Chicago Electric 800 Watt 2 Stroke Generator Frequency and Voltage Testing

In this video I am pushing the limits of the 800 Watt 2 stroke Chicago Electric Generator from Harbor Freight (not a advertisement just a 2nd Product review). I test the voltage and frequency of this generator under several different loads, it is really consistent until its overloaded, it runs great at 800 watts continuous. Don't run to much load on it like i was doing with 1100 watts it can burn it up. And don't unscrew the bulbs while there hot like i did in this video. Just be carefull and use common sense, and don't run engines and generators indoors, my garage is well ventilated so i can do so safely. Thank you for watching, if you have questions or comments, send me a message or comment and i will get back to you as soon as i can. Thanks again for watching.

[@dirtysnatcez]

Excellent test procedure, Thanks for taking the time to make this video.

[@kennethmaccourt7393]

Thanks for the review! Clever way to test the wattage!

[@TheSuburbanExperimentalist]

What a very thorough, smart generator review. I see lots of reviews where people are just running generators without a load, which doesn't make sense! Very well done!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

well it was about 2 years old when i made this video, it still runs/works like a new one! Thanks for Watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

thanks! yeah you can go alot by the sound alone of one. i know right! i was very disappointed in how noisy it was. have you noticed the new ones they are selling now are red? i've thought of putting a another muffler on it. but i'm afraid it might run hot if i put a quieter one on. thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

Thanks!!! your welcome, glad to help out! thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

thanks, glad you liked it! thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@Iseekoutthetruth yeah never though of that. good advice! or also the new flurescent or "spiral" bulbs would be great to use too. thanks for watching!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

very true. I've tried running a 1/2 horse induction motor (grinder) and it will not even turn it over at all. but it does run my small induction drill press (bench top type). thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@TheDjvultik its pretty noisey, thats my only complaint with it. I couldn't exactly but i'd say its about as loud as a push mower or weed eater, maybe a little louder. I thought it would be more like a honda generator thats really quiet, oh well. Thanks for watching!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

not for a while, i already winterized it. I'll probably do a old/cold start in the spring. thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

you will mix it up according to manufacture specs which for these is 50:1 ratio, 50 parts gas to 1 part oil, so if you mixed up 1 gallon of fuel you would need 2.5 ounces of 2 stroke oil per gallon of gas. if you run 32:1 you would need 4 ounces of oil per gallon. it all depends on how much you want to mix up for it, if you want to fill it up, you probably will need more than 1 gallon. hope this helps! thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

I agree with that! I notice when we use it (i backfeed through my panel so all the lights work) the lights all flicker somewhat, we run a small fridge on it and when it kicks on or off it will rev up and the lights get really bright for a split second. oh well, can't complain, good for small stuff! thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

it might, can't say for sure, look up the amperage on the one you'll be using with it and i should be able to tell you then, if its more than like 6-7 amps it probably won't run it very good, and may kick the breaker on it. thanks for watching!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@EnduranceT since the frequency fluctuates some, some people think it would harm sensitive electronics like a laptop or phone. MY OPINION: it would work just fine, as long as the voltage is regulated (which it does pretty good) it don't matter so much what frequency is going into a charger, because it gets converted to DC anyways haha so there for i can't give you a concrete yes or no. use it for that at your own risk.thanks for watching, hope that helps.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

thanks. they are very good generators for their size and price, can't beat them! thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

good points to bring up. That is very true, it is a "light duty" generator, good for lights and tools on the jobsite. Thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

thank you! appreciate it. thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

Yes it has one mixture screw on it, kind of surprised me too haha might try it! never thought of about it, but your right, might be able to squeeze a little more out of it haha thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@starknight97 the halogen lights were 150 watts each, so 300 and the incandescent bulbs were 800 watts all together, with the bulbs and halogen lights it was 1100 watts, which was way to much for it. Thanks for watching!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@wweems1953 i hear ya. well i'm glad that helped with it. No problem at all, thanks for watching!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

about 5 to 6 hours depending on the load. thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

I hear ya! i've noticed the ping as well! thats a plus! i finally got ours to run a medium size fridge, used a 12 awg cord, it hesitated, almost sounded like a car starting then it finally kicked over and ran with no problem! good to know for the next outage! thanks for watching!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

it all makes sense. it is always best to winterize equipment, even in the summer on my mower I run the carburetor dry each time i get done cutting grass (fuel valve), thanks for watching!

