Fortunately, I haven't had an outage since purchase, but set up was easy and startup successful. But without a real test, I can only say that I expect it to perform in an outstanding way, just like the other DR/Generac products that I have. Brush mower, trimmer mower, drag/harrow.

I bought this unit for backup power 9 months ago. I run it 30 minutes every month. The last time I started it, it leaked a gallon of gas around the generator. Had I not checked after 5 minutes running, I am sure my building and surrounding buildings would have gone up in a huge fire. Needless to say, I returned the unit for a refund. I can't recommend this without knowing what the problem with the generator is! Never, never, another gasoline generator.

I live in Louisiana I'm 38 year old dad of three kids that just lost my wife to cancer she was my "high school sweetheart”and loving mother of our kids and our area just recently got hit by Hurricane Laura. The storm took out a 100% of the towns power and knew it would take a long time to restore all the power and we all know how it is with no power so I drove to another town not hit by the hurricane and purchased what I would call a life saver and the best purchase Iv ever made the Generac RS5500 Iv heard nothing but good about this brand so I had to see if it held up to its reputation I got it home it was easy to put together very detailed instructions and steps for operating and maintenance it also came with a heavy duty 220v to 120v extension cord with a 4 way plug in to run your regular extension cords off of and I love they included that with the generator because that cord alone is very expensive to buy and very useful it also came with break in oil to get you started so straight out the box I was impressed but could it run and operate as good as it's reputation was and I'm here to tell you it 100% did run and operate as good as it's reputation. The first pull and it cranked right up I plugged in everything we needed and still had more power I could have used off of it. I ran this generator only stopping it for its break in oil change and oil changes and Maintence checks after that. This generator ran like this for two weeks until power was restored and I'm here to tell you as a dad with kids needing to keep them cool and have almost all the functions we would with power this generator did it all even my kids were impressed on how it could run that long and that good and they were happy to see there dad not having to struggle fixing something or seeing the frustration in me of something going wrong or breaking down so that In itself should show any future people looking for a reliable generator easy to operate worry free generator that this is the brand to buy don't even hesitate on which brand to purchase I'm telling you Generac Generators is the only brand you need to buy unless you want to purchase another brand and have the thought of worrying if it will crank or break down so if you want a worry free piece of equipment that helps your family not only survive but survive comfortably and a brand you can count on then do what this dad did Buy a Generac Generator and your love ones will thank you because it's not only a Generac it's a Life Saver!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This served us well during Huricane Sandy when we were without power for seven days. It was easy to set up and safe for residential use. My only complaints would be that it is a manual start with a pull cord which is likely not a problem for most folks but more difficult for an older person. The noise level is a little bothersome too. Overall a good product which certainly did the job well. Next time I would get an electric start and hopefully a quieter model.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] We use a generator to power our tailgate parties at football games. The person who normally brings the generator had his stolen so this is perfect timing! We tested it out and it has plenty of oomph to power the TV, satellite dish, mini air conditioner and various heating and cooking items we need it to. Not only that, but living in a hurricane prone area this will be a lifesaver when the power is invariably knocked out! It's not as noisy as I expected either! Yay!!

I purchased this generator because the Generac generator that I had, shut down. The push rods smashed down enough to come out of the springs and not allow the valves to open and close. The only negative opinion that I have would be that the generator should come with the necessary plugs to plug into the generator. I had to go another night without power because by the time I got the generator running it was late and when I went to plug in the cord it had a different plug.

I have used the generator as both a power source for remote power tool use and also as a home emergency power source. The generator starts quickly and works smoothly. This generator is virtually idiot proof. I like mine so much I bought a second unit for a rental property to be used as whole house emergency power.

We were into a two day power outage and the temperature was in the 20's. Called ahead and paid over the phone - picked Generac because of the name and quality. Drove 70 miles and picked it up and by the time I got home I was too tired to put it together. It got down to 13, but our propane stove kept us warm - put our food outside! Got the generator put together and the power came on! Took a break, added oil and cranked w/o gas to make sure everything was oiled good and it started! Filled with gas and started on the first crank. Plugged in 2 space heaters and the truck engine heater and let it run for an hour and a half to break it in for next time. Plugged in the battery charger and charged for 24 hours to make sure it is ready to go - really like the battery start feature! Great purchase for us - we have been wanting to get one. (Your program won't let me post a 4 X 6 photo.)

Wife and I have been talking about a Generator for 10 yrs. WE lost power at 3 am. This yr we switched to a Pellet stove and she has a Cpap Machine to sleep with. Went to the Lowes in Ludington Mich and got the last Generac that they had. The unit was awesome ran the pump, frig, pellet stove Cpap. In the spring I am getting the manual bypass switch/breaker/cable and back feed the House.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] When I received my generator, I immediately assembled it. It was very simple and the instructions provided were clear. After I assembled it I tried to run it. It worked perfectly and provided electricity to several of my appliances. I am older (in my 80's) and live in the woods so losing electric occurs during the winter or summer storms. This generator is easy to move on it's wheels which are attached to the frame. I would recommend this product for its convenience and easy to move as well as the electricity it provides.