# Champion Invertor Generators



## agksimon (Jan 25, 2021)

I have a Champion invertor generator 100520 (they're battery and recoil start) and my daughter has a Champion generator 100519 (recoil start). I take them out once a year and run them for about 15 minutes. I then siphon out the gas and run them dry, using the choke to get all the gas sucked out of the carburetor and then pull the recoil start to store them on the compression stroke. Both start immediately and run perfectly. I also have 1500 watt space heaters plugged into each phase to make sure they're producing current. Nothing like a little PM to make sure they work when you need them.


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## Macko (Jul 12, 2021)

Might want to put a battery tender to make sure the battery is good in the 100520. How long you had them? Did you mod to make them floating neutral?


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## agksimon (Jan 25, 2021)

Macko said:


> Might want to put a battery tender to make sure the battery is good in the 100520. How long you had them? Did you mod to make them floating neutral?


I have a battery tender on it, otherwise it never would have started with the battery. I keep one on my riding mower too.
I did not modify the neutral or do anything else to either one. They work fine when testing or during power outages the way they are.


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## sdowney717 (12 mo ago)

Macko said:


> Might want to put a battery tender to make sure the battery is good in the 100520. How long you had them? Did you mod to make them floating neutral?


Most Champion generators are OEM floating neutral, from what I have read.









Disconnecting the Neutral Bond to Frame


For certain generator applications, a qualified electrician may recommend removing the neutral bond to the generator frame, resulting in a "floating neutral." Feeding electrical power to a house thro…




help.championpowerequipment.com




.

*What does "Floating Neutral" on My Generator mean?*

Most Champion Power Equipment generators have a "floating neutral", meaning that the neutral circuit is not connected to the frame or to earth ground*. This also means that both legs on the receptacle are hot legs, which is normal for floating neutral generators. As a result, there is no specific hot leg and neutral leg wiring arrangement for the generator winding connection to the receptacle.* The floating neutral configuration is common for applications such as connection to a recreational vehicle and connection to home power where the transfer switch does not switch out the neutral to ground connection.

*The floating neutral eliminates the potential of being shocked by contacting a hot leg and the generator frame at the same time, which could occur if an electrical device such as a hand held tool suffered from an internal short circuit.*


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## sdowney717 (12 mo ago)

Actually I think the above that I bolded for floating neutral generators is an interesting statement, that most people are not thinking like this. This is coming straight from the manufacturer.

YUP, shock potential reduced for the situation described with floating neutral gen, unless you actually become part of the circuit itself so that your the load, one hand on hot, other on neutral so to speak. Energizing the gen frame with hot will do nothing to harm you unless your also touching the neutral connection, it is it's own separate power origination, all the power is coming from the spinning generator. There is no other power interaction with utility power.


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## sdowney717 (12 mo ago)

Just like birds on a wire dont get electrocuted, Take the cover off your breaker panel, and if your not grounded, you can touch the 200 amp hot wire at the main breaker and you will feel nothing. There is no circuit path to complete the circuit back to neutral. Of course doing it is a risk, maybe your other hand brushes the metal grounded panel, so I don't do such a thing, I also wear gloves, like If I tighten up the SEC connections from the utility. I have seen them get loose and loose with high current creates heat which then makes it looser, but not often are they loose. I still like GFCI a lot as it mostly eliminates dying of accidental electric shock, but not all of the risk of dying, you can still become part of the circuit if the hot wire makes connection to your flesh and you touch the neutral, your nothing but a normal load then like a light bulb. But then there is multiple failures taking place.
GFCI, means only ground fault interrupter, not hot to neutral interrupter. GROUND FAULT ONLY.


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## sdowney717 (12 mo ago)

Another thing people seem to forget, Neutral is a current carrying conductor, break the neutral wire, hold one end in one hand, and the other end in the other and your going to feel it, your electrocuted. GFCI is not going to save you, unless your body is also grounded some where. GFCI is reacting only to ground faults of current flow to ground, Ground is not a current carrying wire unless a ground fault has occurred.


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## agksimon (Jan 25, 2021)

My 100520 and 100519 have an R30, four wire connection, which means a neutral and a ground. I feel very safe as is.


