Westinghouse iGen2200 Generator 2 Year Review
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- čas přidán 7. 04. 2021
- Westinghouse iGen2200 Generator 2 Year Review
Sharon, one of the Two Tired Teachers, reviews our Westinghouse iGen2200 Generator. After 2 years, it is still doing exactly what we bought it to do.
That's the first thing Sharon talks about is why we got a generator. We bought the generator to go along with our Micro Minnie when we are boondocking.
One of the questions we've been asked is what do we run with our generator. One of the things we do is plug the RV into the generator. You have to use a dogbone to do that, but it recharges the house battery, the battery on the front of your RV.
We have run our microwave, coffee pot, and space heater off of the generator. At home to exercise the generator between trips, we've plugged weed eaters and other yard equipment into it.
Another question we've had is how often do we change the oil. The owners' manual says to change the oil after the first 20 hours and then every 50 hours after that. During the first 20 hours, you need to have a load on the generator. A space heater is an example of an appliance that puts a load on a generator.
One thing that the generator we have does not have is an hour meter. The hour meter keeps up with the number of hours the generator has been run so that you can change the oil at the appropriate time. Since ours doesn't have the hour meter, Sharon keeps track of the hours in a small notebook. She gets to the closest quarter of an hour to log it in.
If we have a long trip planned, one where we know we will be using the generator, if it is anywhere near time to change the oil, Sharon goes ahead and changes it because she want to do that at home, rather than on the road.
One of the things Sharon has done for the last 9 or 10 months is run the generator every two weeks or so when we aren't using it on trips. It seems to keep it in good shape. In the summer, she's plugging yard tools into it to give it a load.
In December of 2020, when we knew we wouldn't be traveling for a couple of months, Sharon bought a can of Sea Foam and put it in with the gas that had been left over. She let the engine run for about 30 minutes to see that it was completely through the engine.
When Sharon was ready to start the generator for the 2021 travel season, it wouldn't start. The problem was the spark plug. Although it may seem as if under 100 hours of use wouldn't necessitate a change of spark plugs, it did. Several times we ran the generator for under an hour. Other times we ran it as much as 7 hours in a day.
Changing the spark plug wasn't difficult, but it brings to mind some things that come with the Westinghouse iGen2200 Generator. One of those things is a funnel that is shaped so that putting oil in the generator is very easy. Another is a pre-measured amount of oil. Sharon has kept the container so that when she changes the oil, she fills that container and knows she doesn't need to worry about overfilling the generator with oil.
A third thing that came with the generator is a tool used to change the spark plug. You will need that to change the spark plug.
Another thing Sharon does to help the generator run smoothly is she uses ethanol free gas and she puts stabilizer in with the gas.
One of the questions we've been asked is how long will the generator run on a tank of gas. We can run the generator approximately 10 hours per gallon of gas.
When you crank the Westinghouse iGen2200 generator, you have to crank going straight up. You need to do three things to start this generator. First, vent the gas. Second, you move it to choke, and finally, you pull the crank straight up.
Once you've started it, give it a minute to run before putting much of a load on it. If you don't do that, it may very well die and you'll have to crank it again.
The Westinghouse iGen2200 generator seems to run better if you gradually increase the load. For example, at home when I just need to exercise it some, I'll start with a space heater on low. Once it's run for a bit, I increase the load to high, and it works for me.
Remember that the generator does have an exhaust, and that exhaust gets hot. It isn't excessively hot, but it could melt a water bottle that was right beside the generator.
For a generator, it is quiet. You can easily carry on a conversation while standing at the generator. You don't have to yell; it's quiet enough that you can speak normally.
One of the questions we often get is have we run the AC with it. The short answer is yes. We do have an easy start on our AC, so the generator is able to run it. When we first got the generator, we ran the AC for an hour. Honestly, that isn't a reason why we got the generator, so running the AC off the generator isn't something we normally do.
Finally, do not hesitate to call the 800 number on the generator if you have any questions. A real person took our call when we called it. They knew the answers to our questions.
