We just got hit by Beryl and my old genny quit powering my central HVAC. Decided today get a DuroMax 13kw tri-fuel. Yeah, the inverter would have been a better option but it’s also $3000 more. Long term, that’s the goal, but for now the 13kw will get us through the storms.
That is awesome. It covered the house with power to spare. Compared to most generators, it wasn't that loud. I don't know if you have natural gas, but if it can be converted, there would be no need to run for propane. I don't know if it is true for that one, but they claim you have to give them a cool down period every 4 hours. I have used generators before, but nothing of that magnitude. It looks like a badass machine to me. Thanks for sharing.
Propane is KING in mass emergency situations. Propane can be stored indefinitely. Houston TX folks learned the hard way when they lost their natural gas supply due to frozen natural gas wells which rendered their house generators useless during that big freeze few years ago and several other times. Other areas in the states experienced the same after storms and hurricanes. His 16K kW is over kill for his needs though and will just needlessly burn up more of whatever his fuel choice is.
@@bigblue3568 The best thing about Tri Fuel is three choices and opportunities, I understand why most manufactures do not want to do the Tri, natural gas system vary from region to regions, state to state, there is dominium requirement. The human factor is always the big X factor, DIY, semi pro aka expert have a big influence on how will it will work with Nat. Gas.
The manual will tell you to run with eco off when powering items with a heavy surge. You have several of those. The problem is the eco mode cannot increase the rpm fast enough to deal with surge so it tries to make up using the inverter output and that drives it into overload. Just leave eco off to run your whole house.
I'm looking for a more powerful generator and was looking at a whole house generator, but the sticker shock was making me look elsewhere. I had no idea inverter generators have increased their power this much and I might just go this rourte. Great video!
Thanks for testing the Central HVAC and showing us how it worked! That's exactly what I'm interested in. I would love clean power but I'm concerned about motor starts on an inverter. This looks very promising; I was amazed that you could start the outdoor compressor on low idle.
Great video Curtis! You might want to pickup a quick disconnect for the propane. I put one on my XP13000HX, so much easier to connect the propane hose. Plus disconnecting it for storage!
One thing I noticed about using the small propane bottles (20lb.) You can run under a good load for a while but then the bottle will freeze up and stop the generator. The propane can’t convert from one state to another fast enough under a sustained load. So I bought 100lb bottles (2). I have the duramax 13000 hybrid. Now I’m working on an enclosure solution watching many videos.
Yeah I wouldn't use anything smaller than a 40LB bottle and have the Grill tank for emergency. I can get a full day out of a 40lb with conservative use. (I have a 12500W/11500)
During break in, you should use non-synthetic oil. I thought I saw Mobile 1 but I could be wrong. Also, heavy inductive loads you should turn ECO mode off so that there’s no surge on the inverter system. After break in I think you can switch it back on. If there’s a surge over a certain value the inverter will trip off to protect itself. So during summer when the A/C kicks on, ECO off will allow the inverter to pull that power it needs with no surge. Finally, if you have issues with the engine having hard start after break-in, put Bosch platinum plugs in the engine. Those Chinesium plugs are NFG. A friend did that in his generator and fixed a multitude of problems he was having with the engine. He has a Harbor Freight 9,500 watt generator. Excellent video. Thanks for bringing us along.
@ brain trust 2682 The non-synthetic oil is best for breaking in to seat the rings. After break in, the synthetic oil will work well because of its heat tolerance and longer life, which comes in handy when people who think they know it all forget to be diligent in their maintenance during an emergency. ;-), but I'm sure you will go ahead and do what you need to do!
That is a big giant beast all I have are two predator 3500s in parallel so I can get 50 A at 120 V and I just run a couple of window shakers and it runs my other stuff that I need just fine, but I don’t have many 240 V items in my house. My hot water heater is natural gas. Basically just my stove and my dryer. I can’t use in a power outage, but I have a hot plate and a microwave that is good enough to cook with in a power outage maybe one day I can get a big one like that
@ paultice - Get a Propane barbecue for power outage & Normal life too. Also - air con - Mini splits - 12,000 btu are 115 volt now. Heat pumps too. Norcal refrigeration just installed one. $875.00 amazon.
Get a used gas dryer. $50.00 a lot cheaper than electric to run. can be run on propane too. i've done it. no mods necessary. i've done it. works great. i just used an air hose as a propane hose. worked great. no air leaks = no propane leaks.
