I recently purchased the same generator and love it. I installed a 50 amp power inlet box to my breaker panel and now I’m able to run the majority of my house with the generator. I’m in Texas also and wanted to be better prepared this winter.
I did the same last week! I now have 50A 240V interlocked service to my house so I can disconnect from the grid safely and use my generator if I need to. It also doubles as an RV hookup (if I ever get one) or electric vehicle charging plug.
I bought one back in October. Set it up out of the box and it started right up. I was very impressed. Didn't try to use it until last week's ice storm. Tested it on Wednesday, no issues. Lost power on Thursday - it started right up, but would not put out any power from any of the receptacles. No fuses tripped, nothing obvious. It was a major bummer.
I've been using ours (DF11000T) for 10 months now. This thing is a beast. My daughter named ours "Brutus". I've got over 100 hours on our now and it's managed to run the 4 ton AC and the mini split (1.5 ton) and the well pump all at the same time with ease. With the soft start on the 4 ton, this thing has zero issues. Got us through a few hot days this summer. Only used propane as a fuel source so far. All in all a great value. Did I mention it was a beast? Just thought I'd write my observations after owning it for a while. Take care, Be well.
@@LDSreliance I've been running it every 2-3 weeks to keep it (and me) in condition so with that investment we made, I can see that as a good thing. Just don't try to roll it across soft sand. At least not without help. :^)
I've had mine since 2021. I've always used propane in it. I recently tried 100% gasoline in it, and it will not start on gasoline. I switched it over to gasoline, turned on the gas, choked it etc. I only buy 100% pure gas, and it is NEW gas with STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer in it. I'm also accustomed to working on my own chainsaws etc. I know there must be something I am overlooking.
I'm getting ready to purchase the newer version of this generator. Great video on setup. I have one minor suggestion though, When connecting the battery, always connect the red (positive) first and the black (negative or ground) last. The reason for this is so that you don't cause a spark by accidentally shorting the wrench between the positive battery terminal and the metal frame of the generator. Doing so could damage your new generator, cause a fire or burn your hand. The negative/black wire is already connected to the ground, so if you were to short that terminal through the wrench to the frame, nothing would happen.
Excellent video! Info, audio, and camera shots were the best I've seen. I hope that beast is working good for you. I'm still trying to decide on this and the Westinghouse 9500DF. Thank you for sharing. Liked and subbed. Be safe brother!
Awesome! Thanks for the sub and the positive feedback. Here shortly before winter hits I will be doing a follow up video where I get a 50A connection installed on my house for this beast to power my house in a power outage. So stay tuned!
I have to open the carburetor after it sai sits for about 3 months. It's not dirty or clogged. I have stabil in the gas. I've read about an air lock maybe causing this. Not sure, have you heard of anything like this? Great video
I have not heard of this or had it happen to me. I have only run mine for a half dozen hours or less, though. So take that for what it is worth. Have you contacted their support line?
Really wish these Big Gen's had the auto idle feature. Also, most companies tend to give at glance, a good fuel rating until you really look at what they are sayin.= 11 hours run time at 1/4 load , or 6/7 hours run time at full load per full gas tank.
Agreed. I'm not a fan of made up ratings like that, which is why I didn't even mention the runtime in the video. It is arbitrary. I may do another video in the future with some more in-depth testing where I test fuel consumption but those kind of videos take a ton of time and effort so we will see how this video fares first.
I've had mine since 2021. I've always used propane in it. I recently tried 100% gasoline in it, and it will not start on gasoline. I switched it over to gasoline, turned on the gas, choked it etc. I only buy 100% pure gas, and it is NEW gas with STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer in it. I'm also accustomed to working on my own chainsaws etc. I know there must be something I am overlooking.
For those who are wondering, this generator works great when charging EV's. Just tested it on my Ford lightning, using the 30amp Ford charger. Hooked it up to charge for exactly one hour. It charged at a rate of 6KWh's, providing a total of 16 miles of charge over the course of that 60 minutes.
@@LDSreliance Honestly what influenced purchasing this Generator was a nightmare experience, from a trip I took my family to Las Vegas - from California. What would normally take 3 hours to return home, long lines at the EV charge stations resulted in a nearly 8 hour journey. It was a huge wakeup call, followed by a deep regret for getting rid of my Diesel. Now upside down in my recent Lightning purchase, it forced me to improvise. Hence, the purchase of this amazing generator😉
I'm sorry, that sounds awful! I'm all for innovation and change if the change is good but I think we are pushing this whole EV thing a bit too hard without the infrastructure in place to handle it. Just my $0.02.
