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...

[FulltimeDreamer]

I went to my local Pep Boys to purchase the Propower 3500 advertised in their sale paper. As it turned out they were selling a UST 3000 GT instead at the $319.00 price. The 3000 Gt looks to have the "Honda" knock-off engine and the "canned ham" muffler. It also has a 120 Volt duplex receptical rated @ 20 Amps each or a single twist on 3-prong outlet that is 120 Volts @ 25 Amps. This is exactly what I needed.

I did a test plugging my 30 Amp shoreline cable into a 20 Amp adapter into one of the 20 Amp recepticals and it ran my 15,000 BTU airconditioner with no problems. I did not try the microwave or other high draw appliances.

Tomorrow, I will construct a 30 Amp shoreline cable with the twist-on plug provided with the generator. I will then add additional loads to see what happens.

Here is a link to pictures of the generator:

http://www.geocities.com/fulltimedreamer2004/generator.html

[in_da_keys]

Finally poped up the pop up to prepare for my up coming trip this weekend, hooked up my generator. I got the one that homier.com was selling for $229 + about $50 S&H, they raised the price now to $299:( Anyway, I am impressed, just as people have said about these gensets, A/C no problem. I get 121 volts no load, 118 volts with A/C running at the gen, in the camper checked outlet about 116 volts with A/C and all lights on.

UPS was a bit ruff with it but took the front panel off and made some adjustments to the sheet metal. I did notice the outlets are cheep, and I will replace them, for peace of mind. But can't be happier with my $300 investment.

[scarferman]

I bought a Elim 3000 generator a few weeks ago,it ran the air cond and other things fine for a while. I saw that when I turned everything off and ran the generator with know load on it the voltage would drop to 85 to 90 volts on the 120 side and 180 volts on the 220 side.I called eliminternational "great people to deal with"they are sending me a automatic regular assy and a AC motor capacitor could either one of these be the problem?
I thought I would try this forum before taking generator in for repair or sending it back to Elim for a replacement.
Thanks,

[Kamphiker]

allstar59 wrote:
First of all I'd like to thank everyone for this most informative thread ! I want to buy a generator for occasional emergency use. I want to use it to power a 9000 btu window ac , a tv & direct tv receiver, and if possable an 18 cf fridge and a few lights. Locally I can get the Powerpro 3500 at Pep Boys @ $319.00 + tax but it only has the one 120v outlet. What would I need to do with one outlet, use a power strip ? My other choice is the Champion Power Equipment #C46535 Generator 4450 watt peak, 3500 watt continuous. It does havs a duplex outlet.The review back a few pages really got me interested in this one . The thing is I would need to order this one thru Parts America for $299.00 + tax + almost $60.00 shipping . I need a few opnions to help me choose please. I'm a little leary about making any mods , I'm not too good with electrical stuff.
Thanks , Jim

You can utilize the 4 prong plug by adapting the supplied 4 prong plug that comes w/ the PP3500. you will need to make a short adapter with a 20 amp 3 prong female recepticle. you will only use 3 wires/terminals (1 hot leg, 1 netural leg & 1 ground).

by doing the above you can use the 2 outlets on the PP3500. if you need more you can use a power strip of suitable amperage capacity.

I have the PP3500 from pepboys and it pulled the family through Hurricane Katrina running just a little more than you have indicated that you want to run. On the noise level it's not bad, we ran the PP3500 approx. 15 feet from the trailer under a overhang of the porch in front of our house and could not hear the PP3500 in the trailer with the A/C on (maybe we have a loud A/C ?) and could barley hear the PP3500 from across the street standing in my neighbors driveway.

Excellent value for the performance VS cost.

[Hatch-TX]

I am tickled to death with my Power Pro 5500 from Pep Boys. I'm pulling 30 amps for my camper with zero problems. Powered two different notebook computers with zero problems (I know I've read something about sine-wave something-or-other).

It did not sound any louder than the Honda 5k-ish unit rented by the folks sharing the deer camp with me Labor Day weekend.

[Curly2001]

Where is your Honda made Yacht? What TV do you watch and where is it made? What type of wrist watch do you wear? Where is your computer made? Where is your cell phone made? Where is your digital camera made??....just a question.