@@OcRefrig hehe, yo man. I have natural gas here, but keep propane around and have generators. yeah, I mainly use one of the two bbq grills when power is out(not in storms), natural gas and propane grills both. but generators will run a microwave if needed, gas stovetop can be lit with no power(lighter/match) if need be. the oven needs power to make ignitor glow and gas valve(thermally open), stupid "newer ovens" yeah newer means early 90's on lol.
Man, that's a monster!!! I don't plan on using my new 7500W tri-fuel Firman generator ($700 @Costco) on gasoline either. Maybe I'll run it one time on gas just to be sure the carb works and run it dry. Should we be putting anything in the fuel tank to prevent rust? Fogging oil or swish around a little Marvel Mystery Oil maybe?
@@jthonn Yeah, that may be the best plan. I guess even with a coat of oil of some kind, air would condense some moisture in there long term. I do keep a good amount of non-ethanol fuel with stabilizer on hand, and rotate it regularly, so adding the generator to the rotate list is not a big deal. Thanks for your input.
I've found on inverter generators that when pulling hard starting things keeping it on hi idle is better For the generator. I have a 8500 watt DuroMax generator runs my house well. The new heat pump ,I installed a soft start on it haven't tried it yet but I hope things work well on the generator and Ac. Curtis what do you think about the soft start add on?
HINT! when heat-pumps go into "defrost mode", they generally, change the reversing valve to "air conditioning" mode to de-ice the condenser coil, while they BANG the "electric heat strips" on full power to keep it from blowing cold air inside the house. that is more than most all generators will handle. there are cases where it can work if the backup heat strips are on multiple breakers and the highest current breaker can be left OFF, as to not overload the generator. but it all depends on the homeowner knowing/recalling to only turn on certain breakers/loads when on gen power. as for "soft start/start setup" on compressor/motors, yes if sized proper and system is in good working order, they can lower the peak start current and shorten it by far.
I have one (soft start) in Vegas on a 5 ton 13 seer Goodman unit and it pulls less than 32 amps to start up. Works great in an 8500 watt generator with no issues. Mine is an Air Go soft starter that works great even in our desert heat and higher start g loads along with it.
Good deal Curtis, Yeah propane burns cleaner than gasoline, but less rpms, if you use the gasoline on the generator it will stink it up like a leaky car.......
Definitely need to not run low idle or eco mode when using high start loads... Well pump, AC, etc. If you watch when you do that you will get surge drops to very low voltage. Need eco off so it can surge support fast to keep voltage up. So not about adjusting low idle, low idle is not designed for use in supporting the whole house. It's there if you're supporting only low loads like some LED lights and what not.
Been watching your videos for awhile on HVAC. But this has been a problem for me for awhile. I have a smaller generator and could not ush the whole house AC. I have ordered a softstart unit to help with the inrush current from the condensing unit. So I'm thinking this is perfect for me. The only thing with the Predator unit from Harbor Fright was gasoline only, I really wanted a dual fuel. So this will be my unit.
Our Power Company in STL Cut Tree Trimming Program causing Major Outages after 2006 Tornado and 2006 Ice Storm. Installed Natural Gas Generator, 12/2006.
when the power is out here, I go with minimal needed equipment/lighting powered on. well pump, some lighting, fridge/freezer and cooking appliances( one microwave and gas oven) although I will generally just use the gas grill outside, unless storming bad. the rest is un-needed, but handy. I don't bother with backup power unless it out or is said to be out for more then two hours.
Propane is King during any mass emergency situation. Propane can be stored infinitely and is reliable unlike gas and natural gas supplies. IF a potential long lasting power outage occurs no matter what fuel choice selected it will be highly sought after and in low supply so its best to not waste any of it such as using oversized generator producing power you don't need nor will ever use. No need to power entire house and cooling every room using homes central air.. Best to select a room such as master to use as a temp living area to stay cool, add it to one of your circuits of choice for power. Pick out a nice size window AC unit or portable one to use along with a moderate size generator in the 6500 kw size to power it along with few other circuits such as well pump, fridge etc.
Exactly my take too. Thats what I did. Small 8,000 btu window unit. 6,000 watts running generator, 2 refrigerators, lights, fans and 45 gallons of gasoline (get it BEFORE the storm :) ...
