My power just went out and this generator has been sitting in my garage since the freeze in Texas. A landscaper cut the like cutting down a tree. Thank you for the directions on using this. Came in clutch. Saved my food and lit my home.
I have a 4450 start 3550 running watt dual fuel with electric start. I ran that unit for a week strait at minus 40 Celsius ( the same in Farenheit) during last weeks cold snap here in Alberta just to make sure that my solar battery pack was charged up and to keep my truck plugged in . I live OFF GRID in a winterized trailer. This unit produces more watts when run on gas and a bit less on propane but at minus 40 , the propane will freeze up so it ran on gas. I am nothing but IMPRESSED with this unit. I also have another unit with over 2500 hours on it. When you keep to the maintenance schedule. I elected to retire the engine on that unit just to check out the engine . Everything is just fine on that motor and it is ready to go back in service. Im going to buy a 6500 dual fuel just to have a bit more power. Good machine Champion. I highly recommend these gennys 👍👍👍👍
For these particular generators for what I know is that you’ll need it to choke it when you’re using gasoline and no choke at all when using natural gas (Propane). Also, when starting the generator after a long storage period you’ll need to pull the starter cord slowly, this way the oil will properly lube the inner crankshaft before the real start up. Hope this helps. :)
Fulvio, I'm a mechanic and that is great advice about cranking over the engine after sitting, I just upgraded to a tri fuel carb and appreciate the choke advice, Donald wants to know how to lubricate the ends of his crankshaft, I think he needs to read a book.
I bought a similar model and I can confirm. With lpg, the instructions say, set the choke at 75%, and then set the choke to 'run' right after the engine starts, but there are no symbols or labels for a noob that explain this on the generator itself. And to confuse things further, my choke seems to have 3 settings rather than a continuous movement (left, middle, right). Anyway, I wanted to confirm this with champion but after an hr on the phone waiting I gave up. So, I don't work for champion but I gather all the way left is 100% choke open and all the way right is choke closed (or 'run' as they say in the instructions). I live at 2000 ft and right off, it wouldn't start except at 0 choke and then it started but it seemed to be running too fast but when I tried adjusting the choke (which I shouldn't have done), I flooded it easily and the engine stalled, stopped and then wouldn't restart until after I turned the lpg off and waited a few mins. Then afterward, I use no choke or just a small amt of choke to start and then set to 0 once the engine is running. I still think the engine is running too fast but I'm not going to break it until it's broke in. Also, I bought this for portable power around my house since I don't have any outlet plugs and I'm not familiar with generators camping and so on, but this gizmo is very, very loud. Can't imagine trying to sleep in a campsite with one of these going all night long.
This model works fine, I have used with gasoline only, usually it starts in the first pull. Plenty of power, also with the 30 Amps rv plugger. Thank you for the propane s information, it’s pretty useful 👍🏼
You don’t need the choke. Leave it at 100% at startup. I set one of these up for some friends of mine yesterday and had the same issues. This little generator is hooked up to his 5th wheel and it ran one a/c unit, the residential refrigerator which is huge, the tv, plus several fans and lights. It bogged down when I turned on the microwave... lesson learned. For $450 from Campingworld this is a great generator in my opinion and with the included wheel kit he can move it around by himself at 73 years old. Not a bad deal at all. We are all still trying to get over Sally here in NW Florida and this will give him piece of mind and air conditioning
We use it on propane also it’s about a couple months old and it turns off after about 5 minutes then I have to turn it back on a few times. Any idea what it could be?
Hello: Choke: I bought one of these last year but have not unpacked it. Just started to do that this week. Really enjoyed your video tutorial. In the manual, it states that for propane, you are to set the choke to 75% for the "first pull". If it doesn't start, turn the choke off (0%). You kind of did this eventually, but that's what the manual states.
If you don't happen to have a propane regulator you can use an acetylene regulator and hose on a propane bottle And dial-in what ever pressure you need, (it works great) I'm a retired mechanic and read that running propane through an acetylene regulator and hose will deteriorate them Ten years ago I tried it for my aluminum foundry furnace, and I'm still waiting on this deterioration to happen, Propane bottles have both internal and external threads on the valve so the acetylene regulator fits.
