I bought this same generator a few years ago and living in Florida it has paid for itself. Been through a few tropical storms with this. We have a 2200 sq ft house with a 4ton a/c unit and it will run it with no problem. That is just using the 50 amp side too
I have exact same one I bought as my own retirement gift 10 years ago. Only thing that has went out was the voltage regulator as it was supplying too many volts and wouldn't adjust down. I could have changed that myself but I didn't want to misdiagnose, so I took it to the shop for that. Am on my third battery now which is fine as the batteries are not bad expensive for it. I don't have a tractor to lift it, but I am able to roll it across the street to the neighbors yard and their is a dirt bank I can back up to, and then roll it into my truck. As far as the stabil goes, I don't use it, but don't blame anyone that does, however I have a dry erase board in my storage building where it's kept and once a month I start it up and let it run at least 10 minutes and usually around 20 minutes while I am starting my other small engines, and I have never had a carb problem with it or my other small engines ( lawnmower, chainsaw, backpack blower, riding mower) . Yes I have and have always used gas with ethanol in it and believe sticking to that monthly plan works great, for me it does anyways. While the generator is running I have the battery charger plugged into it as I know Little Mountain Life knows it has a built in 10amp charger. I am jealous of the 50amp plug being on the front panel, mine is up underneath. A change generac made to it for the better. I paid 2500 for mine in 2012 and I highly doubt I would give 5000 for a new one although it has been a great generator, I just think that is too high. Too each their own on that one. Nice review and follow up you made on yours. Thanks! Addition, I just clicked on your amazon link, and YES I would pay the 3500 for it if I had to. Btw , I have a 1700 sq ft. home which is not big, but this generator runs everything in my home easily. Have all electric home too. Thanks again!
I just got one from a friend as ours is a tiny 3500. Wow what a beast. For weight picture a Harley or Goldwing. You aren’t picking or rolling this up a set of stairs no way. I use a tractor to move mine around. That lift eye is fantastic.
I just purchased the same generator and will be installing it in June, It was good to see your video because it confirmed what I really already knew, that I picked the right one 👍
yeh did you install an interlock and just use the 50 amp outlet on the generator? Did you understand that that hookup only allows 12,000 watts to be used? Curious
Great Video - Thanks - we have a dual Generac Portable Generator with a homemade 20KW Generator - we can switch between the two generators - makes it nice so you done over run just one generator. We are also powering medical devices - need to have generation 24 x7 for those. Great Video - Very Informative!!!
Bought this when after I watched your first video. My wife insisted it was overkill. However, it isn't. Much cheaper than a stationary model with the power of a stationary model. Used it twice , 2x about 4 hours each time. This ran the pool , pool heater, hot tub, whole house, even the dryer once I turned off the pool heater just in case. Only thing, I wasn't crazy about storing gas since you can't store gas forever. About 2 years now, I put gas stabilizer in the 5 gallon tanks. Love having this. I forgot to mention. I put the trickle charger for the battery on a tiny solar panel that connects right to the cables. Found it on Amazon for about $50. So battery always stays charged. Well worth the money.
@@condor5635 Not sure how to answer that. The electrician put in a plug outside the house. The cable runs into the lower level to a separate breaker box. I pull a lever that can only be actuated once the whole house breaker is turned off. How would I access the additional 5000 watts that you're saying I cannot access?.
@@ggolds5 you would have to run a separate cord from the other outlet which is 30 amps. This could be done old school where you plug in appliances and use the additional capability or you get a separate inlet for it but that involves much more complexities. If you don’t do one or the other you’re using an overpowered generator which is fine but sort of a waste.
