Comprehensive DuroMax XP10000E Generator Review
Although there are plenty of DuroMax XP10000E generator reviews around, it’s quite obvious that most of them have been produced by people that do not even own the unit. Not only do I own this generator, but I have a great deal of experience operating many different generator brands and models as a municipal service department employee. I’ve used portable gas generators for many applications, which includes operating traffic signals during power outages and pumping water out of basements after firemen have left the scene of house fires. I am also an experienced automotive machinist, and rebuilt my first small engine in the 8th grade. The point I’m trying to make here is that you should consider the source of any review you read, the author’s background and knowledge of the product they are reviewing to trust their personal recommendations. It’s my hope that my review of the XP10000E will provide you the precise information you need to make a well-informed generator purchase.
As you can see by the specification chart above, the XP10000E produces plenty of electricity with its 16 HP engine and offers a variety of receptacles including (2) NEMA 5-20R, (1) NEMA 5-30R, (1) NEMA L14-30R and (1) NEMA 14-50R that can be used to plug the generator into a transfer switch to power an entire home. Even if you use a 30 AMP 120/240 volt L14-30R generator power cord like me, you still have the ability to upgrade to a 50 AMP 240 volt circuit that can supply electricity to your entire circuit breaker panel. I may tackle this one day, but unfortunately my breaker box is full and has many mini breakers already in use. If you are like me, you are looking for an affordable portable generator that will reliably supply electricity during a power outage. To be reliable, the generator should also be easy to maintain. After draining the fuel tank and changing the oil multiple times, I can confidently say that changing the fluids in the XP10000E is quite simple. Brushes, which are a wear item on generators, can also be purchased and changed easily by the generator’s owner. In fact, the owner’s manual provides a step by step illustration on how to change the brushes. In detailing my review of the DuroMax XP10000E, I found no significant flaws in maintaining the unit, and the recommended service schedule is quite similar to other generators I have operated in my capacity as a municipal employee. New owners of the DuroMax XP10000E will receive a descriptive owner’s manual. The manual, which is twenty eight pages long, does a good job explaining how to setup, operate and maintain the unit. However, the owner’s manual is not very descriptive when it comes to which oil should be used and how much the 16 HP engine holds. The one quart oil capacity of the XP10000E is found on the sticker by the oil fill cap and not in the owner’s manual. I found that to be quite odd. Also, the recommended four stroke oil recommended for the unit is designated by an API (American Petroleum Institute) classification of “SJ.” Since the generator does not ship with any fluids, new owners will have to buy some oil on their own. API oil classifications often are superseded by new formulas and standards. Locating a quart of oil that has an API classification of SJ may be difficult as new classifications cover the SJ standard, and often the older designations are dropped from the labeling. In my generator I use 10W-30 Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil, as pictured below, because of its known benefits. Mobil 1, which carries the API classifications of SN, SM, SL and SJ, handles operation under excessive heat quite well. Especially in portable power equipment, such as generators, using high quality oil is essential in prolonging the life of small engines.
All engines typically have a break-in period. By break-in, I mean a certain length of time that the engine should be operated before the first oil change. The owner’s manual makes no reference to a break-in period, which I found to be troubling and worth noting in this review. When new engines are operated, it’s quite common for wear items (ie. piston rings) to shed some small material during the break-in process. Getting these small fragments out of the oil is important, and I performed my first oil change after approximately five hours of use. In viewing other owner testimonials, I found varying break-in periods described, and manufacturer recommendations given over the telephone do not appear to be consistent. Although the owner’s manual does not cover fuel in much detail, except for discussing the 8.3 gallon fuel tank, I am using a fuel stabilizer mix in my XP10000E generator’s gasoline. The fuel additive will help in slowing the natural fuel degradation process that occurs. I also purchased the XPLGC generator cover to shield the generator during storage. Regardless of which generator you may buy, preparing it for extended storage is an important part of making sure it will be ready when you need it. When reviewing any product, especially those shipped on a freight truck, it’s important to also look at how well the unit was packaged and delivered. Poorly packaged items can get scratched or damaged in other ways. My boxed DuroMax XP10000E arrived on a small wooden pallet that was slightly larger than the dimensions of the generator (29” wide x 27.5” height x 40” length). Because the pallet was slightly larger than the boxed XP10000E, it offered some protection from other items sliding into the packaging. The box that the XP10000E was enclosed in was securely strapped to the pallet and showed no signs of movement. Opening the box was a bit challenging, but I cut two sides of the box and slid the generator out onto a piece of wood to protect it from being scratched. After cutting the remainder of the box open for recycling, and using a hammer to easily break down the pallet for disposal, I followed the owner’s manual instructions and installed the included wheel kit so that the unit could be easily moved. For a close to 250 lb. item, removing the generator from the packaging and installing the wheel kit was relatively easy for me. However, most people will find that installing the wheel kit is more easily performed with the help of an assistant. Outside of assembling the wheel kit and flip-down handles, there really is not much else for new owners to assemble. My XP10000E came with the battery hooked up and ready for use. After adding oil and gasoline, I performed a few slow pulls on the pull cord to get some oil circulating within the engine. At this point I turned the ignition switch on, with the included key (the XP10000E ships with two keys), and cranked the engine for about ten seconds before it started. The reason why it took so long to start is that the gasoline needed time to reach the carburetor. I ran the engine, with the idle control on, for about ten minutes and then turned the idle control off for five minutes to allow the engine to run at full throttle. At this point, my DuroMax XP10000E generator will start almost as quickly as my car when I turn the ignition switch. Even when it is freezing cold outside, the 16 HP starts right up with the electric start. If I use the pull cord to start the engine, it normally fires on the third pull. In concluding my review of the DuroMax XP10000E generator, I feel that the few minor flaws it has are trumped by its many features and overall capacity. Especially for residential applications, where standby portable power solutions at home are needed, the XP10000E has surpassed all of my expectations. If you are shopping for a powerful generator, with 10,000 watts of capacity, I believe you will be just as satisfied with the XP10000E model as I am.