colliehauler
Mc Pherson KS USA
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I was looking for a quiet inverter generator and seen the Westinghouse 4500. Upon close inspection it's the same generator as the Onan 4500 portable inverter generator. The reviews I've read were mixed with the majority positive.
Does anyone have experience with this model generator.
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agesilaus
North Florida
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How many DB noise level? Also they are preying on the Westinghouse name, that company has been sold and resold and I have no idea who owns the name now. Some Chinese company most likely.
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colliehauler
Mc Pherson KS USA
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agesilaus wrote:How many DB noise level? Also they are preying on the Westinghouse name, that company has been sold and resold and I have no idea who owns the name now. Some Chinese company most likely. Ofcourse it's a Chinese generator with the same noise level as all the others in its class. It's the same generator Onan is putting there name on and probably sold under a few other names.
The question is do you have any experience with the Westinghouse Igen 4500 generator?
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2oldman
NM
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Westinghouse post in tech
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MNRon
Tennessee
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I purchased a Westinghouse 4500 this summer to run our AC when traveling out west that our Yamaha 2000iS wouldn't. The Westinghouse is heavier (100lb vs 50lb) and doesn't have the switch to run the carburetor out of gas but otherwise is superior to the Yamaha I had (hopefully that statement holds up for years...). The 4500 is as quiet as the Yamaha (frankly quieter since it doesn't run as hard for the same load); the electric start is very nice; and it has twice the power. Additionally it has some nice readouts on hours used, etc. Based on a recent purchase and ~30hrs of use I'm happly to have it and I'd recommend it.
If you read the thread 2oldman referenced from my use this summer the issue turned out to be a Magnum inverter issue NOT a generator issue. After much digging and conversations with Magnum it turns out that their "pass-thru" power mode is too sensitive to voltage fluxuations to work well with generators (they recommended at least a 6500W generator!). It wasn't a generator problem. I've since communicated with several Westinghouse 4500 owners that easily run 2 ACs with this generator.
* This post was
edited 10/10/21 09:06am by MNRon *
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SDcampowneroperator
South Dakota
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We bought a westinhouse 4500 2 years ogo, have over 400 hours on it. Most use was when overnighting to and from destinations and boondocking for hunting and firewood cutting in the national forest.
It is sometimes hard to start, particularly in cool weather, say 40f or colder. The auto choke doesnt work so well. The original battery was too small for more than a few crank cycles and gave out completely when less than a year old. A new AGM with 3 times the CCA fixed that.
Elk hunting with temps averaging around 20f required 24 hr run for a week to run furnace a 1500w heater, cooking appliances, tv, etc. ave. load was around 2300w for the week, burning about 6 gal. a day.
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colliehauler
Mc Pherson KS USA
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Thanks for the update MNRon and the real world experience of SD, I believe I will go ahead and purchase the 4500.
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Boon Docker
Mountain Foothills of Southern Alberta
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agesilaus wrote:How many DB noise level? Also they are preying on the Westinghouse name, that company has been sold and resold and I have no idea who owns the name now. Some Chinese company most likely.
According to specs: 52 DB
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SDcampowneroperator
South Dakota
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Dan (Op) another thing to consider is registration for warranty. My DW was slow for the time allowed, and yes we had the battery fail and a month later a regulator module fail.
We were screwed for warranty repair, but as I am very handy and could diagnose and do the repair myself, WH sent the regulator fairly and timely. ( small $ )
In Jan. 2019 in the Q ( Quartsite, Az,) at the ONAN demo tent there was the exact same genny in Onan green. Vs WH blue.
If Onan, a very reputable co., has put their name on anothers product, theres a feather in their cap. Thats the one I'd put faith in.
That auto choke issue wuold have to be better and a larger faster cranking battery for me to recommend this genny. The remote start is worthless, even in nice weather it often takes 2-8 start cycles for the genny to catch and power up. In cold weather Im having to pull the rope. The electric starter even with the big battery just doesnt crank the motor fast enough
I would enquire if these issues have been addressed before buying. For us,the power is clean responsive to resistance load , not to demand load. As an advertised 3600w continuous 4500 w peak , we have concerns the 3600 w is iffy the 4500w peaks just arent there. , it will not start up power a 2nd A/C the demand load is higher than it can respond to even when in high , not eco mode.
* This post was
edited 10/10/21 06:58pm by SDcampowneroperator *
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colliehauler
Mc Pherson KS USA
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SD let me ask you a question. I've got a choice for a unit with 2 hr on it for $800. and a new unit for $1,000. This generator will be used very little. I'm building a new garage on some property I own 30'x 60' and after construction will use it for lighting. If the power goes out at my seasonal site I will use it for power. The new unit would be $300. more by the time you add tax over the unit with two hour's on it. Which would you go with?
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