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## OrlyP (Oct 19, 2021)

agksimon said:


> I have a Champion invertor generator 100520 (they're battery and recoil start) and my daughter has a Champion generator 100519 (recoil start). I take them out once a year and run them for about 15 minutes. I then siphon out the gas and run them dry, using the choke to get all the gas sucked out of the carburetor and then pull the recoil start to store them on the compression stroke. Both start immediately and run perfectly. I also have 1500 watt space heaters plugged into each phase to make sure they're producing current. Nothing like a little PM to make sure they work when you need them.
> View attachment 11479


You know, you could just put in a quart or less of gas and let it run until it flames out. That'll save you the effort of having to drain it afterwards. It's an inverter so a qt can probably last half an hour, give or take. That's probably enough workload to vaporize any condensation that's built-up in the crankcase.


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## GenKnot (Dec 20, 2021)

sdowney717 said:


> Most Champion generators are OEM floating neutral, from what I have read.


Not these units.

The Champion 100519 & 100520 inverter generators come from the factory as bonded neutral units. If, for some reason, you wish to convert to unbonded N-G, then here are the instructions (100520 is the same procedure)...








Disconnecting the Neutral Bond to Ground (100519)


Please read instructions carefully and completely before performing service. SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. To reduce the risk of injury, the user must read and understand the Warning and Safety sections found…




help.championpowerequipment.com


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## agksimon (Jan 25, 2021)

OrlyP said:


> You know, you could just put in a quart or less of gas and let it run until it flames out. That'll save you the effort of having to drain it afterwards. It's an inverter so a qt can probably last half an hour, give or take. That's probably enough workload to vaporize any condensation that's built-up in the crankcase.


This year, I'm only going to put in a half-pint, which will last about 15 minutes. I'll still need to run the carb dry by choking it, as residual gas settles into the bowl after running it dry the first time. I want it all out.


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## OrlyP (Oct 19, 2021)

agksimon said:


> This year, I'm only going to put in a half-pint, which will last about 15 minutes. I'll still need to run the carb dry by choking it, as residual gas settles into the bowl after running it dry the first time. I want it all out.


That is true. If your carb has a drain bolt, you can crack it open and leave it for a few hours before tightening it back up. That should allow any residual gas to evaporate rather quickly and not have too much dwell time inside the bowl to cause any issues down the road.


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## sdowney717 (12 mo ago)

OrlyP said:


> That is true. If your carb has a drain bolt, you can crack it open and leave it for a few hours before tightening it back up. That should allow any residual gas to evaporate rather quickly and not have too much dwell time inside the bowl to cause any issues down the road.


If it doesn't you can loosen the bowl bolt. Even with running it dry, the main jet can be higher up than bottom of the bowl. A surprising amount stays in the bowl


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## sdowney717 (12 mo ago)

And the filter and line can retain gas. I have drained carbs then rechecking gas is sitting there


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## agksimon (Jan 25, 2021)

I forgot to mention that I use a double amount of Sta-Bil 360 in the gas. It's "supposed" to neutralize the ethanol and basically turn it into recreational gas. I also run it out on my inclined driveway, with the gas tank outlet toward the bottom. I've been doing it this way for all of my small engines for fifty years and they have never failed to start or run within the first second.


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## sdowney717 (12 mo ago)

P


agksimon said:


> I forgot to mention that I use a double amount of Sta-Bil 360 in the gas. It's "supposed" to neutralize the ethanol and basically turn it into recreational gas. I also run it out on my inclined driveway, with the gas tank outlet toward the bottom. I've been doing it this way for all of my small engines for fifty years and they have never failed to start or run within the first second.


I don't use any thing in gas. I recently changed the tank valve so it can direct gas to engine or drain it all out.


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## LaSwamp (Mar 16, 2021)

If I know I'm not going to use the generator for a while, I'll drop the entire carb bowl. I'll spray some carb cleaner in the jets, let it dry out, and then put the bowl back on. After that, the generator is ready for storage. I've not had any more carb issues after switching to that procedure.


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## sdowney717 (12 mo ago)

LaSwamp said:


> If I know I'm not going to use the generator for a while, I'll drop the entire carb bowl. I'll spray some carb cleaner in the jets, let it dry out, and then put the bowl back on. After that, the generator is ready for storage. I've not had any more carb issues after switching to that procedure.


yes good idea. Easy to do on my TroyBilt but it actually has a low bowl drain that drains it all out.
My Generac though to do that is hard, a bracket has removed, meaning aircleaner housing bolts and 2 bolts on the engine cowl, they did not give me a bowl drain screw either. Bracket its right under carb bowl at an angle. without removing anything, bowl bolt can be loosened with a small wrench, no room for socket


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## LaSwamp (Mar 16, 2021)

sdowney717 said:


> yes good idea. Easy to do on my TroyBilt but it actually has a low bowl drain that drains it all out.
> My Generac though to do that is hard, a bracket has removed, meaning aircleaner housing bolts and 2 bolts on the engine cowl, they did not give me a bowl drain screw either. Bracket its right under carb bowl at an angle. without removing anything, bowl bolt can be loosened with a small wrench, no room for socket


My Coleman, with a B&S engine, is weird like that. The bowl is held on by two bolts. There is no center bolt at the base of the bowl holding it in place. I haven't used it much since it doesn't make very clean power and my brother in law still has it from after Hurricane Ida. If I ever get it back from him, it should make for a nice loaner.


