Westinghouse 12500 Watt Dual Fuel Home Backup Portable Generator, Remote Electric Start, Transfer Switch Ready, Gas and Propane Powered

Westinghouse WGen9500DF ReviewDelivery and Unboxing:The generator arrived three days earlier than the original estimate from Amazon in good condition. I live in the country about 30 miles from Houston so this was a pleasant surprise. I opened the top of the box and found the owner's manual on top of a sheet of cardboard that covered the generator. Since the generator is too heavy to lift out of the box, I consulted the manual to see if it suggested an unboxing method. I didn't find any. My first thought was to cut all around the bottom of the box and lift it off but that appeared to be a lot of work, so instead I cut the corners of one side of the box from top to bottom to let the side flap down. I then pulled the generator out onto the flap. I then placed the cardboard sheet that was on top of the generator on the ground at the end of the generator opposite the handle. I then tilted the generator up by the handle so the opposite end rested on the cardboard. I then attached the wheels and feet as describe in the manual using the wrench supplied in the tool kit. This kit contains a spark plug wrench and an open end wrench. After lowering the generator down on its feet, I found it easy to move around. It has nice big, 10" wheels with bearings.Inspection and make ready:I inspected the control panel, the engine wiring, carburetor, gas tank, gas lines, propane line, fuel selector valve and anything else that caught my eye. Everything appeared to be in good order without a scratch or blemish. The remote start device was found attached to the pull start rope at the handle. The 50 amp outlet on the control panel is to the left of the wheel so that the wheel doesn't interfere with a 50 amp right angle plug and cable hanging down. I mention this because it appears that a previous version of this generator had the 50 amp outlet right over the wheel.The next thing I did was fill the crankcase with the supplied oil using the supplied funnel. The oil plug/dipstick screws in so I consulted the manual to see if the oil level is checked with the plug screwed in or not. The manual says to check the oil level without screwing in the plug. I found that adding the full quart of oil brought the dipstick up to the full mark. I then connected the battery.Operation and performance:I connected a 20 lb propane cylinder using the supplied regulator and hose and opened the cylinder valve. I also put some gas in the tank. I then turned on the battery switch. The generator won't run if this switch is off. This switch can also be used to quickly stop the engine. The control panel Start/Stop button worked with the fuel selector switch set to propane or gasoline. The remote key fob also worked. I next was able to start it with the recoil starter on propane or gasoline. I also tried the recoil starter with the battery disconnected to simulate a dead battery. This sometime worked but mostly didn't. I suspect that when using the recoil starter, the battery just needs enough charge to run the control panel. If this is the case then the battery would need to be really dead to prevent the recoil starter from working.I checked the voltage and frequency output with a digital multimeter. The voltage was 244 VAC and the frequency was 63 Hz in agreement with the control panel meter. I also connected an AC power monitor and measured the total harmonic distortion (THD) to be 13% while powering two 1500 watt space heaters. For comparison, this same power monitor measured 4% THD for utility power. Not bad. My only complaint is that I put at least a gallon or two in the gas tank but the gas gage didn't register at all even after raising and lowering the generator handle to slosh the gas around.Conclusion:The generator arrived quickly in good shape and worked as advertised. I'm a happy camper.Robert3/19/2025

I've never had a generator before, so am new to all of this. I bought the Westinghouse WGen9500DF, which on Amazon is listed as "Westinghouse 12500 Watt Dual Fuel Home Backup Portable Generator" The 12500 is the max starting watts, not the 12500 model, so that's a little confusing.So far, I am impressed with my purchase. Everything they promised appears to have been included. It seems well made, so hopefully that is true of all of the components and it will not only work whenever we need power, but it will do so for years to come.There was a little bit of an issue setting up the appointment for delivery. I think this was on the delivery company, XPO I think they said it was. I got a computerized call evidently trying to confirm the original setup date and time and it said, "Press one to confirm" or something like that, I pressed one, heard a strange computerized sound, and then the call disconnected. So, I figured that it was done. Got another call 10 or 15 minutes later that seemed to be the same thing, but this time I ended up talking to someone. So we confirmed it was all set up, which seemed like a bit much because I had indicated that the delivery date and time that was suggested when I ordered it was going to be fine. Later when I went to look at the track your order thing on Amazon it said something about how there was a problem with confirming delivery, so that was a little disconcerting. I decided that must have come from the first call that disconnected. Eventually that page showed that the delivery date and time was confirmed, but the note about there being a problem setting it up remained, so...it