[@tonyz2897]

Back together and running good now. polished the combustion chamber and the top of the piston to help prevent carbon build-up. Also removed the base gasket in favor of sealer to bump the compression a touch and slightly lower the exhaust and transfer ports. Finally got the carb sorted out. Decided to try it out against my little flux core welder. Starts take everything it's got but once the arc stabilizes you can hear the generator recover and it welds about like normal.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

good price! I did replace the plug in this one this past summer, made a huge difference in starting, starts on 2-3 pull now. never thought about replacing the fuel line on it. NAPA does make some good fuel line! thanks! hahaha i'm hanging on to these 8 bulbs, they are actually 100 watts, now all you can find is 90 haha thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

them but on these small ones i'm not sure how easy it is to get to it, you basically hit either the shaft while its running or around the area where the brushes are, but not to hard! this kind of shocks it. but yes it would be best to unhook load and shutdown before letting it run out of gas. thanks for watching!!!

[@3secondwow]

I just picked up one of these.. was sold after I saw this vid, and the one of the guy powering his window AC unit off of one of these. Thanks a lot for taking the time to make this vid. Really informative, and great to see the generator worked all the way from idle to overload step by step. By the way, the replacement spark plug they mentioned on the HF forum is autolite 64, or NGK BPR5ES. Would be interesting to see if there's any difference in your load test with a replacement plug.

[@noriceburners]

man, i love this demo!!!!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

cordless saw then just use your generator to charge the battery up, takes a while but its another possibility. Hope this helps and thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

yeah they got the rating right on it, whats aggravating is that it won't run our fridge! hope to get a bigger one soon, i plan to do a test like this on it. Thanks for Watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@3secondwow wow haha haven't seen that. you wouldn't think it would run that haha. it was actually pretty fun to make this video haha. i was really pushing it haha i'll keep that in mind and will try to do a video. can't tell you how soon, but i will get back with you when i do it. They also say the new plugs makes it start alot easier. I will probally use a champion equivalent, i've never used autolite or ngk. I use champion or e3. thanks for watching.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

no problem! yeah its a great little generator for small stuff and lights. no problem, thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@sooriyaz sounds like the governor ain't working right (or at all) and its just doing what it wants to, i'd suggest if you just bought it try and take it back and get another one, could be a lemon. what brand is it? If its a 2 stroke HHO will destroy it from not having oil in the fuel. thanks for watching

[@BigDirtyBasterd]

You're killing it, you MONSTER! :D

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@originaLkomatoast heard that haha we were thinking about getting another one but i don't know. can't beat them for the price. thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

i think it was either my heat gun or jig saw, the work lights are also from there as well. my meter is a fluke. thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@psrsteve what load is it, is it lights or motors? because if i plug a 1/2 horsepower motor on it it dies down like that and won't run the motor. Are you letting it warm up before putting load on it? Mine surges before it warms up. As you can see i maxed it out in this video but it was strictly a resistive load not inductive or capacitive.

[@jiggajones8268]

Nice test, very informative. Thanks

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@old64goat thanks! i like it, its a great little generator, probably the best generator you can get for its size. My only complaint is its hard to start, which i think is do to the cheap spark plug that comes with them. Yeah sensistive electronics shouldn't be run off of a generator like this. It smokes alot when its cold, when it warms it stops, because its 2 stroke, and i run more oil in the gas than your supposed to. not good for carbon build up though haha thanks for watching!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

what do you mean by "focus"? the generator is rated for 800 running watts, 900 starting. thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

thanks, no problem, this was actually fun to do haha thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@wweems1953 let me ask you this, what kind of load did you put on it? if it was inductive (induction motor) then the startup current is to much for it. yeah alot of people say the stock plug is junk, i need to put a new one in mine, its hard to start. Thanks for watching, no problem.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

Very True. Seems like just about any new engine has a similar plastic setup. I hate plastic stuff!!! thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

very true, but for testing the old incandescent work great haha i don't like the LED bulbs at all, more like a spotlight, the cfl are good though, i use them everywhere, along with fluorescent lights in my garage. which reminds me i need more bulbs haha thanks for watching!!!

[@rolanalmodovar]

Very nice demo, thank you

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@starknight97 well the speed control will help out a lot. i don't know how long it would run, and i'm not sure if the circuit breaker built in works like a overload or not, if it does then it would kick off when it's been on for to long under that much load. yeah it would be a good test to see what it will do.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

however long the charger says, same as running a charger off of house power. thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

haha it still works fine, I couldn't return it anyways, its over 3 years old. the new ones have a red tank on them. thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

I think, not 100% sure, I put a champion rc-12yc in it, but I'm not sure what they recommend, but i'm pretty sure thats what i have in mine, just make sure that the threads are the same length so it won't go down to far and hit the piston, the 12yc plug is the same plug used in briggs single cylinder OHV engines, very common plug, but like i said i'm not 100% sure thats it. thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@ssj4goko4 ain't heard about that before, yeah it likes no more than 900 or so. thanks for watching

[@BOND0920]

Very informative, was considering a purchase, will definitely buy one now.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

thanks, no problem, Thanks for Watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

thanks! no problem. thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

Yeah, i'd say its safe to say that. Thanks for Watching!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

HAHA that would be interesting to see!!! i can just hear that generator slowly coming up to speed haha thanks for watching!!!

