Q: Can you hook up 2 of the Briggs and Stratton 30473 power smart with a parallel cord to double the output. if you can which parallel kit do I need to buy? by Ray from Wyoming on March 07, 2012
A: The Briggs inverter generator cannot be paralleled, only the Yamaha and Honda generators can do it.
Q: Can I run a wet and dry vac with this generator? by Jeff from New Jersey on February 06, 2012
A: It is possible but you need to confirm by finding out the starting amperage on the vac motor and then you can use the following formula to calculate the starting wattage. Note: Starting wattage is 3-5 times higher then running wattage so these calculations are important.
Q: What do I need to consider when running a computer or LCD television off of my portable generator? I currently have a 10hp Briggs and Stratton powered Craftsman generator. by Virgil Litterell from Oklahoma on February 07, 2011
A: The main thing to consider is the entire load you are connecting to your generator. The rule of thumb is to size the generator to 80% of the running capacity of the generator so that it has enough flexibility when a large load kicks on (refrigerator) the generator has enough power to handle it and not have to struggle which keeps the ability to output good voltage. It is the voltage drops that can damage/hurt sensitive electronics so it is important to not overload the generators. by Jim, Product Expert
Q: What is the 12 volt output like? Can i plug cord into it and run my 12 volt wired fish house lights? Can't tell from the pictures. by Gene Haverkamp from Minnesota on January 23, 2011
A: This model has a cigarette type plug in for the 12VDC connection. We do list the connection types in the specs tab.
The Briggs & Stratton model I recently purchased has performed perfectly. A little tough to get started the first time but it's easy now. I recommend this machine.
September 15, 2012
N.J.
Wrong Size!!!
My purpose in purchasing a generator was strictly for household backup in the case of a power outage. So, other than starting it up one time, we haven't really used it.
Loud noise is very offensive to me, so we chose the inverter style. After hours of searching through the reviews, I chose this one, as it seemed to be comparable to the better models at less expense. However, what I did not realize at the time was the difference in power needed for an RV vs a home setting.
I am still glad to have it, but am sorry to know that it will only do a very minimum job when it is needed.
EGD RESPONDS: A generator this size can still be helpful in an outage. One of our staff members used a similar unit and alternated power between their refrigerator and their TV during an 8 day power loss from an ice storm.
My purpose in purchasing a generator was strictly for household backup in the case of a power outage. So, other than starting it up one time, we haven't really used it.
Loud noise is very offensive to me, so we chose the inverter style. After hours of searching through the reviews, I chose this one, as it seemed to be comparable to the better models at less expense. However, what I did not realize at the time was the difference in power needed for an RV vs a home setting.
I am still glad to have it, but am sorry to know that it will only do a very minimum job when it is needed.
... more
September 10, 2012
Gary Spring, TX
Vacation Roadtrip
I took the generator with me to Glacier Park, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons and the Colorado Rockies for a three week trip. I used it with my pop-up camper trailer when allowed by the campground authorities.
It performed at specs each and every time, was fairly quiet, and was very easy to start. The jump start kit came in handy when I forgot to unplug my electric ice box from my vehicle and let it run overnight. In the morning my car battery was dead, and used the generator to jump the battery. I would have been stuck out in the remote areas of the Rockies without this feature.
I looked at other models of portable generators such as the Honda (high cost) with same features, as well as brands carried by big box stores, but I was not satisfied with the online ratings of the lesser quality brands. I found that the Briggs was rated at #3 so I took the chance and ordered it from Electric Generators Direct. The shipping was fast and no charge, and the price was very fair.
I would recommend this site and generator to anyone.
I took the generator with me to Glacier Park, Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons and the Colorado Rockies for a three week trip. I used it with my pop-up camper trailer when allowed by the campground authorities.
It performed at specs each and every time, was fairly quiet, and was very easy to start. The jump start kit came in handy when I forgot to unplug my electric ice box from my vehicle and let it run overnight. In the morning my car battery was dead, and used the generator to jump the battery. I would have been stuck out in the remote areas of the Rockies without this feature.
I Dug This Unit Out of Storage, Filled It With Gas and After the Second Pull, I Was Able to Run All of the Appliances Necessary in My Home.
