Hurricane Milton. Honda EU2000i. HPL NO VII 5W-30

[ka9mnx]

Mine is a 9.5kW with a Chinese knock-off Honda 16HP. Fuel tank holds 7 gallons. It's wired to a 6 circuit sub-panel through a transfer switch. Runs two freezers, fridge, kitchen, TV, a few lights and my ham radio station. After Helene I ran it for 20 hours. It rested when we went to bed. Used about 10 gallons of treated non-ethanol gas. So about 2 gal an hour. It's rated for around 10 hours (no load) on a tank of gas. Not bad for the load.

I'll change the oil this Fall when it rolls back into the garage for storage. Oil used is SuperTech 10w-40 Blend. Gas is treated with Seafoam and TCWIII. The oil was last changed after Hurricane Matthew (2016) along with the last fuel fill up. Started on the third pull (I need to get a new starter battery).

 

[dnewton3]

I am in favor of maintenance, but experience shows that these things go a long time before failure. If it fails, the engine will not be damaged as it is a non interference engine. I have a 20 year old unit with about 400 hours on it and have not done this. I have added in a predator generator so I have a fallback if the Honda fails. There are videos that show the belt replacement job and it is not easy.

Yes - the upside is that the engine would not be damaged if the belt broke during operation.
The downside is that it would leave one without power at the very time it was most needed; like after a hurricane, for example ...

Preventative maintenance is prudent on equipment which your life may rely upon. If a backup genny is present to a standby generator, that's great! But most folks don't have two or more gen's sitting around ready to be used. If the sole power source is one of these little Honda units (EU2000 / EU2200), then a belt change every 10 years or 1000 hours wouldn't be a bad idea. For someone who's good with tools, it's a DIY job (long, but doable).


To each, his own.

 

[rumcapital23]

That’s how it’s done in ‘Murica.

Heck yea, 'MURICA!

: eagle screeching : mullet : cheep beer

FREEDOM

 

[rumcapital23]

aMine is a 9.5kW with a Chinese knock-off Honda 16HP. Fuel tank holds 7 gallons. It's wired to a 6 circuit sub-panel through a transfer switch. Runs two freezers, fridge, kitchen, TV, a few lights and my ham radio station. After Helene I ran it for 20 hours. It rested when we went to bed. Used about 10 gallons of treated non-ethanol gas. So about 2 gal an hour. It's rated for around 10 hours (no load) on a tank of gas. Not bad for the load.

I'll change the oil this Fall when it rolls back into the garage for storage. Oil used is SuperTech 10w-40 Blend. Gas is treated with Seafoam and TCWIII. The oil was last changed after Hurricane Matthew (2016) along with the last fuel fill up. Started on the third pull (I need to get a new starter battery).

glad it made you thru Helene. i didn't get a chance to treat the fuel i used, but will be adding stabil to the gennies tank now that im storing it. any pics of your ham radio station? my brother in law told me to buy some radios and convince some neighbors to do the same so we can communicate thru any upcoming storms in the future, also for security of the neighborhood. i will be teaching myself about this thru Youtube University lol

 

[RDY4WAR]

I put 158 hours on our 6kw generator in the aftermath of Helene. It ran the whole 158 hours on the same change of HPL Bad Ass Racing 5W-30. I'm kinda scared to look at it, tbh. My mind was on bigger things. It only had ~20 hours on it beforehand with 2 changes in that time. It ran 2 freezers and 1 fridge, several fans, 2 TVs, air fryer, microwave, and various lights.

 

[rumcapital23]

I put 158 hours on our 6kw generator in the aftermath of Helene. It ran the whole 158 hours on the same change of HPL Bad Ass Racing 5W-30. I'm kinda scared to look at it, tbh. My mind was on bigger things. It only had ~20 hours on it beforehand with 2 changes in that time.

nice! glad you found fuel for all those long hours. finding fuel here was a nightmare for many. thankfully i stocked up before they announced an emergency.

i was willing to go to 100-150 on the same oil if the power outage continued. i have another EU2000 in my caribbean vacation home, and i was changing it out at 50hr mark and the Bitog OG's were telling me i was changing it out too early.

 

[TomYoung]

Yes - the upside is that the engine would not be damaged if the belt broke during operation.
The downside is that it would leave one without power at the very time it was most needed; like after a hurricane, for example ...