I would really like to get a dual fuel. Propane can be stored for long periods. It's a pain cycling gas to keep it fresh. I don't have the solar to keep everything going and even if I did ....clouds 😥.
Exactly. Propane stores indefinitely in the right conditions. I don't have anywhere to safely store a 100# or 250# propane cylinder like I would like so I just have a couple of the 20# propane grill kind that I can use on my grill and keep the other one topped up for emergencies. So I have three 5 gallon jugs of gas that I can rotate through once every season or so (pain, but necessary) and almost 5 gallons of propane in a second tank at all times. That should give me right at 24 hours of run time at half load on that big generator.
How has this worked out for you? Mine gave up the ghost in only one year. I only ran it on propane and changed the oil every 20 hours of run time. Mine still runs but doesn’t make power, so probably an expensive fix, I did change the AVR to make sure that wasn’t the problem. They will run for 9 hours on one 20lb propane tank ( like bbq’s) use. It’s a shame it conked out because I really loved this generator until it gave out under a 1,500 watt load from a very small swamp cooler. Though I really liked this generator I will never buy another wen.
Why didn't you get Wen to replace it? It has a 2 year warranty and that is one of the best things about them... US-based support and warranty. I've personally talked with them and they are great.
@@LDSreliance it has a one year replacement it was 7 days over a year so my 3 year extended warranty paid me what I paid and let me keep the 200 lb anchor.
It is a full two year warranty. I'm not sure where you heard that but here is the product manual from their official site: cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0012/0350/3168/files/DF1100T.manual.20211116.pdf?v=1637094885
@@LDSreliance might have something to do with extended warranty and buying it through Home Depot I don’t know. But even if wen would have fixed it sending the 200 lb beast and the expense of the freight is on me.
thanks for this video, just got this and am setting it up now -- wanted to make sure what red shipping brackets I was supposed to remove.. afraid the whole thing will fall apart lol
I’ve got a Westinghouse dual fuel and a kit to add natural gas. These generators are indeed noisy beasts! I’d prefer a permanent generator but even those are too noisy with neighbors close by.
Yes, they are very noisy. I have seen people build quiet boxes for them with insulation and vents and it drops the noise considerably. But if you live in suburbia it will still bother the neighbors. Definitely an emergency option, only.
It depends. If you are just running extension cords directly to devices like a refrigerator or something in a power outage then no, you do not need to ground it. If you are connecting it to a building then it should be gounded. I use the word should because it CAN be used without it but you will lose some of the protection. So in an emergency like after a natural disaster or something, you need to do what you need to do. But if this is a planned thing like at a cabin or something where you have full control then you probably do need a grounding rod.
@@LDSreliance Yes, I specifically was just going to run a 12 gauge extension cord directly from the generator to supply power to the refrigerator. Is that safe? Also was wondering about when to plug things in. Should I turn the generator on first then plug stuff in. Is it OK to turn generator off when things are plugged in or unplug them first then turn off generator? Sorry, I've just never owned one before, hard to get info.
It should be safe. Generac and other sources confirm it: support.generac.com/s/article/Does-a-Portable-Generator-Need-to-Be-Grounded I generally start the generator and let it warm up before putting any load on it. At least 30 seconds. But I know people don't do it that way and it works just fine. In fact, some generators have remote key fobs so you can turn them on remotely and that feature would only be useful if they were connected to something. So take that for what it is worth.
Bought the same one after the Texas freeze myself, I no longer trust our power grid! LOL!! I've only ran mine on propane though, I figured why worry about bad gas and clogged carbs when propane runs clean and has an indefinite shelf life! If I remember right I can get about 4hrs on a 20 pound tank. I also bought a couple 100 tanks and had them filled just to be safe. Seems like a decent generator for the money, the only thing I dont like are the 25hr recommended oil changes when with others brands you can get double the time. I also bought me one of those plastic Suncast sheds (like you see in those generator shelter video's here on RUclips) and keep my generator in it on the front porch ready to go, that big baby is just too dang heavy to lug around!
I looked at those sheds or quiet boxes or whatever you want to call them. I haven't pulled the trigger yet because I will most likely be moving soon. You are right... it really stretches the term portable, even with wheels. The only complaint I have is that little lead acid starter battery won't hold a charge between uses unless you fire up the generator regularly and I just don't have the time to do that. I will most likely replace it with a lithium battery when I get some time.
