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.
I received the generator this past weekend. My experience with the shipping company was not the best (arrived 4.5 hours after the expected time) but all else was fine. I agree with the other reviews as to why this generator is different than others in this class. This one has:
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.
Read Best Reviews of Westinghouse WH7500E Portable Generator, 7500 Running Watts/9000 Starting Watts Here
Delivery was great (other than, as promised it was at 6:45 am). Assembly consisted of putting on wheels and handles. While all in all, it was not difficult, trying to follow the instructions was impossible. "Turn on side" meant turn on end; attached negative cable to battery, required laying on floor and looking up to find the hidden cable. Also, two parts of the cable connector were floating in the box and the nut was no where to be seen. Also, there may be a trick to attaching the clips that hold the wheels to the body, but it was not in the instructions.
Once together and filled with gas and oil (it may have been hidden somewhere, but I could not find the amount of oil that the generator held)I turn all the switches to on and tried the pull cord. First pull and it was running. Went inside and told my wife it was on and she said, she could not hear it. Also, tried the electric starter which worked like a charm. As long as it works this well when the power goes out, it is great.
Want Westinghouse WH7500E Portable Generator, 7500 Running Watts/9000 Starting Watts Discount?
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.
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