:
Originally posted by mmbvd7
Thanks punalvr. That speaks volumes! I will be on Kona side today. Will see if they have one in stock! If not, can order.
We are usually good, but on overcast days the battery bank runs low after dark. Will look into timer for fridge. Hubby more worried about milk possibly going bad.
For people that put their fridges on a timer, do you adjust the temperature settings of the fridge? The freezer portion?
Best wishes
What is you state of Discharge or Bat voltage in the morning when you get outa bed?
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Did anyone talk about auto start on the Champion?
David
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Please visit vacation.ninolehawaii.com
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A word of caution on the champions,colemans and other off brand gensets.
The pot metal or thin sheet metals usually rust out quickly and are poorly made.
Good for one time emergencies and short term use. Throwaways - thats why folks dont repair them - they are not worth the labor to fix em when they go bad.
the auto parts over by the kta in Hilo sells em as loss leaders from time to time.
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short term use. Throwaways
Keep them out of the rain, use ethanol-free gas, and that "short term" is about 3 years.
US Carburetion makes propane conversion kits; they used to sell auto-start/auto-choke kits but I don't see these listed now.
http://www.propane-generators.com
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Do a search on "capacitor regulated generators" how its regulated defines the junk from the longer lasting (overload resistant and protected)
In my experience hour for hour Honda eu2000 cheapest to run and best of all quiet - neighbors wont complain if run in the evening - a eu2000 comes in at 58db quieter than a normal speaking voice.
A) in fuel burn - I get 8-12 hrs on a gallon on my honda 20001eu
B) lifetime - 8-10 years of daily use not unusual ....I have yet to have the electrical or engine side of a honda EU series fail.
c) replacement parts - usually not available for chinese gensets
when price is the only upside, buyer beware
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A friend purchased 10 off-grid acres a couple of years ago and has been immensely enjoying the well deserved beauty, peace and quiet. He retired from a Peace Corps admin position. The bordering 10 acres was recently purchased by a New Yorker and after building his new house he runs a large loud generator at least 12 hours a day. Refusing to stop, he has basically ruined the peace of all neighbors in the area, that type of noise travels far and wide.
Just a friendly reminder....be mindful of others when it comes to big loud generators.
Thanks!
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arge loud generator at least 12 hours a day ... ruined the peace of all neighbors
If only there these things were regulated and/or the existing regulations were enforced...
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Thats the rub..... EU ....means "meets the european union genset noise standards" ..... cant buy cheap a coleman or champ in those countries.
two edged sword .... my solution .... I buy a new one (EU) every four years for the "cabin" and sell my used one for 1/2 price ... to my neighbors, win win for everyone
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If your fridge is newer or "energy star" the timer may not save you any power. They are designed to run more continuously using less power while running than older models that ran less frequently at higher power. Sort of like how your car gets better gas mileage on the highway than doing lots of starts and stops in the city. (That is an oversimplified analogy but the best I can think of right now). If you put it on a timer not only will the food warm up but the fridge will run forever trying to re-cool it and with a higher net usage. But I understand that if you're only making electricity during the day... I can run our side-by-side GE Fridge for over 3 hours on 1 marine battery (I don't know how long it will run before the voltage drops too low to power the inverter because I didn't want to risk damaging the battery finding out) but you could use a 2 battery system to power your fridge at night and charge the batteries during the day. Think of it as a mini-grid within your off grid.