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

Good test method, it did well. I have three of these for use when power gets knocked out, one of them for running the kitchen fridge (with icemaker disabled), the 2nd one runs my chest freezer, tv and a light (fluorescent bulb). The third is for any other loads and rarely gets used. Power might get disrupted once or twice/year for a more than a couple hours due to stom surge.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

they are good generators for what they are. Thanks for Watching!!!

[@jeffarp7409]

I have one just like it, i got it at a pawnshop for 30 or 40 bucks, used it a few times then stored it. I was thinking about getting it out because I going to need it. I didn't figure it was that good of a generator when I bought it, but damn it took that like a champ. Thanks for the video 👍👍

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

That was a pretty good buy on it! They are good for their size, great for lights and power tools. Your welcome, Thanks for Watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

yeah it would be good. i don't know what the book reccomends on plug gap, but i gapped mine at .035" and it seems to run pretty good, but i figure that is a little much for it. yeah thats very true. alot of people will not believe that but it really does make a huge difference! also you may have to adjust fuel/air mixture too with altitude. Same things happens with cooking, food cooks faster the higher up you are. true to. i would always recommend checking voltage on a generator before use.

[@vincentrobinette1507]

It's an 800 watt generator, I would usually set the governed run speed with a 400 watt load on it. If you have a specific use for it, plug in that load, and set for 60 Hz.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@ncrdisabled your welcome, sorry it took so long to make. 2 HZ ain't that much of a difference for a electric motor, it could harm electronics but i wouldn't think (not saying it won't) it would hurt a motor because if a motor is rated for 3600 RPM on 60HZ then it would run at 3720 RPM on 62HZ. Not much of a difference. This is how variable frequency drives work, they vary the frequency so the motors can ramp up or down. (induction motors) your welcome and thanks for watching.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

oh yeah, just used it the other day! thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@nate379 hahahah sorry. i thought it would turn out better than it did, my new camera would have done better haha thanks for watching

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

RFI is Radio Frequency Interference, EFI is the same thing (electromagnetic interference) a good example is CB radio's in vehicles with engines with standard spark plugs, you can actually here the plugs firing through the radio, you have to use resistor plugs or use RFI filter inline with the plugs. It is very annoying, and the person your talking to will here it to. Thanks for watching!!!

[@wweems1953]

@fnaguitarplayer9 I was powering Halogen lights. I only have about 4 hours on it so was doing the break-in with 2 250 watt and one 100 watt bulbs. It has no problem with the new spark plug installed. Thanks again for the video.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@TigerMike901 thanks. no, i seriously doubt it, we have a 15-20 cu/ft fridge at our other place and it doesnt' run it, it tries to but the startup current is whats high, if it could kick the compressor over it would run it. Yeah most motors draw at least 7 times that at startup (aprox 1200 startup watts). so it probably won't start it. it runs our 1.5 (or so) cu/ft fridge no problem in our garage. thanks for watching

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

heard that, thats a good idea. wow thats impressive!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

ohh i see, makes sense. We got this one when it was on sale for 89, the gas tanks are red on them now, but its the same thing. They are great generators!

[@lewiemcneely9143]

Nice rig. Good test.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

Thanks for Watching!!!

[@fishhuntshoot]

I paid $85 for mine. My Honda E2000 was about a grand. You get what you pay for, but the Chinese jenny works for light loads and you MUST keep the fuel fresh. One tip...replace the crap spark plug with a good one like Nippon Denso and also replace the fuel line with something from NAPA. I love the video, Sir, Thomas Edison would be proud!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

hahaha just giving it a good work out haha thanks for watching!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@Iseekoutthetruth i'll keep that in mind, might get some so if the power goes out i can run them instead of regular lights. i will check that out!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

yeah it did on mine, I know right, I much prefer a manual choke though, seems like primer type carburetors just don't work as good or hold up as long. now on weedeaters/chainsaws, i like them!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

I don't have one, but i can tell you that if its just 300 watts, this generator would run that fine, and have 400 watts left over for lights/tools. It would be the same as just 3 light bulbs on (100 watts). thanks for watching!!!

[@BigReggie]

Thank you for this, I was considering buying one but was unsure if it was true 800 watt running, know I know it is rated accurately I know I will buy it tomorrow. Thx again!!!

[@venturahwy76]

great video, That is a good generator if you do not need to power anything over 800 watts. The one I had like it the voltage dropped to low to start my fridge at 900 watts. I was getting 85 volts with a 900 watt startup load. Still a great one for the price.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

thanks! they are good for there size and price! it won't run our fridge either. oh well haha did run our microwave, oddly enough haha thanks for watching!!!

