Westinghouse 9500 Peak Watt Dual Fuel Home Backup Portable Generator, Remote Electric Start, Transfer Switch Ready, Gas & Propane Powered

Amazon delivered the generator in a large box and it was pretty easy to unbox it and assemble the generator - instruction manual is are pretty easy to follow. Everything you need to prep it is included, including tools and oil. You just need gasoline or a propane tank. It took me about 20 minutes to unbox and assemble the unit. Adding oil is fairly straightforward - it just takes slow and careful repeated filling using the little "bent-elbow" funnel and checking levels to get enough oil in (but not too much). Once everything was done I added about a half tank of fresh gasoline, turned the little gasoline delivery switch to flow (on the side of the unit), checked that everything was ready, turned on the power and hit the Start button. However while it would crank it simply would not turn over and run. I checked, double-checked, and triple-checked everything (even checked spark plug gap)... but I just couldn't get the unit to run. I finally gave up for the weekend and moved on to other chores. A couple of weekends later I called up the Westinghouse help line number in the manual -- while waiting on a call back I set the generator back up, went thru everything and hit the start button. This time the generator fired up instantly. When I eventually spoke with the technician (very friendly and knowledgeable, btw) he said that a very very small number of units get something in the carburetor stuck as a result of sitting for a long period of time after shipping out of the factory -- I guess they drain the gasoline but somewhere in the carb residual gasoline seizes something in the carb that prevents any gasoline from getting thru. But when a customer gets the unit and adds gasoline in the tank that gasoline slowly "eats away" at whatever that residue had seized up and eventually frees it. So, if this happens to you (everything is done correctly but the unit won't start) just let the generator sit for a few days and that may solve the problem. And their help line techs seem fantastic and I only waited about 10 minutes to get a hold of one. So I haven't actually needed the generator in a real storm or power outage situation yet, but running the unit for a bit and testing a few things has me feeling comfortable that I'm ready should we get a power outage. I haven't played with the remote start button but I don't see me needing to use that (you have to keep the generator turned on which will drain the battery). I can see running this in the dark that it might be nice to have some sort of light on the panel -- I'm thinking of using one of those goose-neck LED lights (or a pair) that are usually used on grills. I'm also looking at something like GenTent to cover the generator in the event that I'm running it while it's raining or snowing. All in all, a very nice generator with plenty of power, easy start (minus the gasoline seizing issue) and operation, nice built-in handle to maneuver it, and I like the duel fuel option if/when it's needed.

First things first, the generator. It took me no more than 15 minutes to assemble what little there was to assemble. Installation of two wheels, two support legs, pour in oil, hook up to propane tank, connect battery, flip a couple switches, and start. Really very easy setup and it started on the first attempt. The noise level didn't sound much louder than a lawn mower, but noise level wasn't much of a concern of mine, nor did I consider it in my selection of which generator to buy. I mean it's got a 430cc engine, it's only going to be so quiet. Yes, it is heavy, but the padded handle, which is pre-installed, along with it being on wheels, made it easy to move around. How the generator performs over the long haul has yet to be determined, but it's off to a great start. Now about delivery. The funny part is, the generator was delivered on time and placed inside my garage, as requested. However, I kept receiving text messages from the carrier saying they attempted delivery and could not contact me, so delivery failed, this happened three times. I finally had to go to the carrier's website and confirm through "live chat" that I wanted it delivered on the day and in the time frame I asked for when I bought it. They also confirmed that a delivery was never attempted, just needed my confirmation. I suggested they change the message in the text to reflect that. I spent a long time on the phone with Amazon customer service and then the Carrier's website, for no good reason, I almost canceled the whole thing because of the confusion over the carrier's "failed delivery" messages. In the end, the delivery was on the day I requested it and within the three-hour delivery window. The guys who delivered it were great. I do recommend this generator, but if you get confusing text messages saying delivery attempted and you know it wasn't, well, now you know what's going on.

Great generator that has not let me down since I bought it 3 years ago. The dual fuel makes it really easy if you have no gas, but do have propane. The only issue I've had is if you don't drain the gas at the end of the year you can expect to have to take the fuel solenoid off and clean it as it will get stuck and will not let gas pass through. It's an easy fix and it definitely keeps you honest and keeps you maintaining your machine. Maintain this machine and it will last forever..