Check the manual for that system. I think you need a bond to ground via a ground rod right at the generator. Also check the grounding requirements of your electric provider and ask a local licensed electrician. Calculate propane consumption perhour and then the expected time backup power is needed. That will help you decide how big a tank you will need to have filled up. My preference would be using Natural Gas. The last time I had lost power it was about 10 days.
High idle as You stated is not an idle at all. It is running the Engine at full 3600 RPM... When You were running low RPM The inrush currents were to much for Propane to overcome.
Duromax just came out with tri-fuel in this size today! I am definitely going tri-fuel as I have natural gas at the house and already had a line run from the meter to the rear yard. Just not sure if I want (or need) the Inverter type as it is almost twice the price of the regular 15kw tri-fuel. 🤔
you may need a bigger tank of LP , once you start to get above 5Kw you need allot more gas , that small tank may not be able to produce GAS lp fast enough. there is a kit I seen to connect 2 tanks together to supply enough GAS..
an little 18lbs cylinder is useless for all generators, except for when full and very short testing. for a generator that size to be of any use, you'd need minimum of 500lbs tank (for about few days low power usage) want to use lots of power? better get 1000+ gallon tanks(multiples or larger!)
Just heard the Trifuel (incl NG) version of this model is coming out. Wish I had waited instead of getting the 9KW Champion Tri Inverter. But it was only $1350 so I can get two.
Informative video! Does this generator have an oil filter?How long would a 5 gal propane tank last? Since everyone in my area are getting natural gas generators, the gas pressure is questionable at times an the generators go down. People had this problem during hurricane Francine! I could store up to 10+ 5 gal tanks. Thanks
These large gens are great for short term use. 1-2 days. Now paying for and storing enough fuel for the long term is another story. I would like to see a 20lb tank hooked up and time run time. This will help to calculate larger tank size and run time in emergency.
Cool Generator. What about Trying to use the Broiler in the oven or the stove top To Boil a Pot of Water for Spaghetti. a Propane Barbecue , That Generator & a 100 or 200 gallon Propane tank & You are all set for a Week or 2 without power. Smart man not filling with gasoline. that way you don't have to worry about gumming up the carb etc. i would not use gasoline either unless You have to. just takes all that gasoline & varnish out of the equation. You should try living with it for a Weekend once & see what happens. it would be interesting. see how long a 5 gallon propane lasts. You could use refrigerant scale figure 1 lb of propane for how much time.
Propane is less powerful than gasoline, so you'll go thru propane faster than gas. But propane doesn't go bad from sitting and gum up the carburetor like gas does. So with propane it can sit for years and start right up. I work with marine diesel generators. You may need some hard start kits on some motors if you're marginal on power.
Hard start capacitors appear to be more effective and cost-efficient than soft starts for AC compressor motors. After installation, I observed a more than 50% decrease in amp draw for both starting and running units. (4 ton)
@@ChatGPT1111 Hard start capacitors appear to be more effective and cost-efficient than soft starts for AC compressor motors. After installation, I observed a more than 50% decrease in amp draw for both starting and running units. (4 ton)
At times I wish my Honda was inverter but it manages clean enough power to handles my audio and video equipment as well as my computers. Talk about your 50 amp cable being heavy all I had when I wired mine here was 4/0 UG 😅 The 50 amp breaker might trip but the ug won’t burn up lol Glad I did utility work in a previous life so I had the Burndy crimp tool and plenty of block splices lol
FYI an 18LBS propane tank isn't big enough to supply it ever(other than full tank short test/low output) otherwise you'll want minimum of an 500 gallon tank or far larger to feed it for any real sustainable usage in an power outage.
Turn on the inverter devices on it economical in electricity. Regular air conditioners consume high current while they and electric heaters are starting their work. etc
Hard start capacitors appear to be more effective and cost-efficient than soft starts for AC compressor motors. After installation, I observed a more than 50% decrease in amp draw for both starting and running units. (4 ton)
@@condor5635…he’s not getting reduction on run amps. It has nothing to do with running amps. It will not cut electrical cost either, just helps her get going is all.
also to note, you should do a fair break in period before applying the house load/equipment. run full speed no load for a while( 20-30 minutes), then apply half load for 20-30 minutes (portable heaters work well, outdoors, in cooler weather). then vary the load from about half to 3/4. stop and change oil! (units with or especially without oil filter/pressurized lube).
