With 10 kilowatts of power, you should be able to keep your whole house powered comfortably during an outage. The Champion 10,000 watt generator that we’ll be reviewing is not only a formidable portable generator, it has the added advantage of dual fuel operation. You can use either propane or gas to power this generator. Propane is popular as a green fuel, as it has lower emission levels. Another great advantage to using propane, particularly during a natural disaster, is that gas can be in short supply, whereas propane can be stored indefinitely.

A portable generator of this size is going to be amongst your more expensive options. Though, this Champion 10,000 watt generator is not at all expensive when you consider that this is a popular brand with a great network of service centers around the US. Even then, you may be wondering if you need to pay this much for a 10KW generator when a smaller, cheaper generator may suffice. After reviewing the Champion dual fuel generator, I’ll look at what you can run on a 10,000W generator and why it can be beneficial to use a larger generator.
Champion 10000 Watt (Peak) Dual Fuel Portable Generator Model: 100297
The Champion 10,000 watt generator is a robust machine with a tough metal frame and large chunky wheels. This makes it the ideal generator for a jobsite, for emergency power at home, even a camping generator. Though some might find it a bit large and heavy for camping purposes. The ability to use propane is an added bonus. A 3.3’ propane hose and regulator are included, so it’s propane ready, straight out the box. Probably most remarkable, is that this powerful dual fuel generator is price very competitively. That’s excellent value for money, something I’ve come to expect from Champion. These guys manufacture great quality light to medium duty generators, always at a fantastic price.
To generate 10,000 watts of starting (peak) power and 8,000W continuous (running) power, you need an engine that’s up to the task. In this regard, the Champion 459cc, 4-stroke engine certainly makes the grade. It is known to be a reliable engine and has cold start technology, making it super easy to start in all kinds of weather. It has the convenience of an electric starter with a recoil starter as backup. This engine is EPA and Carb certified; and is pretty remarkable when it comes to fuel consumption.
Great fuel economy, and a large 6.6-gallon gas tank, means really long runtimes. The Champion 100297 will run for 8-hours at 50% load on a single tank of gas. That’s an average load of 4KW constantly, for 4-hours. For most households, I’d guess you can easily get 12-hours or more from a tank of gas. A 20-pound propane tank will provide 5-hours at 50% load. Though, as with all dual fuel generators, power output is lower when using propane. The Champion 10,000 watt generator produces 9025W peak power and 7250 running watts when using propane.
One of the issues when using a large 10KW generator is noise levels. Though, here the Champion 100297 isn’t too bad – 74dBA measured from a distance of 23-feet. Another is weight, especially when you consider that this generator has a tough metal frame and metal gas tank. So, the rather hefty weight of 209.4 LBS is unavoidable. Though, this is still a portable 10,000 watt generator, thanks to large solid wheels and a great fold down loop handle. The metal frame is also designed to offer plenty of easy gripping positions for lifting.
The control panel is limited in the outlets provided. I’m really disappointed that the guys at Champion didn’t include a 120V/240V 50A outlet. Since this generator can deliver a peak output of 83A at 120V (41A at 240V) it is ideally suited for a 50A transfer switch. This would be a convenient addition if you want to connect the Champion 10,000 watt generator directly to the main power supply to your house. For the rest, it isn’t really lacking when it comes to AC outlets. You get the usual 120V 20A outlets, a total of 4 with 2 X 20A circuit breakers (one for each set of duplex 20A 120V outlets). It also has a 120V 30A (L5-30R) locking outlet and a 120V/240V 30A (L14-30R) locking outlet. The 30A circuits are protected by a 2-pole breaker and the 120A (5-20R) outlets have GFCI protection. This makes the Champion 10,000 watt generator OSHA compliant. Great news for contractors. It doesn’t have any DC outlets, which is a minor disappointment. The Champion “IntelliGAUGE” is a nice extra, this digital display allows you to check on the voltage, frequency (Hz), and runtime.
If you’re looking for an affordable power supply for whole house backup, or a busy jobsite, you can’t easily beat the Champion 10,000 watt generator. It has the great advantage of dual fuel use and is one of the most affordable in its class. Champion generators have earned a solid reputation for reliability and great after sales service. The 3-year warranty also provides a good deal of confidence in your purchase.
Can anyone suggest a transfer switch to use with this unit? Thanks in advance. CWB