Received it 12/26/12, assembled wheels & lift bars, added oil to engine and connected negative battery terminal. Turned off the main breaker on the generator, added gas and hit the electric start and she fired right off. Let it run for about 5 minutes, shut engine down and plugged it into the exterior 30amp box. Re-started the generator, turned off the house main breaker, moved the interlock over, turned on the generator breaker in the main box and then the main breaker on the generator. Turned on the individual breakers in the main panel one by one and the whole house was up and running! Lights, TV, heat, computer/laser printer, 2 refrigerator/freezers even turned on my 220V 15amp compressor in the garage, ran everything with out a hiccup.Things I like:
1. Longer run time than most; 12 hours on a 6.6 gallon tank (at 50% load)
2. 3 year warranty.
3. Hour meter to monitor run time and oil changes.
4. Engine is designed to run on up to 10% ethanol gas!!!
5. Low oil auto shut off.
6. Electrical overload protection.
It seems well built and has a very large muffler which makes it much quieter then most generators its size. When the next power outage occurs I will run it for 20 hours, drain the oil and replace it with 0/40 Amsoil small engine 4 Stroke synthetic oil. Hopefully I will receive many years of service from this generator.
I also purchased the Sunforce 50013 1-Watt Motorcycle and Powersports Solar Battery Charger to maintain the battery's charge when not in use. Works great, see my review.
Longer run time than most. 11+ hours on a 6.6 gallon tank (at 50% load)
A 3 year warranty Most are 1 or 2
Built, supported and serviced in USA
My first impressions taking out of the box was this was a well built unit. The instructions are pretty simple and all you have to do is attach the wheels, attached the handles, attach the negative battery cable (it is zipped tied to a cable above the battery) and add oil
The oil capacity of the unit is 1.5 quarts so you just pour the entire included bottle of oil into the motor before starting and you are all set. Starting it up was a simple push of the button and once the choke is off the engine runs super smooth and is relatively quiet. It is quieter than my 4-cycle snowblower. I did test all the outlets and plugged in about 2000 watts worth of stuff and all seemed okay. I'm very happy with it!
Buy Westinghouse WH7500E Portable Generator, 7500 Running Watts/9000 Starting Watts Now
After over a year of research and nit-picking over all the important stuff: run time, clean continuous voltage delivery, wattage, ruggedness, and manufacture support, Westinghouse always made it onto the short list. The WH7500E meets all of these requirements in spades. And although my first understanding was that it was made in the USA, which it is not, it is supported by a very robust and helpful service team with centers located across the country. Not a single regret.UPDATE: And having spent the time running the engine through an adequate break-in period (about 15 hours), luckily just prior to a series of heavy wet snow storms in MA which pulled down trees and power lines, i was simply giddy with excitement when we lost utility power and it was time to fire up the generator and see how well it worked. i was able to provide power to two refrigerators, the furnace, TV, DVD player, lights in the kitchen, bathroom living room and each bedroom, microwave and it never surpassed 50% load. this thing is awesome.March 4th 2013 Update:Had a new distribution panel with an integrated mechanical interlock for a generator circuit installed in the house along with a 30 amp outdoor receptacle. We hooked the generator up to the house and turned on all the breakers in the panel. I then started to add loads and the generator did not miss a beat! I was told that I wouldn't be able to run my electric stove off a generator....wrong! I had 2 burners on, most of the lights, a refrigerator and then a large microwave oven all at once without a problem. The watt meters in my panel showed only about 4000W being drawn. In response to this test I have upgraded my rating from 4 to 5 stars. My electrician was so impressed he has been recommending this set-up to others.
Like many others I spent a lot of time researching generators before choosing the Westinghouse WH7500. My main consideration was to buy a unit that would be reliable and long lasting and easy to get service for. After all it was bought for backup power and probably won't be used except during times of emergency, so reliability was most important. Secondly I wanted a generator that was fuel efficient. After Super Storm Sandy, gas was hard to come by on Long Island as it was in other places. Thirdly I wanted it to have safety features like overload protection and low oil shut off.