Nice video. Glad to see you have the circuit panel stops on each panel. I live in FL and got a Generac 12,500 / 18,000 watt used for $750 years ago and have used it to power everything including AC, stove, water heater, and 2 fridges and freezers. However, since like yours I can 10 hours run time out of 16 gallons of gas I bought propane tanks and can feed this for approximately 3-4 days straight if needed. I did notice a slight loss of power though, like I cannot run AC, stove/oven, hot water and dryer at same time. So when needed I leave one or 2 of those items off. Love this over the Stand by models as they are move portable, versatile regarding fuels, hook up and usage, and last, much easier to do maintenance and repairs on.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. You did a good job.I am a licensed electrician in North Carolina where we get the hurricanes and planned outrages. About five years ago I purchased a gen 17500. I allso put a natural gas coversion kit on mine to make it duel fuel. I changed the service on my home for manual transfer. It has served me well. It powers my home and shop. It is very important to do the required maintenance on this to keep the unit in good shape. I have an exercise time that I run mine at the first of every month . The unit is loud but it has served me well. I researched the right amount of natural gas water colum to make this unit run efficiently and to size the second stage regulator. When Hurricane Fran came through in 1996 we were without power for two weeks. I said never again.
What about the THD? I have the same generator and am having anomalies with appliances acting up while on this generator. When i switch to another generator…anomalies are gone. When on utility power anomalies gone. When back on GP17500 anomalies come back. I called generac and an engineer told me the THD was near 30%!
Great review, exactly what I was needng. QUESTION: I was planning to get the Generac 18,000 Watt portable. Do you think its too big for what I need? I have a 5-ton A/C with soft start and a 29kw tankless water heater. I'd like to be able to run the A/C and hot water plus of course my two refridgerators and a couple lights and TV......in the event of a power outage.
To my knowledge, generator heads only have three wires. L1, L2, ground (split as 1 ground, 1 neutral). What does that mean? 50 a and 30a are running on the same wires. Which means you only need the 50a connected. I have this generator for years. Never opened it but I will and report back.
I don't know if it's still true, but I think it is, Generac portable generators in this class (those with a V-Twin) are actually Made in the USA. Their smaller ones (with a single cylinder engine) are made in China, but then again, so are everyone else's, with the possible exception of Honda.
I have the same unit with the tri-fuel kit. Have you been successful in back feeding both inlets/panels simultaneously without any issues? I thought with the shared neutral this was a no no. Thanks,
Little mountain life.. do you have the video of you wiring up the 30amp plug and the 50amp plug… I’d really like to see how you wired it up so your able to get all the 72 amp to your house.. I have the same generator an I also want to do that.. thank you
Hello great vid man. I’d like to get the gp15000e. What is your elevation?. Just wondering if a 7k ft. Elevation would need a carburetor mod with the jets. Thanks
Thanks for the reply. I was doing more research on these bigger gens. Specifically the gp15000e & 17000e. It seems that these bigger engines are “vehicle grade”, so maybe carburetor adjustments aren’t needed. Since there is nothing that says about elevation anywhere with these two specific big models in the manuals or internet or maybe I’m not looking hard enough, I was thinking they probably adjust themselves?! I wanted to ask you another question about your 17000e. Do you know if the carburetor is adjustable? I spoke with a generac tech support the other day & they knew nothing about if altitude affects these particular models. I know the smaller generacs under these two require carb jet adjustment per their manuals. Thanks
Do you know the THD on this unit? I have the same unit with the US Carburetion tri fuel kit which I highly recommend. I also have 150-gallon gas tank with non-ethanol and stable that lasts a year at a time.
Get Westinghouse WGen20000 with 20,000w of Run power and 28,000 of start power. It has under 5% THD. You won't find a better option for this amount of power
I am in California and picked up a used one during the pandemic from someone who was needing money urgently I paid $1500, he had it listed for $2000. The prices do vary from location to location due to supply and demand.
Sounds like you are the only one that has a clue about this generator. Everyone else brags about the 17,000 watts and running it directly from the 50 amp plug only totally ignorant of the wasted wattage they are not able to directly access. Like a car that can go only 100mph but it is capable of 180 mph. Even for your case I wonder why a trifuel generator running peak of 15K and running 12K would not suffice. That keeps it at 50 amps which is huge amount of power and gives you an alternate fuel source like propane or NG. Your panels are completed isolated from one another I guess so it does seems to be a good fit for your case (two independent inlets) other than having to store >75+ gallons of gas to allow for the runs times of 4-5 days. Yeh you are the only one out there that seems to understand what this beast is capable of and how not to waste the power capability.
People should know to use non ethanol gas in generators and all other small engine equipment otherwise your asking for trouble over a long period of time.
