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7K views 38 replies 8 participants last post by  LaSwamp 
#1 ·
Guys, I did it again. I tried to resist but my will snapped when it went on sale again for an even lower price. I ordered a Wen 56225i. It was on sale for $385 out the door. I've wanted one of the gas jug inverters for a while but didn't see any that didn't cost a king's ransom. Apparently, this one is usually around $550, but they must be doing a clearance on it. I wanted something I could use to run the window shakers at night while sipping fuel. My GN400i is not bad on fuel, but it would probably use about 3 gallons to run 10 hours rather than the 1 gallon this one uses. After Ida, it was driven home for me just how much fuel efficiency matters when gas lines extend past a quarter mile.

Of course, it comes with a Torch plug that I intend to replace with an NGK before I run it the first time. Wen says the NGK plug is a CR5HS. I can't find that plug anywhere. There is a CR5HSA out there, but I don't know what the "A" means. There is also a "B" version but I don't know what that means, either. It looks like plugs are getting harder to find so I'm going to try to find one quickly. Anyone know what the skinny is on the different versions? They all look to be the same heat range, so that's not the difference.
 
#3 ·
Of course, it comes with a Torch plug that I intend to replace with an NGK before I run it the first time. Wen says the NGK plug is a CR5HS. I can't find that plug anywhere. There is a CR5HSA out there, but I don't know what the "A" means. There is also a "B" version but I don't know what that means, either. It looks like plugs are getting harder to find so I'm going to try to find one quickly. Anyone know what the skinny is on the different versions? They all look to be the same heat range, so that's not the difference.
 
#4 ·
I saw that chart, but it doesn't show that the CR5HS cross-references with the CR5HSA. From what I have read, they are the same plug except for the "A" designation which means "special design" in NGK code speak. I can't find the CR5HS anywhere. My guess was I can use the "A" version but I'm not sure how to confirm that. There's a Denso plug that would work, but those are getting hard to find. I think Denso plugs are good, but I don't know much about them.
 
#9 ·
#11 ·
Thanks for the links, Pipe. I put a CR5HSB in my cart. The Honda 2000 and 2200 use the CR5HSB plug. I don't know what the difference is, if there is one, between the various revisions. Since the Wen is Honda-ish, I have a feeling the B revision will work fine. I just don't want that Torch in there.

Iowa, not sure when I will have The Red in the workshop, at least as far as gensets go. I do have a Honda engine on my power washer and I have a Honda 4-wheeler. I also have a Honda mower. So Honda is not absent from my small engine collection. I would love to have a 2200, though.
 
#13 ·
I ordered a Moeller nine gallon marine tank from Amazon yesterday. I want to drill a hole on the side near the bottom and install a petcock. I intend to use it as an auxiliary fuel tank for the Wens. My Coleman tank is plastic and there's a hole where the petcock attaches using a rubber grommet/bushing to provide the seal for the fuel barb. That appears to be how plastic tanks are tapped on generators.

It looks like there's a standard size for that kind of application, 33/64 inch. What size hole do I need to drill for the grommet? That same size, or smaller?
 
#14 ·
I ordered a Moeller nine gallon marine tank from Amazon yesterday. I want to drill a hole on the side near the bottom and install a petcock. I intend to use it as an auxiliary fuel tank for the Wens. My Coleman tank is plastic and there's a hole where the petcock attaches using a rubber grommet/bushing to provide the seal for the fuel barb. That appears to be how plastic tanks are tapped on generators.

It looks like there's a standard size for that kind of application, 33/64 inch. What size hole do I need to drill for the grommet? That same size, or smaller?
always go under size on the hole for a better fit.
i like using the gear oil sealer for that kinda stuff.
pm if you need links on that
 
#21 · (Edited)
You are in deep Swamp. First you start by buying it some spark plug jewelry, innocent enough. But then you are on to accessorizing it with other bling like described above. Before you know it you're going to sew it a little dress, a little dress, you bad boy. (Be sure to post us up some pics, definitely front and side views, you know, for research purposes only, of course...)

Admit it Swamp: Late at night you catch yourself out there in the garage, gazing wistfully at it. But then, how would I know...
 
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#27 ·
Guys, I did it again. I tried to resist but my will snapped when it went on sale again for an even lower price. I ordered a Wen 56225i. It was on sale for $385 out the door. I've wanted one of the gas jug inverters for a while but didn't see any that didn't cost a king's ransom. Apparently, this one is usually around $550, but they must be doing a clearance on it. I wanted something I could use to run the window shakers at night while sipping fuel. My GN400i is not bad on fuel, but it would probably use about 3 gallons to run 10 hours rather than the 1 gallon this one uses. After Ida, it was driven home for me just how much fuel efficiency matters when gas lines extend past a quarter mile.