Strange Duro-Max doesn’t recommend break in with gasoline. I have a 12000 dual fuel Duro-Max and the manual recommended running for 5 hrs with gasoline to break it in. Anyway…
Those 20lb tanks are much easier for women to handle than 30s or 40s. I got lots of 20lb tanks so my wife can change them easily if I'm not around. Could the regulator ice up on a long, hard run in a very cold and humid climate more easily on a 20 lb tank? Yes it could...but wrapping a tarp or blanket around it alleviates the problem unless you're in North Dakota or Canada maybe.
@@Robnord1 it's not just the issue of regulator icing up, as the whole tank will ice up and the pressure drop too low to supply it anymore. in general any high volume using device needs an large tank and should ever be let run to below 40% fuel level! (yes all will often be ok to 25 to 35% range, on 1000+ gallon tanks). tiny tanks and high draw devices will fail at 70% or more of fill volumes, as they just cannot supply that much, nor the peanut regulators.
@@throttlebottle5906 That's interesting. Small tank freeze-ups have not been an issue here in my part of western WA, where winter temps rarely dip under 20 deg F. Maybe I haven't experienced either regulator or tank freeze-up because our generator (6700 run Watts on LP) probably draws under 40K BTUs. Next winter I'll hook up one of my 20s to my home, which can exceed 100K BTUs, with everything on and see if it fails on a frosty day. Thanks for mentioning it. I'd rather find a problem now than in the middle of an extended grid down emergency situation.
$5000 msrp, ouch. $6300 will get you a Kohler stationary unit with an auto transfer switch. A competent DIY'er can install either themselves if they do their homework. Not sure this makes sense at this price point
The non-synthetic oil is best for breaking in to seat the rings. After breaking in, synthetic oil will work well because of its heat tolerance and longer life. ;-)
Any company that makes big generators that work on propane, but not natural gas, should face massive fines and jail time for all executives and board members and their families and childhood friends.
I'd have thought these invertor generators would be quieter than that,not much difference between that and a typical generator as far as sound but price i could get two regular generators as compared to one of these.
We live on the Mississippi coast and have had our problems with hurricanes over the years. This would be a great set up to have! Thanks for the video!
Those hurricanes are no joke. We don’t see them as often as y’all. But, they still affect us, sometimes in a major way.
I am near you, so I know your pain first hand.
We just got hit by Beryl and my old genny quit powering my central HVAC. Decided today get a DuroMax 13kw tri-fuel. Yeah, the inverter would have been a better option but it’s also $3000 more. Long term, that’s the goal, but for now the 13kw will get us through the storms.
That is awesome. It covered the house with power to spare. Compared to most generators, it wasn't that loud. I don't know if you have natural gas, but if it can be converted, there would be no need to run for propane. I don't know if it is true for that one, but they claim you have to give them a cool down period every 4 hours. I have used generators before, but nothing of that magnitude. It looks like a badass machine to me. Thanks for sharing.
Propane is KING in mass emergency situations. Propane can be stored indefinitely. Houston TX folks learned the hard way when they lost their natural gas supply due to frozen natural gas wells which rendered their house generators useless during that big freeze few years ago and several other times. Other areas in the states experienced the same after storms and hurricanes. His 16K kW is over kill for his needs though and will just needlessly burn up more of whatever his fuel choice is.
@@bigblue3568 The best thing about Tri Fuel is three choices and opportunities, I understand why most manufactures do not want to do the Tri, natural gas system vary from region to regions, state to state, there is dominium requirement.
The human factor is always the big X factor, DIY, semi pro aka expert have a big influence on how will it will work with Nat. Gas.
@@bigblue3568 We never lost natural gas during the power outage.
@bigblue3568 but it will run at, say, 25% capacity rather than, say, 50%. This should save some fuel.
The manual will tell you to run with eco off when powering items with a heavy surge. You have several of those. The problem is the eco mode cannot increase the rpm fast enough to deal with surge so it tries to make up using the inverter output and that drives it into overload. Just leave eco off to run your whole house.
Well done Curtis, that is a nice capable generator 👍 Au
Now that's a generous generator
Hey commercial wiseguy good Line though!
I'm looking for a more powerful generator and was looking at a whole house generator, but the sticker shock was making me look elsewhere. I had no idea inverter generators have increased their power this much and I might just go this rourte. Great video!
Nice product & nice demo ... Thx
Thanks for testing the Central HVAC and showing us how it worked! That's exactly what I'm interested in. I would love clean power but I'm concerned about motor starts on an inverter. This looks very promising; I was amazed that you could start the outdoor compressor on low idle.
