How many things can go wrong with one new generator? Westinghouse igen2500

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Bought a Westinghouse iGen2500 inverter generator (2200w rated) from Amazon. Amazon & Sam's Club both had it on sale for $450, which is $150 off the normal price. I snatched it up, the very next day they both went back to $599.00. What a lucky dog I am, I thought.

I had high hopes for this machine; I own their big dog wGen9500 dual fuel unit and have zero complaints. Wanted something more portable for camping trips and better fuel efficiency for longer duration power outages.

Received the unit yesterday, got around to firing it up today, had my break-in procedure, oil change intervals, etc. all planned out. Fill it up with gas and getting ready for the big moment. Pull handle a few times... nothing. Moments later I realize there's gas leaking profusely inside the case.

I'm a bit disgusted at this point and not happy about dousing the insides of my new generator in gasoline and not crazy about the idea of working on a brand new generator, so I decide to just RMA for a replacement given Amazon's effortless return policy. Get on the computer and only option is refund. Out of stock. Which means returning it is a one way street, no way I can get that $450 price anytime soon.

So what the heck, I go work on the thing. Insides are very cramped but from the limited angle I have, leak appears to be coming from the carburetor bowl flange. I barely got a wrench in there to remove the bowl, but I was able to remove it and verify that the float is working and shutting off fuel flow. My only guess at this point is the gasket got pinched or something. I can only see one side of the gasket without taking the whole case apart, but nothing seems amiss. I put bowl back on, snug it up real good and cross my fingers.

Leak is fixed! Maybe the float was stuck, gasket not on right, who knows... Ready for the big moment again. First pull gets it started, but as soon as I flip it from choke to run position, engine falls flat on its face and dies. Every stinking time. I discover I can run the unit on choke, but it's running rough and uneven and any electrical load over about 200w kills the engine. Bummer.

Here's the kicker: I was about 5 starts into it, just fiddling with things, when on the subsequent start, the dang pull handle breaks! Whatever mechanism is inside no longer engages the engine about 95% of the time. If you spend a great deal of time you can occasionally get it to catch and get a good pull. One other flaw the unit had was the plastic spark plug cover was molded wrong and does not close securely. The best you can get it on creates about a 3/16" gap.

What an afternoon! I'm no longer bummed about having to take the refund route instead of replacement-- I'm convinced that thing is a pile of pure junk! No idea how the QC could be that bad, I thought for sure these things were at least run at the factory before being sent out. Maybe it was made on a Friday, or perhaps the child labor in Vietnam need more training.?

Trying to find another inverter generator with that combination of features and price is going to be a real challenge. I really like the display which has load %, runtime/fuel remaining, hour meter -- I'm pretty stuck on finding one with those functions.
 
Sorry to hear this, it’s very degrading when things just keep not going right.
 
It's too bad you got a lemon.

We camp with a Honda 2200, which we've probably used over 200 hours with one stretch of 24 hours it never shut off while running the A/C (extended run fuel tank). We have owned it for two years now and have found it to be flawless. It's more expensive, but with zero troubles it may be worth the extra cost.
 
At least I know what brand to avoid.....

I feel Harbor Freight’s are way better at this point.....
 
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Bought a Westinghouse iGen2500 inverter generator (2200w rated) from Amazon. Amazon & Sam's Club both had it on sale for $450, which is $150 off the normal price. I snatched it up, the very next day they both went back to $599.00. What a lucky dog I am, I thought.

I had high hopes for this machine; I own their big dog wGen9500 dual fuel unit and have zero complaints. Wanted something more portable for camping trips and better fuel efficiency for longer duration power outages.

Received the unit yesterday, got around to firing it up today, had my break-in procedure, oil change intervals, etc. all planned out. Fill it up with gas and getting ready for the big moment. Pull handle a few times... nothing. Moments later I realize there's gas leaking profusely inside the case.

I'm a bit disgusted at this point and not happy about dousing the insides of my new generator in gasoline and not crazy about the idea of working on a brand new generator, so I decide to just RMA for a replacement given Amazon's effortless return policy. Get on the computer and only option is refund. Out of stock. Which means returning it is a one way street, no way I can get that $450 price anytime soon.

So what the heck, I go work on the thing. Insides are very cramped but from the limited angle I have, leak appears to be coming from the carburetor bowl flange. I barely got a wrench in there to remove the bowl, but I was able to remove it and verify that the float is working and shutting off fuel flow. My only guess at this point is the gasket got pinched or something. I can only see one side of the gasket without taking the whole case apart, but nothing seems amiss. I put bowl back on, snug it up real good and cross my fingers.

Leak is fixed! Maybe the float was stuck, gasket not on right, who knows... Ready for the big moment again. First pull gets it started, but as soon as I flip it from choke to run position, engine falls flat on its face and dies. Every stinking time. I discover I can run the unit on choke, but it's running rough and uneven and any electrical load over about 200w kills the engine. Bummer.

Here's the kicker: I was about 5 starts into it, just fiddling with things, when on the subsequent start, the dang pull handle breaks! Whatever mechanism is inside no longer engages the engine about 95% of the time. If you spend a great deal of time you can occasionally get it to catch and get a good pull. One other flaw the unit had was the plastic spark plug cover was molded wrong and does not close securely. The best you can get it on creates about a 3/16" gap.