[allstar59]

First of all I'd like to thank everyone for this most informative thread ! I want to buy a generator for occasional emergency use. I want to use it to power a 9000 btu window ac , a tv & direct tv receiver, and if possable an 18 cf fridge and a few lights. Locally I can get the Powerpro 3500 at Pep Boys @ $319.00 + tax but it only has the one 120v outlet. What would I need to do with one outlet, use a power strip ? My other choice is the Champion Power Equipment #C46535 Generator 4450 watt peak, 3500 watt continuous. It does havs a duplex outlet.The review back a few pages really got me interested in this one . The thing is I would need to order this one thru Parts America for $299.00 + tax + almost $60.00 shipping . I need a few opnions to help me choose please. I'm a little leary about making any mods , I'm not too good with electrical stuff.
Thanks , Jim

[hgarraway]

Hurricane Katrina knocked out the power to my home from Monday at noon until Friday night. I put my ELM 3000 into service by wiring it directly (NOT BACKFEEDING) to the sub box that serves all of the lights, refers, freezer, ceiling fans, televisions, etc. in my house. I did physically disconnect the sub box from the main box in addition to throwing the breaker. I thought some readers of this thread might be interested in the performance and some problems that occurred during this 22 hour a day service. I did let it rest 2 hours a day.

It’s already been stated on this thread that the 110 receptacle supplied on the panel should be replaced with a heavy duty polarized one. This modification had been made prior to the hurricane.

The generator worked great for about 6 hours which got us through the 100 + mph gusts as the eye passed here in Petal, MS. Then, I noticed that the lights in the house were flickering a bit so I went to the carport to check the generator. There was what appeared to be an arc inside the control panel on the upper right side. I immediately shut it down and took out the control panel screws and popped off the plastic cover on the backside of the panel. There is a plastic encased capacitor there that is connected with two push on connectors. Evidently one of the connectors had never been tight on the lug. It had arced until it had eaten away most of the lug. I was able to file the remaining part of the lug clean, push the connector on the ‘stub’ and crimp it on with pliers. I cranked the engine, threw the breakers and put my two large refers, chest freezer, and rest of house (excluding central A/C) on line. It worked great for 2 days then it lost all voltage.

When I checked it I noticed the toggle from the 110/220 selector switch on the carport floor! The vibration had destroyed the switch. By luck I had a heavy duty DPDT toggle switch in a junk box. It even had screw terminals like the original switch so I replaced the cheap switch on the panel with a heavy duty one and all was well again. I did consider removing the switch altogether and permanently connecting the two pairs of wires that are connected when the switch is in the 110 position, and would have had I not had a replacement handy.

Other than these two quality control problems the generator performed beyond expectations and my neighbors couldn’t believe what it powered or how quiet it was and how LONG it ran on such a small amount of fuel (about 12 hours). Most of them were running 5500 watt contractor gensets with 10.5 hp engines.

It’s Monday (after Katrina) night now and since Saturday morning the generator has been running at my dad’s.

Conclusion:

I think that the quality control problems associated with the ELM3000 are mainly in the ‘peripherals’ to the engine/genhead. (I forgot to mention that the fuel indicator sticks and leaks)

I think it would be a good idea to beef up the control panel as a preventive measure by 1) replacing the 110 outlet with a heavy duty one as described earlier in this thread, 2) Crimp or solder the connections to the capacitor, 3) replace or hardwire the selector switch. 4) forget the fuel indicator.


Hugh

[Kamphiker]

I picked up the GSW-16 DPDT toggle switch to do the parallel output on the. Power Pro 3500 Genset from pepboys

I question if this switch is adequate for the job. The specifications are as follows:

10 Amps 227 volts AC & 20 amps 125volts AC

Also it would be nice if someone that has done this same mode do a step by step writeup as it does seem to get a little confusing since the DPDT switch terminals are marked 1-6 & not A-1, A-2, B-1, B-2 etc.

something like: step 1 remove white wire from generator head (cut it or tape off ?) add a new white wire 14 guage "x inches long" with a spade terminal from the Gen head through the wiring loom to "x" location

I'm not a technical writer and would confuse others even more. So I wont attempt it.