Love your Wymarana! Geni looks pretty good too!
Great video Curtis! You might want to pickup a quick disconnect for the propane. I put one on my XP13000HX, so much easier to connect the propane hose. Plus disconnecting it for storage!
One thing I noticed about using the small propane bottles (20lb.) You can run under a good load for a while but then the bottle will freeze up and stop the generator. The propane can’t convert from one state to another fast enough under a sustained load. So I bought 100lb bottles (2). I have the duramax 13000 hybrid. Now I’m working on an enclosure solution watching many videos.
Yeah I wouldn't use anything smaller than a 40LB bottle and have the Grill tank for emergency. I can get a full day out of a 40lb with conservative use. (I have a 12500W/11500)
I have the 13kw dual fuel Duromax as a backup to my 22kw Generac whole house genny. These are nice units.
Not supposed to use Low Idle with house backup hookup - it's right there in the manual describing the function of that button.
During break in, you should use non-synthetic oil. I thought I saw Mobile 1 but I could be wrong.
Also, heavy inductive loads you should turn ECO mode off so that there’s no surge on the inverter system. After break in I think you can switch it back on.
If there’s a surge over a certain value the inverter will trip off to protect itself. So during summer when the A/C kicks on, ECO off will allow the inverter to pull that power it needs with no surge.
Finally, if you have issues with the engine having hard start after break-in, put Bosch platinum plugs in the engine. Those Chinesium plugs are NFG. A friend did that in his generator and fixed a multitude of problems he was having with the engine. He has a Harbor Freight 9,500 watt generator.
Excellent video. Thanks for bringing us along.
WRONG!! 99.9% of all new engines come with synthetic oil
@@brianbyers2682 Well, that is what the operating manual says. You do what you need to do. Fine with me.
@ brain trust 2682 The non-synthetic oil is best for breaking in to seat the rings. After break in, the synthetic oil will work well because of its heat tolerance and longer life, which comes in handy when people who think they know it all forget to be diligent in their maintenance during an emergency. ;-), but I'm sure you will go ahead and do what you need to do!
@brianbyers2682 your wrong small engines should be run on conventional oil and the manuals say that
@@donls1sscme As someone else has spoken I have taken it to heart, It is not the quality of the oil that is important but the frequency of the oil.
I run my Honda with ECO off, since a motor or compressor sags the voltage too long when starting. Great job!
Great tip!
That is a big giant beast all I have are two predator 3500s in parallel so I can get 50 A at 120 V and I just run a couple of window shakers and it runs my other stuff that I need just fine, but I don’t have many 240 V items in my house. My hot water heater is natural gas. Basically just my stove and my dryer. I can’t use in a power outage, but I have a hot plate and a microwave that is good enough to cook with in a power outage maybe one day I can get a big one like that
@ paultice - Get a Propane barbecue for power outage & Normal life too.
Also - air con - Mini splits - 12,000 btu are 115 volt now. Heat pumps too. Norcal refrigeration just installed one.
$875.00 amazon.
Get a used gas dryer. $50.00
a lot cheaper than electric to run.
can be run on propane too. i've done it. no mods necessary. i've done it. works great.
i just used an air hose as a propane hose. worked great. no air leaks = no propane leaks.
@@OcRefrig hehe, yo man. I have natural gas here, but keep propane around and have generators. yeah, I mainly use one of the two bbq grills when power is out(not in storms), natural gas and propane grills both. but generators will run a microwave if needed, gas stovetop can be lit with no power(lighter/match) if need be. the oven needs power to make ignitor glow and gas valve(thermally open), stupid "newer ovens" yeah newer means early 90's on lol.
Man, that's a monster!!! I don't plan on using my new 7500W tri-fuel Firman generator ($700 @Costco) on gasoline either. Maybe I'll run it one time on gas just to be sure the carb works and run it dry. Should we be putting anything in the fuel tank to prevent rust? Fogging oil or swish around a little Marvel Mystery Oil maybe?
That is a good idea. You can keep gas in it and add fuel stabilizer. If you do, change it out once a year.
@@jthonn Yeah, that may be the best plan. I guess even with a coat of oil of some kind, air would condense some moisture in there long term. I do keep a good amount of non-ethanol fuel with stabilizer on hand, and rotate it regularly, so adding the generator to the rotate list is not a big deal. Thanks for your input.
wd-40 in fuel tank will keep tank from rusting. Wd= water displacement.
