Posted: 9/13/2013 5:33:52 AM EDT
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So I just bought one of those cheapy 2 cycle Harbor Freight generators last night.
Fired it up, engine is quiet and runs like a champ. So I put a load on it, and let it run in for awhile. Ran a computer, TV, home theater, DVD player (all the good delicate things these generators are best at running), and everything was great. After about 4 hours or so the voltage output of the generator went to zero (I had a meter on it). Engine still running awesome, but I could hear it unload. After about 5-10 seconds the voltage came back to 117-120 and I could hear the engine load up as the appliances powered back up. Then the voltage went to zero again, and stayed there for around 30 seconds before it would come back. I don't know what the problem is. Is it a problem with the alternator loosing excitation? Am I overloading it? The engine was running hard, but not wide open. How do the alternators in these things act when they are overloaded? Any advice/thoughts appreciated. TL;DR - Bought cheapy Harbor Freight generator, and the voltage randomly comes on and cuts out under load. |
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Quoted: So I just bought one of those cheapy 2 cycle Harbor Freight generators last night. Any advice/thoughts appreciated. TL;DR - Bought cheapy Harbor Freight generator, and the voltage randomly comes on and cuts out under load. Return it and get a replacement while you still can just to CYA.
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If it the 800 watt one, the manual only talks about a breaker that will trip if overloaded. That would need to be reset.
Sounds like you need to take it back. One thing I would check though is the connection from the generator to the plug panel. There should be a wire with a connector that plugs into the panel. Make sure that is not loose. Could be a loose connector that is making / breaking contact while it is vibrating. |
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Does heat make a difference to the alternator itself? I had set it out away from the house in some short grass, but I know grass has less airflow than say a concrete slab. The manual does not mention a thermal disconnect. Without that I don't see how it would stop working due to heat without something burning up, if that was the case, it would not come back on. Plus it is not going to cool down in 30 secs. |
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If it the 800 watt one, the manual only talks about a breaker that will trip if overloaded. That would need to be reset. Sounds like you need to take it back. One thing I would check though is the connection from the generator to the plug panel. There should be a wire with a connector that plugs into the panel. Make sure that is not loose. Could be a loose connector that is making / breaking contact while it is vibrating. +1. It either has an intermittent connection that you can fix yourself (i.e., where the wires connect to the back of the AC receptacle or circuit breaker), or one inside the alternator head (which means you'll want a replacement). BTW, over in the Survival Forums, there's a huge thread on this generator. |
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You are asking a lot out of a 800 watt unit. Is the 800 a rated running watts or starting watts. Pony up the green and buy a Honda. 800w/900w surge. It was also 100 bucks. I could buy 10 of them for the price of an EU1000i. I like the simplicity of the two cycle and I think it will store better (won't have to worry about changing the oil out every year). If I was going to lay down some cash I'd probably get the Yamaha EF1000iS or EF2000iS because they have better specs than the Honda units. |
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Does heat make a difference to the alternator itself? I had set it out away from the house in some short grass, but I know grass has less airflow than say a concrete slab. I ran mine for probably 8 hours at a stretch on occasion. The issue may be heat, but I don't think it's normal. I think you got a bum unit. It happens. |
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Quoted:
So I just bought one of those cheapy 2 cycle Harbor Freight generators last night. Fired it up, engine is quiet and runs like a champ. So I put a load on it, and let it run in for awhile. Ran a computer, TV, home theater, DVD player (all the good delicate things these generators are best at running), and everything was great. After about 4 hours or so the voltage output of the generator went to zero (I had a meter on it). Engine still running awesome, but I could hear it unload. After about 5-10 seconds the voltage came back to 117-120 and I could hear the engine load up as the appliances powered back up. Then the voltage went to zero again, and stayed there for around 30 seconds before it would come back. I don't know what the problem is. Is it a problem with the alternator loosing excitation? Am I overloading it? The engine was running hard, but not wide open. How do the alternators in these things act when they are overloaded? Any advice/thoughts appreciated. TL;DR - Bought cheapy Harbor Freight generator, and the voltage randomly comes on and cuts out under load. Are we all talking about the same genny here? Quiet? 