Preventative maintenance is prudent on equipment which your life may rely upon. If a backup genny is present to a standby generator, that's great! But most folks don't have two or more gen's sitting around ready to be used. If the sole power source is one of these little Honda units (EU2000 / EU2200), then a belt change every 10 years or 1000 hours wouldn't be a bad idea. For someone who's good with tools, it's a DIY job (long, but doable).


To each, his own.

I don’t disagree with anything you are saying, and freely admit that if my belt breaks during a winter storm, it is very much an open question on whether my seldom-used Predator is going to fire up easily. I have had my Honda opened up previously to replace the fuel pump and carb and to check electrical connections. Probably should have replaced this very inexpensive part then. Next time I see a deal on a larger, gently used Honda generator, I will grab it. Three generators must be the solution, right?

 

[TomYoung]

nice! glad you found fuel for all those long hours. finding fuel here was a nightmare for many. thankfully i stocked up before they announced an emergency.

i was willing to go to 100-150 on the same oil if the power outage continued. i have another EU2000 in my caribbean vacation home, and i was changing it out at 50hr mark and the Bitog OG's were telling me i was changing it out too early.

I think you had it right at 50 hours. HPL seems like gilding the lily, as these engines are happy on whatever you have laying around. I use PUP 5 W 30, which I am sure some will take issue with. But right thinking folks acknowledge that the best oil is a short OCI, whether your Honda generator, or your Veyron.

 

[ka9mnx]

glad it made you thru Helene. i didn't get a chance to treat the fuel i used, but will be adding stabil to the gennies tank now that im storing it. any pics of your ham radio station? my brother in law told me to buy some radios and convince some neighbors to do the same so we can communicate thru any upcoming storms in the future, also for security of the neighborhood. i will be teaching myself about this thru Youtube University lol

I'll see if I can upload a picture.

Stay FAR AWAY from Stabil. I've had bad experiences with it. I'ts only guaranteed for one year. Seafoam guarantees for at least two years.

This is from 2024 but some equipment has moved on and some moved around. Constantly moving things around!

 

[Ausfahrt]

Mine is a 9.5kW with a Chinese knock-off Honda 16HP. Fuel tank holds 7 gallons. It's wired to a 6 circuit sub-panel through a transfer switch. Runs two freezers, fridge, kitchen, TV, a few lights and my ham radio station. After Helene I ran it for 20 hours. It rested when we went to bed. Used about 10 gallons of treated non-ethanol gas. So about 2 gal an hour. It's rated for around 10 hours (no load) on a tank of gas. Not bad for the load.

I'll change the oil this Fall when it rolls back into the garage for storage. Oil used is SuperTech 10w-40 Blend. Gas is treated with Seafoam and TCWIII. The oil was last changed after Hurricane Matthew (2016) along with the last fuel fill up. Started on the third pull (I need to get a new starter battery).

That's not a bad plan if your power outage is relatively short. But 2 gallons an hour is 48 gallons a day if you run it 24/7 and gas availability and cost is always a concern during emergency situations.

Our son in Bradenton Fl. still has no power and he is out of gas for the EU2000i that I gave him because he didn't properly prepare even though I warned him.

His current situation:
No available gas to buy.
A home with no power.
A car with 1/8 tank.
Has to go back to work Monday morning.

He will hopefully live and learn.

 

[rumcapital23]

I think you had it right at 50 hours. HPL seems like gilding the lily, as these engines are happy on whatever you have laying around. I use PUP 5 W 30, which I am sure some will take issue with. But right thinking folks acknowledge that the best oil is a short OCI, whether your Honda generator, or your Veyron.

my Uncle who can't read, used Non Detergent straight 30 oil in his genny and that thing died because it rusted out not because of lack of lubrication, so you're probably right, i could prob use that Warren oil at WM and be just fine. when i saw what he was putting into his gennie i almost had a heart attack and explained to him the "benefit" of using a "proper" oil. maybe my Uncle was onto something and overthinking this "my oil is better than your oil choice" thing is really over blown. i will probably put Mobil 1 15W-50 into this little thing as overkill on my next fill, idk.

 

[rumcapital23]

That's not a bad plan if your power outage is relatively short. But 2 gallons an hour is 48 gallons a day if you run it 24/7 and gas availability and cost is always a concern during emergency situations.

Our son in Bradenton Fl. still has no power and he is out of gas for the EU2000i that I gave him because he didn't properly prepare even though I warned him.