Can you post links for everything you used to plug it into the house please?
low idle mixture is to lean also that tank is only about the equivalent to 4.5 gallons of gasoline
I've found on inverter generators that when pulling hard starting things keeping it on hi idle is better
For the generator. I have a 8500 watt DuroMax generator runs my house well. The new heat pump ,I installed a soft start on it haven't tried it yet but I hope things work well on the generator and Ac. Curtis what do you think about the soft start add on?
I would also like your opinion on a soft start I have an old trane 3 ton that would probably need one with my 10000/8000 duromax genny
I haven’t used many. I’ve heard lots of cautionary tales, but have never actually seen one cause harm to a system.
HINT! when heat-pumps go into "defrost mode", they generally, change the reversing valve to "air conditioning" mode to de-ice the condenser coil, while they BANG the "electric heat strips" on full power to keep it from blowing cold air inside the house. that is more than most all generators will handle. there are cases where it can work if the backup heat strips are on multiple breakers and the highest current breaker can be left OFF, as to not overload the generator.
but it all depends on the homeowner knowing/recalling to only turn on certain breakers/loads when on gen power.
as for "soft start/start setup" on compressor/motors, yes if sized proper and system is in good working order, they can lower the peak start current and shorten it by far.
@@throttlebottle5906 well for me being in fl I would only be using it during hurricane season so heat strips would not be a problem
I have one (soft start) in Vegas on a 5 ton 13 seer Goodman unit and it pulls less than 32 amps to start up. Works great in an 8500 watt generator with no issues. Mine is an Air Go soft starter that works great even in our desert heat and higher start g loads along with it.
Good deal Curtis, Yeah propane burns cleaner than gasoline, but less rpms, if you use the gasoline on the generator it will stink it up like a leaky car.......
Definitely need to not run low idle or eco mode when using high start loads... Well pump, AC, etc. If you watch when you do that you will get surge drops to very low voltage. Need eco off so it can surge support fast to keep voltage up. So not about adjusting low idle, low idle is not designed for use in supporting the whole house. It's there if you're supporting only low loads like some LED lights and what not.
Been watching your videos for awhile on HVAC. But this has been a problem for me for awhile. I have a smaller generator and could not ush the whole house AC. I have ordered a softstart unit to help with the inrush current from the condensing unit. So I'm thinking this is perfect for me. The only thing with the Predator unit from Harbor Fright was gasoline only, I really wanted a dual fuel. So this will be my unit.
Our Power Company in STL Cut Tree Trimming Program causing Major Outages after 2006 Tornado and 2006 Ice Storm. Installed Natural Gas Generator, 12/2006.
Cost to run natural gas vs gas station gas per day
@@herewegoagain4041 Natty gas is 50% less.
when the power is out here, I go with minimal needed equipment/lighting powered on. well pump, some lighting, fridge/freezer and cooking appliances( one microwave and gas oven) although I will generally just use the gas grill outside, unless storming bad. the rest is un-needed, but handy. I don't bother with backup power unless it out or is said to be out for more then two hours.
What did you do with you Predator inverter? It would work fine unless you turned on everything.
Sold it
Propane is King during any mass emergency situation. Propane can be stored infinitely and is reliable unlike gas and natural gas supplies. IF a potential long lasting power outage occurs no matter what fuel choice selected it will be highly sought after and in low supply so its best to not waste any of it such as using oversized generator producing power you don't need nor will ever use. No need to power entire house and cooling every room using homes central air.. Best to select a room such as master to use as a temp living area to stay cool, add it to one of your circuits of choice for power. Pick out a nice size window AC unit or portable one to use along with a moderate size generator in the 6500 kw size to power it along with few other circuits such as well pump, fridge etc.
Exactly my take too. Thats what I did. Small 8,000 btu window unit. 6,000 watts running generator, 2 refrigerators, lights, fans and 45 gallons of gasoline (get it BEFORE the storm :) ...
Check the manual for that system. I think you need a bond to ground via a ground rod right at the generator. Also check the grounding requirements of your electric provider and ask a local licensed electrician. Calculate propane consumption perhour and then the expected time backup power is needed. That will help you decide how big a tank you will need to have filled up. My preference would be using Natural Gas. The last time I had lost power it was about 10 days.