Of course, it comes with a Torch plug that I intend to replace with an NGK before I run it the first time. Wen says the NGK plug is a CR5HS. I can't find that plug anywhere. There is a CR5HSA out there, but I don't know what the "A" means. There is also a "B" version but I don't know what that means, either. It looks like plugs are getting harder to find so I'm going to try to find one quickly. Anyone know what the skinny is on the different versions? They all look to be the same heat range, so that's not the difference.
Nothing wrong with taking advantage of a good deal....
My will snapped last month too. I have a 13KW portable nat gas generator and when i was recently showing a neighbor the setup...it wasn't delivering 220v....and with a storm brewing in the gulf...i didn't want to be without power...so i ordered a Pulsar 12KW dual fuel.
Turns out that i simply had a loose wire where the coils come out to the terminal block on the generator itself but now i have a backup...to my backup.
It really is a great hobby!
 
#29 ·
WUOTE="iowagold, post: 87089, member: 36614"]
a back up gen is always a great plan!
[/QUOTE]
When everything else fails I have this old vector 1200 watt DC/AC inverter in the truck.
Been in there about 12 years and it shows but the unit works perfectly.
I thought the vibration from the Cummins turbo would shake it to death at first but it held up.
Always handy for jobsites and whatever needs some juice when there are no outlets.
 

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#30 ·
WUOTE="iowagold, post: 87089, member: 36614"]
a back up gen is always a great plan!
WHEN Everything else fails I have this old vector 1200 watt DC/AC inverter in the truck.
Been in there about 12 years and it shows but the unit works perfectly.
I thought the vibration from the Cummins turbo would shake it to death at first but it held up.
Always handy for jobsites and whatever needs some juice when there are no outlets.
Buddy of mine can’t have a generator at his condo but can string an extension cord from his truck (envoy w/ second battery) through the window.
 
#32 · (Edited)
OTE="drmerdp, post: 87201, member: 33186"]
Buddy of mine can’t have a generator at his condo but can string an extension cord from his truck (envoy w/ second battery) through the window.
[/QUOTE]
Back in 2004 I ran a 750w inverter connected to my ford ranger all night long. Kept the tv, fans and lights on for 5 nights. The truck was quiet and it was just me and my dog.
You have to have a good battery and the vehicle needs to run the entire time so the alternator can supply the power to the inverter rather than drain the battery. The inverter needs to be sized to the vehicle alternator .
The inverter in my dodge is 1200w and the alternator is 130 amp plenty of power, I try not to run full loads.
This system is why I love the inverter generators, same concept, smaller package.
 
#33 ·
The inverter came in yesterday. I didn't have much time to play around with it since I had to leave to go out of town. I did take it out of the box to look it over. The spark arrestor on it was gnarly. It was the typical wire-mesh cage inserted down into the exhaust pipe, but there was also a thick, extra wire-lace cover over the exhaust as well. I could not see light through it. It looked extremely restrictive. I removed all of that mess. I may have picked up an extra half horsepower just from unclogging the exhaust.

I'm going to install the NGK plug, prep it, and test it tomorrow morning. I'll also take some scope readings. It seems like a really nice unit. Very hard to beat for the price.
 
#34 ·
I had an opportunity this morning to finally prep the new inverter and give it the first test run. I had already removed the spark arrestor. I replaced the Torch spark plug with the NGK plug I had ordered. I put some synthetic 10w30 in it. Buttoned it all back up again. Fueled it up. It started on the second or third pull. I was amazed at how quiet it is. It seems to run very smooth with the NGK plug and the 10w30 oil. I ran it for about 40 minutes, during which time I pulled out the DDM and the scope. But that conversation is for the Waveform thread, which I am now off to post about. It was an adventure, as you will discover.

I finally got me a Honda*.

*ish
 
#35 ·
I have a quick question. If I parallel connect my two Wen inverters, how will that effect total wattage? It was my understanding that the two inverters would pool their total outputs and load share. I'm not sure that is correct. The bigger Wen is 3.5 kw while the smaller is 1.8 kw. In parallel, will I only have 3.6 kw total between the two inverters?

If so, there may be no real advantage to using them in parallel, especially since the bigger Wen already outputs 3.5 kw.

I saw a video of a Honda 7000is paralleled to a smaller Honda 2200. The 7000is did not appear to be limited by the output of the 2200, but was able to offload a portion of the load to the 2200. So, I'm a bit confused.
 
#36 ·
most mfgs like you to use the same exact model of gen and close serial numbers as well for the para to work right.

honda eu series included.

yea there is almost any thing found on you tube these days...
but is it right?
the quick answer is no.

so what does wen say about mixing and matching gens?
i would stick to what they say.
 
#37 ·
All they say is that it increases power when you add a second inverter. They don't seem to discuss what happens when you mix and match different wattage-rated inverters. The information I've read about paralleling inverters, generally, is that you can only double the wattage of the smallest generator in the loop. If you have a 5 kw inverter and a 2 kw inverter and connect them together, you're only going to be able to use 2 kw from the 5 kw inverter if that logic plays out. I don't know if that's true for all inverters or just certain designs. I can always use my two inverters separately if I need all of the wattage and manually load-balance. It would be cool to be able to do that automatically using the parallel feature, though.
 
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