Generator Accessory Power Distribution Box With Electric Meters, Extension Cord, Spider Box
In this video I show the portable generator accessory power distribution box (some people call them a “spider box”) that I built to use along with my 240 volt GENMAX GM9000iED inverter generator. This can be used as a stand alone distribution box plugged directly into the generator, or at the end of a 25′, 50,’ 75′, or 100′ extension cord…. like maybe at a camp site, for example. OR, it can be plugged into the generator, then a 240 volt 30 amp extension cord plugged into the other end of the box which can be plugged into the inlet box on the back of my house to power my entire electric panel during power outages. The electric meters on the box show any and all power that is being fed through the box…. either through the outlets on the box itself AND through the 240 twist lock extension cord outlet on the top of the box. This way, when it’s powering my house, I can monitor the total power be consumed from the generator.
I am not in production of this electrical accessory. I made this for myself, for personal use only. This was built to fit MY wants and needs. I am not telling anyone they should build one for themself, nor am I telling anyone they should copy my design.
Cheap Generator Upgrades, How To, First Oil Change, Magnetic Dipstick, Oil Drain Hose
Today I show how to do the first oil change during the break in period on the new GENMAX GM9000iED dual fuel inverter generator and talk about a few budget friendly upgrades. I talk about engine break-in oil and why I use it. I also show a few new cheap and affordable products that will be installed to help prolong the life of the engine and make future oil changes easier with a magnetic dipstick and permanently installed oil drain hose. This 9000 watt inverter generator MIGHT be the only generator in this class to have any form of oil filtration whatsoever. I can’t be 100% sure, but I do believe none of the other brands who are selling inverter generators in the 7600 running / 9000-95000 starting category offer engine oil filtration. In this video I remove, inspect, clean, and reinstall the oil filtration screen. The screen did have some debris inside it but honestly, on this brand new engine, I wouldn’t be surprised to see even more garbage in the screen than it had.
GENMAX GM9000iED Best Dual Fuel Inverter Generator Great For Home Backup, or General Use
I purchased this GENMAX GM9000iED dual fuel generator to use as my emergency home backup power source. Of the three or four 9000 – 9500 watt inverter generators on the market (at the time of this video) I feel this model has the most features for the best price. (see below) I chose to use a portable generator for home standby electricity instead of a built-in Generac Guardian, QuietSource, or PowerPact stand-by because I have a fairly small house and I do not require more wattage than the 7600 running watts of this GENMAX. This generator will even start my home central air conditioning A/C condensing unit without a hard start, or Micro Air easy start kit installed. With our power grid in questionable condition, power outages can happen at any time, especially up here with our thunderstorms, lightning storms, ice storms, tornadoes, etc, etc. Even for those who live in hurricane country, this generator is perfect for those emergency grid down situations. Look what happened in Texas last year….. It never hurts to be prepared. For those who rely on a home oxygen concentrator or CPAP machine, extended power outages can be a real problem. Even those “Solar Generators” (basically a battery in a box) can probably only get you by for a few days, at best before you need real power to keep yourself going.
The specs of this generator are…. 120 / 240 volts. it has one 240 volt 30 amp outlet, one 240 volt 50 amp outlet, and two duplex 120 volt GFCI protected outlets. 458cc 4-stroke OHV engine produces 9000 peak watts and 7600 rated watts with 6.9 gallon fuel tank. As Low as 62 dBA Noise with 25%loading at 23 feet distance. CO DETECT Automatically turns off the generator when an unsafe level of carbon monoxide is detected. Low engine oil level shut off
The GENMAX GM9000iED compared to the “tool store” version of this generator…. The GENMAX is quieter! Its rated at 62dB, the tool store generator is rated at 67dB The GENMAX has a full digital multi meter showing power usage, the tool store generator only has an hour meter. The GENMAX has automatic engine choke with remote start, the tool store generator does not. The GENMAX has an engine oil filter screen, the tool store generator does not have any form of engine oil filtration. The GENMAX is dual fuel compatible (gasoline and propane), the tool store generator is only setup to burn gasoline. The GENMAX has a 50 amp receptacle built in so no adapters are needed when plugging in large RVs, The tool store generator does not have this. (And I don’t believe any of the other 9000 watt inverter generators on the market have it, either… at least at the time of this video)
The other 9000 – 9500 watt inverter generators are the DuroMax, the Predator, and the A-I Power. Although, I believe they all advertise the same 7600 running watts.
Harbor Freight Predator 3500 Inverter Generator Power Distribution Accessory Box for Camping or Emergency Home Backup. Get FULL power From Your Harbor Freight Generator (or any other brand) while adding extra safety and power cord length to get the generator away from the camp site to help control sound. I made this portable power distribution box (some people would call this a spider box) for three reasons:
1) Get full power output from the generator. This box allows me to use the large RV plug on the generator while tent or truck camping to get the full potential power output from the generator without owning an actual RV. I cannot get the full 3500 watts out of the standard outlet on the front panel of the Harbor Freight Predator generator. The one standard outlet on the front panel is only capable of supplying between 1800 to 2400 watts (best case scenario), but I paid for 3500 watts, peak. This portable power distribution box allows me to use the 30 amp round RV plug to get the full 3500 watts. This same type of power distribution box (spider box) would also work on just about any of the other import inverter generators that are on the market today, Harbor Freight Predator, WEN, Northern Tool Powerhorse, Westinghouse, Champion, Generac, Ryobi, etc…. Even the Honda and the Yamaha generators could benefit from a spider box like this.
2) Added safety. None of the built-in outlets of the front panel of this generator have GFCI protected outlets. My new portable power distribution box has two, 20 amp GFCI outlets. I am sure there will be a few people that will say GFCI outlets are not needed on a generator but I cannot thing of a single scenario where using GFCI outlets is MORE dangerous than NOT using them. I would MUCH rather know that I have GFCI protection while camping in the woods that are soaking wet from all the rain that usually falls in the area where I typically camp.
3) Sound control. The cord on my spider box is 25 feet by itself, plus I have an additional 100 feet of extension cord that will potentially allow me to push my generator 125 feet into the wood, away from my campsite, to help greatly with sound control. This generator is already very quiet, but the further away I can get ANY generator from my campsite, the better my overall camping experience will be.
Please leave a comment below and let me know if something like this would be handy for YOUR camping situation. Also, please ask any question that you may have.
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