[Z71bill]

Wow. You should change your name to Bill is the oil guy!

In the EU2200i owners manual on page 14, Honda says they recommend 10W-30 API-SJ rated oil. The SJ spec is from 1997. I think oil has improved a bit since then and any modern oil will meet warranty requirements.

The SJ - or better- many are SN or SP now, is a rating for gasoline engines, Rotella does not have a rating for gasoline engines. I have wondered why OPE makes do not include oils for diesel engines, because like I said before - Rotella is most likely a better oil than Honda recommends - but technically it is not an approved oil for a Honda generator.

 

[bubbatime]

I went with the Honda.

Drove to pick it up and will start the break-in process tomorrow. The owner’s manual doesn’t mention anything about synthetic? Suggestions?

Fuel storage concerns…Gotta figure out how much gas I should keep on-hand.

Small engine guy here. Some tips.

1) Break it in with conventional 10W30 oil. Honda sells some but its expensive. The cheapest conventional 10W30 on the shelf is fine (for break in).
2) Run for 5 hours. Change the oil. Run it for another 5 hours. Then change to synthetic HIGH MILEAGE 10W30 oil. High mileage oil is thicker and has more anti wear additives and is better for a generator application.
3) If you don't want to use synthetic oil, stick with heavy duty engine oils. These are fleet oils, dual rated for gasoline and diesel. Rotella 10W30, Delo 10W30, John Deere 10W30 oils. Very good stuff.
4) Buy and use ethanol free gasoline if they sell it in your area.
5) Use blue painters tape and a sharpie marker to label your fuel cans with the date of purchase. When it gets 3 or 4 months old, dump it into the truck.
6) Use a double dose of Stabil or Startron fuel stabilizer in the fuel can
7) Run the generator out of fuel. Don't store it with gasoline in the tank.
8) Many people recommend turning the fuel petcock off and running it til it dies to drain the carburetor of any fuel. Don't bother. This method leaves a few teaspoons of fuel in the carburetor. The carburetor bowl has a drain screw attached to a clear plastic tube. Use this drain plug to drain the carburetor bowl. After you have drained the fuel bowl, put the choke on, and give the pull start rope a few pulls. Usually it will start and suck any remaining fuel out of the small carb passages. After a few more pulls, you can be certain that the carburetor is now empty of fuel, and WILL start the next time you need the generator.
9) Don't forget that a generator without an oil filter needs an oil change every 50 hours. So every 2 days running during an outage, you should be changing the oil. Many many folks blow up their generators during hurricane outages because they miss this important step. Its not a car that you change the oil once a year. Yes, it needs an oil change every 2-3 days (when in use)

 

[bubbatime]

In the EU2200i owners manual on page 14, Honda says they recommend 10W-30 API-SJ rated oil. The SJ spec is from 1997. I think oil has improved a bit since then and any modern oil will meet warranty requirements.

Yes the latest SP rated oil is backwards compatible. Meaning it can be used in old stuff calling for SJ oil.

 

[nitesit(+ an e)]

I still have several quarts of Honda 20W50 motorcycle racing oil which I know has higher amounts of friction modifiers (ZDDP/Zinc) because ZDDP was only taken out of automotive use oil.

I save that stuff for the heaviest use engines like generators in the heat of the summer. When that oil runs out I'm going with 15W40 Diesel oil in the generators. I have been buying a gallon every now and then to stock up since it really doesn't have a shelf life. And I buy Yamalube oil for my ATV. Probably has similar protection since it is motorcycle oil. And I buy John Deere oil for the mower.

 

[Teecher45]

Thanks for all of your help guys, it’s really appreciated!
Quick question, extension cords.
The plan is to buy a 12 gauge extension cord with a single outlet to power the fridge for an hour and then switch to the freezer for an hour.
The other outlet is where my question comes in.
That gives us 2 hours every 4-5 hours or so (to keep the food cold) to charge stuff. I would be using it to power the coffee maker, charge iPhones, and a lamp when it’s dark. I would also maybe need it to charge batteries for the drill, etc.
Thinking it would be 50’ in length. What gauge should I use for that?
Thanks again!


