3000W Chinese Gensets Info.

[professor95]

professor95 wrote:
EDIT ADDED 45/5/2013- When this thread started in March of 2005, I never expected to see it survive this long or amass the quantity of information that has been shared here.

In the eight year run of this thread we have amassed almost 10,000 postings and surpassed a million views. This creates somewhat of a dilemma for anyone who has just discovered the forum.

Since the amount of information is virtually overwhelming, I suggest you set your preferences for this thread to read "newest first" and then begin to page backwards.

What you will find in these pages is a wealth of info on virtually any make or model of Chinese manufactured synchronous (non-inverter) generator in the 3,000 watt performance class. Info will include how to rewire series coils to parallel to obtain maximum wattage from a single 120 volt outlet. Tips on further reducing sound levels, how to care for these generators, which ones are "RV ready" and provide the best overall performance for the dollar invested. Which companies NOT to deal with, where the best prices are, how to safely wire the generator into a home or RV, how to check your RV for electrical faults, sources for generator accessories, which 20/30 adapters are safe to use and which are not. How to convert a gasoline generator to propane or NG. This is only the beginning. The forum has a life of its own with the focus sub-topic switching frequently. Still, the main topic of utilizing the amazing, inexpensive Chinese gensets is always there. The amount of creativity and innovation presented in these pages is indicative of the talents shared in the diverse backgrounds of the folks who make up our combined RV community.

Many of the original brands and models of Chinese gensets mentioned in the introduction and early pages of the thread have since disappeared. New EPA and CARB emissions requirements, company bonds assuring the emissions warranty will be honored even if the company goes out of business, and fierce competition in the industry have changed the playing field. Champion Power Equipment has become the apparent "trophy team" providing an ever expanding retail outlet, an ample parts supply, a strong warranty and excellent customer service. CPE has continued to improve their product and now offers a new model (#46538) with exclusive convenience, safety and performance features aimed at the RV market. Big names like Cummins/Onan, Honda and Generac all now have Chinese built open frame synchronous gensets available. Ironically, the prices often found on these gensets has not significantly changed during the past eight years - even with the devaluation of the American Dollar and new EPA/CARB requirements.

I also encourage you to use the search function and even the advanced search options to find information. Key works such as "rewiring", "PowerPro", "Champion", "Onan Homesite", "Duropower", "ETQ", "Jiung Dong or JD", "Tractor Supply", "Costco", "Lowe's" and "Home Depot" are all examples of keywords that will give you specific information on different models being sold by retailers today.

Or, you can fill your glass with your favorite beverage (keep more close by - maybe some munchies as well :D, sit back at your computer, tell your wife (or significant other) that you will see her in the morning and spend the next 10 or so hours reading through the postings.

No one on the forum gets mad if you ask a question that is a repeat. Please do not hesitate to post to the forum. All questions are considered important and those active on the forum will do their best to respond with a valid answer.

Also note we are not out to knock the Honda, Yamaha, Kipor or other brands of high end digital gensets. We recognize the quality of these products and their suitability for quite, efficient RV use. But, there is a flood of reliable, inexpensive and comparatively lower cost gensets coming out of China that are excellent alternative choices for the RVer wanting power to run an air conditioner, microwave, etc. without excessive noise or breaking the budget.

Oh, one last thing. The folks on this forum are true gentlemen. We do not flame one another or the product discussed - period. Ugly contributors usually have their comments and remarks ignored by our masses. It is not a forum to start arguments to obtain a clear win. We do disagree on many issues, but we have all agreed to do that in a respectable manner.

We now have the introduction of more and more inverter gensets. There is a rather extensive thread named "The Official Unofficial Champion 2000i Generator" on this forum. Today, I added info on the new Champion 3100i inverter genset. Discussion on this product may get moved to its own thread at a later date.

Many have looked upon this thread with distain saying Chinese is cheap and doomed to failure. I remember saying exactly the same thing about Japanese products a few decades back. But, over the past eight years the track record for Chinese built generators has shown otherwise.

Please, join us in a fascinating journey down the Chinese built genset road of knowledge.

This is the question I posted that got it all started back in March 2005.......

Randy

For a little over a month now, I have been somewhat intrigued by the availability of a 3000 watt, 6.5 HP generator at Pep Boys and Northern Tool for under $300.00. The engine on this generator looks identical to a Honda 6.5 HP OHV engine. Knowing that the Chinese have become very adept at “cloning” reputable technologies from other manufacturers, I was not surprised at the similarities. Neither store could give me any information on the generator nor did they have a “running” display model.

I have done a little research. This is what I have discovered:

Many of these generators are imported by ELIM International (www.eliminternational.com) out of Buffalo, New York from Jiung Manufacturing in China. (The unit at Northern is identical but carries the JIUNG name.)

The engines are indeed a Chinese knockoff of the popular 6.5 HP 196cc Honda Engine. “Supposedly” Honda has licensed the engine technology to the Chinese manufacturer of the product.

