Westinghouse 18000 Peak Watt Dual Fuel Home Backup Portable Generator, Remote Electric Start, Transfer Switch Ready, Gas and Propane Powered

This generator is a beast in all the right ways! It was well packaged on a custom sized pallet and came with everything (except fuel) needed to get it ready to generate. Assembly was very easy. It is recommended you have two people to get it off the pallet. However, one person can do it if careful. All I needed to do was install the wheels, fill the oil (provided), connect the battery ground wire and bolt on the top lift bracket. The Quick Start Guide is easy to follow. After adding fuel it started very easily and runs smoothly. I tested the outlets with a Kill A Watt Electricity Usage Monitor and a Generator Adapter 4 Prong Locking Cord, 30 Amp to 15 Amp Adapter, NEMA L14-30P/Four 5-20R Household Outlet Splitter, and both 120 volt legs were at the correct voltage and hertz. For running the house I have cord for connecting to a Generator Power Inlet Box, NEMA 3R Generator Receptacle 50 Amp, NEMA SS 2-50P PB50 Weatherproof Inlet Box, 125/250 Volt,12500 Watts Generator Transfer Switch. The push button start/stop is nice. The remote fob works well too. I have only tested it with gasoline. Even though it comes with the hose for connecting to propane cylinders, I have not tried to run it on LPG. The ability to use either fuel is great, especially during prolonged outages when the local gas stations may be without power as well. Being able to grab a LPG cylinder is a fantastic option. It will run my entire house which is a 3 story, 5 bedroom with an unfinished basement. I have a forced hot air oil furnace in the winter, two window air conditioners along with some oscillating fans in the summer, a water well pump all year round, the refrigerator/freezer, stand alone freezer, washer/dryer (LPG) and the assorted small appliances, entertainment electronics and lights (mostly LED and a couple florescent). My hot water heater and stove are propane and only the oven controls and clock require power. I estimated my load to be somewhere in the 8KW range with an occasional peak to 9-10KW. This generator should give me ample power while operating below its ratings. There are times when the fridge compressor, air conditioner(s)/heat, washing machine and the well pump are running that put a demand on the system that a lesser generator struggles with. I anticipate the efficiency will be within the estimated fuel consumption ratings. During testing, while being what some might consider loud, I found it to be quieter than my old 10KW generator and quieter than my portable 5KW generator. Being as heavy as it is, I found the wheel size and folding handles allow for nice leverage and it is fairly easy to move around on flat and mild inclines. I spent a lot of time researching and comparing various brands and models and feel this one provides me what I need and is the best value for the money of them all. Follow-up: I just spent 6-1/2 hours (6am-12:30pm) on this generator due to a power outage. It looks like it used about 1/3 of a tank of gas and it ran the whole house fine. It never sounded like it was under load and hummed along beautifully. I am happily impressed with the initial performance in a real world situation. I did do the 6 hours break-in using two space heaters and a window a/c unit to give it an approximate 4kw load during break-in. I had them setup outside on extension cords. Break-in was completed before I needed to use it to power the house. I also chose the first Saturday of every month to run it under the same 4kw break-in load to exercise it and keep me familiar with start/stop procedures and turning on/off breaker/switch for powering different outlets.