Yep mine is easy to flood during any startup. I've learned to only give one pull with the choke at 75% and then no choke. It usually starts on the second or third pull.
I have had the Honda 2000 inverter for a long time, it hasn't let me down. I just got this one to back that one up... The dual fuel option is a bonus! I agree with other posters... You just had air in the line. Right now Sams has these under $400.
I upvoted you because I appreciate the effort. Thank you for sharing your experience. Also, your idea about immediately restarting it once you killed it to see if the start problem was one time or permanent was a good one. With respect to fuel, I find that keeping the car topped off means I always have access to 15 gallons of gasoline. My RV-towing truck is diesel so that won't work... but, like you, I keep multiple bottles of propane around -- mostly for frying turkeys, boiling crawfish, and on our cold Arizona nights laughing at how if we had patio heaters what would we do with them. Having recently picked up the electric-start Champion 3800, I watched your video for hints, and am looking forward to starting it. This afternoon was "put it all together" and since I didn't want oil on the patio, tomorrow we're going to put the consumable fluids in -- over some Pig Pads -- and get it started. I want to do a load-test on it, but don't own a load-bank, don't want to rent one, and my power tools top out at 15A. Thanks again for taking the time; stay healthy; stay safe! Ehud Gavron Tucson AZ
As far as it not starting right away...I thought it might just take a min for the propane to flow through it first good video thanks...I just ordered one
FYI - I have the electric start model. Worked well on propane, but would not start on gasoline. Was on hold for over two hours, but Champion Support did instruct me to tap the solenoid (under the carburetor) while starting. It worked. So far, that was only a one time issue (possibly due to being brand new). 🤷♂️
Dam thanks bro this was way better then reading it lol got her due to chock dident even know why but I did what u did and she got up and running get her dun boyzzzzzzz 🤠🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲🌍
They currently offer 2 or 3 in that power range, the most expensive one says it's lighter and quieter, in fact one is 75 lbs and the other is 110 lbs. The lighter/quieter one costs about $180 more, but price alone isn't my concern, I'm kinda scared to think how they trimmed off all that 35 lbs, I think in some cases it might actually be better to have the heavier one for reliability issues. I know the gas tank is larger on the lower cost heavier louder version..but don't really know much else about it (which is why I'm here:)
I bought one from the Sam's Club too. I thought to put it outside by the gas pipe and plug into the house outlet in time of failure turning off main electricity switch not to feed with electricity the neighborhood. First reason was to provide ignition to the house gas heating system + something else reasonable. When I opened the manual it changed the expectations. You should install it 15 feet clear of everything. You can not plug it into the house electrical system. You can not install it into garage or other building. I don't know who needs 4000W outlet in open cotton field but in the end it was written something like: if you insist on installing it for the house electrical system get consulting from the electrical company. Do you think it possible to install it 3 feet of the external wall, plug into 120V home outlet through the surge protection simple device and turn off main electricity switch when starting up and plugging in?
The reason is was a semi hard start, you flipped it to no choke too soon, then you "flooded" it when you left the choke on after it stalled. You should go to no choke after the initial stall that way you'll not flood it out. I am ordering mine today for our camping trip :)
@@chivosadventures8171 You can. Do you understand what choke does? Not trying to be an a$$ BUT, when you put on choke NO air all gas will not ignite properly. Same with all air no gas. No ignition.
Yes, propane had to purge the line of air and that's why it took a bunch of pulls to start. I first purged the fuel line before even trying to start my unit - when I did try to start it, it fired up on the second pull. I will only use propane - CA gas is oxygenated and very corrosive - it will rust out that metal gas tank. As to adding oil, very inconvenient the location of the fill hole - my unit has a plug on top of the valve cover - I used that to fill the unit with oil - mush easier and not as messy.
I have this generator, and it stopped working after about 3 hours of run time. The control board would not shut the unit off. The only way to shit it down was to used the fuel switch. The electric start was not working. I took the cover off to see if anything obvious was wrong. Did a voltage check to see if the power generation was working. It was. They denied my warranty, so make sure and do not touch it if you have problems like me. They will deny any warranty. This is my first and last Champion.