remained a little concerning. They appeared pretty serious about confirming delivery though. I lost track of how many times they called but I thought it was more than should have been necessary.The delivery was set for between 9 and noon. I think they got there about 10:15.The delivery guys were okay. I was told I would get a phone call 30 minutes before delivery. They called and said they were 2 minutes from my house. Not a really big deal, but I wasn't ready to answer the door. I was sort of counting on the 30 minutes, but very excited to get the generator. They were out in front of my house before I was, but I am pretty sure they really were about 2 minutes out as they had said. They evidently were not allowed to leave the generator in my back yard, which was what I had planned. They waited patiently while I moved my car out of the garage where I guess they are allowed to leave it. They waited again while I unboxed the generator and looked for any obvious damage. The box had a hole in the bottom of it, but I didn't find the generator to be damaged in that spot or any other. I was a little concerned because I had to cut the box off of the generator and when I asked how they would take it back if it were damaged, the one delivery guy said they wouldn't take it back. He later re-thought that and said they would. Evidently they deliver for many different companies and Amazon has different policies regarding accepting delivery than the others. But again, it wasn't damaged, so no problem.I was surprised that the 1.16 quarts of oil that came with it didn't quite fill it enough. I had to add a little bit. The funnel they sent worked great. I thought it was interesting that the maintenance instructions said to check the oil level without screwing the plug/dipstick in. It seemed a little difficult to be sure it was measuring properly without securing it by screwing it in. When I got enough oil in it I kept cross threading the plug, but eventually managed to get it in there properly. User error, I am sure. I liked that they sent a real wrench to use to tighten up the feet. They also included a spark plug wrench, which I haven't needed so far, but expect I will at some point. An nice extra little touch was that the two wrenches were in a little black bag that said Westinghouse on it. I expect this will be really helpful whenever I need to change the spark plug...maybe I'll notice that little bag and use their wrench, rather than it just sitting loose in my toolbox and my wondering what the heck that was for. This is my first Westinghouse product, so I will hopefully be able to quickly determine that it must go to the generator. The instructions said to set the generator on the exhaust side to put the feet and wheels on, so I did that. Instructions had also said to do this on a piece of cardboard or something similar to keep from scratching it up. I had to prop the bottom up a little to get the wheels on, which I think there may have been enough clearance without the cardboard being there. Propping it up was a little challenge because the generator is pretty heavy, but all of the parts were there and fit together the way they should; it was pretty easy to put on the feet and wheels. Once I had the wheels and feet on I found the generator to be pretty easy to move in spite of it's weight. The wheels and the handle appear to be up to the task. I moved the generator out beside the garage, which is where I anticipate will be where it will run when in actual use. I attached the propane hose that came with it to one of the tanks I have for my grill. Used the fob to start it up and it started right away. One "problem" was/is that it is really loud. However, I expected it to be pretty loud, so I certainly don't blame anyone for that. I left it running and went in the house and while I could hear it, it didn't appear that the noise would be any more disruptive than a gas powered lawnmower running outside. I pressed the button on the fob and it shut down as expected. Later I tried starting it again and had another user issue. I had attached a little gauge to the propane tank to see how much propane was still in it, and then attached the hose to the generator. Then tried to start it by pressing the button on the panel rather than using the fob. And it wouldn't start. It tried and tried. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts, I switched the battery switch to off and it stopped trying. That's when I realized I had neglected to open the valve on the propane tank, so of course it wouldn't start. So, remedied that, tried it again, still wouldn't start. At this point I removed the gauge, hooked it back up, and it started. Now however, I don't know if the second attempt when it wouldn't start was due to the gauge limiting the propane flow, or just having tried to start it with the valve off. I will likely try again with the gauge and see what happens. I plugged my circular saw into each of the four 20 amp outlets and they all worked fine. I haven't yet tested the 30 or 50 amp outlets. I have an electrician coming to install a transfer switch and expect that I will be able to test them then...as well as testing a "real" electrical load. I have not tested it with gasoline either. If it will run the whole house, or most of it anyway, on propane, I may not use the gasoline option as I would rather not deal with all of the potential issues with storing the fuel itself, stabilizer, etc., but also keeping the generator from getting all gummed up, like draining the fuel bowl etc. Anyway, I am pretty satisfied so far.