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## OrlyP (Oct 19, 2021)

Certain Honda and Honda-clone carbs have the fuel cut-off solenoid at the bottom of the bowl making it a bit more involved to remove.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

agksimon said:


> I forgot to mention that I use a double amount of Sta-Bil 360 in the gas. It's "supposed" to neutralize the ethanol and basically turn it into recreational gas. I also run it out on my inclined driveway, with the gas tank outlet toward the bottom. I've been doing it this way for all of my small engines for fifty years and they have never failed to start or run within the first second.


it is the acid and salts in the ethanol that is the issue...
left overs from how they make the ethanol.
sure it is on PPM.... but that is all it takes for an electrolyte...

add in a bit of moisture and electrical difference and you have a REAL mess in no time!
parts plate out etc.


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## StormReady (Aug 21, 2021)

iowagold said:


> it is the acid and salts in the ethanol that is the issue...
> left overs from how they make the ethanol.
> sure it is on PPM.... but that is all it takes for an electrolyte...
> 
> ...


Now I'm confused. I thought the general consensus was to leave non ethanol gas with additive in gen and not drain unless a year or so has passed rather than draining dry as what this thread is describing.


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## somedumbguy (Sep 17, 2020)

GenKnot said:


> Not these units.
> 
> The Champion 100519 & 100520 inverter generators come from the factory as bonded neutral units. If, for some reason, you wish to convert to unbonded N-G, then here are the instructions (100520 is the same procedure)...


Yes; That is my experience. I have a 100519 bought in 2020. It was delivered (new) with a bonded neutral. But I wanted to use it to connect to my house wiring system via the 4-wire plug. That requires the bond to be removed (turned into floating neutral) in order to meet electrical code safety requirements. I did that using the same instructions GenKnot provided. Note that these instructions warn that after the bond is removed ... "GFCI receptacles will still provide power, but the ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) will not function." I'm not sure exactly what situations they are referring to. I believe they are talking about the GFCI outlets built into the generator. I ONLY use this generator when it is attached to the house wiring panel via the 4-wire plug and I'm pretty sure that the GFCI outlets in the house function properly in that case. (If I wanted to use the generator outside (to power tools at a worksite, for example) I should reattach the bond).


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## GenKnot (Dec 20, 2021)

somedumbguy said:


> I'm not sure exactly what situations they are referring to. I believe they are talking about the GFCI outlets built into the generator. I ONLY use this generator when it is attached to the house wiring panel via the 4-wire plug and I'm pretty sure that the GFCI outlets in the house function properly in that case.


When you connect to your house the N-G bond is reestablished and the GFCI receptacles will work as before.
It is necessary to remove the bond at the generator because you can only have the system bonded at one location which would be your main panel.


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## sdowney717 (12 mo ago)

agksimon said:


> My 100520 and 100519 have an R30, four wire connection, which means a neutral and a ground. I feel very safe as is.


Yes hard to get shocked from a portable generator. It can be EASIER too get shocked with a bonded neutral to ground than unbonded. Imagine your picking up a soaking wet power tool, like it fell into water, or even salt water, although salt water will be sizzling, you will hear it, being a good conductor, and may trip the breaker. I have a boat, stuff happens. (One time before GFCI, I had a boat window open and a wave came in the window and dribbled into the outlet and it got cooked, gen was running, sizzling and steamy, and popping noises.) Your holding the tool, current can flow from the hot wire thru your hand to the ground wire in the tool, same thing with no ground wire, just a neutral, not a life threatening situation, but you will feel it. but then touch the neutral bonded gen frame, you now have potential current flow from the hand, thru the heart to the gen metal frame (maybe good paint will stop that, so depend what part you touch too), your whole body is now part of the circuit as neutral and ground are joined in the gen, your electrocuted. IF, there was no neutral ground bond, touching the frame means there is no current path as the frame can not be part of the circuit.
That is why GFCI is real good idea on bonded neutral gens.
And good paint on the metal is also a good insulator
And something has to get wet, wires break loose, usually people have to do multiple things wrong to get electrocuted.,


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