The 50A output is rated at max 12,000w on this unit, you would need to also use the 30a for an additional 7200w, even at that I believe the max amps is around 70 some amps.
There’s really no way to get more than 50 amps out of one connection on any portable generator, since there simply is no such connection available. If you absolutely want and need 80 amps from one hookup you’ll most likely have to look into a standby permanently installed generator.
So I have the same one for 4 yrs and 80ish hrs and the only issue was the squirrels ate through the gas tank, and to replace the tank is 800bucks. WTF. So I replaced it with a remote mobile off board boat fuel tank with quick connects and its been flawless. that proprietary tank it BS I am going to attempt to plastic weld and mend the tank hole... We shall see. Keep in mind it never has been an issue till this year they ate 6 5 gallon tanks as well and I saw them on camera drinking the fuel... wtf
Should have bought the Westinghouse 20,000W (WGen20000) with 28KW of start power. More Power than Generac, better features, and costs less. That's my recommendation in 2023.
With NO disrespect, we have to be careful; when saying we can take full Amps of more than one receptacle on Gen's. IE: your Gen says that normal use is 17,000 KW. Now if you use full the 50 Amp with 240 Volts that equals 12,000 KW. And that is great. Now if you add your 30 Amp with it; you have gone over what your normal allows. IE: 50 + 30 = 80 X 240 = 19,200 KW. So IF you try to use full of 50 and the 30 jacks, the Gen will stop and blow the main breaker! And the 120 volts receptacle are dead too when trying to full 50 and 30. The way that manufacturers get away with it; is to NOT tell directly their customers the above. Of course most wouldn't even care to hear that fact theory. any way. So EVERY manufacturer, in essence, is lying to most of their customers. And that 26,250 "starts" on your Gen; is even more "foolish". YES it CAN be, for micro-seconds, etc. IE: say you have a 3 ton AC and it starts, the amps go way high, but it settles down once it's run normal quickly. And then the amps goes way down. But if you have several BIG users starting at the same time; the Gen will again go down. And again NO disrespect atoll to you kind Sir. Just trying to help you and others that might care. For whatever it's worth.
I bought a GP5500, It failed in less than 10 hours. Customer service did nothing despite it being a 100 percent design flaw. Seal failure allowed light rain to leak into the gas tank. rusted out. Cost $400 to replace. They don't care about their customers.
I bought this same generator a few years ago and living in Florida it has paid for itself. Been through a few tropical storms with this. We have a 2200 sq ft house with a 4ton a/c unit and it will run it with no problem. That is just using the 50 amp side too
Are you running just the power through the 50amp plug to like an inlet with an interlock?
@@condor5635 yes, I plug it into a manual transfer switch
I have the same generator with 240 hours it's a champ, regular maintenance and don't let the fuel varnish and it's awesome
One day! We’ll have a beast like that.
I have exact same one I bought as my own retirement gift 10 years ago. Only thing that has went out was the voltage regulator as it was supplying too many volts and wouldn't adjust down. I could have changed that myself but I didn't want to misdiagnose, so I took it to the shop for that. Am on my third battery now which is fine as the batteries are not bad expensive for it. I don't have a tractor to lift it, but I am able to roll it across the street to the neighbors yard and their is a dirt bank I can back up to, and then roll it into my truck. As far as the stabil goes, I don't use it, but don't blame anyone that does, however I have a dry erase board in my storage building where it's kept and once a month I start it up and let it run at least 10 minutes and usually around 20 minutes while I am starting my other small engines, and I have never had a carb problem with it or my other small engines ( lawnmower, chainsaw, backpack blower, riding mower) . Yes I have and have always used gas with ethanol in it and believe sticking to that monthly plan works great, for me it does anyways. While the generator is running I have the battery charger plugged into it as I know Little Mountain Life knows it has a built in 10amp charger. I am jealous of the 50amp plug being on the front panel, mine is up underneath. A change generac made to it for the better. I paid 2500 for mine in 2012 and I highly doubt I would give 5000 for a new one although it has been a great generator, I just think that is too high. Too each their own on that one. Nice review and follow up you made on yours. Thanks!