He bonded the generator to the house ground through the 4 wire cord so hes all good in this hookup.
Wondering the kW cost when using propane. Is this cheaper than the outrageous rates the power company now charges?
Good point
NO, they suck propane down like it's free water in the middle of an huge drought... :)
High idle as You stated is not an idle at all. It is running the Engine at full 3600 RPM...
When You were running low RPM The inrush currents were to much for Propane to overcome.
Duromax just came out with tri-fuel in this size today! I am definitely going tri-fuel as I have natural gas at the house and already had a line run from the meter to the rear yard. Just not sure if I want (or need) the Inverter type as it is almost twice the price of the regular 15kw tri-fuel. 🤔
Running on propane you don't change the as often as you would on gasoline on propane it runs so clean
That monster is going to swallow that tiny propane tank like nothing.
you may need a bigger tank of LP , once you start to get above 5Kw you need allot more gas , that small tank may not be able to produce GAS lp fast enough. there is a kit I seen to connect 2 tanks together to supply enough GAS..
an little 18lbs cylinder is useless for all generators, except for when full and very short testing. for a generator that size to be of any use, you'd need minimum of 500lbs tank (for about few days low power usage) want to use lots of power? better get 1000+ gallon tanks(multiples or larger!)
Just heard the Trifuel (incl NG) version of this model is coming out. Wish I had waited instead of getting the 9KW Champion Tri Inverter. But it was only $1350 so I can get two.
Does anyone know what the trip value is on the breaker for the 16000IH?
Informative video! Does this generator have an oil filter?How long would a 5 gal propane tank last? Since everyone in my area are getting natural gas generators, the gas pressure is questionable at times an the generators go down. People had this problem during hurricane Francine! I could store up to 10+ 5 gal tanks. Thanks
Buy a few 40 Lb Propane bottles at Tractor Supply you'll get a few days out of it.
Do you recommend soft starts for your AC units? Great video. Thanks
These large gens are great for short term use. 1-2 days. Now paying for and storing enough fuel for the long term is another story. I would like to see a 20lb tank hooked up and time run time. This will help to calculate larger tank size and run time in emergency.
think it would start a 3 ton rheem LRA 79?
Cool Generator. What about Trying to use the Broiler in the oven or the stove top To Boil a Pot of Water for Spaghetti.
a Propane Barbecue , That Generator & a 100 or 200 gallon Propane tank & You are all set for a Week or 2 without power.
Smart man not filling with gasoline. that way you don't have to worry about gumming up the carb etc. i would not use gasoline either unless You have to.
just takes all that gasoline & varnish out of the equation.
You should try living with it for a Weekend once & see what happens.
it would be interesting.
see how long a 5 gallon propane lasts.
You could use refrigerant scale figure 1 lb of propane for how much time.
Propane is less powerful than gasoline, so you'll go thru propane faster than gas. But propane doesn't go bad from sitting and gum up the carburetor like gas does. So with propane it can sit for years and start right up. I work with marine diesel generators. You may need some hard start kits on some motors if you're marginal on power.
good information for those not unknowing.
You mean soft start kits.
Hard start capacitors appear to be more effective and cost-efficient than soft starts for AC compressor motors. After installation, I observed a more than 50% decrease in amp draw for both starting and running units. (4 ton)
@@ChatGPT1111 Hard start capacitors appear to be more effective and cost-efficient than soft starts for AC compressor motors. After installation, I observed a more than 50% decrease in amp draw for both starting and running units. (4 ton)
Do you think DuroMax is better than Predator? They look identical.
Did you get to use it This week
At times I wish my Honda was inverter but it manages clean enough power to handles my audio and video equipment as well as my computers. Talk about your 50 amp cable being heavy all I had when I wired mine here was 4/0 UG 😅 The 50 amp breaker might trip but the ug won’t burn up lol Glad I did utility work in a previous life so I had the Burndy crimp tool and plenty of block splices lol
Invertor is much quieter than a open frame (contractor generator)
What Is The THD Rating?
I could be wrong, but I don't think it has one since it is an inverter generator.
Will it convert to natural gas?
At 9000 W at 240 V you’re pretty much at 47 A on that one circuit you need to hook up the other 50 amp cord.
Nice quiet duromax
👍👍👍
Here in san jose power outage you lose cell phones too. wifi is nope..
