WEN GN400i RV-Ready 4000-Watt Open Frame Inverter Generator, CARB Compliant - Back in Stock - FS $393.81

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10-15-2020 at 08:00 AM #16

Quote from denisesballs :

Waiting on dual fuel here.

Tri fuel! Pretty much all of these can be converted to add propane and NG with a carb kit and regulator.

Quad fuel if a person counts ethanol. I tested a tank of e85 on my little 2000w one and it ran fine and didn't dissolve any of the rubber or plastics, carb was fine. Had to choke it quite a bit to run properly.

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10-15-2020 at 08:06 AM #17

Quote from RyanMPLS :

Tri fuel! Pretty much all of these can be converted to add propane and NG with a carb kit and regulator.

Quad fuel if a person counts ethanol. I tested a tank of e85 on my little 2000w one and it ran fine and didn't dissolve any of the rubber or plastics, carb was fine. Had to choke it quite a bit to run properly.

have you tried the Nat. gas converter kit? talked with wen and they do not recommend.

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10-15-2020 at 08:17 AM #18

Quote from vonroper1 :

I bought this about 6 months ago and it is amazing. I use it for work and pull it around with a yard cart. I would strongly recommend getting this and also getting the magnetic dipstick. I was amazed at how much metal it gets out of oil. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product...UTF8&psc=1 [amazon.com]

Same one I got, perfect fit. I did add some scratches to it with a file to better tell the fill level as with clean oil it's not easy to read.

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10-15-2020 at 08:31 AM #19

Quote from conure :

have you tried the Nat. gas converter kit? talked with wen and they do not recommend.

I have a friend that did to same one I have, their 2000w 56200i I think. He already had a quick disconnect NG line to the grill so it just make sense - when is the last time NG went out? Startup and shutdown is a little different. No choke and have to prime some gas into the carb but otherwise works fine and no fuel to rotate or fill. Also, no exhaust stink.

I barely use mine, run it to give it exercise more than anything, for short outages I use an inverter in the Prius. Got it because it was a slick deal!

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10-15-2020 at 08:34 AM #20

Quote from 9000RPM :

I just saw a review on YT of this same model but has the NEMA L5-30R plug instead of the TT-30R. I would much rather have the L5-30R but I don't see it on the WEN website.

We moved to a new house and I realized the previous owner installed a transfer switch like 5 months before putting house on the market.

Wondering if I should just get this and buy a TT-30R to L5-30R adapter.

Update: I looked up the manual and in the parts list, the RV receptacle, which this one has, is part number: GN400I-1418B.

The NEMA L5-30R is part number GN400I-1418.

Yet, WEN website doesn't have this part and Google doesn't turn up anything.

This generator is 120V so it isn't compatible with a transfer switch. It will only supply 1 out of the 2 rails in the panel.

Quote from RyanMPLS :

Tri fuel! Pretty much all of these can be converted to add propane and NG with a carb kit and regulator.

Quad fuel if a person counts ethanol. I tested a tank of e85 on my little 2000w one and it ran fine and didn't dissolve any of the rubber or plastics, carb was fine. Had to choke it quite a bit to run properly.

Problem with E85 (and even 10% ethanol) without stabil is that if you let it sit at all in the carb it will gum the entire thing up. You need to make sure you drain the carb and tank after you are done with any ethanol gasoline and a carb engine.

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10-15-2020 at 08:39 AM #21

What makes this "RV ready"? I don't see any special mounting features or access.

Plus, illegal in CA. No shocker.

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10-15-2020 at 08:43 AM #22

Quote from Troublestylist :

What makes this "RV ready"? I don't see any special mounting features or access.

Plus, illegal in CA. No shocker.

How is it illegal in CA? It is CARB compliant (even put that in the title).

Also RV ready is because one 120V RV-ready TT-30R receptacle

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10-15-2020 at 08:47 AM #23

Thank you, I went down to the basement and looked at the panel, it's a ProTran 30408 B. Spec says it's rated for 7500 Watts. The male plug outside the house is a L5-30R plug.

The things that are hooked up on the panel are the fridge, furance, washer, and kitchen lights/outlet.

I really only need the fridge and the kitchen lights/outlet to work when the power goes out.

Quote :

Numus19This generator is 120V so it isn't compatible with a transfer switch. It will only supply 1 out of the 2 rails in the panel.

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Last edited by 9000RPM October 15, 2020 at 08:57 AM.

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10-15-2020 at 08:48 AM #24

Quote from Numus19 :

How is it illegal in CA? It is CARB compliant (even put that in the title).

Also RV ready is because one 120V RV-ready TT-30R receptacle

Well, they won't ship here. Maybe it's a shipping issue.

Gotcha on the receptacle.

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10-15-2020 at 08:50 AM #25

I picked up this generator from Wen last time it was in stock, It's not whisper quiet, but I have had conversations with people farily close to it. They did charge me tax in CA, but CA charges tax on everything... I added an hour meter to it, picked it up off amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00A43PKOE

One thing that could be considered negative with this generator is how small the gas tank is on it, its less than 2 gallons.

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10-15-2020 at 08:54 AM #26

It's only RV ready in that you can plug in a standard RV 30amp cord. This generator is way too loud for RV use. It's cheap but in this case you get what you pay for.

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10-15-2020 at 08:55 AM #27

Quote from Troublestylist :

Well, they won't ship here. Maybe it's a shipping issue.

Gotcha on the receptacle.

Amazon or Wen? I got the shipping notice when I clicked on the amazon link, not the Wen.

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10-15-2020 at 08:58 AM #28

Quote from Numus19 :

This generator is 120V so it isn't compatible with a transfer switch. It will only supply 1 out of the 2 rails in the panel.

Problem with E85 (and even 10% ethanol) without stabil is that if you let it sit at all in the carb it will gum the entire thing up. You need to make sure you drain the carb and tank after you are done with any ethanol gasoline and a carb engine.

I've learned this the hard way... I don't use ethanol fuel in any small engine now. Just not worth the headache.

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10-15-2020 at 08:59 AM #29

Quote from 9000RPM :

Thank you, I went down to the basement and looked at the panel, it's a ProTran 30408 B. Spec says it's rated for 7500 Watts. The male plug outside the house is a L5-30R plug.

The things that are hooked up on the panel are the fridge, furance, washer, and kitchen lights/outlet.

I really only need the fridge and the kitchen lights/outlet to work when the power goes out.

Ah so that transfer switch looks like it won't back feed the main panel, so should be good to go with this generator. Just make sure you dont have any double pole (240V) breakers in it. I would just get an adapter instead of trying to change out the guts in the generator (may violate the warranty).

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10-15-2020 at 09:00 AM #30

Quote from RyanMPLS :

Same one I got, perfect fit. I did add some scratches to it with a file to better tell the fill level as with clean oil it's not easy to read.

Any details on why they don't recommend a tri-fuel conversion?

For me, I'm hoping my first inverter generator purchase is a long-term investment that I will use with my future RV, emergencies (natural gas hookup available on my property) and maybe tailgating. I realy want an enclosed unit for less noise. However, I dont know of any enclosed units that come tri-fuel from the factory, and modifying it to tri-fuel will involve cutting up the enclosure and thus making it louder. These cheaper open-frame units are enticing (as easier to adapt to tri-fuel), but I need to figure out if the increased noise is going to be worth it....

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