Fantastic real-world review, love you guys it's like talking with good friends.
Thank you so much for such a kind comment.
Thanks for the reviews, I watched both of them. Cool to see the RoadRunner in the background.
Thanks. We enjoyed the roadrunner while we were at Palo Dura Canyon State Park.
Excellent review. Thank you!
Thank you!
Love your thoroughness. Must be the teacher in you! I especially appreciated your "asides": If you are in the South in the summer, you'll have hookups for the electric. All very helpful! ~ Kir (and Ron) in Tennessee
Sharon was a very good teacher; she still is. Thanks for your comment.
I live in Wilmington NC and yours was one of many informative videos I watched while deciding which generator to get for myself last year. Just so happened I got the igen2200 also. It served me well last year after our storms. I was running a 8000btu portable a/c as it's primary load and had an oil change at 22 hrs. Running ethanol free only and it started on the 5th pull just now as I'm exercising it as part of my preps for the upcoming hurricane season. Thanks.
We're go glad the generator is working for you. Stay safe in all life's storms.
Thanks for a well spoken & thorough review. Just got one of these for camping & the occasional power outage at home. 😎 New subscriber here.
First, welcome to Two Tired Teachers. We sincerely hope you enjoy our channel. Our Westinghouse and solar got us through a 30 day trip where 27 of them were without shore power.
Great information, thank you!
You are certainly welcome.
Excellent from Venezuela. I have a Ingen 2500. Congrats
We recently got an 2500 to pair with our 2200.
hello from the stormy ozarks milena and sharon!! catching up on yt after being out in the internetless ozarks! great review! tight lines and grace be with you!
It's sometimes a wonderful thing to be without the Internet. Thanks for watching and commenting, Phil.
Excellent,honest review.
First let me apologize for taking so long to reply. We usually answer comments within two or three days. Somehow, I just didn't see this comment, and I am so sorry to be so late thank you for such a nice comment. We truly do appreciate it.
My wife taught 5th grade for 40 years...she sometimes appears tired and retired. Westinghouse Gens are good. Yamaha knockoff clone engines. And they are easy to parallel. Great video!
Thanks.
Great review thanks a bunch! Something I use to count hours on my dirt bikes , ebay sells a universal tachometer/ hour counter for like 8$ . Super easy install u just wrap the wire it comes with around the spark plug wire and electric tape it in place . No cut and splice just wrap! Works great
Thanks for the head's up.
1st! I bought my 3500 champion for when I go to the races which is dry camping, then found out there was a campground less than a mile from the track. Haven't used it ever other than exercising it as you call it. Now I will use it for emergency back up power for home. Good thing I only spent $350 instead of $1000 for a honda.
We feel that ours is doing what a Honda would do. We're pleased with it.
Perfect review. I’m going to buy one and subbing now. Thank you.
Welcome to Two Tired Teachers. We're glad the review sold you on a good product.
@@TwoTiredTeachers 🤝
@@romproom5866 Thanks!
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, Thank you,,, I'm thinking about getting one and you have helped me make that choice,,,, HAVE FUNNNNNNNN out there.....
If you watched the video that came out today, you know that if the cost of the iGen 2500 is only $50 or so higher, we would highly recommend the Westinghouse iGen 2500 because of the extra power.
We do have fun out there. Thanks for watching and thanks for your comment.
The NoN _ethanol gas and the Stabil is a great idea.Gas with ethanol goes bad quicker . CHEERS from Westcoast Canada P.S. Run the generator with the treated ethanol free fuet long enough to draw it into and out of the carb or use the ethanol free all the time!
First, thanks for your comment. Since the generator doesn't take much gas, we run only ethanol free in it.
Thanks for the review. Just got my 2200 today. I know from experience that NGK resistor plug is a high failure item. I'll replace mine with the non resistor spark plug at the first oil change. Saves a few headaches.
You are quite welcome for the review. I will talk to Sharon about the non resistor spark plug. Thanks for the heads up.
Good review!
Thank you.
