Just Ordered a Champion 3500 Watt Generator ($30 coupon code)

[velvetfoot]

Yes, I'm a generator nut. The 800 Watt HF unit didn't have enough ooph, mostly, and the subject Champion 3500 generator got good reviews here and elsewhere. I ordered it from Advance Auto Parts, store pick up, and you can use a coupon code that's on the home page, on my visit, FB4T, good for $30 for stuff over $150. So it was 299.99 - 30 + stupid NYS tax for 21.60, for 291.59. I'll try picking it up on the way home tonight.

 

[Highbeam]

You'll love it. I like mine so much that I actually change the oil and clean the air filter. Super easy to start too.

 

[smokinj]

Champion 3500 generator- I have had that gen-set for 5 years now. No Issues at all with it.

 

[velvetfoot]

Thanks guys. New toys get me psyched.

When I said "try" in the intial post, it's because I'm driving a Mini.
They measured the box, and it should fit, but...

 

[mecreature]

I have a champion 3000/3500 peak.. it is totally 110.. it has a 30 amp breaker and a 15 amp breaker. The 30 amp has a standard twist 3 prong female plug and an RV 30 amp 3 prong plug. the 110 has a regular plug..

great gen for the money.. like said easy to start. Customer service is also great. I would make sure to change the oil as it says at least the first time and adjust the lifters to spec.. it makes it not as noisy IMO....

you will like it.

 

[smokinj]

I have a champion 3000/3500 peak.. it is totally 110.. it has a 30 amp breaker and a 15 amp breaker. The 30 amp has a standard twist 3 prong female plug and an RV 30 amp 3 prong plug. the 110 has a regular plug..

great gen for the money.. like said easy to start. Customer service is also great. I would make sure to change the oil as it says at least the first time and adjust the lifters to spec.. it makes it not as noisy IMO....

you will like it.

Mine has the 220 but have never use it.

 

[mecreature]

I have a champion 3000/3500 peak.. it is totally 110.. it has a 30 amp breaker and a 15 amp breaker. The 30 amp has a standard twist 3 prong female plug and an RV 30 amp 3 prong plug. the 110 has a regular plug..

great gen for the money.. like said easy to start. Customer service is also great. I would make sure to change the oil as it says at least the first time and adjust the lifters to spec.. it makes it not as noisy IMO....

you will like it.

Mine has the 220 but have never use it.

I was torn on getting the 220.. But they didnt have any with the RV plug.

I had a new well drilled last year and put in a 110 pump with hopes I could run it with the gen if need be.

 

[velvetfoot]

Mine doesn't have 220 either but it has the RV and locking 30 amp 120 volt receptacle.

So far I've unpacked it.
It doesn't look like it came with oil.
It seems to recommend 10-30; all i have is 5-30 Mobil 1.
I think I'm gonna go with that.

I'm going to disassemble the cord I made up to hook up the 800 watter; I have a suitable 120 volt locking plug, some 8 gauge wire, and a 240 volt receptacle.
During an outage, I'll turn off all the 240 volt breakers, flip the interlock, plug the gen. into the power inlet box, etc.

 

[mecreature]

I had a bottle of oil that came with mine.

I changed out after 5 hours and put mobil1 5-30 in. that is what I had too. run it in my truck

 

[velvetfoot]

No oil in crankcase, I think. Dipstick was oily, but after drying and re-inserting, no oil - I think.
Hard to believe it only takes .63 qt.

 

[LLigetfa]

During an outage, I'll turn off all the 240 volt breakers, flip the interlock, plug the gen. into the power inlet box, etc.

I'm trying to picture how that would work. Most service panels have two 110V legs and a centretap so you get 110V between each leg and the centretap and 240V between the two legs. Are you then just hotting up one leg so only half of the 110V breakers will work?

 

[mecreature]

I am curious too.

my electrician did the same thing to my box back feeding from another source temporarily. Sounds like the same thing... dont know.

 

[velvetfoot]

Feed both legs with same 120 volts. No 240 volt possible. I'm not clear as to what would happen if a 240 volt motor was started - maybe nothing, maybe not. With a smaller generator, you won't be feeding a 240 volt load anyway, plus maybe you can then get more of the ultimate potential out of the generator if the feeds aren't split in two legs so that balancing is not an issue.

For my little 800 watt gen, I made an adapter that had a 240 v. interlocked receptacle on one end, (to plug into the house 240 volt inlet (which I have for my other bigger, and more thirsty 240v. capable generator)), and a normal 120 v. plug on the other. I wired the 240 v. interlock receptacle so that the generator 120 hot leg would feed both legs. Now, I'll take that apart and use a short length of heavier 4 conductor cable to replace the extension cord plug/wire and wire it to a interlocking 30 amp 120 volt plug that I already have. That 30 amp plug will plug into the new generator. It will also take an RV plug, but I have no experience with that. It also has a normal 120 volt receptacle, but it's only good for 20 amps. I think the other plug use a 25 amp breaker.

 

[velvetfoot]

I filled it with oil and ran it.
It took a while to start it.
It started when I took the choke off - I didn't expect that; it was pretty cold out. That choke lever is flimsy.
I made an adapter cable as I spoke of earlier.
The four conducter cable fit fine on the 240v. receptacle, but I wound up drilling out one of the holes for the hot leg, so that both wires could fit.
It works fine.

The boiler circulator pumps don't make that funny sound.
However, the Frigidaire front-loading washer's electronics beep, etc, which is weird.
Everything else seems ok.

It taking a while to run it out of gas, so I believe it's pretty good on gas.

 

[velvetfoot]

To roll it around, I've put it on a mover's dolly. I've done that with my 5kw generator and it works well.

Another thing I've noticed is that it has a floating neutral. I'm pretty sure my other generators have their neutrals bonded to their frame grounds.
I've read on the championpowerequipment.com website that the Canadian models have the neutral bonded to the ground.
I read somewhere that a floating neutral is more appropriate for a generator connected to house wiring with an unswitched neutral, because only one neutral to ground connection is mandated, usually at the main panel; that's what I think I read anyway.