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[glockspringfieldkeltec]

I have had one of these for a few years, it powers my fully loaded popup camper all day long. for a fraction of the price of the overpriced honda, I went to a local shop that sells generators and we started up a honda and this one and the champion was quieter. 2000-Watt Inverter - Champion Power Equipment

 

[bubbatime]

The plan is to buy a 12 gauge extension cord with a single outlet to power the fridge for an hour and then switch to the freezer for an hour.

Thats fine. 12 gauge is appropriate for the load.

Unless your fridge and freezer are ancient, you can plug both of them in at the same time no problem.

Get a triple tap 2 ft extension cord adapter, and that way you only have to run one cord into the house. You can use the other two outlets to charge your devices.

2 ft. Triple Tap 3 Outlet Extension Cord

Amazing deals on this 3-Way Grounded Power Outlet W/ 2 Ft. Cord at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

 

[Teecher45]

I have had one of these for a few years, it powers my fully loaded popup camper all day long. for a fraction of the price of the overpriced honda, I went to a local shop that sells generators and we started up a honda and this one and the champion was quieter. 2000-Watt Inverter - Champion Power Equipment

Thanks. But I’ve already bought the little Honda.
We had tornadoes in our area and it made me “get my butt in gear” so to speak.
The problem was there were no generators to be found after that.
I called every Champion, Generac, Yamaha, and Honda dealer within 2 hours of us, they were all sold out. The only generators some of them had were name brands I had never heard of.
I finally found the Honda a little more than 2 hours away from us and just went and got it.


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[Teecher45]

Thats fine. 12 gauge is appropriate for the load.

Unless your fridge and freezer are ancient, you can plug both of them in at the same time no problem.

Get a triple tap 2 ft extension cord adapter, and that way you only have to run one cord into the house. You can use the other two outlets to charge your devices.

2 ft. Triple Tap 3 Outlet Extension Cord

Amazing deals on this 3-Way Grounded Power Outlet W/ 2 Ft. Cord at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.

www.harborfreight.com

Thanks bubba, I actually have a 12 gauge extension cord already purchased and a triple tap 2’ adapter, lol.
Just wasn’t sure it would power everything from one cord.
The refrigerator was just purchased last summer, it’s pretty efficient. The deep freezer is about 10 yo.
The reason I asked is my wife purchased me an extension cord for a stocking-stuffer (trying to be helpful) but it’s a 16 gauge, wasn’t sure if it was strong enough to power the coffee maker, a lamp, and charge a couple of cell phones.
I have read some where that it’s best to split the load on a generator on the 2 outlets. Thinking 1 outlet would be just fridge and freezer on 1 cord and the coffee maker/lamp/cell phones on another cord from the other outlet.
Not necessary?


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[tom mac]

The SJ - or better- many are SN or SP now, is a rating for gasoline engines, Rotella does not have a rating for gasoline engines. I have wondered why OPE makes do not include oils for diesel engines, because like I said before - Rotella is most likely a better oil than Honda recommends - but technically it is not an approved oil for a Honda generator.

Love the Rotella syn... use it it my big 7k gen and also my 1300cc honda MC ( over 100k mile )

 

[bubbatime]

I have read some where that it’s best to split the load on a generator on the 2 outlets

You do that on 240V generators. Half of it’s available power will be on one set of outlets ,and the other half of it’s available power will be on the opposite set of outlets.

The generator is rated for 1800 watts (15 amps) continuous, which is the limit of one receptacle. The inverters work differently than a conventional 240v generator, so no need to try and “balance” the recepticles.

 

[Teecher45]

You do that on 240V generators. Half of it’s available power will be on one set of outlets ,and the other half of it’s available power will be on the opposite set of outlets.

The generator is rated for 1800 watts (15 amps) continuous, which is the limit of one receptacle. The inverters work differently than a conventional 240v generator, so no need to try and “balance” the recepticles.

Thanks bubba, I sure do appreciate it!


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