Runs like a CHAMP! ...leaving worries and concerns behind. I waited months for this item to become available. After reaching out to Westinghouse to see if the item is still in production and would be returning to stock soon, they quickly advised several retailers would be receiving stock in early to mid-September. I signed up to receive alerts when the generator was back in stock and just as advised, in September the generator became available and I jumped on the opportunity. I live in SoCal where SoCal Edison has been cutting the power whenever a fly breaks wind, or as they call it, a PSPS Public Safety Power Shutoff due to Red Flag Santa Ana wind events, and the need for a home backup power source became evident as the shutoffs are more frequent, costly and a burden.
The unit arrived in pristine condition and initial setup was simple taking no time at all. SoCal Edison has graciously provided opportunity to use the generator 3 times clocking a total of 100 hours so far. The unit has been reliable, running flawless, excellent run time on fuel, and super quiet compared to my WGen6000 conventional generator. An additional relief is knowing the unit produces low THD, so I have no quarrels powering sensitive devices.
I have been impressed with this unit and have been extremely happy. I am so pleased with the unit and how it supports creature comforts that when SoCal Edison calls giving notice power may be restored in 1-4 hours (usually happens in the middle of the night), I (almost) hope they would wait and restore the power at a decent hour when I don’t need to crawl out bed and disconnect the generator in the wee hours of the night. My wife gives the iGen4500 praises upholding continuity as Wi-Fi continues to broadcast keeping her connected, her Hallmark channel is relatively uninterrupted, so Christmas shows remain on schedule throughout the year and her wine remains chilled at the ready.
Load:
Typically, I have it running at ~25% load supporting 2 refrigerator/freezers (28.0 cu. ft/18.0 cu. ft), 2 cable TV/DVR boxes, broadband and Wi-Fi boxes, 2 TV’s, 2 surround sound systems, a security system hub station, laptop with dual monitors, keyboard and mouse, 4 lights and I can charge a cell phone with no issue. As needed, I plug in either a coffee maker, microwave, or toaster/boiler/air fryer oven, and it would accommodate the load jumping to ~50% load capacity with a slight increase in engine noise.
Fuel consumption:
Under these conditions (~25% load), I would average ~17-20 hours of run time on a full tank of gas in efficiency mode.
Maintenance:
The digital control panel is a plus. It is not an absolute necessity, but it makes scheduled maintenance, output monitoring, fuel level, remaining run time, and lifetime run time available in a simple panel. My only comment for an area of improvement is the amount of access space available for maintenance when performing oil changes. The available space is minimal, but you can get the job done.
Last note, since I have the iGen4500, I only run my WGen6000 as to not neglect it, keep it in a ready state, and to wake up the neighbors.