The Chinese company that makes the ELM3000 generators is a rather large, diverse, long-standing company with a reputation for “above average quality” Chinese made products (Jiung Manufacturing). There are many more Chinese companies making almost identical gensets.

The generators at PepBoys do have a six month limited warranty. But, it is only on the engine (not the generator) and requires paying for shipping to and from Buffalo. Probably not a very practical thing to do if you have warranty issues.

ELIM does supply replacement parts (a PDF parts manual is available on the ELIM web site). No prices are given for replacement parts nor is there an “availability listing”.

The generator head itself is a brushless design. The only really significant wear parts in the generator are the bearings – most likely universally available.

The published dB rating is 67 at 23 feet. This is “reasonably” quite for a generator of this size as most comparabl.... The 67 dB rating is the same as Honda gives their 3000 watt CycloInverter with a “look alike” eng...

[lag1996]

ok , ive followed these post as long as i could and to be honest i cant make sense of all this. i plan on getting the powerpro 3500 and these are all the #ers that i can come up with on my a/c
BTU - 13500
electrical rating-115 vac,60 Hz,1PH
compr.rated load amps-11.4
fan motor rated load amps -2.5
compr locked rotor amps- 58.0
fan motor locked rotor amps 5.8
heater amps/watts @120vac - 12.7 amps 1530 watts at 120 volts ac
ac circuit protection-20 amp time delay fuse or HACR circuit breaker
minimum wire size 12 awg copper up to 24 ft
so my ? is will it work the A/C without any modifications?
thanks to all who will reply.

[kneisl1]

hardtoget - I think you do not want a 220 volt generator if you want to run high amp 120v appplicances. Look instead for a generator with only 120v outlets on it. The generator you list seems to be a 220 volt model.

[kneisl1]

jorbill2or does that mean Whyatt-s mod wont work? Yes it IS misleading to those who dont know! But Im learning! (ouch) This prevents you from running a 15 amp load at 120v. (Thats why the ELIM3000 is good) You CAN get two 7.5 amp circuits. Its like having two 900 watt generators. Is this right?

[jorbill2or]

kneisl1 1800watts on a 220 gen is only 900 watts on ea 110 leg unless you re wire the coil on the Gen you cant justcombine them they ore not in Phase. They Rate a 220 Gen as "total" watts kind of Mis leading isn't it?

[Barton_Family]

hrdtoget1 wrote:
I'm thinking about buying this one... My question is, will it run my AC unit ok and should I be using the twist lock connection insted of the regular 110 outlet.... thanks in advance!!! check it out here??? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PREMIUM-6-5-HP-3000-3300-WATT-240V-GENERATOR-WARRANTY_W0QQitemZ4577124910QQcategoryZ26455QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I received one of these 2 weeks ago. I ran it this weekend for about an hour or so with the AC on the camper and it worked fine for me. Here is the catch, my AC is only 7100 BTU because it's a Lance truck camper that uses a Coleman Mini-Mach. I have no idea if it will run the 13,500 or 15,000 BTU units. I bought an Ammeter and will try to see what the output is at the 120 and the 220 volt sides and will post when I get a chance. They say this is a 65 dB unit but it is darn near as loud at load as my Generac 4000XL 73dB unit is. This is the place I bought mine from :
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4402732592&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT

[bob_b1]

kneisl1 wrote:
I looked at the wiring diagram and figured out which two prongs of the 120/220 receptacle ought to be 120v. Probing the socket with a multimeter turned up 120v. So that was good.
So now its just a question does the single 120 outlet give 15 amps. All I could find was my 8 amp electric chainsaw. That ran OK. Then it was time to go to work.

I have the exact same PowerPro 2200 watt unit. I plugged into the regular plug and it ran everything but the A/C. I then rigged up a 30-amp to 4-prong twistlock adapter(making sure that I was tapping into the 120V hot leg that was not being shared by the regular outlet). The allowed my to run the A/C for a little while before it tripped.

I then rewired the generator according to several other posts that show you how to do it. This was not successful for me. I could not even start the generator and something weird was happening with the 12V voltage inside the motorhome. The meter was showing 120V and my multimeter was showing 120V also. The polarity was correct. It just didn't work for me.

The PowerPro 2200 would be a great unit for anyone who never needs to run the A/C or never needs to run a coffee maker. Other than that, the 3500 watt version is the same size and weight and is probably worth looking at.

I'm going to return it to Pep Boys and upgrade to the 3500W version for $100 more. It seems like a few have had success with this unit without a rewire.

[hrdtoget1]

this is so much to read and so confusing... simple question for you that know.... I'm thinking about buying this one... My question is, will it run my AC unit ok and should I be using the twist lock connection insted of the regular 110 outlet.... thanks in advance!!! check it out here??? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PREMIUM-6-5-HP-3000-3300-WATT-240V-GENERATOR-WARRANTY_W0QQitemZ4577124910QQcategoryZ26455QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[kneisl1]

I had the generator running this afternoon. Started first pull and ran very nice and quiet. Sweet!
I had a look at the owners manual before starting it. In the parts section, it describes the circuit breaker as 10 amp. That doesnt sound good because a 1800 watt continuous run generator ought to make 15 amps. There wasnt an amp number on the part itself however.
I looked at the wiring diagram and figured out which two prongs of the 120/220 receptacle ought to be 120v. Probing the socket with a multimeter turned up 120v. So that was good.
So now its just a question does the single 120 outlet give 15 amps. All I could find was my 8 amp electric chainsaw. That ran OK. Then it was time to go to work.
Tomorrow Ill attach a power strip and hook up the chainsaw, 3 amp sabersaw, and 3 amp drill.

