So how do you like your MEP-802's so far?

[Ratch]

I'll say I *really* like mine for everything except generating power and idling.

Last edit, I promise...

Compared to the 002:
Pro's:
- Starts easy. Stupid easy. I can have anyone in my household go start it while I'm at work.
- Very quiet. My distant neighbors don't hear it.
- Enclosure is much more appealing to the eye
- comparable on fuel

Con's:
- Can NOT handle overloading; stayed running, but couldn't keep up with just a little over 5kw, went from 38-45hz
- wet stacks quickly, and in my application (all LED lighting and efficient appliances) it's way under rated load most of the time, so I can't let it run overnight



So what do the rest of you guys with one think now that you've had some time to run on it?

 

[Rapracing]

Don't have one and reading your review don't think I want one either. Seems you "really" like it except for what it was designed to do.

 

[dangier]

Interesting. But then we are spoiled with the 002's and 003's.
David

Think I will stay with what I have....

 

[dependable]

Comparing the 802 with the 002, I think I like the rugged simplicity of the 002 better. If I did not have an ASK and external muffler on my main 002, the lower noise level of the 802 would be more of a plus.

Compared to modern consumer grade generators, the 802 is a much better unit.

 

[Ratch]

I think the key positives of easy starting and quiet running can't be overstated for me, though. My power goes out while I'm at work a lot, and walking my wife through starting the 002 and getting her to keep trying, hold the starter switch, etc, don't seem to work. The sound of the starter spooks her, then the sound of it running makes her cringe...
The 802 being so easy to start is just awesome. I don't preheat, barely tap the starter, and the thing fires up. Must be all the ATF I soaked it with when I got it...

I do like it, but if I keep it, I'm going to have to design some circuitry to compensate for it's shortcomings. IE, a preference relay to run either water heater or well pump, but never both. And a heater coil in the cooling air output path that's maybe controlled with a timer and relay on a current transformer, to load it up and burn out the wet stack periodically when the house demand is low. I'm not a fan of complicating it and compensating normal system operation for generator operation.

The 002, for it's annoyances, is a more tolerant generator for long periods of low/idle demand, then periods of over-loading demand. The 802's I'm sure serve their purpose in military field conditions just fine, but maybe take a little more adapting to consumer use.

And yes, it's easily a million times better than anything I could buy at the chain stores or local hardware place. I know I sound like I'm complaining about it, but I'm not being sarcastic when I say I still like it. Maybe I'm just really trying hard to like it...

 

[rustystud]

I'll just stay with my MEP-002A and MEP-003A units ! I have taught my son how to start the units up if I'm not home. Power just went out 3 days ago, and the trusty old MEP-002A came to the rescue as usual .

 

[cuad4u]

I have 002A's and 003A's. Several weeks ago I posted a question as to how many watts a healthy 002A would provide. I got lots of different answers so I finally got my 002A "healthy". Giving the 002A the ultimate torture test, mine will load test at 8500W resistive while maintaining 60Hz. I could tell the engine was working hard so I don't think it will load test 9000W. The circuit breaker did not open but after around 20 minutes at 8500W the generator engine shut down. I am pretty sure the cylinder head over temp sensor shut it down. After cooling for 10 minutes it started right back up.

My 003A will load test 16000W but my home made load tester (water heater elements immersed in water in a plastic 55 gallon drum) won't allow me to load test at 16000W for very long.

Like others posted the 802 I tested the exact same way ran out of breath at around 5500W.

 

[pclausen]

Can NOT handle overloading; stayed running, but couldn't keep up with just a little over 5kw, went from 38-45hz

Did you happen to take a reading with a amp clamp on meter to determine how many amps you were pulling on each leg at the time?

 

[Ratch]

I didn't take a reading on it, so I don't know the actual current flow at the time. But I had my 4500 watt electric water heater on, probably (20) 18 watt led lights, and my well pump kicked on. So I'm guessing it went to around 5500, or even 6kw. Unfortunately, I don't know what my well pump is, so it could be all the way up to 1kw for all I know.
I do know my 002 didn't even flinch under the same load. Actually, I was running the 002 before converting to led lighting, and had the oil boiler running.

 

[Glockfan]

You may have read one of my other posts elsewhere but prior to moving from my rented house with natural gas for heat to the home we are now in which is all electric, an MEP-802a is what carried us through a one week power outage when we were hit with the monster ice storm last year. We ran our entire house off of the little 802. When a pine limb fell and took out a transformer, I fired up the 802 and it literally ran non-stop for 140 hours straight powering my entire home until the crew restored power a week later. We washed clothes, dryed clothes with our electric dryer (this pushed the load limit indicator to 100% of rated load and caused it to blow a little smoke), ran the microwave, ran single elements on our electric stove, all of the lights we wanted to run, the furnace (gas powered though), tv's, etc. In addition to this, we ran a 100 foot cord from the conv. recp. to out neighbor's house to allow them to charge their phones and run any other small appliance limited to 10A of service for the entire time we were without power. Through the ice storm, I burned about six gallons of diesel on average per 24-hour time peroid. My generator had extreamly low hours on it. It was a depot refurb and when I bought it, it had 9 hours showing on the meter. Those that have several thousand hours on them may be in need of maintenance of some sort and their performance may not be the same. As always YMMV but I could not have been happier with the performance of my little 802a it saddens me to not be able to use it at me new place.

 

[Ratch]

Well, I do really like it in theory, just not so much in performance. I probably need 8kw for my occasional loads, so I'm a bit bummed I can't make this unit work as-is.