Addition, I just clicked on your amazon link, and YES I would pay the 3500 for it if I had to. Btw , I have a 1700 sq ft. home which is not big, but this generator runs everything in my home easily. Have all electric home too. Thanks again!
Great thoughts and appreciate you watching. 🙂
I just got one from a friend as ours is a tiny 3500. Wow what a beast. For weight picture a Harley or Goldwing. You aren’t picking or rolling this up a set of stairs no way. I use a tractor to move mine around. That lift eye is fantastic.
I just purchased the same generator and will be installing it in June,
It was good to see your video because it confirmed what I really already knew, that I picked the right one 👍
Awesome 👍 still running great
yeh did you install an interlock and just use the 50 amp outlet on the generator? Did you understand that that hookup only allows 12,000 watts to be used? Curious
Great Video - Thanks - we have a dual Generac Portable Generator with a homemade 20KW Generator - we can switch between the two generators - makes it nice so you done over run just one generator. We are also powering medical devices - need to have generation 24 x7 for those. Great Video - Very Informative!!!
Bought this when after I watched your first video. My wife insisted it was overkill. However, it isn't. Much cheaper than a stationary model with the power of a stationary model. Used it twice , 2x about 4 hours each time. This ran the pool , pool heater, hot tub, whole house, even the dryer once I turned off the pool heater just in case. Only thing, I wasn't crazy about storing gas since you can't store gas forever. About 2 years now, I put gas stabilizer in the 5 gallon tanks. Love having this. I forgot to mention. I put the trickle charger for the battery on a tiny solar panel that connects right to the cables. Found it on Amazon for about $50. So battery always stays charged. Well worth the money.
That’s awesome! Good idea with the trickle charger 👍
yeh but the question is are you using only the 50 amp outlet and ignoring the 5,000 watts above that that you cannot access? How is yours set up?
@@condor5635 Not sure how to answer that. The electrician put in a plug outside the house. The cable runs into the lower level to a separate breaker box. I pull a lever that can only be actuated once the whole house breaker is turned off. How would I access the additional 5000 watts that you're saying I cannot access?.
@@ggolds5 you would have to run a separate cord from the other outlet which is 30 amps. This could be done old school where you plug in appliances and use the additional capability or you get a separate inlet for it but that involves much more complexities. If you don’t do one or the other you’re using an overpowered generator which is fine but sort of a waste.
Thanks for posting, I'm looking at buying a lightly used unit for $1k. Your vid sealed the deal! Big thanks!
I'm actually looking at one on Facebook marketplace right now for $1,000 it only has 42 hours on it
been looking at generators a ton lately trying to find one for our camper
We’ve got one and one that works with solar panels. Can’t ever be too prepared
Shout out from Midlothian va.nice generator.
Nice video. Glad to see you have the circuit panel stops on each panel. I live in FL and got a Generac 12,500 / 18,000 watt used for $750 years ago and have used it to power everything including AC, stove, water heater, and 2 fridges and freezers. However, since like yours I can 10 hours run time out of 16 gallons of gas I bought propane tanks and can feed this for approximately 3-4 days straight if needed. I did notice a slight loss of power though, like I cannot run AC, stove/oven, hot water and dryer at same time. So when needed I leave one or 2 of those items off. Love this over the Stand by models as they are move portable, versatile regarding fuels, hook up and usage, and last, much easier to do maintenance and repairs on.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video. You did a good job.I am a licensed electrician in North Carolina where we get the hurricanes and planned outrages. About five years ago I purchased a gen 17500. I allso put a natural gas coversion kit on mine to make it duel fuel. I changed the service on my home for manual transfer. It has served me well. It powers my home and shop. It is very important to do the required maintenance on this to keep the unit in good shape. I have an exercise time that I run mine at the first of every month . The unit is loud but it has served me well. I researched the right amount of natural gas water colum to make this unit run efficiently and to size the second stage regulator. When Hurricane Fran came through in 1996 we were without power for two weeks. I said never again.
What about the THD? I have the same generator and am having anomalies with appliances acting up while on this generator. When i switch to another generator…anomalies are gone. When on utility power anomalies gone. When back on GP17500 anomalies come back. I called generac and an engineer told me the THD was near 30%!