@@LDSreliance Yeah, probably not a bad idea but I crank mine up about once a month or so and it aint died on me yet! That reminds me I need to get out there and do it now!! Been thinking about running a battery tender to it so I aint got to worry about it!! On another note just because the larger generators have a 50 amp outlet doesn't mean they actually have a 50 amp output, if you look at the electrical schematic you'll see that the fifty amp plug is controlled 35 amp breaker, I found most all portable generators that size are designed that way as you'd overload a 30 amp plug with anything over 30 amps. I find it kind of a bit of a gimmick but then again 11000 watts divided by 220 Volts does equal 50 amps so in theory it could put it out in a quick surge before the breaker tripped!! I'm sure it does have some sort of time delay built in!
Yeah, I think the 50A receptacle is more of a convenience or option. You would assume that it could provide 50A but that isn't usually the case. It just uses that style of connector for a home or RV connection. I chose to install the 50A receptacle on my home not because I was expecting 50A continuous from this WEN but because it could be used with a more powerful generator or as an RV connection to supply power the other direction to an RV in my driveway. Anyways, I agree... kind of deceptive.
I'd love to see you test this with propane. I have a 500-gallon tank and heat my water and house with it. I'd like to simply tie the generator into my existing tank. Too bad no one shows you how on YT.
Alright, I'll give it a whirl when I get some time. I'm curious how it runs on propane. I have read that it sounds different. It certainly isn't as efficient as it uses twice the volume of liquid with propane as gasoline.
Supposedly it uses about 1.4 gallons of propane per hour at 50% load. So a 500 gallon tank is huge, but it would still go dry in about 2 weeks at half load.
I have the 3800 inverter generator for my off grid cabin. It has just over 1k hours runtime. It's by far the best generator I've ever purchased.
Good to hear! Thanks for the comment.
I recently purchased the same generator and love it. I installed a 50 amp power inlet box to my breaker panel and now I’m able to run the majority of my house with the generator. I’m in Texas also and wanted to be better prepared this winter.
I did the same last week! I now have 50A 240V interlocked service to my house so I can disconnect from the grid safely and use my generator if I need to. It also doubles as an RV hookup (if I ever get one) or electric vehicle charging plug.
Which extension cord go with this generator?
About twenty years ago, I bought some Wen electric tools . They were junk. I now have a Wen generator that is the love of my life!
Glad to hear they have improved! My first experience with them was several years ago with a small generator and it works great!
I bought one back in October. Set it up out of the box and it started right up. I was very impressed. Didn't try to use it until last week's ice storm. Tested it on Wednesday, no issues. Lost power on Thursday - it started right up, but would not put out any power from any of the receptacles. No fuses tripped, nothing obvious. It was a major bummer.
That sucks! I am sorry to hear that. Did you call their support? They have good US based support that should be able to help you out.
I've been using ours (DF11000T) for 10 months now. This thing is a beast. My daughter named ours "Brutus". I've got over 100 hours on our now and it's managed to run the 4 ton AC and the mini split (1.5 ton) and the well pump all at the same time with ease. With the soft start on the 4 ton, this thing has zero issues. Got us through a few hot days this summer. Only used propane as a fuel source so far. All in all a great value. Did I mention it was a beast? Just thought I'd write my observations after owning it for a while. Take care, Be well.
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your experience. I may be putting mine to more use in the future.
@@LDSreliance I've been running it every 2-3 weeks to keep it (and me) in condition so with that investment we made, I can see that as a good thing. Just don't try to roll it across soft sand. At least not without help. :^)
Haha understood!
I've had mine since 2021. I've always used propane in it. I recently tried 100% gasoline in it, and it will not start on gasoline. I switched it over to gasoline, turned on the gas, choked it etc. I only buy 100% pure gas, and it is NEW gas with STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer in it. I'm also accustomed to working on my own chainsaws etc. I know there must be something I am overlooking.
I'm getting ready to purchase the newer version of this generator. Great video on setup. I have one minor suggestion though, When connecting the battery, always connect the red (positive) first and the black (negative or ground) last. The reason for this is so that you don't cause a spark by accidentally shorting the wrench between the positive battery terminal and the metal frame of the generator. Doing so could damage your new generator, cause a fire or burn your hand. The negative/black wire is already connected to the ground, so if you were to short that terminal through the wrench to the frame, nothing would happen.
That is probably best.
Excellent video!
Info, audio, and camera shots were the best I've seen.
I hope that beast is working good for you.
I'm still trying to decide on this and the Westinghouse 9500DF.
Thank you for sharing. Liked and subbed.
Be safe brother!
Awesome! Thanks for the sub and the positive feedback.
Here shortly before winter hits I will be doing a follow up video where I get a 50A connection installed on my house for this beast to power my house in a power outage. So stay tuned!
