Alright, so I’ve been wanting to share my experience with this Yamaha dual fuel generator I picked up. It wasn’t some impulse buy; there’s a bit of a story there, as usual with these things.
Why I Even Bothered with a Dual Fuel
You know, for years I’d managed without a serious generator. Little power blips here and there, nothing major. Then last year, we had that big storm. Power out for three solid days. Three days! My fridge contents? A total loss. The house was freezing. My wife was not amused, and frankly, neither was I. That was the moment I thought, “Okay, enough is enough. I need a reliable backup.”
I started looking around, and these dual fuel things caught my eye. The idea of using either gasoline or propane sounded pretty good. Gas is easy to find, but propane stores for ages without going bad. Yamaha’s a name I trust, generally speaking. They make good stuff, even if it costs a bit more. So, I bit the bullet and got one.
Getting it Set Up and First Runs
When the box arrived, man, it was hefty. Getting it out and putting the wheels and handle on wasn’t rocket science, but it definitely took some muscle. The instructions were okay, pretty straightforward for the most part.
First things first, I filled it up with oil. Don’t ever forget the oil! Then, I decided to try gasoline first. Just regular unleaded from the gas station, nothing fancy. I think they say it’s fine with up to 10% ethanol, which is pretty much all you can get around here anyway.
- Filled the tank with fresh gasoline.
- Checked the oil level again (paranoid, I know).
- Pulled the cord a couple of times, and it roared to life. Well, maybe not roared, but it definitely started.
It ran pretty smoothly on gasoline. I plugged in a few things – a work light, a fan, then a small heater just to see. Handled them fine. It’s not whisper quiet, mind you. It’s a generator. If you’re expecting silence, you’re in the wrong ballpark. But it wasn’t unbearable, especially from a bit of a distance.
Switching Over to Propane
After running it on gas for a bit, I wanted to try the propane. This was the main reason I got a dual fuel, after all. I had a standard BBQ propane tank ready.
Connecting the propane hose was simpler than I thought. Just screw it on, open the tank valve, and then follow the startup procedure for propane. It took an extra pull or two compared to gasoline, but it fired up. What I did notice was that it seemed to run a little quieter on propane. Maybe a bit cleaner smelling too, if that makes sense. Not as much of that exhaust fume smell you get with gasoline.
I ran the same items on propane, and it didn’t seem to struggle at all. The versatility is definitely nice. If I can’t get gas for some reason, or if my stored gas has gone a bit iffy, propane is a great backup. Plus, propane doesn’t gum up carburetors like old gas can, which is a big plus in my book for long-term storage.
Thoughts on Living With It
So far, so good. The big thing is having that peace of mind. Knowing I can keep the essentials running if the power goes out is huge.
Maintenance is something I’m keeping an eye on. With two fuel systems, I figure there’s potentially more to go wrong or more to keep clean. The manual has the usual stuff – oil changes, air filter checks. I’ll just have to be diligent. I’ve heard some folks say dual fuel systems can be more intricate, but honestly, switching between them on this Yamaha is just a couple of simple steps. It’s not like you need to be an engineer.
Noise, as I said, it makes some. If noise is your absolute top concern, you might need to look at those inverter types, but for the power you get, and the dual fuel option, I think it’s a fair trade-off. I’m planning to build a small enclosure for it anyway, to help baffle some of the sound when it’s running for real.
Overall, I’m happy with the Yamaha. It does what it says on the tin. It started easily on both fuels, powered what I needed it to, and having that fuel flexibility is fantastic. Time will tell how it holds up long-term, especially with the dual fuel components, but initial impressions are positive. It wasn’t cheap, but good tools rarely are, right?
