XP13000EH

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.

We chose to purchase the XP12000EH after extensive research of on-line reviews and surveys. Basically, our need was brought on by what appears to be a part of life now in Northern California. During the “fire season” we have endured a number of planned power outages that once lasted five days. When we didn’t have a generator the first time we lost all the food in our refrigerator and freezer. We borrowed a small portable generator in time for subsequent outages, but we had to live without running water because we have a well and the pump is hardwired into the house power. We checked out standby generators, but the estimates we got ranged from 15 to 20 thousand. They run on natural gas, but what if the gas is shut off? So, I searched for a portable generator powerful enough to deal with the pump motor and ideally able to run on propane to avoid having to store and deal with gasoline for most of the year. This product was rated highly on various website comparison reviews. I ordered one from Amazon, and it seems to fit the bill. However, getting things right may not be for the faint of heart, so you should be aware of some issues before you decide whether to buy one for yourself. The short version of the story is that the unit I got would not start with the electric ignition system, and rather than go through more time-consuming hassles to find out the cause (probably the starter, by the way) I took advantage of the Amazon return policy and basically exchanged it. The replacement seems to work perfectly. It’s hooked up to two propane tanks and a tickler battery charger, and starts without a problem. An electrician will install an interlocking kit later today. The only remaining test remaining test will be whether it holds up to actual use. Now for some reasons to be cautious. There are well over 900 Amazon reviews on this machine. about a third of which are negative. I did not go through them carefully before I made my purchase. The generator weighs well over 250 pounds, perhaps 270, and may arrive in a cardboard box that is dented and torn. There is only foam padding on one side. So, look for any denting or other damage. I didn’t have that problem. When you open the box, you find a red tag in the shape of a stop sign that advises you to call Duromax before returning the product and ask for help. This message is repeated at the beginning of the instruction manual. So, they must have a high return rate. It turns out that the negative lead to the battery is disconnected for shipping. That has caused trouble, since they don’t tell you about that in the instructions. Apparently dead batteries must have arrived enough for them to take that step. So, the first step, not included in the setup guide I received, is to connect the black wire. Unfortunately, in order to do that you have to remove a cover plate (four screws); you can’t even see the battery unless you do. I only found out about this from support staff emails. I got a trickle charger to make sure the battery won’t go dead again from sitting around for long periods. My other big problem was related to propane. When I was hassling with my first machine I was only able to start it with the manual pull cord, but I couldn’t get it to start with propane. In the course of exchanging messages with the support staff was informed that my problem was trying to use 20 pound tanks. They recommended at least 40 pound ones. Nowhere in the manual or advertising was this mentioned and the photo on the website shows it next to a 20 pound tank. None of the reviews I read warned of this either. I was miffed to say the least because I had just spent about $100 on two new 20 pound tanks. However, I discovered that there was some confusion on what to do with the choke. This seems to be clearer in the instructions now – it should be full open (not half open as one support person suggested). I am happy to report that in fact it runs fine with a 20 pound tank after all. Unless you turn on the idle control. If you do, the engine dies. Again, support staff will tell you that idle control should not be used with propane. But this is not stated anywhere in the manual or other instruction material. Some other confusion with propane stems from the fact that in earlier models the secondary regulator installed on the frame had a button that needed to be pushed the prime the line before starting. Now the generator comes with a more advanced regulator that does that automatically. But the manual and quick start instructions haven’t been updated. Also, I was advised to wait 5 to 10 minutes after turning the gas on before starting to give the regulator time to do its thing. This is not necessary at all (thank goodness); starts right up for me. Just a minor thing – the funnel they give you for adding oil is too short. I went a got one with a much longer plastic tube. Makes the job easier and you don’t spill as much. Some people have complained about the wheels going flat, but that hasn’t happened here. Perhaps the wheels have been upgraded after complaints. A word about the warranty, touted in the web reviews as a plus. It only covers parts and not labor or shipping. And it was up to me to either replace it or find someone to pay to do it. The nearest Duromax service center is two hours away and I don’t have a pickup truck to transport this 270 pound thing. I also read a review that stated there was a delay getting parts delivered. Just so you know. In addition, despite what at least one one-line review claimed, the generator is not made in the USA, it comes from China. Again, just so you know. Would I buy it again, knowing what I know? Probably. It is relatively unique in its power and ability to run on propane. Addendum: The electrician installed an interlocking kit and a 50 amp plug. The unit ran fine during our test with all circuits switched on. We let some water run until the well pump started and measured the load it created - it was running at 2400 KW, so we definitely needed a generator this size. One last propane note - this time the engine wouldn't start with the choke open. It started easily with the choke closed bur ran rough until I opened the choke. So go figure. The answer must be to remain flexible and do whatever works.