Great review, exactly what I was needng. QUESTION: I was planning to get the Generac 18,000 Watt portable. Do you think its too big for what I need? I have a 5-ton A/C with soft start and a 29kw tankless water heater. I'd like to be able to run the A/C and hot water plus of course my two refridgerators and a couple lights and TV......in the event of a power outage.
Nice video , all good points you made. I have the same generator I'm on geothermal and it does well with it. But boy does it like gas !!!!
Which geo are you running? I have a Water Furnace 5 Series and I'm interested in this beast!
Can you install a 50 Amp and 30 Amp breaker into the same electrical panel to utilize more wattage from your generator?
Thank you! I hear maintenance is important for generators. What kind of maintenance have you done? Is it all listed in the manual? Thank again
To my knowledge, generator heads only have three wires. L1, L2, ground (split as 1 ground, 1 neutral).
What does that mean? 50 a and 30a are running on the same wires. Which means you only need the 50a connected.
I have this generator for years. Never opened it but I will and report back.
have a Generac 17500 watt on natural gas. 2 questions is idle on or off and is choke on or off ? Thanks Max
I don't know if it's still true, but I think it is, Generac portable generators in this class (those with a V-Twin) are actually Made in the USA. Their smaller ones (with a single cylinder engine) are made in China, but then again, so are everyone else's, with the possible exception of Honda.
That generator can power everything in a big and huge house I got the 15000 thousand watts generator same one planning to run it on natural gas
Great generator. Have you considered building a generator shed for when not in use?
Yes I’ve been meaning to do that for a couple of years now… haha
I have the same unit with the tri-fuel kit. Have you been successful in back feeding both inlets/panels simultaneously without any issues? I thought with the shared neutral this was a no no.
Thanks,
Little mountain life.. do you have the video of you wiring up the 30amp plug and the 50amp plug… I’d really like to see how you wired it up so your able to get all the 72 amp to your house.. I have the same generator an I also want to do that.. thank you
Sorry I don’t have a good close up of that install.
Hello great vid man. I’d like to get the gp15000e. What is your elevation?. Just wondering if a 7k ft. Elevation would need a carburetor mod with the jets. Thanks
Just 1500’ here.
Thanks for the reply. I was doing more research on these bigger gens. Specifically the gp15000e & 17000e. It seems that these bigger engines are “vehicle grade”, so maybe carburetor adjustments aren’t needed.
Since there is nothing that says about elevation anywhere with these two specific big models in the manuals or internet or maybe I’m not looking hard enough,
I was thinking they probably adjust themselves?!
I wanted to ask you another question about your 17000e. Do you know if the carburetor is adjustable? I spoke with a generac tech support the other day & they knew nothing about if altitude affects these particular models. I know the smaller generacs under these two require carb jet adjustment per their manuals.
Thanks
Wont the
Did you ever build an outdoor shed for it? If not, why not?
Not yet. Not high on the to do list 🤦🏼♂️🤷🏼♂️🙃
Are you worried about the power that that generator puts out will hurt your electronics are does it put out clean power.
Not concerned
Setup video available for this or 18000EFI ?
There is a Generac portable generator rated at 18,000 watts, but interestingly it does not have as high a startup wattage as this on.
Do you know the THD on this unit? I have the same unit with the US Carburetion tri fuel kit which I highly recommend. I also have 150-gallon gas tank with non-ethanol and stable that lasts a year at a time.
It is a bonded neutral Generator with THD
@@chrismaxny4066 what does this mean
@@hinds90 it high for sensitive equipment
Get Westinghouse WGen20000 with 20,000w of Run power and 28,000 of start power.
It has under 5% THD. You won't find a better option for this amount of power
I have the same generator omg the THD of 20 did you un bond it I didn’t should I
How hot does it get? I turned it off when I saw it getting so hot
Doesn't seem to get very hot for us.
what do you mean 'saw it getting so hot'??? what metric are you using to make that statement?
In the market to sell mine, what do you think they’re worth with 50 hrs on it? Half?
I’d think you’d get no less than $1200 for it.