This Generator starts up first try, nearly every time. I've used it with both fuels and it switches between the two very easily. It wasn't too difficult to assemble and it's easily wheeled from the house to the garage (across about half an acre of dried out grass) between uses. Deducted one star due to poor delivery service. It didn't take long to arrive but the first one arrived with a hole in the middle of the box. Opened it up to check and the carburetor was toast. The fork truck had rammed right through the middle of the box somehow, not just a small ding or miscalculated point of entry. I refused the delivery. Then I had to fight Amazon because for some reason they wouldn't just issue another one. I had to get the first one refunded as a GIFT CARD, not back on my card (recommend you use a credit card so you don't have the same problem), then they had the audacity to slap $300 on the initial asking price ($620 - $959 guessing they screwed up and removed the $620 because the single fuel model was $720 at the time) I had to go on to a third party site to get their customer service number because all the automated online stuff is designed to waste your time, in my opinion. Luckily their Customer retention guys are good and quick at what they do and we came to an arrangement and I got this one for the original asking price as should have been the case in the first place if they'd just issued a new one and saved us the song and dance. So yeah. TLDR: Great Generator does what it says, also made in the USA, in WA I believe, big plus for me. Happy to support our Country and its Manufacturers.

I have not yet tested it but will do so later today. All the parts were included and well documented. The user manual covers a lot of information, which is why I am taking it slow - doting all the i's and crossing all the t's. It is a heavy unit and took a bit of doing to get the wheels and front pads installed. It is now ready for the oil and test run. Once that is complete and the unit cools down, I will fill the tank and shut off the master breaker and start adding the things I would normally run/use during a power outage. Should have more to post tomorrow. Medical issues prevented an earlier continuation of this product review. Numerous restarts with start button instantaneous, no hiccups. Adding the usual inside features - lights, fans, refrigerator, standing freezer, microwave oven, toaster, tabletop fry pan all functioned well. NOTE: check your circuits to be sure freezer and refrigerator are not on same circuit. (I labeled outlets for freezer and fridge). Also note that while you can have all of the above plugged in, using coffee machine, microwave and tabletop fryer, just use common sense and do not have all of them running at once (puts too much load on generator, and wastes valuable fuel). After I read the reviews for this unit and I admit I was a bit apprehensive at first, however, reading the instructions (cannot say that often enough) and by familiarizing myself with the locations of all the moving parts and all the steps to take to prepare for first and subsequent runs, did not run into any issues at all. Oh, one last thought. When looking for a replacement generator, I was looking for three things: I have a 120/240 hookup and having that feature was a requirement that many of the generators I looked at did not have; dual fuel capability; and finally, the power and fuel supply to run all night long. This unit checked all the boxes. One last point. I will be putting in a leveled-reinforced concrete pad with embedded eye hooks to secure the generator when using it to power the house, and for conducting routine maintenance. Remember the part in the instruction, keeping the generator level for changing and checking oil level, and maintaining an even flow of gas - if you do not have a level location to accomplish all of this, and trying to keep a generator level on dirt, is just not always easy to do. Just saying. Following the instructions and using common sense when applying load to the generator, you will have years of reliable power for your home when the lights go out, and you will not be disappointed. Oh yes, I did not have to call customer service.

