# Westinghouse 5300df



## Ladd of the north (Feb 26, 2021)

Does anyone have experience with westinghouse 5300df or advice


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## Browse Deweb (Jan 16, 2021)

Non inverter and 68dB. Personally, I wouldn't buy this generator unless it is for a construction site.


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## LaSwamp (Mar 16, 2021)

Seems nice for what it is. Lots of power. It really depends on what you plan to use it for. Sam's has them on sale for a pretty good price.


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## LaSwamp (Mar 16, 2021)

Looks like the site malfunctioned and double tapped.


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## LaSwamp (Mar 16, 2021)

And a triple tap!


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## Ladd of the north (Feb 26, 2021)

Browse Deweb said:


> Non inverter and 68dB. Personally, I wouldn't buy this generator unless it is for a construction site.


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## Ladd of the north (Feb 26, 2021)

Why only on a construction sight 5300df westinghouse


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## Browse Deweb (Jan 16, 2021)

Ladd of the north said:


> Why only on a construction sight 5300df westinghouse


Inverter generators produce a perfect sine wave (or close to it). This is important for sensitive electronics found in most homes. Job site generators are typically used for power tools which don't need a pure sine wave to operate.


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## Airstreamer67 (Oct 3, 2020)

I'm not sure that most homes need inverter generators. Mine doesn't. And I don't have one.

Of course, I also don't use synthetic oil. Or magnetic dip sticks. Or double the StaBil dose. Or....well, you get the drift. There's other ways and means to get things done sometimes.


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## MabryDozier (May 29, 2021)

I just bought one of these for hopefully occasional use. (I live on the Gulf coast prone to hurricanes). 

No doubt it is an inexpensive generator and often you get what you pay for...

I have my house wired with a transfer switch which I hope to feed with this generator, then manage what I want to turn on with my breaker panels. I am mostly hoping for refrigerator and some lights. 

Television would be a nice plus.

I am wondering if there a reasonably priced device I can connect between my generator an home to help with the dirty power concerns. Or would a surge protector connected to each TV help?

Even my refrigerator has electronics now (a modern KitchenAid).

I do also have a smaller honda inverter generator, but wouldn’t work connecting to my 220V transfer switch, and is even smaller.

Any advice is appreciated. 

Thanks,

Mabry


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## LaSwamp (Mar 16, 2021)

MabryDozier said:


> I just bought one of these for hopefully occasional use. (I live on the Gulf coast prone to hurricanes).
> 
> No doubt it is an inexpensive generator and often you get what you pay for...
> 
> ...


THD for that model is high, around 23%. You can try using UPSs to clean up the power although a lot of them won't function properly with that much THD. There are different schools of thought on THD, with some thinking it's no big deal and others thinking you really need an inverter if you're going to use electronics with it. I have a friend who used a Predator 7k generator for several days in February. He ran most of his house on it with no issues. I suspect it probably puts out at least that much THD.


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## MabryDozier (May 29, 2021)

LaSwamp said:


> THD for that model is high, around 23%. You can try using UPSs to clean up the power although a lot of them won't function properly with that much THD. There are different schools of thought on THD, with some thinking it's no big deal and others thinking you really need an inverter if you're going to use electronics with it. I have a friend who used a Predator 7k generator for several days in February. He ran most of his house on it with no issues. I suspect it probably puts out at least that much THD.


Thanks for the reply. I did notice the high THD. I guess difficult to know what might be damaged by that high of THD. 
thanks again.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

you can try a power conditioner like the use for pro sound live concerts.
they are a good idea for any stereo or tv gear.
pm me if you need help on good units.


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## Airstreamer67 (Oct 3, 2020)

I have two conventional generators that power all 120V circuits in the house. I use one at a time and use the other as a backup, which comes in handy sometimes.

When I got tired of stringing electrical cords all over the place every time we had an outage, I hired an electrician to install a manual transfer switch so that the generator can power all 120V circuits in the house through one 8 gauge wire. Even though my generators produce 240V power, I didn't want to service any big 240V appliances with the generator because I don't have natural gas service, and I don't want a generator that uses too much fuel for me to have in storage during longer outages.

My old conventional gensets have successfully powered anything and everything on my 120V circuits: refrigerators, freezers, computers, TVs, satellite dishes, etc and etc. I haven't found anything yet that complains about the conventional sinewaves. None of my appliances have been damaged that I can tell with straight service from the generator windings.

Even though I don't have an inverter to enhance power quality, I do have a SurgeGuard unit that I bought for use with my travel trailer. Too often, old, poorly designed campground circuits will provide under-voltage or spiked-over-voltage service which can be destructive to appliances. The SurgeGuard protects against that, and it has helped me several times on the road and once at home when using a generator. The time at home it helped was when my generator began falling behind the load and producing voltage too low. The SurgeGuard immediately detected the problem and cut the service before the voltage got low enough to damage anything. I later tested the generator, and found that it would allow service below 90 volts without tripping, and so the SurgeGuard was a valuable tool for me to have. I've read that inverter generators can also provide damagingly low-voltage service if the inverter goes haywire.

You pays your money and takes your choice.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

yup the surge guard units rock for sure!


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## Airstreamer67 (Oct 3, 2020)

One caveat about the Surge Guard:

Mine is a few years old. I have recently been made aware that the latest version of the unit has the following spec for the 50A Surge Guard units like mine:

"The new EPO (emergency power off) units will automatically SHUT DOWN power if there are dangerous conditions of too high or low voltage, open ground or open neutral, as well as more."

My older Surge Guard unit is not designed to detect open ground or open neutral situations, so it works with my home generator which has a floating neutral. In contrast, the new units seem to note that situation. As such, it may be problematic when trying to use the new-issue Surge Guards with "floating neutral" generators. Many generators are configured with "floating neutrals" (their neutrals and grounds are electrically separated and are not bonded together) for use when servicing home panels in order to meet code specifying that only one neutral-ground bond be in the circuit, and that bond being at the home's service entry panel.

If one were to be interested in the new Surge Guards, I'd call the company to discuss usage with a generator that has a floating neutral like those designed for use with the neutral bonded at the home's service panel. It very well may not work with those anymore.


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## MabryDozier (May 29, 2021)

iowagold said:


> you can try a power conditioner like the use for pro sound live concerts.
> they are a good idea for any stereo or tv gear.
> pm me if you need help on good units.





Airstreamer67 said:


> One caveat about the Surge Guard:
> 
> Mine is a few years old. I have recently been made aware that the latest version of the unit has the following spec for the 50A Surge Guard units like mine:
> 
> ...





Airstreamer67 said:


> One caveat about the Surge Guard:
> 
> Mine is a few years old. I have recently been made aware that the latest version of the unit has the following spec for the 50A Surge Guard units like mine:
> 
> ...


Thanks all for the information and good advice.

Is there a Surge Guard model that I could plug into the generator then feed the transfer switch plug? The ones I see are 120 V.


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## Airstreamer67 (Oct 3, 2020)

You would need to look up the current Surge Guard models available. The one I have was purchased in 2012 and has a 50 Amp max capacity. The four-prong L14-30 receptacle accommodates 2 120V lines, which can be combined for 240V service at the service entrance transfer switch. 

Be sure to check out the specs for the current models. Especially note the issue of a floating neutral on the generator, as mentioned in my post.


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

Standard 3600rpm alternator style generators have a place, but they are not trendy like modern inverter units. If cheap, loud, and thirsty works for you then by all means, save the money. 

Though the price gap is quite small these days. Open frame inverter units are only a couple hundred more then a conventional generator at the same wattage rating.


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