DuroMax XP5500EH 5,500-Watt Dual Fuel Portable Generator - Gas & Propane, Electric Start, RV & Emergency Ready

Edit 6/19/25 Strong storm cell came through our area; high winds and driving rain. Moved in and out quickly so everything seemed normal. A few hours later, power went out. Power was out 9 hours. The 1300EH fired right up and ran 8 hours on a full tank of fuel (gas). That seems to be the average time (in hours) with a nominal load. Edit 6/18/25 Still running great. I usually start it by hand just to see if it starts easily and it does. 80 hours on it so far. Have not tried the propane option yet, but have tanks available if needed. I try and run the generator at least every few months (for 15 minutes or so) to ensure the fuel lines stay clear and dust off the cobwebs. Each time I add fuel, I use Stabil fuel stabilizer since its hard to tell how long it might be before the generator is used again. I also add B12 Chemtool to at least one tank of fuel a year. Follow recommendations on B12 can for ratio. The B12 also helps keep varnish and junk from clogging up the carburetor. These two fuel additives work magic when used in small equipment engines that are not run often. You will never have a start-up issue when using these additives. Edit 9/30/24 Generator is running great still. Lost power at 5:40AM due to remnants of Hurricane Helene. Power companies are trying to restore power and probably had to shut off adjacent grids to make the repairs. Edit 7/23/22 We recently upgraded to a 3 ton compressor & evap coil (same air handler) due to the previous 2 ton compressor dying a slow death. The 3 ton compressor uses about 1000 watts more than the 2 ton compressor. The XP13000EH can easily handle the extra load. To help with turn-on surge, I turn the air handler fan from AUTO to ON, this way the air handler is already running and when the thermostat calls for AC, only the compressor will need the surge current to get up and running in that split second. With both HVAC units running the load is about 6000 watts, so I have approximately 4500 watts to run the rest of the house, which is more than sufficient to be comfortable when the power is out. As far as sensitive electronics, the only issue I have had is with a UPS (back-up power supply), but other than that, the 13000EH runs everything just fine, no issues. Desktop & laptops use a switching power supply, so those kinds of supplies don't need a perfect sine wave to operate. My old school air handler (regular squirrel cage motor) runs fine of the 13000EH too. End of edits. Original Review: We bought this generator based on other reviews and it has been dependable and powerful. One item that I wish they would address possibly in future models or a change is the muffler; it is a bit loud, but other than that, the generator is awesome. We live in north central North Carolina where power is fairly reliable, but has gone out periodically more than I thought it would and purchased the 13000EH as a whole house generator. The 13000EH is connected thru a 60 amp transfer switch and runs the following with ease: Two 2-ton HVAC heat pump units with gas furnace assist 1000 watt microwave oven Standard size fridge Two chest freezers Home office and networking equipment (computers, printer, etc) TV, Dish receiver, audio equipment Various LED lighting and ceiling fans Two bedrooms (lights and receptacles) Although some reviews have stated that the THD of this generator (this series in general) is higher than some other more expensive brands, we have not had any issues with our computers or other electronics being run off of the 13000EH. The generator has about 50 hours on it. It easily pull starts even though it has an electric starter too. Very happy with it’s performance so far. I have only run it on gasoline so far, not propane, but do have propane tanks as a secondary fuel source.

