Westinghouse iGen2200 Generator 2 Year Review

Westinghouse iGen2200 Generator 2 Year Review
Sharon, one of the Two Tired Teachers, reviews our Westinghouse iGen2200 Generator. After 2 years, it is still doing exactly what we bought it to do.
That's the first thing Sharon talks about is why we got a generator. We bought the generator to go along with our Micro Minnie when we are boondocking.
One of the questions we've been asked is what do we run with our generator. One of the things we do is plug the RV into the generator. You have to use a dogbone to do that, but it recharges the house battery, the battery on the front of your RV.
We have run our microwave, coffee pot, and space heater off of the generator. At home to exercise the generator between trips, we've plugged weed eaters and other yard equipment into it.
Another question we've had is how often do we change the oil. The owners' manual says to change the oil after the first 20 hours and then every 50 hours after that. During the first 20 hours, you need to have a load on the generator. A space heater is an example of an appliance that puts a load on a generator.
One thing that the generator we have does not have is an hour meter. The hour meter keeps up with the number of hours the generator has been run so that you can change the oil at the appropriate time. Since ours doesn't have the hour meter, Sharon keeps track of the hours in a small notebook. She gets to the closest quarter of an hour to log it in.
If we have a long trip planned, one where we know we will be using the generator, if it is anywhere near time to change the oil, Sharon goes ahead and changes it because she want to do that at home, rather than on the road.
One of the things Sharon has done for the last 9 or 10 months is run the generator every two weeks or so when we aren't using it on trips. It seems to keep it in good shape. In the summer, she's plugging yard tools into it to give it a load.
In December of 2020, when we knew we wouldn't be traveling for a couple of months, Sharon bought a can of Sea Foam and put it in with the gas that had been left over. She let the engine run for about 30 minutes to see that it was completely through the engine.
When Sharon was ready to start the generator for the 2021 travel season, it wouldn't start. The problem was the spark plug. Although it may seem as if under 100 hours of use wouldn't necessitate a change of spark plugs, it did. Several times we ran the generator for under an hour. Other times we ran it as much as 7 hours in a day.
Changing the spark plug wasn't difficult, but it brings to mind some things that come with the Westinghouse iGen2200 Generator. One of those things is a funnel that is shaped so that putting oil in the generator is very easy. Another is a pre-measured amount of oil. Sharon has kept the container so that when she changes the oil, she fills that container and knows she doesn't need to worry about overfilling the generator with oil.
A third thing that came with the generator is a tool used to change the spark plug. You will need that to change the spark plug.
Another thing Sharon does to help the generator run smoothly is she uses ethanol free gas and she puts stabilizer in with the gas.
One of the questions we've been asked is how long will the generator run on a tank of gas. We can run the generator approximately 10 hours per gallon of gas.
When you crank the Westinghouse iGen2200 generator, you have to crank going straight up. You need to do three things to start this generator. First, vent the gas. Second, you move it to choke, and finally, you pull the crank straight up.
Once you've started it, give it a minute to run before putting much of a load on it. If you don't do that, it may very well die and you'll have to crank it again.
The Westinghouse iGen2200 generator seems to run better if you gradually increase the load. For example, at home when I just need to exercise it some, I'll start with a space heater on low. Once it's run for a bit, I increase the load to high, and it works for me.
Remember that the generator does have an exhaust, and that exhaust gets hot. It isn't excessively hot, but it could melt a water bottle that was right beside the generator.
For a generator, it is quiet. You can easily carry on a conversation while standing at the generator. You don't have to yell; it's quiet enough that you can speak normally.
One of the questions we often get is have we run the AC with it. The short answer is yes. We do have an easy start on our AC, so the generator is able to run it. When we first got the generator, we ran the AC for an hour. Honestly, that isn't a reason why we got the generator, so running the AC off the generator isn't something we normally do.
Finally, do not hesitate to call the 800 number on the generator if you have any questions. A real person took our call when we called it. They knew the answers to our questions.