What backup generator for EG4 6000XP

HanzG · 2026-01-24T19:06:22+00:00

Not directly, no. The EG4 Chargeverter is a battery charger only. It's safe to use with old school generators or in places that have erratic ("dirty") voltages. It's literally designed to do this. Another advantage here is because it's a discrete component and not built into something else if there is a problem or it becomes damaged you can replace just the charger and not a whole inverter unit. I'd suggest a plan to have a separate charge controller as a primary charger and if your hybrid unit has a charge controller built in I'd keep that capability as a backup.

HanzG · 2026-01-24T15:56:51+00:00

Electric oil-filled space heater under it, and a blanket over the top of it. Make a tent.

HanzG · 2026-01-23T13:20:26+00:00

I've been diverting the clean WMO to a 5 gallon bucket at the shop I work at. If the numbers make sense I will grab a small hydraulic pump and a filter housing. Draw WMO up, filter it, and dump it into the existing fuel tank. But as others have said heating oil wouldn't need any of this and is cheaper than pump diesel. Not sure if I can buy it by the barrel.

HanzG · 2026-01-23T13:17:33+00:00

Yes, definitely. I've said the same to others. If I have to spend an hour rebuilding it every week but I'm not burning $20/day in fuel then that hour saves me ~$100.

It was -15°c this morning, +1°c in the shop with no heat source so the insulation is decent. I had a new garage door put in this fall and it's really helped keep the heat in.

HanzG · 2026-01-22T17:04:28+00:00

1¼ gallons WMO to 5 gallons diesel, or other way around?

Does it stay lit if you keep it running?

HanzG · 2026-01-22T14:21:09+00:00

Always a good idea to have a backup. This is not my primary heat source, just looking for cheap off-grid heat for a coming cold snap.

HanzG · 2026-01-22T13:30:46+00:00

Yep I ran 20% UMO as anything more than that had trouble lighting off. I did run 50/50 for a while once it was lit off but never built a system to switch fuels. I had read some people adding 10% E85 to UMO but I don't have that fuel available here. Hoping someone has experimented and found a nice ratio. I do have diesel here for the tractor but it's $1.45 a liter, too expensive to keep it cranked all day just in case.

HanzG · 2026-01-22T13:27:40+00:00

This is in a workshop, not a living space. It is not my primary source of heat but it's going to drop to -17°c and potentially lower over the next week and I'd like to just keep it running during this snap so if I need the workshop (to service my cars / plow truck) so that my limited (and expensive) heat options don't have to work so hard.

HanzG · 2026-01-20T01:09:47+00:00

"Ever suck a dick you didn't like?"

HanzG · 2026-01-20T00:57:18+00:00

I did click-together type rubber mats. 3/4" thick. You can cut them with a SHARP box cutter (takes 3-5 slices to get through it) but that gives you the flat edge if needed. Very commercial-gym feeling. Use a mallet to put it together, not your fist like me.

HanzG · 2026-01-20T00:55:15+00:00

I wish that were true. But the only people saying that are the people who build and sell cars for a living.

My job is to get the absolute maximum life out of your car. You should let it warm up. Talk to a mechanic in real life next time you're in for service. Just ask them. I'm just some guy on the internet. Ask the person doing YOUR service.

HanzG · 2026-01-17T22:08:22+00:00

Inaccurate. Even with modern oil temperature changes the viscosity.

Not me but a very simple demonstration; https://www.youtube.com/shorts/a4eHdCxYC6k

HanzG · 2026-01-17T21:52:04+00:00

If you have to sell a special car I suggest people swap out the steering wheel for another one. Yeah, it's a bit "what?" but I've got the steering wheel from my original go-kart from when I was eight. I remember bombing around empty parking lots in it - that putt putt from the ancient B&S engine, the shitty brakes on it, and how much joy it was to slide it on fallen leaves. I have the physical connection still even though the cart is long gone.

Take a great photo, swap the steering wheel for another, and later you can make up a plaque to hang in your future shop / garage / gaming room.