I rarely write reviews, but I know for this purchase, I relied some what heavily on the verified reviews. First off I work in the construction world, and feel I have a above average aptitude for trouble shooting, installation, and confidence of use. The generator came on a truck with a Tommy gate, and the driver unloaded and placed in the garage for my wife (I was out of town), trucking company communicated well and timely. I put the accessories on, I.e. handles, wheels, etc, which was a semi easy task, I will note the generator is heavy, I don’t have an exact weight but I had to grunt a little to move it around with out the wheels. I filled with oil (full synthetic), fresh 93 grade fuel, and hooked the battery up and let it sit for a few hours. The generator fired right up with the electric start, and ran fairly good but was a little choppy and ran hard. I turned it off and checked oil and for any issues/leaks. I let it sit for a little longer and started back up and still ran a little rough, which I attributed to being a new start with no load to the motor. I hooked the generator up with the provided whip, into my 50a generator plug, that I wired into my panel. As soon as I started turning on breakers the generator rev’d up and was singing perfectly with no hiccups. I turned on all breakers, including my A/C and furnace (for blower fan). I live in Florida on the space coast, and this generator will be vital during hurricane season. The a/c for some reason didn’t start up at first, but after some time I did get it to kick on, and the generator rev’d up more and still sounded good. The noise level is actually quiet for its size and capability, but it’s by no means quiet. At the time it was running the majority of the lights in my house, A/C, tv, fans, fridge, and microwave. It finally tripped and pulled to much when my wife decided to run the dish washer. I will add to my review on my next maintenance run, or use after a power outage. I put 0 stars for tech support because I have not needed it to this point, so I can’t accurately rate this.

Great generator it’s kinda loud but it works really well

I purchased this Generator on October 11th 2022, and spent a solid month trying everything I could think of to get it to start - to absolutely no avail (tried gas, then propane, then sparkplug testing, breaking out the shovel to make sure it was positively level, etc. etc.). Since the generator was obviously new - I was certain that there was something that I must have missed, or perhaps an issue with the 'stability sensor', or some other odd 'fail-safe' that had been miscalibrated and perhaps an easy fix/workaround might be achievable... Since I wasn't getting much traction contacting Amazon/the actual seller to get some support (I got absolutely nowhere with the seller - "Electric Generator Depot"), then of course had absolutely no luck trying to arrange for a return/refund with Amazon directly, I decided to take a break; the thought being that if I dislodged myself from the heavy toil of it all for a bit - I might have more success with a fresh set of eyes - after all, this was a *completely new* generator right? It couldn't possibly have been so meticulously packaged/branded w/o Duromax having done the necessary QC right??... In any case, my 'break' lasted quite a nit longer than I had intended mainly due to work demands (my boss was unlikely to appreciate me taking time out to sort out problems w/ an Amazon purchase under normal circumstances - let alone while there was a clear need for me to work overtime) - then of course, in the midst of this busy work period - the power went out around 4am in the morning, thus providing the catalyst to resume troubleshooting, as the stakes were now suddenly higher given that I had now lost a full day of pay, and at risk of losing an entire deep-freeze + refigerator/freezer full of expensive groceries... I set upon again working my way through every section in the manual(s), and carefully read through each of the 'troubleshooting' steps... At this point, I had crossed the threshold into Amazon's 'Ineligible for Return' status, as it was now December and thus outside of the '90 days' A-Z return policy. At this point I tried reaching back out to the seller, and was basically shrugged-off and given a number to call (which I later learned was just the 800 number for Duromax warranty/support - which wasn't especially clear to me even after speaking with the representative on the other end of the phone - where I had to repeat myself a number of times in asking "Do you work for Duromax, or am I speaking to an intermediary?" before finally receiving an affirmative "Yes, this is Duromax Product/Warranty Support..."...). After a few more hours of "Did you try X?" ridiculousness, the Duromax rep finally acknowledged that there was indeed a known issue regarding a manufacturing defect with the 'dual fuel' carborator (this apparently needs some fairly precise chambering, etc. which was botched apparently for this model...). After still more resistance/efforts at deflection - I finally managed to get Duromax to acquiesce and agree to send out a tech to service the generator at my residence - which could only be done once they sent the replacement parts to me directly, at which point I would then need to call the repair company - and then recite some convolluted set of instructions, so that they understood that all the proper approvals were in place...Needless to say, it took a week to get the parts, then the repair company took another 2 weeks to arrive (and instead of fixing/servicing on-site - insisted that they would need to take it back to their shop ~25 miles away...). After a full 3 months passed w/o any word from the servicer (my messages went unanswered during this period) - I received a voicemail stating that the generator was fixed - however, despite what **I had been assured of by both Duromax - and the servicing company - that the generator would be returned to me at my home once fixed** the message now stated that they would not be returning the generator to me at my residence, and that I would instead need to travel to the servicer location - in another state - to pick up the generator. Despite my protestations/pointing out exactly how this constituted a breach of what had previously been agreed to - neither the servicer nor Duromax seemed to recognize just how absurdly terrible this situation might be for a consumer expecting that a generator that was purchased ~6 months earlier might a) actually be able to eventually generate something other than misery, and/or b) if found defective, shouldn't require such stalwart determination on the part of the consumer to have what they own returned to their possession ("...umm, I don't currently have access to a truck, so how am I supposed to fit this in the car w/o asphyxiating myself during the unexpected ~50 mile round trip I'm now needing to take time out during the week to make, since you aren't open on weekends??"...) Anyway, **only just this last week did I finally get the generator back** (had to take the morning off of work on Friday May 20th, 2023 and borrow my friend's dad's truck to pick up what I really hope is a working generator... (I didn't actually get a chance to test it, since I had to briskly move it into off-site storage due to an ongoing remodel at my apartment complex, where the HOA has mandated removal of anything that wouldn't/couldn't fit in my apartment..sigh..)...So, i'm getting a generator basically ~6 months later than I actually needed it/after I bought an electric generator to forestall a dumpster full of spoiled seafood/a rather large package of Costco ribeyes, etc...). This was easily the worst consumer experience I've ever had - and not just with an Amazon purchase - but really just generally (and at $500, I can certainly think of a considerable number of ways in which that money would have been better spent - and which really amounted to a pretty non-negligible financial hit/'net loss' ultimately for me, since I had bought the generator precisely so that I could continue to work and earn income during an outage - and I was now out both work income for as long as it would take to restore power + the $500 I had handed over for basically zero ROI/on the losing end of the "discount rate", etc. I'll certainly never ever consider buying anything DuroMax again. I hope you won't either. Cheers.