Great video
Thank you.
wow. so much info. road runner was cool cant imagine having one wandering around. neat-o
That road runner hung around our campsite the whole time we were at Palo Dura Canyon State Park.
I'm with you on this video I know everybody always wants to think about the air conditioning units but if everybody's so worried about running their air conditioning units then they need to go out and buy a 10,000 watt unit and not worry about nothing whatsoever. I mean if I had a generator I'm going to use it for certain things for certain times I'm not going to run the generator all day long and run everything that I possibly can to try to push it to the extent. I'm not going to make a generator work for 3 weeks and tear it up just so I can see how it'll do.
We absolutely agree with you. Thanks for your comment.
Wow such an informative video for a woman thanks...
Thank you.
Your review is good, because you never had a generator before and followed the instructions. Your logging of the runtime and changing the oil on a schedule is a rarity among most people who own generators. Your Westinghouse generator will last for many years the way you take care of it.
I have not yet used my Westinghouse generator that much yet. I have other generators that I have used for twenty years. They still start on the first or second pull. The Westinghouse generator is the quietest generator I have ever owned. I use it on boat docks to power a sump pump and to charge boat batteries. I like its light weight when carrying it up and down steep banks getting to the boat ramps.
I have four generators total. The newest one is that Westinghouse generator. I also have four mowers that are twenty years old. I have chainsaws, weed trimmers, and a 1997 gasoline powered golf cart. They all start and run perfectly every year.
Here are some suggestions, for your viewers, for taking care of small engines.
I started using Pennzoil full synthetic oil in all of my small engines. I have found the Pennzoil full synthetic extends the oil change intervals because it handles heat better and does not break down as quickly as regular oil.
I run only non-ethanol gasoline. I add stabilizer in the fuel jogs, before filling them.
Always use a fuel stabilizer, if your engine is going to sit for more than a month without running.
Before storing any small engine for more than a month, I drain out the fuel. I then start and run the engine until it runs out any residual gasoline left inside the carburetor. My twenty-year-old chainsaw starts up every year, because I have never stored it with fuel.
Small engines stored for months or years with gasoline left in the carburetor are going to be problematic. Gasoline is refined to last 30 days. After that it begins to slowly over time to turn into varnish. Old gasoline can plug up the tiny gasoline jets used in small engine carburetors. That is why small engines stored with fuel are more difficult to start the following year and often don’t run right, if they do start. Ethanol fuel is even far worse on the carburetor and I never use ethanol fuel in small engines.
I hope this information is helpful. I started a lawn mowing business, when I was eleven years old with a used mower I purchased for four dollars. My father died of cancer when I turned ten years old. I had to do something to help put food on the table. I charged a dollar per average yard in town. One guy paid me $2.50 to mow his big yard. A man who lived two streets over and two blocks north showed me how to take care of that mower. His name was Mr. Cook. I’m trying to pass on what I’ve learned over the years, like he did for me. I am now a retired engineer, but I still mess with small engines.
Thank you so much for sharing your tips with us and our viewers. Sharon takes care of everything mechanical. She's using your suggestions, but she hadn't spelled them out as you did.
Thanks also for sharing how you learned. It is tough to lose a parent anytime, (Sharon and I were 15 and 17 when our dad died) but how hard it must be for a boy to learn to be a man without a father.
Thank for passing along the information, you're paying it forward!
It also sounds like you have been quite attentive to your machines, that's tremendous.
@@DurinThe_Deathless Thanks. We try to take good care of our generators.
We bought one after your initial review. It sometimes takes a few pulls to get it to fire up. It has always started though. I will have to try your method of pulling straight up on the rope.
These days with the sea foam, Sharon pulls up on the cord very lightly (no where near enough for it to crank) two or three times, and then when she pulls straight up, it starts.
I have the Honda but I remember reading somewhere that if you open the plastic valve on the gas cap and let it sit for 15 minutes, it helps for starting on first pull. I haven't had a chance to try this yet, but it's worth a try. If you think about it, that plastic valve could create a slight vacuum when closed and allowing the gas tank to pressure equalize (15 min) should allow good gas flow. I'd like to try just unscrewing the gas cap completely to equalize the pressure, then screw it back on before starting to see if that will help. Again, I don't know for sure if this works but it does make sense since the manual does tell you to close off that valve when you're finished running it and open it prior to starting.
