DuroMax XP5500EH Fuel Portable Generator, Blue/Black

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Paul H - Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2017

I Wouldn't Be Without It!

I only wrote this review because somebody else said "don't buy it!" Well, I couldn't disagree more. I've had my 4400E 3 years and it gets run for around 200 hours a year. Out here in the boonies trees are always "contacting their facilities" as the power company puts it. It has been 100% reliable and I just love key operated starting. It has required next to no maintenance. Just the (as recommended) checking and replacing the oil. It doesn't get coddled - it gets used and abused in all weathers. To the people who gave this one star because it arrived with shipping damage I'm afraid I think that is absurd. Your reviews are supposed to be about the unit. You can mark down shipping problems elsewhere - that's what seller ratings are for so your product review ratings are extremely unfair.

1.0 out of 5 stars

By J. Chris Carty - Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2019

Not for RV use!

I purchased this dual fuel generator to use with my 5th wheel trailer and when I first connected it to my Technology Research) Surge Guard 34850 50 Amp surge protector, the LCD display on the surge protector showed "Open Ground." After checking all the connections to ensure everything was connected properly (which it was), I again referred to the user Duromax generator user manual which recommended using an "earth ground" wire using 12 AWG wire. I built the recommended ground wire and connected it to my garage earth ground (6' copper rod buried next to the building) and again fired-up the generator, turned-on the generator breaker. This time my surge protector LCD showed "Reverse Polarity"! Thinking that I may have a defective (incorrectly wired generator), I called Duromax Technical Service to ask what was going on with this NEW generator. The technician I spoke with (Robert) explained that this (Open ground and reverse polarity) is sometimes a problem because the generator is built with an un-grounded chassis and has a "floating Nuetral" wiring! What? The generator description (on Amazon and Duromax website) does not mention this anywhere! I asked the Duromax technician if it could be wired differently and was told NO, it's designed to be that way! I explained to Robert that I purchased this generator to use with my RV (per their description) and now I cannot use it?! He said there was nothing he (or Duromax) could do and suggested I talk to Amazon (where I had purchased the generator)! This is a totally unacceptable answer! I am a certified RV Technician and understand electrical systems (120 VAC and 12 VDC) used on RV's and highly recommend NOT BUYING ANY DUROMAX GENERATOR for the above reasons, no chassis ground and "floating neutral" wiring configuration! For this is the reason, I gave this review a 1-star rating, otherwise the generator started and ran fine on propane. Maybe I can use it around the house for emergency backup. I spoke with Marc (at AMAZON) and he took care of my issue in a timely and professional manner.... Great Customer Service Marc, Thank You!

4.0 out of 5 stars

By R. Dekema - Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2019

Inexpensive generator. Provides close to rated power, but with significant harmonic distortion.

The DuroMax 4400E is an inexpensive, low-end generator. It is not the world's nicest generator, but it is adequate for my needs and represents a good value for what I paid. Whether it is a good choice for you will depend on your needs. I hope to provide some insight into the generator's capabilities and limitations in this review. The generator starts easily by hand (pulling the recoil starter). It also starts adequately using the battery-powered electric starter, although it has to crank for longer than I would expect in order to do so. The generator is loud, but all generators in its price and power class are going to be loud. The quality of the AC power supplied by this generator is not especially good. However, this is probably true of all generators in this price and power class. Some of my LED lamps flicker and some of my motors make a buzzing sound when running on the generator's power. I examined one of the 120 V legs of the generator's output (while running in 120/240 V mode with a load of approximately 1,200 W) with an oscilloscope and found that there were approximately 22 V (rms) at the 3rd harmonic, 6 V (rms) at the 5th harmonic, 2 V (rms) at the 7th harmonic, and 5 V (rms) at the 9th. A picture of the oscilloscope screen is attached to this review. I don't know how serious the effects of these harmonic distortions will be on household appliances. They will likely cause increased heat production in motors and maybe in switch mode power supplies, but I don't know how much of a problem this will be. I run most of my appliances on the generator, but I do avoid running appliances on it that would be a serious financial burden if they broke and need to be replaced (i.e. central air conditioner, not that this generator is powerful enough to run mine anyway). Be aware that in 120/240 V mode, each leg of the generator output is limited (via circuit breaker) to 13.5 A (1,620 W). This is normal for a split phase generator, but you may need to pay careful attention to balancing your 120 V loads across the legs if you wire this generator to your house (such as through a transfer switch or generator interlock). Depending on the nature of your loads, it is possible that you might not be able to power all your desired 120 V loads in 120/240 V mode even if they do not exceed 3,240 W. The generator has a switch which can select 120 V only mode or 120/240 V mode. In 120 V only mode, the generator's windings are paralleled, and connected both to the 20 A GFCI receptacle and to one leg of the 120/240 V twist-lock receptacle. I haven't personally done a high-load test in 120 V-only mode, but this mode should allow you to pull 27 A of 120 V through the twist-lock receptacle before blowing the generator's breaker. This is convenient if your house only has 120 V loads, or if you want to connect the generator to an RV inlet (although in either of these use cases, you will need a special adapter cable). I have not been able to stall the engine on this generator, even when overloading it. The generator's circuit breaker has always tripped before that happens. I am not an engine expert, but I believe this is a good thing as it seems like stalling an engine due to overload would probably not be good for it. I obviously don't recommend purposely overloading your generator, but, if it happens, this seems like the preferred scenario. The manufacturer recommends changing this generator's oil every 20 hours of use. This will be annoying in an extended power outage, but it is my understanding that most generators in this power and price class also require frequent oil changes due to their splash-type lubrication systems. I only have about 15 hours of run time on this generator, so I can't comment on its longevity. From the comparison shopping I did, it seemed to me that I would have had to spend significantly more money to get a generator of materially higher quality. If that is true, then this generator may still be the better deal even if it only lasts for a 'moderate' lifespan.

3.0 out of 5 stars

By bslade1946 - Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2018

Propane Wattage Lower than Gasoline

I purchased this generator because I wanted to use propane for fuel. Propane does not go bad, can be stored indefinitely. After receiving my generator I discovered that on propane it has a rated wattage of 3825 watts vs. 4500 watts for gasoline with 4675 watts surge propane vs. 5500 watts gasoline. This will be marginal for me in a situation where I have to depend on a generator to run my house. That said, the generator was easy to set up, cranked and ran perfectly. Seems well made and is easy to figure out.