I have to say I was a little bit worried about buying the smallest generator they make, but I added up all my wattage and had plenty left over. When it got here, the box was not damaged, and all of the parts were in the box. It takes about 30 minutes to put together if you read the instructions closely. I’m able to power a portable air conditioner (large size, not window unit), a 14 ft.³ deep freezer, a 14 ft.³ refrigerator and a full-size dehumidifier. I also powered both of my 75 inch TVs and plugged in everything else that goes with them…. I have a ton of LED lights and Alexa and what not. Everything got plugged in and the generator didn’t spot once. I guess the tomato I was using somewhere around 3000 to 3500 W which is well below its peak running wattage. I will say that you should definitely charge the battery upon arrival like I did not. When mine got here after I put it together it cranked right up with the start button so I thought no big deal. I checked it with my battery charger and must’ve misread it because I thought it said it was at 100%. I know this is not true now because I went to crank it yesterday just to make sure everything was still running OK and suddenly the start button did not work. They would not even try to turn over whatsoever. Just a bunch of clicking noises. So I plugged the battery charger back in to check the battery as customer Support told me to. It still said 100%. Turns out I did not have it selected on the right charging method so it was not giving me all of the numbers. I did not see that the voltage was very low and that it was not charged all the way. The moral of the story is charge the battery lol! I charged mine and now it purrs like a kitten again. A very large kitten! I purchased the tent accessory that is in the section of where “Customer’s also bought”. Definitely a wise investment. It has kept it out of the elements, but fully functional if needed. One more mistake I made was when I went to fill the oil up. I did not make sure that the generator was level. So I had oil spilling out, thinking that I had overfilled and lo and behold it was just off balance…. Quite a bit haha. I just let it spill out until it was done and then I helped it a little bit more to make sure it wasn’t overfilled and everything was all fine. Now I have it set up on a pallet with two bricks on one of the sides to even it out perfectly. I mean dead on perfect. Got lucky there. I almost bought the 13,000 W version which would’ve been unjustifiably too much for this house. At the time it was on sale for about $1100. I decided to go with my gut and just add up the wattage I needed, and it worked out. Oh, if you happen to put synthetic oil in on its first run, don’t freak out because that’s exactly what I did. It was an accident. I bought both types and just put the wrong one in. Once it had been running it its first full cycle is when I figured it out. It has had no problems so I think you’re OK if you’ve done like me. The control board is easy to operate and manage. It’s pretty obvious what each thing does. It has all the features that I needed and worked out great. Just make sure you get one that is enough to power what you need and you will not be disappointed. Also upgrade your propane tanks to some 40 pound ones like I did. It’ll save you a lot of trips. And if you have to like me, and the power does go out and everybody is blazing the propane stores you’ll just be sitting back like “what’s going on?” Haha Sorry for the rambling I hope all of this was useful or some of it was useful to somebody. It was my first generator purchase and I knew absolutely nothing about them. I threw a dart and hit the bull’s-eye! One last thing… I love that it has the four prong outlet that allows 120/240v. I have one cord that can handle 8000 W of electric electricity. It has four female ends to plug into. I had the AC unit, dehumidifier, deep freezer and refrigerator all on the same 10 amp cord and it didn’t even get warm. Not one bit. So invest in the right chords as you invest in this awesome generator!