I only write reviews when I really like something or really hate it. I really like this generator, the DuroMax 12kW. I considered buying a permanent standby generator but I couldn't justify the $20,000 expense (that's what I was quoted by several suppliers here in Naples FL). That said, the Florida heat is insufferable and while a smaller generator could power a room A/C, we really wanted our central air, a new 5 ton 14SEER Carrier unit. The problem is that it demands 144 amps/32kW at start up and no portable can handle that load. After doing some research, I learned about a KICK START (also called a Hard Start) device; essentially a secondary capacitor and regulator that soft starts the AC. $250 later and my big central AC dropped to 38A/8360 measured watts! Exciting, but would it work? I had an electrician wire the inlets (I have two 200 amp service boxes, one for the high amperage stuff including the central AC, stove, pool pump etc. and the other for the rest of the house). I put the 50 amp inlet to the high current box and the 30 amp to the other. The electrician installed the Interlock kits on each service box, along with dedicated breakers for the generator. This is IMPORTANT, even critical, to prevent back flow of the generator current to the grid, which could be lethal to a line worker. It forces you to either use the power from the grid OR the power from the generator, but not both at once. You simply slide the metal plate which allows you to switch on the generator; then back when power is restored. See pictures. The Duromax arrived this morning. It looks great and was not as large as I feared, although it is heavy. I was able to flip it upside down to install the wheels and feet by myself (I'm 60, but in reasonably good shape). On the advice of other reviewers, I didn't bother with the original tires but went to ACE hardware and bought a pair of robust inflatable ones. They may go flat, but I can put air in! The ones that come with it are some sort of hard foam. Time for Duromax to improve the wheels. I also noticed that there are no ORANGE shipping braces as referenced in the manual. Just not there and it appears they aren't needed. There is also no longer a purge value for the propane regulator. Duromax needs to update the manual in this regard, although importantly they did update the regulator. Everything you need to connect to propane is in the box. The unit was a little troublesome to start. As others have noted, I had to move the choke to the mid position to start, then back off quickly when it fired up. Follow the start-up instructions to the letter, including starting with the breaker on the unit set to OFF and the loads off at the service box(es). I connected up and started initially with only the central AC on. The unit powered up and I did a series of fist pumps! Then I turned on the other box fed by the 30 amp circuit and the rest of the house powered up. I didn't press my luck trying to run other heavy loads, like the pool pump or the electric stove, but in an actual power outage I would plan to cycle those loads - turn the AC off to run the pool for a while or heat the hot water for a shower. The main thing was the Central AC. The Duromax is not quiet, but neither are the whole permanent whole home generators. I had the electrician mount the inlets on the side of my home nearest the driveway so I can just roll this out and keep it well removed from the house. With the garage doors shut, it's fine inside (and cool!) You can hear the big Duromax slightly change pitch when the AC comes on but it doesn't seem to be struggling at all. I am IMPRESSED. While I don't want a hurricane knocking out power, I feel like we are now prepared should it happen (and it will down here, just a matter of when). Although I have ordered some 40lb propane tanks (I never intend to put gas in this machine), I tested it for an hour running the whole house using a 20lb tank. I bought a Flameking Bluetooth scale on Amazon and with a full tank starting at 80% after an hour I re-measured. It hardly moved, was still showing 80%! (Yes, the scale works because I've measured other tanks and it stores those results). The base of the 20lb tank was getting a little frosty; I've read that tanks freezing can be a problem but the solution is a bucket of water a few inches up the tank. Overall I highly recommended the Duromax 12kw!

We purchased the 13000 watt. It arrived in perfect condition and arrived just in time for it to be wired in to the house (optional) before the winter storm hit. I advise everyone to read the start up instructions carefully. Especially if you are not mechanically knowledgeable. The instructions are simple and clear but Ive read where people were unaware that you need to remove the red metal shipping brace, connect the Negative Battery Cable and put oil in it first. Not doing those things will obviously prevent it from starting or damaging it. After following all instructions, our electronic start up cranked up immediately. I tested the pull cord and it worked as well. We chose to have an electrician wire it directly into our home. Our friends didnt do that to theirs. They just plug everything in to theirs and that works well too. It basically powers our entire home. Our heating and air, oven, refrigerator, small freezer, water heater, lights, TV and Wifi. We havent tried the washer and dryer yet. The ability to use gasoline or propane is awesome and its just a matter of turning a knob to switch. We put it on a small floor flat dolly/wheeler and it rolls around easy. We are very satisfied so far.

Après quelques heures d'utilisation. Impossible de démarrer à l'essence ne fonctionne qu'au propane. Démarre très bien au propane mais ne démarre pas avec l'essence. Fonctionnait bien au début avec les 2 modes essence et propane. Essence changé, bougie changée, filtre vérifié carburateur nettoyé. Rien ne fonctionne. Assez décevant. Heureusement je suis rendu compte lors de la vérification avant l'hiver. À lire les commentaires c'est fréquent comme problème avec les autres modèles de cette marque. Je mettrais 0 étoile mais le minimum est 1.

After 2 years and a couple of uses here is why I quoted it: remove 0.1 for each bad or missing documentation (2 missing info) remove 0.5 augmenting the price on each visit (algorithm made me paid 500 dollars more because of that. No information about that on the site) remove 0.3 for to small battery (had to boost because it did not start immediately - missing choke information in the documentation. Definitely not a good ignition like Honda motor) Besides that, and after just a couple of use, very satisfied.

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Sent in for repair with only 60 hours run time. No compression. Waiting on tech to determine failure. Blaine Heebner