We Have a Hurricane Brewing in the Caribbean and I Have the Peace of Mind If It Hits Here We'Ll Be Ready. Last Year It Ran Flawlessly.
Power Equipment Direct Told Me Everything I Needed to Know.
August 03, 2012
B. M. Searchlight, NV
Mining for a heart of gold.....
This generator, Briggs & Stratton 30473, is as advertised. Had I turned it on instead of off it would have started the first four pulls.
The sound level is much lower than stated. As far as use, I haven't broke it in just yet but so far, sounds tight and strong.
Very pleased,
July 27, 2012
Rick
1:10,000 Chance
Got the generator right after you shipped it. Was delivered and there were no issues with the shipping. Took all the contents out and put oil in per the instructions and gas. Went to start it up and nothing. Checked it all over to make sure I didn't miss anything. Checked the spark plug and no spark. Never seen a Briggs engine that didn't start right up, but this one didn't. Ended up taking to a Briggs dealer which he was great and took care of the problem. Turned out it was 1:10,000 chance the low oil shut off switch was bad. Had the generator back in two days and runs great.
January 26, 2012
Bax
Not American Made
Seems to be a fine alternative to the Honda unit, but as many think it is not American made. Instead it is made by Suzhou Erma Machinery (Suzhou, China), which is my only disappointment with the unit. I try not to support the exportation of American jobs to China and elsewhere in the Far East.
December 23, 2011
ARNOLD Paramus, NJ
NOTHING BUT ACCOLADES
Now That I Have Had This B&S 30473 For a Couple of Months, I Have Nothing But Accolades For It's Operation and Service. My Town Did Not Have Electric For 4 Days Because of the Premature Snow and Ice Storm, I Would Have Gladly Paid a Lot More to Get This Machine to Provide More Than Enough Power Needed For My Big Tv and Refrig Plus Other Accessories, Heater, Computer Etc., I Had Plugged in. It Ran Flawlessly Without Much Noise. I Love It. After 6 Hours, I Had to Put Some More Gas Into the Tank.
November 05, 2011
Arnold Paramus, NJ
B&S Generator
It Was Great and Just in Time!
October 19, 2011
Tom Green Bay, WI
Amazing
I was undecided if I wanted the Honda or the Briggs. After trying the Honda i2000 I was very pleased. Then I tried the Briggs and was just as pleased. I use this at my Cabin which has no power. I did notice that the Honda seemed to shut off if I had got close to 1600watts. But the Briggs actually ran fine with 1600watts, and I even plugged in another 100watt bulb to test it farther, and still fine.
The Briggs is a tad louder, but not much louder at all!! Its still very quite! Carry is very easy and lighter then what it looks. Ive had this a year now, and still runs perfect and starts on first pull. Changing oil is extremely easy, although I would recommend picking up a small funnel just to make it a little easier to drain and fill it. I only do this to keep it clean, cause this bad boy doesn't deserve to get dirty! Also I was surprised on the little gas it uses.
The Briggs and Stratton is definitely in my opinion the best, and on top of that. Its the Best Price! You get more then what you pay for.
I was undecided if I wanted the Honda or the Briggs. After trying the Honda i2000 I was very pleased. Then I tried the Briggs and was just as pleased. I use this at my Cabin which has no power. I did notice that the Honda seemed to shut off if I had got close to 1600watts. But the Briggs actually ran fine with 1600watts, and I even plugged in another 100watt bulb to test it farther, and still fine.
The Briggs is a tad louder, but not much louder at all!! Its still very quite! Carry is very easy and lighter then what it looks. Ive had this a year now, and still runs perfect and starts on ... more
September 17, 2011
Robert Howell, NJ
Hurricane Irene
I purchased this generator a few days before hurricane Irene hit. I always loose my electricity where I live, even in good weather sometimes. I never know when it will go out but I KNEW I was going to be without power for sure with this hurricane. I had to have it overnighted so I was guaranteed I would have it...my decision and not cheap.
This generator powered my sump pump, refrigerator, and various other small power draw items without a problem. It even powered two of my neighbors sump pumps too. I know I could have purchased a bigger unit with the money I spent on this generator but I was looking for something easier to handle.
