Westinghouse WGen20000 - 20000/28000W Portable Generator

Westinghouse WGen20000 Review: For the most part, I agree with GeneratorBible.com’s review; overall, the thing is awesome. But they forgot some strengths, and mislabeled some of them as weaknesses.

The WGen20k is relatively clean-burning, which is nice even outside of California (mentioned in the review, but not as a strength); and while a Remote-Starter sounds nice, it would require an Automatic Choke and some Computer Circuitry, which would drive up the price (I paid about half of what Amazon’s currently charging, and it was still a lot), so I can see why they left ‘em out. They also list the lack of Recoil Starter and extra Weight as weaknesses, but neither is necessarily bad…

First, have you ever pulled the recoil cord on a lawnmower and encountered what’s known as ‘Kickback’ — it’s not much fun (and that’s with a small 150cc engine). Now imagine that same thing with a 1,000cc engine — holy cats, you’d lose an arm! Second, if you need to maneuver it around various job-sites every day, then yeah, the Weight would be an issue… but if you’re using it for residential back-up power, it’s a plus; I took the wheels, handles, and lifting hook off of mine, and chained it to a concrete pad. Now let’s say you’re a thief looking for a Generator; with a full tank, this thing weighs almost 650-lbs, but even with 4 big guys and a die grinder, each grabbing a corner and trying to coordinate their shuffling — they’re not going to accomplish much without a lot of time, energy, noise, sparks, and other unwanted attention (security lights and cameras) — and while my 12ga would unfortunately put a sizable divot in my lawn, the sound alone would be enough to wake God, and all the neighbors in a half-mile radius, and send those would-be thieves a running.

They also forgot a couple of weaknesses: 1st, the Dip-Stick is almost unreadable — which is important because the oil-level is crucial, and there’s not much of it (so there ain’t much difference between the minimum and maximum levels); and 2nd, the Ignition-Keys suck.

I use a 6,000 lumen shop light to help decipher the Dip-Stick enigma (not much else I can do), but the Keys have a plastic shroud around the head that’s designed to fit over the ignition-cylinder, but the shrouds are warped, and the plastic is hard (one of ‘em wouldn’t even fully engage, with a strong effort). So I had new Keys made at a locksmith (from Ilco X259 blanks).

I read a little about this Generator in some online-forums — before it was even available, and found people complaining that it’s just too much. I think they’re overlooking one important concept; just because your house draws 10 kilowatts, and you buy a 10 kilowatt Generator — that doesn’t mean you have a ‘whole-house’ Generator — far from it. Every manufacturer lists their Generator’s fuel consumption at 50% load. There’s a reason for that, and it’s the same reason that automotive manufacturers equip cars with engines capable of pushing them to twice the speed limit, or more. If every American road were built like the Autobahn, and everyone drove their Fords and Chevys flat-out everywhere they went (assuming they had the skills), they’d blow their engines in less than a week. So if you run your Generator at no more than say 60 or 70%, it’ll last years, maybe decades longer than if you drive it like a teenager.

The estimated maximum running-wattage of my small, 1,000 sq ft house (with everything going, all at once), is between about 9,000 and 15,000 watts (summer use is less than winter, spring and fall are lower still), so even I have to be a little careful during winter outages — what the house lacks in size, it makes up for with inefficiency (Radiant Ceiling Heat, circa 1962… God, what a bad idea).

Suggestions: With the standard 2-Wheels, I found it surprisingly easy working my way into holes (in gravel and loose soil — I’m assuming mud as well), but that’s okay because at almost 550-lbs Dry, it’s loads of fun getting back out. Farmers and Construction Workers could keep the thing in a dedicated truck, but that’s less convenient in use, and ties up an entire truck for the duration of the project. But if the Generator had 4-Wheels instead of 2, that would increase maneuverability even on solid ground. Relocate the 2 existing wheels farther forward, add 2 more (on castors) in back, and viola. I’ve seen 4-Wheel ‘kits’ to adapt certain (smaller) Honda Generators, but they are unsteerable — or rather, ‘skid’ steerable, which presents a whole new set of problems.

A small Motor driving those 2 castors would improve handling even more. It would also require a larger battery, more circuitry, and a subsequent increase in price (maybe they could make it a factory ‘Option’). If they could keep the price reasonable, the WGen20k would immediately become the ‘Must-Have’ generator for anyone seeking a ton of power; Contractors, Suburbanites, even people out in Rural areas (City-dwellers, probably not — they don’t typically have the space for something this big).

Dual-Fuel Capability would also be nice (but would also up the price)… same for a Remote-Starter (and the price-tag), so maybe these could all be Options. Speaking of optional equipment, how about a larger Fuel-Tank? You could increase the capacity to 50-Gallons, and only increase the overall height by 7.5-Inches — or 100-Gallons, with an extra 15-Inches. These would also cost more and weigh a ton (when full), but they’d be an option, and that Motor-Drive would ease the weight, and the extra fuel would prove extremely useful… not just for Contractors working on jobs that last longer than a day; but also Suburbanites looking for an affordable, whole-house solution; and people living out in Rural areas (even Farmers and Ranchers need affordable, continuous power when the grid goes down). Filling a Tank that large would be interesting. I currently keep a half-dozen 5-Gallon Jerry Cans nearby, but if this thing had a 50 or 100-Gallon Tank, I’d either call a Fuel Delivery Company, or buy a 50 or 100-Gallon Fuel Transfer/Storage Tank, with a 12v Pump.

The WGen20k Generator currently comes with a small custom-made funnel, which is handy when changing the oil. But what I’d really like is a ‘large’ funnel, for gassing it up. I use a Step-Stool (because holding a 35-lb jerry-can down around your hips, is a whole lot easier than up around your chin), but if the Generator came with a built-in, folding Step-Stool, that would make things easier. Now that I think of it, a Locking Gas-Cap wouldn’t suck. And if they could mount the Control-Panel and Dashboard up higher on the Frame, that would be more convenient (less bending over)… at least for us snowflake Suburbanites (Contractors and Country-Folk wouldn’t give a f__k).

One last suggestion for people using Portables as whole-house Generators; invest in a $20 Utility Power Return Alarm — a small box that beeps loudly when the power comes back (otherwise, you could be generating unnecessarily for hours, blissfully ignorant).

If Westinghouse could add these things (along with a functional Dip-Stick, and set of Keys), and keep the MSRP within say $750 of what it is now, then their WGen20k would corner the market for high-output Generators. As is, it’s still pretty useful, and affordable. I was tempted to give it 4-Stars, but I can’t really fault a product for falling short of ‘potential’ — no other Generator offers my suggestions, so if Westinghouse (or some other company) does so in the future, then that’d be a bonus. Then I thought about giving it 1-Star, because manufacturers only read and repond to those, but that would be misleading and dishonest — and I’m not a corporation, or an a-hole (though some might argue that last point).