I have to open the carburetor after it sai sits for about 3 months. It's not dirty or clogged. I have stabil in the gas. I've read about an air lock maybe causing this. Not sure, have you heard of anything like this? Great video
I have not heard of this or had it happen to me. I have only run mine for a half dozen hours or less, though. So take that for what it is worth. Have you contacted their support line?
Did you get a chance to test out fuel efficiency on propane? I wonder how long it can run on a 20lbs cylinder under light load.
No, sorry. It is on the list but the list is very long.
Really wish these Big Gen's had the auto idle feature.
Also, most companies tend to give at glance, a good fuel rating until you really look at what they are sayin.= 11 hours run time at 1/4 load , or 6/7 hours run time at full load per full gas tank.
Agreed. I'm not a fan of made up ratings like that, which is why I didn't even mention the runtime in the video. It is arbitrary. I may do another video in the future with some more in-depth testing where I test fuel consumption but those kind of videos take a ton of time and effort so we will see how this video fares first.
I've had mine since 2021. I've always used propane in it. I recently tried 100% gasoline in it, and it will not start on gasoline. I switched it over to gasoline, turned on the gas, choked it etc. I only buy 100% pure gas, and it is NEW gas with STA-BIL Fuel Stabilizer in it. I'm also accustomed to working on my own chainsaws etc. I know there must be something I am overlooking.
The Wen website is packed with comments by DF1100T owners who had trouble with starting on gasoline......
@@jlvandat69 Thank you
@@billwilliams9897 sure thing, and good luck!
For those who are wondering, this generator works great when charging EV's. Just tested it on my Ford lightning, using the 30amp Ford charger. Hooked it up to charge for exactly one hour. It charged at a rate of 6KWh's, providing a total of 16 miles of charge over the course of that 60 minutes.
Love it! Thanks for sharing.
I would be remiss, though, if I didn't point out the irony of you charging your EV with a gasoline generator :)
@@LDSreliance Honestly what influenced purchasing this Generator was a nightmare experience, from a trip I took my family to Las Vegas - from California. What would normally take 3 hours to return home, long lines at the EV charge stations resulted in a nearly 8 hour journey. It was a huge wakeup call, followed by a deep regret for getting rid of my Diesel. Now upside down in my recent Lightning purchase, it forced me to improvise. Hence, the purchase of this amazing generator😉
I'm sorry, that sounds awful! I'm all for innovation and change if the change is good but I think we are pushing this whole EV thing a bit too hard without the infrastructure in place to handle it. Just my $0.02.
I would really like to get a dual fuel. Propane can be stored for long periods. It's a pain cycling gas to keep it fresh. I don't have the solar to keep everything going and even if I did ....clouds 😥.
Exactly. Propane stores indefinitely in the right conditions. I don't have anywhere to safely store a 100# or 250# propane cylinder like I would like so I just have a couple of the 20# propane grill kind that I can use on my grill and keep the other one topped up for emergencies. So I have three 5 gallon jugs of gas that I can rotate through once every season or so (pain, but necessary) and almost 5 gallons of propane in a second tank at all times. That should give me right at 24 hours of run time at half load on that big generator.
How has this worked out for you? Mine gave up the ghost in only one year. I only ran it on propane and changed the oil every 20 hours of run time. Mine still runs but doesn’t make power, so probably an expensive fix, I did change the AVR to make sure that wasn’t the problem. They will run for 9 hours on one 20lb propane tank ( like bbq’s) use. It’s a shame it conked out because I really loved this generator until it gave out under a 1,500 watt load from a very small swamp cooler. Though I really liked this generator I will never buy another wen.
Why didn't you get Wen to replace it? It has a 2 year warranty and that is one of the best things about them... US-based support and warranty. I've personally talked with them and they are great.
@@LDSreliance it has a one year replacement it was 7 days over a year so my 3 year extended warranty paid me what I paid and let me keep the 200 lb anchor.
It is a full two year warranty. I'm not sure where you heard that but here is the product manual from their official site:
cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0012/0350/3168/files/DF1100T.manual.20211116.pdf?v=1637094885
@@LDSreliance from wen and Home Depot when I took it in last month.
@@LDSreliance might have something to do with extended warranty and buying it through Home Depot I don’t know. But even if wen would have fixed it sending the 200 lb beast and the expense of the freight is on me.
thanks for this video, just got this and am setting it up now -- wanted to make sure what red shipping brackets I was supposed to remove.. afraid the whole thing will fall apart lol
Nice! Great Christmas present. Good luck with it!