It did the job and is well made, and easy to use. It does make a lot of noise though, more than I thought it would for a small unit. It was like going to bed with a lawn mower. However, it ran for 5 days and never quit. I would recommend it for light duty situations only. Nice product.
I purchased this generator a few days before hurricane Irene hit. I always loose my electricity where I live, even in good weather sometimes. I never know when it will go out but I KNEW I was going to be without power for sure with this hurricane. I had to have it overnighted so I was guaranteed I would have it...my decision and not cheap.
This generator powered my sump pump, refrigerator, and various other small power draw items without a problem. It even powered two of my neighbors sump pumps too. I know I could have purchased a bigger unit with the money I spent on this generator but I ... more
August 29, 2011
ERNIE Nashville, TN
PORTABLE GENERATOR BRIGGS 30473
I Bought This Generator For Tailgating At Football Games. This Generator Is Very Quiet, Impressive Run Time, 5 Hours On 1 Gallon Powering Flatscreen Tv and Lights and Fan Etc. Lots of Folks At the Tailgate Mentioned How Quiet It Ran While They Visited Our Tailgate Area. Electric Generators Direct Shipped Promptly,Arrived Within 4 Days,Nice Job.I Give This Briggs Unit a Top Rating.
June 10, 2011
Dan Kirbyville, TX
AMERICAN MADE SAYS IT ALL
We got what we wanted ...54db,fuel efficient, compact , starts on 1st to 3rd (easy) pull, runs our camping gear (TWO FANS ,RADIO,BUG LIGHT,SMALL AC) Great job from Briggs. Were sure it'll come in handy this hurricane season with our other Briggs gen. Untill then we'll enjoy the outdoors with it . We would recommend the 30473 and give it a 5 STAR RATING . Thanks for the great price . We also give GEN. DIRECT a FIVE STAR service and sale rating .
March 27, 2011
Jim Oxford, NC
Good Buy
Cranks easy. Runs good. Not as quite as a Honda, but almost.
Good buy for the money.
March 03, 2011
Jim Iona, MN
Ice Fishing
We used this generator for the last couple times of ice fishing it has run 50 hours already and i am very pleased with it and would recommenced it. The only down side I saw to this generator is it will not start if it is below 0. We would bring it in the fish house for 10-15 minutes to warm it up, then it would start after a few pulls but when it was running we never had an issue.
It ran all the accessories in the fish house while charging the batteries too, on average we were getting 8-10 hours of use per gallon of fuel.
November 15, 2010
Ron Ore City, TX
Love It!!!
Love my new generator. The instructions were straight forward and after I added oil, gas and adjusted the choke.
It started on the 5th or 6th pull. After that it starts on 2nd pull every time. It makes very little noise unless I really load it up.
As for you guys, it was a pleasure dealing with you and the shipment was right on time. It is nice to know that there are still people out there who take pride in their work.
October 15, 2010
Dale Glenoma, WA
It's All I Need
I haven't had to use it yet but I hooked it up to see if it would do what I wanted and no problem.
Easy start, maybe 2 pulls and let it warm for a short time and away it goes. Great product
August 23, 2010
D Frederick, MD
Absolutely love this generator
OK, here is my report for the generator after using it for about a month now.
So far I've logged about 32 hours of use on my boat that does not have power to the pier. I now absolutely love this generator. It starts up flawlessly with little effort. No more than 1 easy pull the first time to start it and that's without using the choke.
It runs for about 9 hours with a decent load of a 10 amp battery charger charging a bank of batteries, a small fridge, several lights, a laptop, stereo and a 5000 watt AC.
Without the AC it ran 8 hours with 1/4 tank of fuel remaining. I figured this wasn't a Honda, so it was going to use a lot more gas- but really this thing sips gas.
With all this stuff running, I can cycle the AC on and off and I can hear the generator ramp up and down depending on the power draw. It's smart and efficient.
My only negative is a small one but it's just slightly louder than the other, more expensive inverter gennys; but for half the cost and all the performance I'm not complaining.
As far as durability, longevity and reliability, I'll have to wait and see and report back later.
OK, here is my report for the generator after using it for about a month now.
So far I've logged about 32 hours of use on my boat that does not have power to the pier. I now absolutely love this generator. It starts up flawlessly with little effort. No more than 1 easy pull the first time to start it and that's without using the choke.