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Quoted:
Are we all talking about the same genny here? Quiet? Quoted:
Quoted:
So I just bought one of those cheapy 2 cycle Harbor Freight generators last night. Fired it up, engine is quiet and runs like a champ. So I put a load on it, and let it run in for awhile. Ran a computer, TV, home theater, DVD player (all the good delicate things these generators are best at running), and everything was great. After about 4 hours or so the voltage output of the generator went to zero (I had a meter on it). Engine still running awesome, but I could hear it unload. After about 5-10 seconds the voltage came back to 117-120 and I could hear the engine load up as the appliances powered back up. Then the voltage went to zero again, and stayed there for around 30 seconds before it would come back. I don't know what the problem is. Is it a problem with the alternator loosing excitation? Am I overloading it? The engine was running hard, but not wide open. How do the alternators in these things act when they are overloaded? Any advice/thoughts appreciated. TL;DR - Bought cheapy Harbor Freight generator, and the voltage randomly comes on and cuts out under load. Are we all talking about the same genny here? Quiet? It's not Honda quiet, no. But its much quieter than the 5-8kw units with a Briggs or Chinese engine on them. |
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Just how quiet is that little 800W one? I thought it'd be handy to have just in case. I know it's not gonna be Honda quiet, but... More than the actual volume, I find that oddball 2 stroke engine note can be more annoying than a 4-stroke. For the price and for the runtime, I think it's worth it. Great for a supplemental unit to run basic conveniences when a big one is overkill. |
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Just how quiet is that little 800W one? I thought it'd be handy to have just in case. I know it's not gonna be Honda quiet, but... In my back yard, on the far end of a 25ft. extension cord I can barely hear it over the outdoor a/c unit. I was watching Beavis and Butthead (heh heh heh) last night at normal volume and I couldn't hear it over the tv. |
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More than the actual volume, I find that oddball 2 stroke engine note can be more annoying than a 4-stroke. For the price and for the runtime, I think it's worth it. Great for a supplemental unit to run basic conveniences when a big one is overkill. Quoted:
Quoted:
Just how quiet is that little 800W one? I thought it'd be handy to have just in case. I know it's not gonna be Honda quiet, but... More than the actual volume, I find that oddball 2 stroke engine note can be more annoying than a 4-stroke. For the price and for the runtime, I think it's worth it. Great for a supplemental unit to run basic conveniences when a big one is overkill. See that's one of the things I love about this little guy. It still runs at the same 3600 RPM as the other generators, but it settles into a nice hum when it runs. |
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Just how quiet is that little 800W one? I thought it'd be handy to have just in case. I know it's not gonna be Honda quiet, but... Without metering it ... it's really not much louder than my Champion 2000w inverter run in "normal" (non-econ) mode, which in turn is comparable to a Honda EU2000i in noise. I'd say its slightly quieter than a typical 3K-5K watt open frame generator. It has a slightly annoying "putt-putt" to it if it's not loaded, but a moderate load smoothes it out. The inverter generators on ECON mode blow everything else out of the water, though, unless they're heavily loaded. Two tips - change the spark plug to something better than the Chinese one it comes with, and change the fuel line to something better as well. |
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Just how quiet is that little 800W one? I thought it'd be handy to have just in case. I know it's not gonna be Honda quiet, but... Sounds like a little moped. I bought one last year but haven't really used it much yet. I should probably give it a good test run to make sure mine is good to go. |
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Without metering it ... it's really not much louder than my Champion 2000w inverter run in "normal" (non-econ) mode, which in turn is comparable to a Honda EU2000i in noise. I'd say its slightly quieter than a typical 3K-5K watt open frame generator. It has a slightly annoying "putt-putt" to it if it's not loaded, but a moderate load smoothes it out. The inverter generators on ECON mode blow everything else out of the water, though, unless they're heavily loaded. Two tips - change the spark plug to something better than the Chinese one it comes with, and change the fuel line to something better as well. Quoted:
Quoted:
Just how quiet is that little 800W one? I thought it'd be handy to have just in case. I know it's not gonna be Honda quiet, but... Without metering it ... it's really not much louder than my Champion 2000w inverter run in "normal" (non-econ) mode, which in turn is comparable to a Honda EU2000i in noise. I'd say its slightly quieter than a typical 3K-5K watt open frame generator. It has a slightly annoying "putt-putt" to it if it's not loaded, but a moderate load smoothes it out. The inverter generators on ECON mode blow everything else out of the water, though, unless they're heavily loaded. Two tips - change the spark plug to something better than the Chinese one it comes with, and change the fuel line to something better as well. This 110%. I've stood right next to a Honda EU1000i under very light load while talking to someone and I didn't know it was running at first. |
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Thanks for the input, I think I may go for one of them next time I hit HF with a proper coupon. Not sure if the 20% coupons are good with generators, probably not. I know they're not good towards floor jacks. I think for what I'd use it for, it would be fine. Enough to run some ham radios (on their own power supplies, or some type of power cleaner-upper), charge batteries, etc... I don't think I'd use it more than a couple times a year. |
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Quoted:
Without metering it ... it's really not much louder than my Champion 2000w inverter run in "normal" (non-econ) mode, which in turn is comparable to a Honda EU2000i in noise. I'd say its slightly quieter than a typical 3K-5K watt open frame generator. It has a slightly annoying "putt-putt" to it if it's not loaded, but a moderate load smoothes it out. The inverter generators on ECON mode blow everything else out of the water, though, unless they're heavily loaded. Two tips - change the spark plug to something better than the Chinese one it comes with, and change the fuel line to something better as well. Quoted:
Quoted:
Just how quiet is that little 800W one? I thought it'd be handy to have just in case. I know it's not gonna be Honda quiet, but... Without metering it ... it's really not much louder than my Champion 2000w inverter run in "normal" (non-econ) mode, which in turn is comparable to a Honda EU2000i in noise. I'd say its slightly quieter than a typical 3K-5K watt open frame generator. It has a slightly annoying "putt-putt" to it if it's not loaded, but a moderate load smoothes it out. The inverter generators on ECON mode blow everything else out of the water, though, unless they're heavily loaded. Two tips - change the spark plug to something better than the Chinese one it comes with, and change the fuel line to something better as well. +1 on changing the plug to a quality one. |
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.... If I was going to lay down some cash I'd probably get the Yamaha EF1000iS or EF2000iS because they have better specs than the Honda units. Quoted:
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You are asking a lot out of a 800 watt unit. Is the 800 a rated running watts or starting watts. Pony up the green and buy a Honda. .... If I was going to lay down some cash I'd probably get the Yamaha EF1000iS or EF2000iS because they have better specs than the Honda units. Although Honda is expensive, Don't discount them. I have a 16 year old EB 5000 that starts every time with 2 pulls. One tank of gas will last about 11 hours. Our fire department has 4 of the little Honda 1000 watt portables with the built in inverters, same good experience. Change the air filter, spark plug and oil after every 100 hours of use and they'll last a long time. I keep thinking of upgrading to a 6500 or 8000 watt but this one won't die. |
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I am currently (not sure how many more days/weeks/months) taking a break from firearms, and focusing on a different hole to throw my money - fishing. Just picked up a Honda for the boat last night. Will see how it works. Last 2 fishing trips we have used larger generators and they are somewhat distracting. |
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If I was going to lay down some cash I'd probably get the Yamaha EF1000iS or EF2000iS because they have better specs than the Honda units. Maybe on paper, but not so much in the real world. The Honda EU2000 has a larger engine (96cc) than the Yamaha EF2000 (80cc) and will actually and reliably produce its rated output as a result. The Yamahas, and the Champion ones as well (also an 80cc engine) often struggle at or near 1600w. |