What natural gas conversion kit do I need thanks ????
To hook it up to the natural gas in your house, you mean?
I’ve got a Westinghouse dual fuel and a kit to add natural gas. These generators are indeed noisy beasts! I’d prefer a permanent generator but even those are too noisy with neighbors close by.
Yes, they are very noisy. I have seen people build quiet boxes for them with insulation and vents and it drops the noise considerably. But if you live in suburbia it will still bother the neighbors. Definitely an emergency option, only.
Does this thing need grounded?
It depends. If you are just running extension cords directly to devices like a refrigerator or something in a power outage then no, you do not need to ground it. If you are connecting it to a building then it should be gounded. I use the word should because it CAN be used without it but you will lose some of the protection. So in an emergency like after a natural disaster or something, you need to do what you need to do. But if this is a planned thing like at a cabin or something where you have full control then you probably do need a grounding rod.
@@LDSreliance Yes, I specifically was just going to run a 12 gauge extension cord directly from the generator to supply power to the refrigerator. Is that safe? Also was wondering about when to plug things in. Should I turn the generator on first then plug stuff in. Is it OK to turn generator off when things are plugged in or unplug them first then turn off generator? Sorry, I've just never owned one before, hard to get info.
It should be safe. Generac and other sources confirm it: support.generac.com/s/article/Does-a-Portable-Generator-Need-to-Be-Grounded
I generally start the generator and let it warm up before putting any load on it. At least 30 seconds. But I know people don't do it that way and it works just fine. In fact, some generators have remote key fobs so you can turn them on remotely and that feature would only be useful if they were connected to something. So take that for what it is worth.
Bought the same one after the Texas freeze myself, I no longer trust our power grid! LOL!! I've only ran mine on propane though, I figured why worry about bad gas and clogged carbs when propane runs clean and has an indefinite shelf life! If I remember right I can get about 4hrs on a 20 pound tank. I also bought a couple 100 tanks and had them filled just to be safe. Seems like a decent generator for the money, the only thing I dont like are the 25hr recommended oil changes when with others brands you can get double the time. I also bought me one of those plastic Suncast sheds (like you see in those generator shelter video's here on RUclips) and keep my generator in it on the front porch ready to go, that big baby is just too dang heavy to lug around!
I looked at those sheds or quiet boxes or whatever you want to call them. I haven't pulled the trigger yet because I will most likely be moving soon. You are right... it really stretches the term portable, even with wheels. The only complaint I have is that little lead acid starter battery won't hold a charge between uses unless you fire up the generator regularly and I just don't have the time to do that. I will most likely replace it with a lithium battery when I get some time.
@@LDSreliance Yeah, probably not a bad idea but I crank mine up about once a month or so and it aint died on me yet! That reminds me I need to get out there and do it now!! Been thinking about running a battery tender to it so I aint got to worry about it!! On another note just because the larger generators have a 50 amp outlet doesn't mean they actually have a 50 amp output, if you look at the electrical schematic you'll see that the fifty amp plug is controlled 35 amp breaker, I found most all portable generators that size are designed that way as you'd overload a 30 amp plug with anything over 30 amps. I find it kind of a bit of a gimmick but then again 11000 watts divided by 220 Volts does equal 50 amps so in theory it could put it out in a quick surge before the breaker tripped!! I'm sure it does have some sort of time delay built in!
Yeah, I think the 50A receptacle is more of a convenience or option. You would assume that it could provide 50A but that isn't usually the case. It just uses that style of connector for a home or RV connection. I chose to install the 50A receptacle on my home not because I was expecting 50A continuous from this WEN but because it could be used with a more powerful generator or as an RV connection to supply power the other direction to an RV in my driveway. Anyways, I agree... kind of deceptive.
I'd love to see you test this with propane. I have a 500-gallon tank and heat my water and house with it. I'd like to simply tie the generator into my existing tank. Too bad no one shows you how on YT.
Alright, I'll give it a whirl when I get some time. I'm curious how it runs on propane. I have read that it sounds different. It certainly isn't as efficient as it uses twice the volume of liquid with propane as gasoline.
@@LDSreliance wow! Thanks! Yeah with 500 gallons I'm not really worried about efficiency, I live in an old farmhouse.
Supposedly it uses about 1.4 gallons of propane per hour at 50% load. So a 500 gallon tank is huge, but it would still go dry in about 2 weeks at half load.
Awesome review! Thx!
Thanks for watching!
Is this an Inverter generator?
No, I am pretty sure it is not. Usually only the small, handheld units are inverter generators.
NICE