We lose power several times per year with durations from a few hours to several days. So we had a gasoline powered 7500 Watt manual start generator with electrician installed transfer switch for years. I often work out of town now and my wife indicated she was no longer comfortable dealing with gasoline refueling and the pull start since shoulder repair surgery. My research showed the Westinghouse unit seemingly alone in offering this unique combination of traits: 1) Remote key fob start/stop. 2) Dual Fuel 3) Electric start 4) Automatic choke 5) Good reviews 6) Higher than gas only, but reasonable price for wattage/dual fuel rating it offers. When I considered where to purchase the unit, Amazon Prime came to the top for: a) Free delivery to my house. b) I easily combined Amazon gift cards, American Express Points, and my AMEX credit card toward the purchase with no hassle. c) Return policy. Delivery: No damage and literally everything in the box I needed to setup (attach wheels, connect battery cables, add supplied oil). Setup in 15 minutes or less and I am no techy nor mechanic. Performance: Starts every time in all weather/temperatures. Ran well through winter, summer (4th of July!), and fall power outages (2 just last week). It will vary for many folks but I get 10-11 hours on 20lb propane tank running lights/internet PC/well pump/furnace/water heater/microwave convection oven/TV/etc. I like the option for gasoline but have not run it on gasoline and hope never to if I can avoid it. Heavy unit >200lbs yet I easily move it even up/down steps alone via supplied wheels and foldaway handle. Wish list/caveats: User manual indicates no larger than 20/30lb propane tanks be used. Would be nice if say 100lb tank could be used to cut down on tank swaps. Would be nice if remote key fob did everything to start, but you do need to ensure "RUN/STOP" switch at unit is set to RUN ahead of time for fob to work, but this has not been an issue for us. Seems to be limitation of 'portable generators' in general vs this unit, but wish it could be attached to automatic-transfer-switch so it would start even if I was not home. I cannot comment on customer service as I have not needed any assistance with the unit at this point. Bottom line: If you seek the combination of features offered you will not regret this purchase. We are pleased.

Excellent generator! Built well. Easy to use. Highly recommended!

We bought this generator as a backup for our house. It's not big enough to power our house (6 bedroom 3,4012ft.) and have everything running. But it enough to keep all three refrigerators running, stove, some lights, a tv, and Ham radio shack running. We can't run the heater, stove, and washing/dryer with lights on ect. We have to delegate power to what we need most at that time. If we wanted a generator that could run everything at the same time, we'd need a much more powerful generator, and paid 5x the price. It was easy to set up, and the remote start is handy, so we don't have to go in the rain/snow and turn it on. And we like the dual fuel option. We have propane tanks around for BBQ/fire pit/ect. So, we usually have a full one around the house. If the gas runs out, we can hook up a propane tank till I can get to the gas station and get more gas. So, if you're looking for a good reliable standby generator, for emergencies to keep essentials appliances and heaters on with some lights, this a buy for the price.

The generator came a little later than promised, but everything was made good by the shipper. As for the actual generator and how it runs, it was a dream to start! The remote is a great function, although I wish I had longer propane lines. Great purchase, not a drop of regret!

This generator seemed amazing at first when we first set it up and did the 5h break-in recommended by company. Such great features with the dual fuel and remote start along with great power output for a decent price. Also generlink compliant. HOWEVER, a couple months later, despite being plugged in the whole time, we really needed it due to a power outage and very cold temperatures (-20C) and it wouldn't start!!! My partner is very mechanically adept and could not figure out at all what was wrong with it so we just assumed too cold and left it for a milder day to try again. Now it is even worse with the remote start and push start not even trying to power it up and pull cord is useless too. We got a dead donkey. Not impressed at all!!!!

Power went out the other day, I didn’t even have oil or gas in it yet. Took me about 5 minutes to get it setup and running. Love the remote, it was raining out, when power came back on didn’t have to go outside to turn it off,

I had this gen since January, but it spent 3 months in the authorized repair shop waiting for parts. The first issue was that the auto choke did not work so it could not start remotely (have to manually move the choke). new parts took months to arrive and when they finally did, they didn’t work… luckily have a small Honda gen that I could use instead. Last week a new issue started, start button intermittently stops working. Battery is fully charged, all wires seem to be fine. For one day I could not use it at all. Next day it started. The only positive is the propane option as well as it seems to have good power once you lucky enough to start it. I was trying to save some money- it was a mistake. I need something reliable so will probably look for a Honda, Yamaha or used diesel.

This machine conked out after 3 hours of use. The motor still ran but it stopped generating power. A call to the US number got a quick (suspicious) diagnosis - a new Automatic Voltage Regulator. They were ready to ship it out but as I'm in Canada the case got bounced to another company in Quebec. Eventually I received the part and it was an easy install. great - because then Fiona hit and we were without power for 18 days! Unfortunately this generator stopped generating again at 100 hrs of use (we were only running about 7 hours per day) - after producing a dodgy voltage while it was working {202v not 240v). I'm sure it's the AVR again; I'll bet there's a whole bad batch. Anyway I've been back in touch with the Quebec company and they are getting resistance from "the Manufacturer" about fixing this. This has been a huge letdown - and Winter is coming here in PEI.