@@EnuffsEnuff318 Thanks so much for the info. We will be trying that.
Spark plugs work constantly regardless of whether or not you're starting the engine frequently. You should ditch seafoam and use star Tron fuel stabilizer. It makes fuel stable for up to 2 years
Thanks for the suggestion.
really good title to the channel heh, heh.
good stuff.
Thank you.
Oh you should’ve spoke and said something about the Road Runner we seen it twice in your video but thank you for the education on the little generator we have a Honda 2000i, keep up the good video chats where is your next big trip?
The Mighty 5 in Utah. While we are that close, we will also go to the north rim of the Grand Canyon.
I just purchased one. Almost got the Honda but the value on this was better
We felt the same way. Hope it works out for you.
There are very cheap hour meters that wrap around the spark plug wire. You can then zip tie the meter inside the unit to keep track.
Trust me when I tell you we didn't spend much on an hour meter. What you described sounds like what we have. Thanks for the info.
How many hours do you have on the 2200 inverter now and still running good?
I had problem with the pull string breaking and when it does it's hard to find/get a replacement recoil assembly. Comes with a cheap spark plug , change it. They are pretty reliable but honestly after the 500$ tag, it's worth just getting a Honda
The Westinghouse has worked well for us. It is doing exactly what we bought it to do.
Hmm. So far we haven't needed a generator (except at home during ice storms ... and didn't have one), but we may want one later. However, when you're traveling, where do you safely store and carry the gasoline for the generator? In the trailer? In the tow vehicle? Thanks, and always find inspiration in your videos.
We carry the gas in the back of the van. That is also where we carry the generator. So far, we've had no trouble with fumes. The reason we need a generator is because we do some dry camping.
I live in Spokane and we get ice storms. I bought one today cause Amazon had a prime day deal for 349$
Did you go back and you watch that roadrunner. How rare is it for a roadrunner to walk right up to someone. That roadrunner got about 5 ft away from you and I've already been around roadrunners most of the time they will not get that close to you. That was awesome.
We had great fun watching him.
I have this model. Its been good. I use it on the back of my boat at Catalina Island. The only thing I hate is all we have is Ethonol fuel here and it gums up the carb and requires annual cleaning of the jets. Stabil didn't seem to help.
We are fortunate to have a choice of fuel with or without ethanol.
A lot of campgrounds have quiet hours. Are these ~52db generators quiet enough that you can get away with running them overnight, or are they still too loud? Thanks for the review. I was looking at a Generac but I'll check out Westinghouse as well.
I believe it is 52db; however, since Texas State Parks have from 10 PM until 6 AM as quiet hours, we don't run ours. National Parks have different rules.
I need to run a space heater during a power outage in winter..will this run a space heater 1263 watts and a lower wattage .650 watts.. power stations that will run my fridge etc.
Since we aren't really sure, we encourage you to call Westinghouse. We've had to call them a couple of times. A real person has answered the phone. Plus, if the person who answers the call does know the answer to our question, he/she gets someone who can answer. We've found them to be most helpful.
13:56 she mentioned the ROADRUNNER with text on the screen. *I read many comments below mentioning the little fella
He was interesting.
Is that a road runner bird behind you?
We were at Palo Dura Canyon State Park, and that roadrunner didn't appreciate our using the campsite that was his home.
I have the exact same generator the eco-button on the generator does not work took the panel off to replace contacted Westinghouse they told me they did not have a replacement part so now I will have to rig something up very disappointed
First, I do apologize for the very late reply. I simply didn't see your comment when you wrote it. We usually reply within two or three days unless we are traveling.
I'm so sorry you didn't have a good experience with Westinghouse. They always answered our questions, but we never had to ask for replacement parts.
No 12v output.
It has two USB ports and two 120V plugs.