DuroStar 4000W Portable Generator

I purchased this generator right after hurricane Irene. After hurricane Irene had damaged power lines in my neighborhood and being without power for 4 days I relied on my car battery to power lamps in my home using a power converter which included battery clamps. I decided to buy a generator as using a car battery during power outages can only go so far. Enter hurricane Sandy, I lost power again for 7 days where my new generator came into play to be used for the first time. I never operated or owned a generator before so I thought listing my experience here on Amazon in detail will help others like me.This generator came with two open end wrenches, a screwdriver and a spark plug wrench. Once you open the box you will see that there is a block of wood inserted in the engine and tied down with a nylon strap. It also has a metal shipping brace attached to the bottom of the frame of the generator. These will have to be removed before you can use the generator. As per the manual you would have to turn the unit upside down on top of the foam pad that was shipped with this unit to remove the shipping brace. Removing the nuts and bolts from the shipping brace was impossible for me using the included cheap wrenches or even with my own pliers and open end wrench. The bolts connecting to the nuts were small and hard to turn. I had to use a large ratchet with a long handle using a 10 MM adapter which helped the bolts come off easily. Once everything was removed I then installed the wheel kit (DuroStar DS4000S-WK Wheel Kit for DS4000S) which I also purchased from Amazon. It helped me move my generator from my backyard to my garage when I was done using it at night. The generator is pretty heavy so moving it around without the wheel kit will be a challenge.I purchased a funnel with an extension flexible clear hose with attached plug. The clear hose helped me know when the oil compartment was full. The attached plug on the end of the clear hose is convenient to use as well when you're done filling your generator with oil. Simply close the end of the hose with the plug to avoid any continuous oil drips after using. Another great thing about the plug end is that in fits exactly into the oil drain/fill hole on my generator which minimized spilling oil while filling. You will have a small amount of oil leaking at some point (removing after its full) so place something (a plastic mat or sheet) under the work area to avoid a messy cleanup and stains. This funnel was bought on Amazon for $5 with free shipping which is an awesome deal. It's listed as "Hopkins TF-1 Heavy Duty Transmission Funnel, 18" Hose, Red". This generator can only hold 20 ounces of 30W oil but when you have to add more oil after multiple hours of use the clear hose then becomes very helpful. My first oil change was done right after I went through one full tank of fuel. I chose to change the oil at that time as other reviewers indicated as to remove any metal debris that probably came loose during use to avoid damage to the new motor. Draining oil from this unit can be a pain since it drips directly onto the frame. What I did to avoid a mess was to lift the generator on the wheeled side before opening the oil drain cap and placed one of the legs under the generator on top of a brick. This helped keep the flow of oil from making any contact with the frame as it drained. Once I saw that the oil had slowed I would then tip it towards the opening of the oil drain hole to completely drain. I used a small metal bowl to catch the dripping oil to then discard the oil into an oil canister for transporting. I disposed of the oil at my local car mechanic shop. The oil drain cap has a built-in oil dip stick for checking how much oil has burned. Convenient little piece.One thing to keep in mind is to make sure your generator is on a leveled surface while it is running. I accidentally left mine at an inclined angle (wheeled side higher than leg side) due to an elevated portion on the ground which caused oil to slowly spew through the air filter while it was running. I thought something broke but after further inspection I realized what I have done. I powered it down and wiped everything clean with a couple of paper towels. I washed the foam air filter in dishwashing liquid and warm water and replaced everything after it has dried. No oil has dripped since.After a few days of using my generator I then noticed it was creating "clanging" noises while it was running. I turned it off and noticed that two nuts on the top corners had become loose. The top portion (yellow metal top) was creating this noise while the motor ran. I simply tighten them down (after powering down of course) which eliminated the noise and has not come loose as of yet. I assumed it became loose during shipping or just did so on its own since the motor is constantly running for hours. This generator vibrates quite a bit as I assume all portable generators do. After hours of use I suggest you inspect the nuts and bolts connecting the top panel to the frame to ensure nothing has loosened.Below are the steps to get this generator running.Remove all packaging from generator.If wheel kit was purchased install now before adding any fluids (gas and oil).Fill with 20 ounces of 10W-30 oil with funnel.Add 4 gallons of fuel. I purchased a gas can on Amazon with an extension tip which has a built-in close/open push valve to avoid spilling while filling. (No-Spill 1450 5-Gallon Poly Gas Can (CARB Compliant))Make sure you ground the unit using copper wire on the grounding wing nut for safety reasons. Copper wire or the ground stake is not included in this package.Make sure Choke switch is set to "Off".Makes sure gas valve is set to "On".Make sure circuit breaker switch is set to "On".Make sure power switch is set to "On".Pull recoil starter cord firmly (might take 2 or 3 pulls) to start generator motor. Mine initially took two pulls when I first tried. It now takes just one pull to start her up.*First time running when brand new*: As stated in the manual, when the starter cord is pulled and motor begins to run, leave in "closed choke" position for a minute then move lever half way to open for another 30 seconds before moving lever slowly again all the way to "open" position. Allow the motor to run for several minutes before attaching any power cords.*Thereafter*: Once motor begins running, slowly move lever from "closed choke" position to the "open" position. Generator noise will increase once in open position as motor kicks into high gear.Now you can plug in your extension cords into the outlets. 12/3 gauge is ideal since thin cords will get extremely hot and can drain power to your equipment. I purchased two 50 foot cords using one for each outlet and surge suppressors attached to each cord with multiple outlets. Search "US Wire 65100 12/3 50-Foot SJTW Orange Heavy Duty Extension Cord" on Amazon.If you want two more 120v outlets then I suggest you convert the 3 prong outlet (L5-30P) into two 120v outlets (5-20R) by using a Y splitter cable adapter. The one I purchased on Amazon is called "Coleman Cable 01915 3-Foot Generator Power Cord Adapter, 10/3 Splitter Y Adapter, L5-30P to (2) Lighted 5-20R". This will help distribute the load of power from the generator.For storage, I also purchased a small cover for this generator on Amazon. Not sure how long it will last since I just bought it but it received good reviews. It's water resistant and has an elastic hem with drawstring. It was difficult finding one that fit this generator but this one fit like it was custom made. The size of the cover is 26 x 18 x 20 which is the small size. The vendor name is "The-Cover-store" who sells it for $20 plus $5 shipping.This generator came in handy when I needed it the most and has performed like a champ. I had a refrigerator, electric start stove, charged 3 smart phones, a battery charger charging 8 AA batteries, 4 lamps using energy efficient bulbs, 2 laptops, an LCD TV screen, Blu-ray player and brewed a cup of coffee running all at the same time and this generator didn't struggle at all. It can handle more than what I used it for. My generator ran for 14+ hours before I needed to refuel. Obviously, the less power consuming equipment you use the longer it will run.For $289.00 purchased in 2011, backed by Amazon's return policy (only refunds as anything that has had fuel cannot be shipped back) and overall helpful reviews on Amazon I couldn't go wrong. If I was to buy this generator at my local Home Improvement store right after a natural disaster it could easily sell out for $800+. If you don't need to power NASA then this generator will help you when you need power. I'm very grateful for all of the reviews (good and bad) that were listed on Amazon to help me and my family make a wise and cost effective choice to help get through our power outages. I hope my review helps others as well. If I have other info to share (ex: fuel cup cleaning and spark plug changes) I will post my experience. I highly recommend this generator to run your basic needs.