What an afternoon! I'm no longer bummed about having to take the refund route instead of replacement-- I'm convinced that thing is a pile of pure junk! No idea how the QC could be that bad, I thought for sure these things were at least run at the factory before being sent out. Maybe it was made on a Friday, or perhaps the child labor in Vietnam need more training.?

Trying to find another inverter generator with that combination of features and price is going to be a real challenge. I really like the display which has load %, runtime/fuel remaining, hour meter -- I'm pretty stuck on finding one with those functions.
For the refund get a 3500 Champion … pretty quiet and efficient … (I have 2) …

BTW … I also have the same big blue you have … good machine !
 
What kills me is many of the generators that are being sold today seem to be Chinese low end no name units that some marketing company has made a deal with whomever owns the Westinghouse name, Stanley, and other corporate entities to license the corporate name and put it on the junky generators. Bad business for a company to sell their good name to be used on junk!

I have a neighbor who purchased a Stanley branded generator BJ's Wholesale Club that made in China and supported by an importer who paid Stanley a licensing fee. Unfortunately, the generator turned out to be a piece of garbage and he has had problems getting it serviced/repaired under warranty because the importer won't send repair parts to their "authorized factor warranty centers".

I even talked to the owner of one of the "factory authorized service centers" and was told that if he orders parts today, he might get them in 3 months, 6 months or never. When ever he called the importer, he got the run around, so he chose to cut ties with the importer, and then attempted to find repair parts on his own after explaining things to the owners of the generators who had also called the importer and got nowhere.

So, I guess the moral of the story is to learn as much about who actually is behind the data and if their service and parts organization is real or imaginary.

We bought a Powermate 5500 watt generator with a B&S 9HP Vanguard engine 20 years ago, and it runs great. We did have one problem with the engine not turning over and took it to one of their authorized service centers and they fixed it within a week and it has never failed to start since. I know if it breaks down again, I can get parts just about anywhere.

Good luck with your next generator!
 
I have the Westinghouse iGen2200 and like it a lot. I used it for 5 days straight after Hurricane Zeta with a pretty good load on it, no issues whatsoever. I bought this because my friend, a farmer, has had this unit over a year now and puts it through hell without any issues. Maybe you just got a dud.
 
What kills me is many of the generators that are being sold today seem to be Chinese low end no name units that some marketing company has made a deal with whomever owns the Westinghouse name, Stanley, and other corporate entities to license the corporate name and put it on the junky generators. Bad business for a company to sell their good name to be used on junk!

I knew this going in and wasn't expecting Honda quality. For the amount this will get used, I'm okay with that. A working unit would have been nice though!

Fun fact, back when Ford was in dire financial straights they licensed their name to Pulsar and now we even have chinese made, Ford branded generators, air compressors and other power equipment.

I'll probably be waiting awhile on a replacement until some stellar deal pops back up.
 
The HF ones are pretty good!

They are. I can’t comment on the standard constant speed frame ones, but Ive been very happy with the Predator 3500 inverter I bought.

I have a 1kW Honda that is flawless and silent, but not the thing for running tools and bigger loads. I had a Robin Subaru that burned up inside... when I looked at either a 2200 or 2800w Honda, or the Predator... all made in the Far East, it made sense to go Predator. It has run everything I’ve thrown at it, has been very quiet, and runs smooth and clean with its NGK iridium plug...
 
I recently bought a Honda EU2000i that was a rental unit. It has a lot of hours on it >500, looks like it has been through a war, but starts on the first pull, purrs like a kitten and makes clean power. It was $500.00. I was a little worried when I saw how dirty it was, so I cleaned it up, adjusted the valves and did a leak down test. About 5%, which I'm happy with. It is easy to work on and parts are cheap and readily available. I see the new model with the CO-Minder (EU2200iTAG) is on Black Friday special for $999.00 . IMHO, worth every penny.
 
I have the Westinghouse iGen2200 and like it a lot. I used it for 5 days straight after Hurricane Zeta with a pretty good load on it, no issues whatsoever. I bought this because my friend, a farmer, has had this unit over a year now and puts it through hell without any issues. Maybe you just got a dud.
I have the same unit and echo the comments its been a great little unit. If had to look at another I'd spend the bucks on a Honda.
 
If people have not shopped generators in a while … it’s not even easy to avoid Chonda and all that. I’m not willing to pay what Honda asks because I’m not likely to make long runs … But I want lots of watts to save our food etc.
The lead time for me to even get a middle of the road B&S unit was too long - not even a great value.
I know full well the history of Westinghouse … but what’s a small CAT Gen these days. You think B&S does not play the same game. We are saturated with Chonda motors in the US ... that’s the reality …
I went to several sites that evaluates gens … the WGens were always at/near the top.
Where I would be different is the inverter tech … that’s getting complicated and the high priced brands are hard to beat.
 
I'm wondering if it was returned to Amazon and they turned around and sent it to you. Wouldn't be the first time I've seen that.
 
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