His current situation:
No available gas to buy.
A home with no power.
A car with 1/8 tank.
Has to go back to work Monday morning.

He will hopefully live and learn.

on the 11th, people were fighting at pumps, branding weapons and everything you can imagine. folks lost their minds and went bananas out of desperation. i hunkered down and decided to avoid the chaos of short tempers on the road. a lot of pumps are still struggling but some neighbors were able to find fuel yesterday because they were waiting in 3 hour long lines... i hope your son is able to find fuel soon, now that the Tampa port is operational and tankers have been sent throughout the state. fun fact: tampa port supplies 50% of the state

 

[rumcapital23]

I'll see if I can upload a picture.

Stay FAR AWAY from Stabil. I've had bad experiences with it. I'ts only guaranteed for one year. Seafoam guarantees for at least two years.

This is from 2024 but some equipment has moved on and some moved around. Constantly moving things around!

View attachment 245114

WOW this is an AMAZING set up. Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[JohnnyG]

Thanks for the post. I have an EU3000, but never had to use it in 18 years! Still new in the box. We didn't lose power here with Milton, so it'll be new for a while I guess.
I plan on running a window A/C unit with it if we ever do lose power, so your post made me feel that I made the right choice.
I have 10 GA. extensions to run fridge, micro and A/c unit so 10 gal should last me a couple of days at least.

 

[TomYoung]

my Uncle who can't read, used Non Detergent straight 30 oil in his genny and that thing died because it rusted out not because of lack of lubrication, so you're probably right, i could prob use that Warren oil at WM and be just fine. when i saw what he was putting into his gennie i almost had a heart attack and explained to him the "benefit" of using a "proper" oil. maybe my Uncle was onto something and overthinking this "my oil is better than your oil choice" thing is really over blown. i will probably put Mobil 1 15W-50 into this little thing as overkill on my next fill, idk.

Any oil works, but on this application, think 15 W 50 might be a little thick.

 

[dnewton3]

Next time I see a deal on a larger, gently used Honda generator, I will grab it. Three generators must be the solution, right?

From a man who owns five generators (me; three at my house and two at my farm), perhaps I'm not the right person to ask.

 

[dnewton3]

Thanks for the post. I have an EU3000, but never had to use it in 18 years! Still new in the box.

I'll give you a cautionary note here ....

Not using a generator for many years is bad for the power-head. The engine would be fine, but the power generator itself needs to be exercised. If left to sit for long periods of time, the magnets can degrade low enough that they won't self-excite the field. When this happens the generator won't make power even if the engine starts and runs fine.

There is a "bump start" method to touch off the stator excitement, but there are two caveats:
- it can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing
- it's a PITB because every time you need the generator you have to do this, and you need a decent 12v battery, which means you have to drag something else out at a time when power is of the essence

 

[ka9mnx]

That's not a bad plan if your power outage is relatively short. But 2 gallons an hour is 48 gallons a day if you run it 24/7 and gas availability and cost is always a concern during emergency situations.

We knew this would be a short term outage so we splurged.

With Matthew we evacuated from our flooded home. We were out for two months.

When we were working to rebuild the home, sunrise to sunset, we ran the generator two hours on and two hours off. When we left for the day we filled it up, started, left and let it run until it was out of gas. Despite this we still lost everything in the fridge and freezers. Next time I would eat as much as possible and just put everything into garbage bags outside and use the generator as needed.

We stayed at my daughters, who was also out of power but their home was OK, and tried to eat as much from the freezer as possible. It was fine dining until it wasn't

Unless you are on a propane pig or natural gas, you have to learn to conserve. It becomes a necessity, not a luxury.

 

[ka9mnx]

Not using a generator for many years is bad for the power-head. The engine would be fine, but the power generator itself needs to be exercised. If left to sit for long periods of time, the magnets can degrade low enough that they won't self-excite the field. When this happens the generator won't make power even if the engine starts and runs fine.

Right. I tell my friends to run their generator, under load, for an hour every month. Then change the oil every fall if it hasn't been used for an extended time during an outage.

Every commercial standby by generators I've been around automatically run once a week for a half hour. Same for whole house generators.

 

[ka9mnx]

i will probably put Mobil 1 15W-50 into this little thing as overkill on my next fill, idk.

Euro 0/5w-40 would be cheaper, easier to get and my choice.