My gas and electrical are on complete opposite sides of the home, so a GENERAC is very expensive install for me. So I wanted to get something more cost effective until I knew if I was going to be staying in this home long term. After a ton of research I purchased this unit, and boy am PLEASED with the results. Easy setup, heavy but I had no problem wheeling it to the back yard around tight corners and obstacles, the noise is no worse in fact i believe quieter than my 5000watt husky. My home is about 3800 square feet, I have 3 AC units (3 Ton, a 3.5 ton, and a 1.5 ton AC) Inside I have a wine room with a 15K BTU wine cooling unit. I wired it the appropriate generator cable into the pools outdoor panel box using a 50AMP breaker. The following test used Gasoline: I isolated the home from the meter turning off power to the home. I turned all the breakers off in the home and then turned the generator on. Slowly I added load, first lights, fridge 1, fridge 2, then the wine room cooler. NO HICCUPS WHATSOEVER!!! I then turned on the pool pump, then turned on the remainder of the breakers but kept lights on only in the essential areas we use. THEN....I turned on the 3 Ton....not a hiccup! Then I turned on the 3.5 Ton just a little hiccup the entire home was running except for the 1.5 ton which I really dont need on if we had a power outage. I was IMPRESSED!!! I tried the toaster and the microware and no issues, they performed just as if they were on utility power. So for anyone who wants to know what you can run on this baby here ya go....tested and done! I've since installed a Natural gas conversion kit and hooked it up using 3/4" pipe, 5 feet from meter. The generator performed perfectly, however I recognize that Nat Gas will generate a little less wattage but I believe I had plenty to spare, and I could cut down on AC if I had too. Do not hesitate to purchase this generator, its not as convenient as a Generac but its just as powerful in not more and 25% of the price! UPDATE********** 08/2023 I am still ecstatic about the running performance of this unit. HOWEVER after it was used in Hurricane IDA it was turned off to change oil. When I went to restart it, to my horror, it would not roll over, just a clicking noise. Then it kept blowing fuses, and you can imagine what I had to go through to find a 20amp fuse after IDA. But finally I found one in a fuse kit from Home Depot. TIP: BUY LOTS OF 20 AMP U shaped FUSES!!!!!!!!!!!! After that I was able to get it running after several attempts. Once it actually turned over, it started immediately!!! After IDA I turned it off and then tried restarting....NOPE! A call to Westinghouse said that the starter/selenoid was likely the culprit. Since we were still in an active hurricane period I had them rush me one. Replaced it and bingo...started right away. In 2022 I took the unit out and tested it, started up right away, so sigh of relief and back into storage. 2023 I took it out to use it after a wind storm and loss of power....SAME PROBLEM....CLUNK! over and over again and then FINALLY it turns over and runs! After power restored, turned off and back on and SAME DAM thing CLUNK and a fuse pops!!! replace fuse, SAME THING!!!!! I've contacted Westinghouse and await their response. The starter is the WEAKEST LINK, there is no pull cord, so if it fails and it appears from a LOT of other reports that it is a common issue, then basically you have a USELESS generator. Hoping there is a fix for this, and what I would do in the meantime is 1) keep LOTS of 20amp fuses handy 2) an extra larger battery and 3) an extra starter/selenoid for backup PS - check your wires going to starter, I found some fraying and wrapped them with tape so they dont arc *******UPDATE 8-21-23************** Within 3 hours of contacting Westinghouse they got back to me in an email. The tech told me that they discovered an issue with the design of the starter, and that a new redesigned one is now available. They said they would send the new one out to me in a few days, and sure enough I just got an email saying it was shipped with tracking!!! One final comment, I continued to play with the unit and discovered it will RELIABLY start with some patience, a few fuses and a charged battery. Every time after 4 or 5 tries and a couple of fuses it turns over and starts immediately. So in a pinch, it will start and once it starts its a wonderful generator, but I'm hoping the new starter will solve this permanently.

This generator is a beast! I won’t lie it’s heavy and loud. The pros: 1. Powerful! This generator can power my entire 3k square foot home. Including the 4ton A/C (with a micro air soft start system). 2. Dual fuel. Switching between gasoline and propane can be done on the fly and not miss a beat. 3. Powers your home like nothing ever happened. With the low (<5%THD) I have no issues powering sensitive electronics including but not limited to two PC’s, two laptops, home theater system, TV’s, fridge, and small electronics. 4. The 50amp plug is moved away from the big wheel. This is a new model of the same generator I got. I guess they took the concerns form other customers about the big plug getting in the way of the wheel. 5. Oil change drain improved. This model appears to have an extension drain and not just an oil drain plug. 6. Remote control. The handheld remote is a plus! So convenient and easy to use. No more yanking a pull cord. Cons: 1. Hard to get off the pallet. It arrived on a pallet for safety and secure shipping (props on that!). But if you are alone and with out any equipment it’s almost impossible to move 400lbs of generator off the pallet and to the floor. It’s easy to move around once on its own wheels and the extended handle bars make it easy to move around. 2. Oil filter is hard to find. The factory original one is hard to find. But there are alternative from Wix if you can find them.

Have not had to use yet, but have faith in Westinghouse Generator. This is an upgrade from our smaller Westinghouse Generator, that we passed onto son. The dual fuel is a very positive selling point along with remote start which makes for an easy start. We felt the value for the money was good and it is insurance for the crummy day/night the power goes out. Delivery was flawless, even at the size of the Generator.