[kneisl1]

OK you have to explain to me whats a pigtail. Im taking the power panel off today to look at how the outlets are wired. Im hoping with help from this forum to be able to hook this thing up so I can get 1800 watts @ 110v out of it. Hmmm you figure out how many watts you need, you buy a generator with more than that capacity, THEN discover the generator only has HALF the watts availible!

[Krazyjohnny]

kneisl1,

did the genset come with a 4 prong plug? if so find a pigtail from home depot, lowes, etc. that has a 120 female receptacle end on it and wire it to the one leg of the 4 prong plug that is not shared by the other 120v receptacle. You will have to be able to read the electrical diagram to do this without interfereing with the use of the other 120.

[kneisl1]

Theres one 110 v outlet and a 220 volt outlet which takes a locking 4 prong plug which comes with the generator. But theres no switch on the panel. Since I dont have anything that runs on 220 how can I get all 2200 watts to 110v?

[Sonic1954]

kneisl1 wrote:
I recently bought a 2200 watt Power Pro from Pep Boys after reading the comments from this forum. I wont be using this generator to power anything other than my boiler and circulator pump (3.2 amps total) in the winter or the fridge in the summer if the power goes out. (plus maybe a few lights and the TV) The 2200 has a 120 receptacle and what is labeled a 120/220 receptacle. Im a little confused from the previous posts as to exactly how much power (amps) are availible at the 120v receptacle with this unit. (instructions werent much help) I would assume ALL of them would be but can someone tell an electricaly challanged person what the total availible amps are with this unit at the 120V connection? If all 15 amps arent at the 120 what do I do to get them availible in 120v? Im afraid I couldnt understand what was going on in the previous posts about this! That, and once the bare copper wire disappeared in a puff of smoke when I tried to add another electrical circuit to my house once probably prevents me from understanding any of this. Thanks!

You can get all 2200 watts out of it. It should have 2 standard looking house plugs, side by side. You can get 1100 watts out of one plug (pair) and 1100 watts out of the other plug (pair). That is about 10 ampres per plug. If it only has ONE 110 volt plug then there is going to have to be a switch on the unit to direct all the power to the one outlet.

Plug your fridge into one side and your tv into the other plug.

[in_da_keys]

professor95 wrote:

I had no idea that gen was an Elim. Says 4,000 watt so I assumed it was something else.

I believe the unit is made by . Same outfit that builds the ELM.

As for the concern over the switch and 120/240, I think that is over concern. Whey you flip the switch it also swaps outlets. If you are plugged into the 120 duplex outlet, all that would happen is the loss of power.

Gotta go, Nancy and I are heading for Kitty Hawk this weekend. Gads, I hate to watch that gas gauge drop!!!!

Randy

I ordered one about 3 weeks ago, got it when it was selling for 199.00 on the web site. With shipping and tax, less then 300.00.

It is the same as the ELEM, has a Jiang Dong sticker on the motor.

Great Generator!

[kneisl1]

I recently bought a 2200 watt Power Pro from Pep Boys after reading the comments from this forum. I wont be using this generator to power anything other than my boiler and circulator pump (3.2 amps total) in the winter or the fridge in the summer if the power goes out. (plus maybe a few lights and the TV) The 2200 has a 120 receptacle and what is labeled a 120/220 receptacle. Im a little confused from the previous posts as to exactly how much power (amps) are availible at the 120v receptacle with this unit. (instructions werent much help) I would assume ALL of them would be but can someone tell an electricaly challanged person what the total availible amps are with this unit at the 120V connection? If all 15 amps arent at the 120 what do I do to get them availible in 120v? Im afraid I couldnt understand what was going on in the previous posts about this! That, and once the bare copper wire disappeared in a puff of smoke when I tried to add another electrical circuit to my house once probably prevents me from understanding any of this. Thanks!

[toprudder]

TubaPete wrote:
You might want to check this. I believe that it is potentially dangerous based on what I have read in other posts. Tripping the main does not disconnect the neutral in most household circuits. Since these little benerators don't treat neutral the same as the line current coming into your house, you could be backfeeding a voltage greater than zero into the line.

I've heard that quoted as well, but I have not seen any transfer switches that disconnect neutral. Besides, the main panel ties neutral and ground together, so I don't see how any dangerous voltage could make it out of the house through the neutral.

OTOH, backfeeding into the dryer outlet is potentially dangerous. The opportunity exists that someone forgets and throws the main breaker. Also, it is possble the dryer plug may pull out and have hot, exposed prongs. Having said that, I have done it in an emergency before.