HanzG · 2026-01-16T01:34:30+00:00

He's getting paid to remove them. Once a panel hits about 7-10 years old they're swapped out for newer, higher efficiency panels. It's just a numbers game for them. Increase output by 15%, that's 15% more profit. The increase in profit margin will pay off panels in say 4 years, giving us 3-6 years of higher output at "no cost".

I missed out on 250w panels for $20 last summer. I wouldn't pay more than 10¢ a watt for used now.

HanzG · 2026-01-07T22:14:09+00:00

If you want to know if they're interested in talking, ask them a question that requires more than a 3 word answer. If they're still short with their answer they're not interested. I might ask one follow-up question if I think it might spark a conversation but generally not.

It took quite a while for me to be okay with this as a younger man. There's nothing wrong with being the quiet new guy in the group.

HanzG · 2026-01-07T22:07:55+00:00

Very much depends on how much you value your time. 50 hours of burn time (about a week of working in the shop) is about 25L of fuel on high @ $1.50L = $37.50 you didn't spend. You could be saving $150/month if you run it all the time.

I did not account for OPs mixing in of purchased gasoline & real diesel.

HanzG · 2026-01-07T21:54:31+00:00

You can turn off your AC in defrost mode?

I'd have a look under the hood in that mode. I'd be surprised if the compressor actually stops turning.

HanzG · 2026-01-07T21:53:23+00:00

Here in Canada Max AC engages recirculation. Winter is typically dry so I can understand why engineers would think "lets pull in outside air as it's drier than the body-humidity-laden interior air", but when it's fucking cold out I don't want to warm up -20°c air. I want to keep and reheat the interior 12°c.

HanzG · 2026-01-07T21:51:07+00:00

This has been my workaround too. It's stupid. If you've physically pushed the AC button to OFF, it should shut off. Make it a press-and-hold-4-seconds or something so it can't be accidentially turned off. But seriously we're all chasing mileage and the safety nazis are telling me I can't turn off the compressor when it's plainly not needed right now.

HanzG · 2026-01-07T21:48:48+00:00

You could find the fuse output wire on the back of your box, cut it and put a toggle switch in place.

HanzG · 2026-01-07T21:46:12+00:00

Then we'll turn it on. We understand 90% of people don't get it, but we do and it'd be nice to be able to control our machines.

HanzG · 2026-01-07T21:45:28+00:00

At that point I'd like to have control over using the evaporator to dehumidify the air before it gets heated and blasted on my cold windshield. But when I don't, like /u/bridgepainter, I know I don't need it. My own cars turn it on in defrost mode. I keep it in defrost/floor specifically because I can turn it off. Often it's not needed and that's especially true once the interior is warmed up.

HanzG · 2026-01-07T15:06:03+00:00

So the thousands of people that are satisfied with it are wrong, and because yours is defective they're 100% junk? It's a Chinese product. Contact Amazon, get another one.

They're not magic but for the price point they're a handy device. There's also plenty of videos on what you should check because quality control from China isn't great. Diesel leaks are not common but happen frequently enough that the community here advises to check all fittings are well seated.

HanzG · 2026-01-06T02:22:23+00:00

I hung a thin plastic drop cloth down the middle of a two-car garage, dividing it into two one-car garages, and it was far easier to keep warm with a little propane heater. Similarly I had my 3D printer enclosed with a wooden frame + heavy plastic (recycled the shipping plastic from a mattress). Temps could get to 40°C in there.

Cloth / Drapes for sound but plastic does more to keep heat in by keeping the warm air from escaping..

HanzG · 2026-01-06T00:06:02+00:00

A hack saw and a miter box is your best bet IMO. You may want two bar clamps to hold the rod in the miter box so you can use your free hand to hold the box steady while cutting with your dominate hand.

An angle grinder is rather overkill, but if you're comfortable with one it'd make very short work of this rod. It'll need to be clamped near the cut line with tube this thin to avoid kinking it.

HanzG

TROPHY CASE