[Damdifino]

Clark W. Griswold wrote:
Is anyone running the 15,000 with the ELIM 3000?

I run a 15,000 with the ELIM3000. It also handles the fridge & microwave at the same time without breaking a sweat. I haven't tried it yet with the water heater added to the above, but I think it would work.

[Barton_Family]

Has anyone had any experience with this line recently. I found a few older posts, but nothing on this particular model.It's marketed by Amico USA Power Systems and has a noise rating of 65db. No price on website http://www.amicousa.com/product_info.php?products_id=448
but free shipping is offered?! Price on EBAY is $269.99. Anyone have any input on this unit?

Here are the features:
Continuous Output: 3000 Watt
Maximum Output: 3300 Watt
Engine: 6.7 HP, 4 Strokes OHV Motor, Air-cooled
Starting Method: Recoil Start
Displacement: 200cc
Voltage / Frequency: 120V / 240V 60Hz
Run Speed: 3600rpm
AC Current: 120V/30Amps & 240V/15Amps
DC Current: 12V/8.3 Amps
Fuel Tank Capacity: 3.25 Gallon
Fuel Consumption: 0.4 Gallon /h
Noise Level: 65 decibels (7m)
Approximate Run Time: 12 Hours
Measurements: 22”(L) x 18”(W) x 18.5”(H)
Weight: 99 Lbs/pc
20pcs/pallet, 450pcs/40’Container
U.S EPA Certificate
Big Air Cleaner, Big Muffler, Big Fuel Tank
Engine Oil Warning System, Automatic Voltage Regulator
Fuel type: Automotive unleaded gasoline
Circuit Protecting Device, Circuit Breaker
Full Color Retail Carton,
One Year Limited Warranty

[inlineskater]

Hi - I consider myself lucky that I picked up an ELM3000 today at pepboys for $249 brand new. I've read many posts but have the following questions:

1. Has anyone consolidated FAQ info on the ELM3000 anywhere?
2. Is it possible to get 12v DC from the unit? If so, how?
3. Again to Q #1, what tips/tricks should be used, etc.
4. Has anyone added wheels? What is the cheapest route?

Many thanks!

[landmarktervs]

Thanks for all of the great (albiet mind boggling) info on the Chinese generators.

Yesterday I purchased the Powerwise 3500 from Kragen. $299 to purchase directly from the store. $229 if ordered off the website and pick up in store. Of course I went home and ordered it off the website!

It was a floor unit and discovered that the front feet were missing from the portability kit along with two sets of bolts/nuts/washers to install the wheels/axles. Two wood blocks and some wire temporarily solved that issue.

The fuel line plug thingie leaked, but thanks to the forum I already knew how to immediately tighten the plug. The oil fill plug is awkward. According to the diagram it appeared that you needed to tip the generator on it's side to fill.

The generator started on the 3rd pull. The noise level was approximate or less than the lawn tractor, lawn mower. It was definitely less than the weed whacker! I ran the trailer (19 foot Komfort Lite) a/c; all the lights; stereo. A small change in the generator sound when the a/c first turn one, then it returned to normal. I did not try the microwave at the same time.

They have some decent priced ramps at Harbor Freight that I'll go pick-up tomorrow morning. That should make it easy to load into the trailer or van.

I look forward to the dogs and I staying cool at the show this weekend, along with the benefits of not having to hunt down an elusive eletrical outlet for the grooming implements!

Thanks for all the help!!

Darlene Hernandez
Landmark Tervuren
http://www.citlink.net/~tervuren

[1990_Bronco]

Pat!!!!!

"over rated"??? NO WAY!!!
THANKYOU!!! for putting your page back up!! awesome webpage. ive got it saved now, thankyou for taking the time and putting it back up, and thankyou again for taking the time to do all that work.

[MrWizard]

sidewindr:

the 1200 makes even less noise than the bigger ones

on camparison of the power3500 and the champion 3500

the PP3500 schematic shows a 'automatic voltage regulator unit' meaning electronic control of the feild circuit.

not having such info on the 'champion 3500' means I would choose the power pro