I to believe in 2 is 1,In 2017 Maria hit Puerto Rico I had a 7k diesel generator, wanted to buy a 3.5k gasoline generator for backup, the wife didn't what me to spend the $$,(money was tight), big mistake, 2 weeks in the emergency the engine blew on the diesel generator and I was without power for a month, and I was lucky ,there was people without power for up to a year,now I have 4 generator's and planning for a solar system!
Should not have used synthetic oil before breaking it in. Dump it, run for 5hrs and dump again to get shavings out. Then do it again at 25 hrs. After that you can run on synthetic. Synthetic will let it run cooler
....a man that obviously has done things....good call...I was gonna say the same thing. You want the parts to "seat in" by running it with regular oil before using synthetic.
It was normal, just cut the choke off as soon as it is on , or if the choke was on and 1st or second attempt didn't come on , put the choke on off and try it, you did great
The battery blows. I'm looking for a 3rd one now and can't fine one. 12V 7AH battery is too small and the only one that will fit in the battery box. . I use a smart battery maintainer and run it 2-3 times a year to keep fresh gas in the carb. It needs a bigger battery.
There are sellers on Amazon. GenExhaust is one with good customer service. Search for “magnetic dipstick Champion generator”. Make sure that you get the correct model number. Some folks with metal lathes...or more likely computer-assisted fabricating machines - can crank these out as a little side business.
The oil plug may be underneath, but did you ever think of tilting the generator up for easier access. Level the generator off to check the level of oil. I like the fuel cut off valves how it forces you to turn off one fuel to turn on the other. :D I have a riding mower that won't start without the choke, but it doesn't like it on more than a few seconds. I shut it off as soon as the motor is "choking" on it. :D
Yeah, I bought this kit and it's suppose to work. www.motorsnorkel.com/motor-snorkel-tri-fuel-natural-gas-propane-and-gasoline-conversion-kit-4363.html
I bought this last night at Sam’s Club and I cannot get it running I will try again today now that I know what settings to put at for the choke. Thanks for the information
We have used the ru-vid.comUgkxOTeIs0vv4_9B5hsmnLsk9r930uDQLu_Y for probably 30 hours with our camper and it’s been great! The noise level is really only noticeable when running the AC and other appliances like the microwave, hair dryer, or coffee pot. It’s not huge like other ones and it has wheels so even at 90lbs, I can move it!
Make 3-4 panels out of sound board, surround it while running. I have mine on a 4 wheel furniture dolly with rubber matting under gen, nelps quiet vibrations. Also, try not to run in under the carport/garage, or other enclosed areas.
I know with a smaller generator a 2800 watt generator rated really a 2500, I want a big swamp cooler a refrigerator a freezer TV and internet and certain LED lighting and I have an overloaded it yet
Maybe it's "never a problem", but the manufacturer does recommend not using synthetic oil until after the 5 hour break-in period. Synthetic is too slippery to allow the rings to wear in properly.
No, that’s only for really small engines like a chainsaw. As for a generator, keep it on full choke until it fires up, let it sit for 10 seconds or so, then switch it to the run position.
Even if you dont have electric start, go to ebay and buy a starting system based on you engines H.P. or CC rating. Pop off pull start housing and see if fly wheel has gearing on it, if it does, for under 50 you can add electric start system easy peasy
Dude...you did about 12 things wrong. PLEASE educate yourself. There is a break in period. You are not supposed to just slap oil in it and hook up a saw. Also, cut the propane from the tank FIRST and let the generator burn the rest out of the line.
Why do you think you should be giving advice on this generator BEFORE you know how to operate it? Not advisable to do an unboxing in this manner. It's not important how it looks sitting in the box, or that it has a "pretty funnel" included, it is important to operate it correctly.
I don’t think this model is the electric start. The switch would have a third position called start and you would see the battery in a tray near the bottom.
Dude cant even use the choke, and makes goofy immature noises while filling the oil...how can you listen to anything he says, all he can do right is read the labels to you.
Generator suck beware blew up on my brother due to faulty equipment and made my brother have Burns all up and down his legs and almost killed his family my brother is a master technician and knows what he's doing when it comes to equipment please beware
Hummmm, I have heard of the boys meeting at the sports bar to watch a game and the girls night out. Maybe childhood issues? You should relax and enjoy the video. It is about the dual fuel generator, interesting demonstration.