Well I believe I got what I wanted with the WH7500. I unpacked the box and quickly put the wheels and handles on. Connected the battery, filled it with the oil provided, put about ¾ of a gallon of gas in and pressed the start button. Without hesitation the engine cranked and immediately started. After about 5 to 10 seconds I switched the choke off and the engine smoothed right out. I left it running and plugged my wife's 1900W blow drier in, and then I added a 12 amp vacuum cleaner and an electric drill. No problem, plenty of power. I left the generator running for about an hour before closing off the fuel supply to empty the carburetor. In the coming weeks I intend to wire a receptacle to the side of the house so that the generator can be tied directly into my distribution panel with the use of a mechanical interlock for safety. Once that is accomplished and the generator has been tested on the home in a real life like situation I will burn off the rest of the gas in the tank, then change the oil, "fog" the engine and put the unit in storage till it is needed. Until that test I am only rating it 4 stars (up graded to 5 stars, see above). The generator looks well-made and solid. I never had a small engine start so well on the first try.
BTW one of the factors I was looking for was a unit built in the U.S.A. and I thought the WH7500 met the bill. To my surprise the label on the box reads "Designed and engineered in the USA. Generator and accessories made in China". I'm not sure if that means the engine is built in the US and the generator head with the rest in China or not. I believe and hope that a major US manufacturer with the reputation of Westinghouse keeps tight control over their overseas factories. Only time will tell. For now I am very happy with my purchase.
Want Westinghouse WH7500E Portable Generator, 7500 Running Watts/9000 Starting Watts Discount?
I got this generator to replace a smaller 3200W generator that had been used with extension cords for power outages. I was having a transfer switch/panel installed and wanted a larger unit to go along with it. After researching several brands, including Generac and Briggs and Stratton, I went with this Westinghouse and I am very happy I did.First, the shipping from Amazon with free Amazon Prime shipping. It was supposed to arrive in 2 days on a Wed, but when I spoke with the shipping company, it was running a day late. If I did not have power at the time and was awaiting the generator, the extra day might have felt like eternity, but we were fine waiting for an extra day, especially with the free shipping for a 200 lb item. Since we didn't pay for shipping, we didn't qualify for any shipping refund through Prime. The next day (Thu) the shipping company (CEVA) arrived 30 minutes early from the scheduled window and the item was rolled into my garage. No need to pay extra for "liftgate" service, etc that some other online retailers selling generators will charge.
Unpacking and installation was easy. It includes the wheel kit, handles, and a bottle of oil and a funnel. There are also some rudimentary wrenches and a spark plug wrench (I just used my own). It may help to have 2 people to unpack the generator and turn it on its side to attach the wheels, but I was able to do it myself in about 30 minutes, including adding the oil and gas.
The generator is solidly built and appears to be very well made. I had called Westinghouse regarding a question prior to purchase (more on that below), as there are mixed comments about where these are built. They said in fact it was assembled in China like most generators of this class out there now. However, the quality appears first class and their 3 year warranty backs that up. Most portable generators only have 1-2 years warranty.
About their customer service, I had called Westinghouse/Westpro Power regarding a question I had about the neutral bonding. A real person picked up, took the initial question and transferred me directly to Dennis, their service manager! (their names/pictures are also listed on the Westpro Power website very cool to know you're dealing with real people on the other end, not some customer service maze/nightmare!) He was very good at answering the questions: yes, the neutral is bonded to the frame, but yes, you can unbond it to make it "floating neutral" without voiding the warranty. This is technically the proper way to do things if you are hooking it up to your house, but I won't get into that here. He did want this done by an electrician, and was willing to forward the schematics to my electrician. It was so reassuring to know that this company stands behind its generators and that you speak to the people that actually run the company and are knowledgeable about their products. He asked where I live and when I told him Boston area, he said they had a major distribution center in the Boston area and several service/warranty affiliates as well. This information and service is priceless in my book, especially after all the nightmare stories about other brands' sketchy customer service.
Back to the generator, it fired up the first attempt with the electric starter (no dead battery here!) and was easy to connect to my inlet box and transfer switch. Powered all the circuits I needed without any problem during my initial trial.
PROS:
-Well built construction
-OHV engine, Cast iron cylinders
-Includes Battery/Wheel Kit
-According to the manual, the generator charges the battery while its running (you still may need a maintenance charger depending on your use)
-Hour meter
-REAL Customer service Real knowledgeable people that answer their phones!
-3 year warranty, best in the business
-Service centers in the Boston area
CONS:
-Consumer generators are a new thing for Westinghouse, so they don't have a super long track record yet, but their service and warranty stand behind them
-It only has a single 30amp outlet, depending on your setup if you're using it in the field, you may want more flexibility with another 30amp outlet
-Wheels are attached with a large pin and hairpin cotter, not a threaded bolt and nut (although I wheeled it by myself surprisingly easily over uneven/muddy ground from my driveway out to the backyard)
All in all, I'm very satisfied with the purchase of this Westinghouse generator!
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