[@vincentrobinette1507]

I'm actually impressed, that this inexpensive generator actually puts out it's rated power. A lot of things like that don't put out anywhere near their advertised power.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

You are right there, it kind of surprised me too, to be honest. Thanks for Watching!!!

[@wweems1953]

@fnaguitarplayer9 I was disappointed with my generator as it's load response was poor. A couple of times it died outright with 500 watts connected to it. After I replaced the spark plug (2 for $2.49 at Walmart) it worked extremely well. That was an effective demonstration Thanks,

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

that would be correct, i actually tried that on this to see one time, my heater has 600 900 and 1500 it ran the low and mid fine, but would not run the 1500 at all. thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

thanks! Thanks for Watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

I would too! Yeah its not very steady. You should see it when I run our fluorescent lights in the garage, it really flickers then. And if you run a fan you can hear the 60 cycles in it, like its almost a square or sawtooth wave. I would not run sensitive electronics on it. but its good for lights and tools. it does smooth out some after it warms up, but never smooths out 100% haha thanks for watching!!!

[@noriceburners]

How many hours would you guess is on this gen now? Very nice video by the way, wish there were more like this one for other gen sets.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@psrsteve wow thats surprising. its possible, make sure the fuel valve is working right. Another thing to check is the spark plug, on the harbor freight website on the reviews they say the spark plug isn't very good. I've noticed with mine it is hard to start, and they say it starts easier with a new plug. might wanna try that. Also check the heater, if you have a amp clamp check the current, you can draw about 7 amps from this generator, could it be shorted?

[@WesleyBrace]

Great job.. Thanks!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

yepp. thanks for watching

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

i hear ya! there good little generators, but you are kind of limited with them, i mean it won't even run our fridge haha it will run one of them real small fridges. for the price you can't go wrong! thanks for watching!!!

[@mikestephens1419]

great video what is the Chicago electric tool in the background?

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@psrsteve it is possible, rare but it can happen. Have you ever shut it off under load, or started up under load? thats usually what hurts them. and also like i said before it could be something wrong with the heater, have you tried another load at about the same wattage? theres not really to many things it can be unless like you said its in the generator itself. Since you just got it a week ago and if its not the load, i'd take it back and get another one, maybe you got a lemon

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@sooriyaz never heard of that haha that works but it would be better with a 4 stroke. yeah i'd say the governor is sticking or out of adjustment or could be problems with the carburetor.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

thanks for watching!!!

[@dimalranasinghe8152]

Thank you very much..

[@tonyz2897]

No mixture screw on the newer (red) ones. I did the only thing I could think of and very slightly enlarged the main jet. This raised the point where it quits four stroking and smooths out up to around 300 watts. Nice medium brown colored plug insulator after running the window ac for a while and simultaneously removing the load and killing the engine. It will now not only start the ac, it will do it while running a 300 watt halogen light. I guess the next thing will be to try the gas furnace.

[@cutrite851]

Great review,have three,last power outage ,one went south,maybe my fault -used smaller cord,may have shut down with load.I did not know not to do that..anyway wonder what componet could have went bad?Thanks

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

i hear ya. I tried running a saw on mine it would run it fine until you started cutting a board, then it bogged down and kicked the breaker. yeah thats true, alot of people don't realize that! thanks for watching!!!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

what i usually run 32:1, if you get to much oil it can be just as bad as not enough as the plug and cylinder/piston/head and ports will start getting full of carbon build up (like soot) so you can foul out your plug, and after a while some of the carbon can break off and get stuck between the piston and cylinder and scratch it up. a scored cylinder will cause low compression and lot less power output and will eventually lock up. hope that explains it all good. That would make a good video!

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

@psrsteve ahhh i thought you bought it new. i've never worked on the carbs on these, i have a extra one but never took it apart or anything. no problem at all, let me know if that works.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

thanks! yeah thats kind of pointless to make a video on a generator without showing it working haha thanks for watching!!!

[@ahmedbasit1]

Great Video, thank you for taking the time to put it together, I really enjoyed this test. There will always be assholes like the one up above.

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

what whorayful said is right. it can burn out the generator, think of a magnet discharging, or loosing its strength. but usually they can be revived, without anything plugged into it, you can find the governor linkage to the carburetor and rev it up a little bit past the governed speed, don't hold it there for more than a few seconds or hold it wide open, as it can damage the engine as well as the generator, if that doesn't work, you can hit the stator on the generator, that sometimes revives...

[@fnaguitarplayer9]

it would work great for that, another idea is a inverter, plugs in your cigarette lighter, might be a little cheaper to run, just a thought, but the generator would be alot more portable though, but these are great generators, can not beat them for the price.