It runs my 2500 sq ft house, with a 5 ton a/c, pool pump, 4 refrigerators, and all the other usual stuff (TVs, computers, etc.). We don't try to run the electric oven or washer/dryer on it, but the electric stove works fine. I have only run it on propane and have it plumbed into the gas line from my 250 gallon tank to the hot tub heater. The only issue so far is it would not crank when the power went out last week. Seems to be a bad starter solenoid, so I ordered a replacement starter. It has only been run less than 10 times, so I wouldn't have expected the starter to go bad, but there are burn marks on the solenoid casing where it looks like it shorted out. Other than that, assuming I can get it running again, it has been great to have. EDIT: Confirmed it was a bad starter. New one from Amazon and it is running great again. It was a little difficult to find the right part number, but this is the starter that fit mine - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007A3T56A/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm out in the country and have a barn with a well and pump, and a house about 50 yards away. Needed two generators to adequately run both. Wanted to run these on propane cause I know they will sit for months or years before I really need them and I don't want to have to clean the ignition systems after using gasoline. This was the larger of the two and the shipping crate was hand-built for this unit and worked perfectly. Easy to open, and set up. The supporting crate is actually holding the unit up in the air so you can slip on the supplied axles and tires. Then you can move off the crate stand and wheel it where you need. It weighs about what a wheel barrel with two bags of mixed Sacrete (sp) weighs...i.e., heavy but manageable. My electrician has set up both my power panels with lock-outs and plugs. I'm ready to go. These things start up first time and run fine....loud, but fine.

I bought this generator to power up my house and was very excited to get it so I can try it on the house . The generator started up fine with no hassle but after running for just a few minutes it was tripping all my GFI breakers on the main panel . GFI breakers, assuming there is no issue with the GFI breaker itself, would only trip if there is current flowing thru the ground (safety in case of a short to ground). I called Westinghouse tech center and they asked me to remove the bond wire between the neutral and ground . It was easy to remove the bond wire after opening the alternator housing . This made sense since it would float the neutral and prevent any ground loops ( between the generator ground and house ground ). After I removed the bond wire I started the generator but the it was still tripping all the GFI breakers. I think there was still a grounding issue with the generator even though bond wire was removed . Westinghouse tech center wanted me to take the generator to their tech center which was over 60 miles away from me and leave it with them until they fix it . They estimates it could be 4-6 weeks and then I had to drive another 60 miles to go get the generator. This generator weighs over 350 pond ; it is not easy to first find a truck that would this generator and then being able to load it into a truck that is 3-4 feet off the ground. After o explained to them the issue they asked me to call Amazon and return the item . And then when I called Amazon to return the item, Amazon customer service passed me to their manager and then she asked me to contact the technical support . I explained to them that I had already talked with Westinghouse and they have asked to return the generator but Amazon customer service manager still insisted for me to contact their tech support which I did. Amazon tech support was very understanding and helpful. She told me that she had to get their leadership approval to return and after a looooong wait came back and finally approved the return and made arrangement for pick up ( thanks to her ).

Item cam almost fully assembled, easy to move around with the right amount of man power. Quite loud, but powers up instantaneously. Still trying to figure out the the logistics of the remote start, it appears the remote only works if you're right in front of it, which to me defeats it's purpose. Once used however it takes a few seconds for it to actually power down. Starts up when prompted as normal and runs well on gas. I believe it will perform just fine, but the true test will come when grid powers goes caput. Will update this review as needed. Otherwise, this heavy duty piece of machinery functions and performance runs with precision. Happy with purchase so far and do recommend to others.

the product I purchased is a WGEN14000DF. It arrived quickly and well packaged(even had a security tracker). set up was easy and it runs great. Lots of easy to understand literature for how to properly run the generator. I will be using it as a whole home back-up with the ST switch as a bonus for my sump pump. not sure why Amazon is calling it a WGEN12000DF when it is defiantly not, but that's ok. recommend to anybody looking for a good back-up within a reasonable price range

Dead on arrival. Doesn't start. Stater motor grinds against flywheel and Doesn't turn over the motor. don't buy from Amazon they have been no help and looks like they won't let me return this $4000, 400 pound, boat anchor. Poor showing Amazon. Will not be making big purchases with Amazon in the future.

Running really find, have nothing bad to say about. I switched my champion 11kw for this one. I now have remote controller and run on propane. Its really useful for my offgrid house. Update: Do NOT get it if temps gets under -15°C in your area. It will hardly start when it's freezing and needs to be heated below -20. Bad bad move as we live offgrid and really needs it to charge our batteries. No manual choke. January 2024 the speed regulator have failed, costed 100$ to replace it. Had to wait 6 months because the part was backorder and had to use a redirect US postal service because they cant ship the part to Canada and theirs service point in Canada dont sell that part.