DuroMax XP2000EH 2000-Watt Dual Fuel Digital Inverter Hybrid Portable Generator Expired

Powering your home's electrical panel (2000W inverter)


i used an interlock kit so i could power my entire panel (all 120V circuits, not at the same time obviously), just for convenience sake. an interlock prevents you from operating the generator with the main circuit on, thus preventing back feeding your panel by accident. Back feeding is when your generator sends electricity back to the outside lines b/c someone forgot to turn the main circuit breaker off. this mistake could (and has) injure or kill a line worker who is out there making repairs. direct feeding a panel without interlock or transfer switch sub panel is illegal due t potential for back feeding. here are some steps regarding interlock. as always, check your local codes for adherence to regulation.

Step 1: Find an interlock kit that's compatible with your panel. Chances are the model in HD/Lowe's will not fit your. Here is where I bought mine: http://www.interlockkit.com/

Step 2: Buy a double pole breaker that's compatible with your electrical box. Home Depot or your local electric supply house will have this.

Step 3: Buy generator inlet: http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Controls-PB30-Generator-Generators/dp/B000BQT47S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&q... [amazon.com]

Step 4: Buy L14-30 to L5-30 adapter cable where both hots are crossed so you can power BOTH sides of your panel even though you have a 120V generator: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/...ge_o02_s00 . You could make your own cable for $10, but it's nice to have a factory molded rugged cable that you don't have to worry about. One end of this cable will go into the L14-30 inlet in #3 and the other end gives you a L5-30 connection. See step 5.

Step 5: Buy a 25ft or 50ft L5-30 extension cord (length is up to you). This cord is what will go from your adapter in your inlet in Step 3 to your generator. I bought this: http://www.amazon.com/Conntek-20571-Generator-Extension-Eextension/dp/B003HUYK5Q/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8... [amazon.com] . The reason why I am suggesting that you buy the L5-30 cord instead of a regular 5-15 cord + L5-30 to 5-15 adapter, is to future proof your setup should you ever decide to buy a 2nd Inverter generator and use the parallel kit (which has a L5-30 plug for 3000W output power), it's up to you really and what you think you generator power needs might be in the future. if you only plan on using single 120V inverter gens like this (1 of them), save the money and use a 5-15 cord and a L5-30 to 5-15 adapter

Step 6: Buy L5-30 to 5-15 adapter plug which goes into the generator if you want to run directly from a single generator and not the parallel kit (you should have the option of doing both, as a fall back, so you aren't forcing yourself to run both): http://www.amazon.com/Conntek-Locking-Adapter-Female-Connector/dp/B002YB108Y/ref=sr_1_5?tag=slickdea... [amazon.com]

Step 7: Either do it yourself per the Youtube videos or pay an electrician. You can buy the rest of the materials at Home Depot (romex, wall anchors, conduit, etc). Since you are providing all materials or most of them, the electrician should only be charging you a labor rate. This job should not take longer than 2 hours. If you are running across long distances or through thick masonry...ok add an hour. You should not have to pay more than 2-3 labor hrs for this job. If you want to save money, you can do all of the labor intensive work of mounting the inlet, running the conduit, and running the romex...then all he has to do is install the interlock panel, the double pole breaker for the generator, and make the final connection to your box. Figure he'll charge you (1) labor hour to do all of that. if you have never done anything electrical before, just hire the electrician for peace of mind.






NOTE 1: You will not be able to power any 240V appliances with this generator.Turn OFF all 240V circuits (except the double pole circuit you are using with your generator inlet and interlock). This is to prevent the possibility of overloading the neutral

NOTE 2: i attached photos. don't pay attention to the fact there are (2) inlets. it's b/c where i installed these, it's a multi residence with 2 service panels

NOTE 3: since i had the panels open, i threw on whole house surge protectors. bought them from a slickdeal back in 2012 i think

NOTE 4: you can fit (2) of these on a harbor freight large dolly, using scrap deck boards across.

NOTE 5: it's good practice to install run meters on these. installation simple the meter itself is only $5-6 on ebay or amazon. the run meter wire is what you see on the last pic of the 2 red generators, coming out from the front vent







Powering your home's electrical panel (4850W conventional generator):


i used an interlock kit so i could power my entire panel (all circuits, not at the same time obviously), just for convenience sake. an interlock prevents you from operating the generator with the main circuit on, thus preventing back feeding your panel by accident. Back feeding is when your generator sends electricity back to the outside lines b/c someone forgot to turn the main circuit breaker off. this mistake could (and has) injure or kill a line worker who is out there making repairs. direct feeding a panel without interlock or transfer switch sub panel is illegal due t potential for back feeding. here are some steps regarding interlock. as always, check your local codes for adherence to regulation.