I am in California and picked up a used one during the pandemic from someone who was needing money urgently I paid $1500, he had it listed for $2000. The prices do vary from location to location due to supply and demand.
@@eurowan they let you have these in California?
Sounds like you are the only one that has a clue about this generator. Everyone else brags about the 17,000 watts and running it directly from the 50 amp plug only totally ignorant of the wasted wattage they are not able to directly access. Like a car that can go only 100mph but it is capable of 180 mph. Even for your case I wonder why a trifuel generator running peak of 15K and running 12K would not suffice. That keeps it at 50 amps which is huge amount of power and gives you an alternate fuel source like propane or NG. Your panels are completed isolated from one another I guess so it does seems to be a good fit for your case (two independent inlets) other than having to store >75+ gallons of gas to allow for the runs times of 4-5 days. Yeh you are the only one out there that seems to understand what this beast is capable of and how not to waste the power capability.
Almost Forgot. Go Bucks!
17kw..so it burns enough fuel that you need about 6 5gal jugs of fuel to last 24hrs?
People should know to use non ethanol gas in generators and all other small engine equipment otherwise your asking for trouble over a long period of time.
How do you use all 80 amps with just one panel?
The 50A output is rated at max 12,000w on this unit, you would need to also use the 30a for an additional 7200w, even at that I believe the max amps is around 70 some amps.
There’s really no way to get more than 50 amps out of one connection on any portable generator, since there simply is no such connection available. If you absolutely want and need 80 amps from one hookup you’ll most likely have to look into a standby permanently installed generator.
@@eurowanexactly so this is a waste of generator Unless your plan includes running the additional cord old school style which makes no sense
Can it power up a 5ton ac ?
of course....
With how much power you use you better have a shit ton of solar petals that are at least 400 W per panel. Good luck
Got room for 36 full sized panels easy.
Was no help to turn it on.Nobody will turn it on.We cannot find the run stop start switch we got no spark
So I have the same one for 4 yrs and 80ish hrs and the only issue was the squirrels ate through the gas tank, and to replace the tank is 800bucks. WTF. So I replaced it with a remote mobile off board boat fuel tank with quick connects and its been flawless. that proprietary tank it BS I am going to attempt to plastic weld and mend the tank hole... We shall see. Keep in mind it never has been an issue till this year they ate 6 5 gallon tanks as well and I saw them on camera drinking the fuel... wtf
Should have bought the Westinghouse 20,000W (WGen20000) with 28KW of start power. More Power than Generac, better features, and costs less.
That's my recommendation in 2023.
like this video bro🙏👍
With NO disrespect, we have to be careful; when saying we can take full Amps of more than one receptacle on Gen's. IE: your Gen says that normal use is 17,000 KW. Now if you use full the 50 Amp with 240 Volts that equals 12,000 KW.
And that is great. Now if you add your 30 Amp with it; you have gone over what your normal allows. IE: 50 + 30 = 80 X 240 = 19,200 KW. So IF you try to use full of 50 and the 30 jacks, the Gen will stop and blow the main breaker!
And the 120 volts receptacle are dead too when trying to full 50 and 30. The way that manufacturers get away with it; is to NOT tell directly their customers the above. Of course most wouldn't even care to hear that fact theory. any way.
So EVERY manufacturer, in essence, is lying to most of their customers. And that 26,250 "starts" on your Gen; is even more "foolish". YES it CAN be, for micro-seconds, etc. IE: say you have a 3 ton AC and it starts, the amps go way high, but it settles down once it's run normal quickly. And then the amps goes way down.
But if you have several BIG users starting at the same time; the Gen will again go down. And again NO disrespect atoll to you kind Sir. Just trying to help you and others that might care. For whatever it's worth.
Fair points. 👍
Carburetor’s are trash on these generators!
100 hours in going strong.
Size isn't everything..... haha
But it helps 🙃
I bought a GP5500, It failed in less than 10 hours. Customer service did nothing despite it being a 100 percent design flaw. Seal failure allowed light rain to leak into the gas tank. rusted out. Cost $400 to replace. They don't care about their customers.
Sorry to hear that.
I heard the same with their Home Stand by generators as well