As far as I know you can't use propane & low idle that's for gas only &. According to instructions
FYI an 18LBS propane tank isn't big enough to supply it ever(other than full tank short test/low output) otherwise you'll want minimum of an 500 gallon tank or far larger to feed it for any real sustainable usage in an power outage.
Turn on the inverter devices on it economical in electricity. Regular air conditioners consume high current while they and electric heaters are starting their work. etc
Love this generator just don't understand why they don't make it tri-fuel. Most folks would want to run NG on this.
Hard start capacitors appear to be more effective and cost-efficient than soft starts for AC compressor motors. After installation, I observed a more than 50% decrease in amp draw for both starting and running units. (4 ton)
How can you see a 50% reduction in running of an AC using a hard start? I understand the starting reduction.
@@condor5635…he’s not getting reduction on run amps. It has nothing to do with running amps. It will not cut electrical cost either, just helps her get going is all.
also to note, you should do a fair break in period before applying the house load/equipment. run full speed no load for a while( 20-30 minutes), then apply half load for 20-30 minutes (portable heaters work well, outdoors, in cooler weather).
then vary the load from about half to 3/4. stop and change oil! (units with or especially without oil filter/pressurized lube).
I just checked the price. $5K? Uggghhh....that's expensive, but might still be worth it.
Strange Duro-Max doesn’t recommend break in with gasoline. I have a 12000 dual fuel Duro-Max and the manual recommended running for 5 hrs with gasoline to break it in. Anyway…
Propane tank should be a 30lb minimum
Hmm. Could be why I had those difficulties. I have two large tanks. I’ll try them next.
Those 20lb tanks are much easier for women to handle than 30s or 40s. I got lots of 20lb tanks so my wife can change them easily if I'm not around. Could the regulator ice up on a long, hard run in a very cold and humid climate more easily on a 20 lb tank? Yes it could...but wrapping a tarp or blanket around it alleviates the problem unless you're in North Dakota or Canada maybe.
@@Robnord1 it's not just the issue of regulator icing up, as the whole tank will ice up and the pressure drop too low to supply it anymore.
in general any high volume using device needs an large tank and should ever be let run to below 40% fuel level! (yes all will often be ok to 25 to 35% range, on 1000+ gallon tanks). tiny tanks and high draw devices will fail at 70% or more of fill volumes, as they just cannot supply that much, nor the peanut regulators.
@@throttlebottle5906 That's interesting. Small tank freeze-ups have not been an issue here in my part of western WA, where winter temps rarely dip under 20 deg F. Maybe I haven't experienced either regulator or tank freeze-up because our generator (6700 run Watts on LP) probably draws under 40K BTUs. Next winter I'll hook up one of my 20s to my home, which can exceed 100K BTUs, with everything on and see if it fails on a frosty day. Thanks for mentioning it. I'd rather find a problem now than in the middle of an extended grid down emergency situation.
So what was the total time and the usage of Propane in your testing..??
After adding oil, throw away that battery and hook up a normal car battery that has a solar charger hooked up to it.
$5000 msrp, ouch. $6300 will get you a Kohler stationary unit with an auto transfer switch. A competent DIY'er can install either themselves if they do their homework. Not sure this makes sense at this price point
HXT15000 for tri fuel needs.... not an inverter, so it is a bit more loud.
This guy is dangerous 😅
All electric house, he needs to go big on the inverter.
Small air cooled engines need different additives not found in auto or truck oils.
You didn't mention that you satisfied
serious overkill!! that tank wont last you 3 hours
They are so nice but too pricey for me.
You shouldn’t be running it on low idle when running everything on the main panel. It puts a strain on the engine. Possibly harming the engine.
Not tri fuel that’s just nuts why not is the question
DO NOT BUY DUROMAX GENERATORS UNTIL THEY HAVE PARTS AVAILABLE. NO PARTS ON WEBSITE OR AMAZON, NOWHERE ELSE. CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG
Buy duromax it’s made in China any parts will fit 💪🏻
You should never use synthetic oil to break in a small engine.
The non-synthetic oil is best for breaking in to seat the rings. After breaking in, synthetic oil will work well because of its heat tolerance and longer life. ;-)
16 thousand
Any company that makes big generators that work on propane, but not natural gas, should face massive fines and jail time for all executives and board members and their families and childhood friends.
I'd have thought these invertor generators would be quieter than that,not much difference between that and a typical generator as far as sound but price i could get two regular generators as compared to one of these.