Running portable generator during inclement weather

MossRoad · Oct 28, 2014

I didn't laugh.... but I smiled a bit!!

3930dave · Oct 28, 2014

Shift4200 said:
You might laugh, but I use a "kiddie pool" set upside down on top of my Generac generator. Held in place with a couple sandbags.

Might not be the prettiest thing in the world, but it keeps her dry while she keeps us going.

-J

Simple.... I like it. I can see that working out with certain generators.

When I think of mine, probably not. My smaller one would be too hard to balance that on, and my larger one would be a good candidate, but, the recently mandated tank vent line comes out of the fill cap, right where you'd want something like that weighted down.

On older flat top gens, I can see that pool trick working well.

Rgds, D.

newbury · Oct 28, 2014

In Virginia I built a small 3 sided "bicycle shed"/lean to (about 5'x3'x4'H) attached to my 10x15x9H garden shed, then eventually moved the bikes out and the generator in, and throw a tarp over the generator. Easy access, close to the house so I can run my 10 gauge extension cable. In Mississippi I've got a covered porch.

Larry Caldwell · Oct 28, 2014

My 4400/5000 watt gen sits in the barn, mothballed with fogged cylinders and inside a big plastic bag and its original shipping case. I don't bother to get it out until the second day of a power outage, when I want to run the pump and take a shower. When it's running, it sits in the open sided woodshed, out of the rain. It has maybe 10 hours on it since I bought it 16 years ago. It hooks to a transfer switch. A gallon of gas will run 1.6 hours. It is so noisy it will give you a headache.

My little 1200w gen is stored in the travel trailer. It is adequate to run the freezer and the entertainment center/satellite dish, or to power the travel trailer including an 850 watt electric heater. You can hardly hear it even standing right next to it. It will run 3.5 hours on a gallon of fuel. It has maybe 200 hours on it since I bought it 8 years ago, since I take it camping. I never leave fuel in it; I dump the fuel out and then start the engine to run the carb dry.

All my small engines run synthetic lubricants. They stand up to the high temps of air cooled engines much better than conventional oils, which break down and turn black rapidly.

Larry Caldwell · Oct 28, 2014

Pilot said:
I reluctantly leave mine in the open. I asked a service guy about it & he said it was OK, but the manual says "no". I just don't have a good place to put it out of the weather. Used it for 9 hours on Saturday. Service guy says to make sure it has lots of ventilation, that the most business he gets are from folks who covered their generator.

When the electrician wired the transfer switch he wanted to be sure both sides had equal loads. I had to make quick guesses as to what we would use when & guessed wrong. All the lights ended up on one side and last Saturday the lights were a little dim even thought the voltage at the outlets read ~117.5. I'm going to get it rewired. OTOH, maybe it was the rain and it should have been protected.

Also looking for a way to muffle a Briggs engine. Ours is pretty loud. A Briggs excuse for a muffler is a spark arrestor--might as well have nothing.

Mine came with a spark arrestor too. It was attached to the engine block with a 1" piece of NPT pipe. I just went to a local mower shop and bought a better muffler.

4shorts · Oct 28, 2014

3930dave said:
The air-cooled gens that most of us can afford need adequate airflow. The master-craftsman "shed" builds you can find (4Shorts has a great Vid - I think he's on Ytube as Paul Short, and I think it's also still on here.

Rgds, D.

Yup. Still around but don't post much. I sure don't consider myself a master-craftsman but did build a generator enclosure/shelter. Really happy with it especially after last winters power outages.

4shorts · Oct 28, 2014

Here's an update on the enclosure I did this past spring.

3930dave · Oct 28, 2014

Thanks for posting those Paul.

I enjoyed your first vid when it originally came out; it's great to see the followup - actual field use often turns up a few tweaks that are needed. I can't remember if you ever did another vid that showed how you set up the curved (slight peak) top on the enclosure.

You don't have to follow Paul's work for long to realize that you'd have quite a time convincing him to cut a corner.....

That said, I just wanted to comment on the Winter conditions he's building for. I've been through some rough weather here in Ontario, but after working on The Rock in the Winter time, I can tell you that they have some pretty severe weather.

Like a lot of the Maritimes, when the locals say "It's a bit breezy today", most of us mainlanders would call it Gale Force conditions. The only time I've ever seen a brake rotor frozen in place by ice (not a seized caliper) on a moving truck, was on The Rock.

For the local conditions, what Paul set up is not quite as over-built as you (fellow mainlanders) might first think.

BTW Paul, what model of LED street lamp head is that ?

Rgds, D.