It runs for about 9 hours with a decent load of a 10 amp battery charger charging a bank of batteries, a small fridge, several lights, a laptop, stereo and a 5000 watt AC.
Without the AC it ran 8 hours with 1/4 tank of fuel remaining. I figured this ... more
August 02, 2010
B. Kuhn Mount Pleasant, SC
I think I bought the perfect unit!
Bought this generator to run my 28' 5th-wheel travel trailer while at the race track. Let me start by saying that this unit is the best "bang for the buck" on small inverter generators.
I've been using a friends EU2000 for the past year while racing and this generator does everything the Honda does. The start up instructions are upfront and simple, add oil & gas and go!
I had to pull it about 8 times (out of the box) to get it to start, after that, it starts on the first pull every time. Initially, I hooked up a 1500W space heater and two 150W halogen lights, and it handled the load fine. Aside from that, I hooked up the 5th-wheel and can run anything in the camper except the rooftop air, which I knew prior to buying.
Pro's= Well planned and laid out unit. Simple controls and pretty quiet. I tested the db level at 21', and the unit ran 52db at no load and 59db at full load. While I realize that's not a scientific way of measuring db levels, I'm confident this unit is extremely close to the Yamaha's and Honda's noise level.
The unit comes with oil, tool kit and cables for battery charging which other companies charge extra for.
Con's= one downfall that I can find....no parallel ports to join units together like Honda offers.
Overall Thoughts,.....Briggs & Stratton made a big jump at the inverter market by offering up a nice piece at a very reasonable price.
To potential buyers looking buying an inverter generator, don't hesitate to buy a PowerSmart 2000. Since I've bought mine, I now have three friends who've bought the same units to run flounder gigging lights. All three are highly satisfied with theirs.
I took 60 days to make a decision on an inverter and I'm proud to say that I think I bought the perfect unit!
Bought this generator to run my 28' 5th-wheel travel trailer while at the race track. Let me start by saying that this unit is the best "bang for the buck" on small inverter generators.
I've been using a friends EU2000 for the past year while racing and this generator does everything the Honda does. The start up instructions are upfront and simple, add oil & gas and go!
I had to pull it about 8 times (out of the box) to get it to start, after that, it starts on the first pull every time. Initially, I hooked up a 1500W space heater and two 150W halogen lights, and it ... more
July 31, 2010
David Sun Frederick, MD
Happy with my decision
I bought the Briggs and Stratton 2000 watt inverter generator 30473 recently and ran it for several hours.
The weight of this generator is fairly manageable even with a bad back. The handle configuration was very well thought out and works great making it easy to carry even with just one hand. I carried it over 200 feet without any problems.
Weighs about the same as a Honda eu2000i. Has just about all the same features as well including econ-fuel saving mode.
The Briggs and Stratton generator setup was easy and first start up took about 3-4 pulls. Every start after only took 1 easy pull. Even after several days from initial setup the start up was very easy and reliable.
In normal mode it was fairly quiet. I have an awesome Yamaha ef2400is and the Briggs was louder but not significantly, and it really wasn't too bad. In economy/fuel saving mode it was very quiet and just a bit louder than my Yamaha.
Power was acceptable as I could run my 5000 watt boat ac unit, a fan, small refrigerator and a radio all at the same time without any problems and with power to spare.
However, I was not able to start very many devices with modest size motors like a 1hp compressor, but that was expected. I was able to start a table top grinder and run other devices without any problems.
For the money, I would definitely not hesitate because it's much less expensive than its foreign competitors and runs pretty well. If it cost any more, I would go with a Japanese brand but at this price, I am happy with the decision.
It even looks sharp and the silver color looks great.
I bought the Briggs and Stratton 2000 watt inverter generator 30473 recently and ran it for several hours.
The weight of this generator is fairly manageable even with a bad back. The handle configuration was very well thought out and works great making it easy to carry even with just one hand. I carried it over 200 feet without any problems.
Weighs about the same as a Honda eu2000i. Has just about all the same features as well including econ-fuel saving mode.
The Briggs and Stratton generator setup was easy and first start up took about 3-4 pulls. Every start after only took 1... more
Air Compressors
Owners Manual