Step 1: Find an interlock kit that's compatible with your panel. Chances are the model in HD/Lowe's will not fit your. Here is where I bought mine: http://www.interlockkit.com/

Step 2: Buy a double pole breaker that's compatible with your electrical box. Home Depot or your local electric supply house will have this.

Step 3: Buy generator inlet: http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Controls-PB30-Generator-Generators/dp/B000BQT47S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&q... [amazon.com]

Step 4: Buy L14-30 generator cord if you want to run 240V (10/4 wire): http://www.amazon.com/Conntek-20601-Transfer-Generator-Extension/dp/B003I17EGQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qi... [amazon.com]. You can buy different lengths, I use a 50 ft cord but some may prefer to save money and get a 25 ft cord

Step 5: Either do it yourself per the Youtube videos or pay an electrician. You can buy the rest of the materials at Home Depot (romex, wall anchors, conduit, etc). Since you are providing all materials or most of them, the electrician should only be charging you a labor rate. This job should not take longer than 2 hours. If you are running across long distances or through thick masonry...ok add an hour. You should not have to pay more than 2-3 labor hrs for this job. If you want to save money, you can do all of the labor intensive work of mounting the inlet, running the conduit, and running the romex...then all he has to do is install the interlock panel, the double pole breaker for the generator, and make the final connection to your box. Figure he'll charge you (1) labor hour to do all of that. if you have never done anything electrical before, just hire the electrician for peace of mind.







NOTE 1: i attached photos. don't pay attention to the fact there are (2) inlets. it's b/c where i installed these, it's a multi residence with 2 service panels

NOTE 2: since i had the panels open, i threw on whole house surge protectors. bought them from a slickdeal back in 2012 i think

NOTE 3: it's good practice to install run meters on these. installation simple the meter itself is only $5-6 on ebay or amazon. the run meter wire is what you see on the last pic of the 2 red generators, coming out from the front vent

Yes... and Margaritas, Bahama Mammas, etc

Intial Steps


- upon delivery - PERFORM A FULL INSPECTION. FedEx/UPS is known to sometimes do a number on these generators while in transit. reason is, these are shipped from China strapped together on pallets. the packaging isn't always adequate for individual shipping via UPS/FedEx. make sure nothing is bent, cracked, or broken. presuming everything is OK...

- check the spark plug gap before first run
- use stabil for ALL gas put into this generator
- grab some cheap Super-Tech conventional oil and do the 1st run for no more than 3-5 hours
- drain and refill with more Super-Tech conventional oil and run for another 3-5 hours
(i know that seems excessive, but you will be shocked how many metal shavings come out from these chinese engines early on. the key is to getting rid of them, as much of them, as quickly as possible)

then....

- drain and refill with a full synthetic high quality oil (i use Mobile1 for my gens, i stock up from those MIR deals at walmart and amazon) that will cover operation during all seasons
- long term storage good practice means you run it dry, then drain the carb and fuel line, then remove the spark plug and put a few drops of oil into the hole and insert the plug back again. that's long term. if you are willing to, you can avoid that and just run it every 2-3 months.
(follow other instructions in the manual with regards to the air filter. follow the instructions to the T, go above and beyond, and this chinese gen will last you many many years)


as far as gas cans these days - thanks to the stupid laws the plastic gas cans being sold as new must be sold with spill-proof spouts. essentially they are spring
loaded open/close mechanisms that prevent you from spilling the gas out if the can is tipped over. problem is, most of these spouts leak while pouring and the ones that don't leak pour very slowly due to a lack of venting. the solution at this point is to either drill a hole and install a vent and continue to use the crap spring loaded spout, or replace the spout entirely with the regular one that used to be included on gas cans about a decade ago and use the included vent in the ez pour package. they can be found here and slightly cheaper on ebay: http://www.amazon.com/Replacement-Spout-Water-Update-Your/dp/B00CYNDNM8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=14536... [amazon.com] . my recommendation is to buy the 5-gal Midway USA-made gas cans from harbor freight when they go on sale for $16.99, drop a 20% off coupon, then buy one of the EZ Pour spouts