Keeping snow away from standby emergency generator

Teikas Dad · Jan 8, 2018

I searched but couldn't find an answer, so here goes.

I have a 14kw Kohler automatic standby genset for my house. It has the standard plastic outside enclosure on it with air intake vents on one end and exhaust vents on the other end. Right now we've got about 12" of snow on the ground and it hasn't been above freezing for the past 2 weeks so the snow is powdery and drifting. I've been able to keep the drifts cleared away with a shovel and snowblower to date. However, we go to Florida for February and March (retirement is awesome!!!) and I'm worried about snow blocking the intake and exhaust while we're gone. We have a local plowing contractor who is going to plow the driveway for us while we're gone....NOT with MY Kubota!....but he's in his late 60's/early 70's so I don't see him getting out of his nice warm pickup to shovel out my genset. My son lives about 15 minutes away and he's going to keep an eye on it for me but he gets called out of state on short notice for a week or two at a time for his job. Has anyone built any kind of snorkle/air box/snow deflector for their genset? If so, care to share what you did, what worked and what didn't work?

Thanks

bcp · Jan 8, 2018

My only serious snow and generator experience was in AK with one in a metal shed. Maybe a garden shed would work for yours. Some are nice looking, especially the wood ones.

Here in WA I have a 3-sided shed, about 4 feet square, for my portable generator.

garden shed - Google Search

Bruce

RNeumann · Jan 8, 2018

Back in the day we were outfitting our 4x4s with “snorkels” so we could make river crossings. The easiest and cheapest thing we found was 4” abs or pvc pipe.
Obviously in your situation you will need to go up to an appropriate height and 180° back down to prevent snow etc from getting into the opening. Attaching the vertical pipe to a t post or 2 should work fine- or it could be way more involved- it’s up to you.

Btw it seems silly to run the gen while u r gone for 2 months. You could lose power for a week or two and have a nice bill- and or run out of fuel depending on the setup. If it’s propane, most companies won’t refill the tank without pressure testing the system if it’s empty. Their are better solutions.

coldsteelva · Jan 9, 2018

I highly recommend building a lean-to type cover over it. Snow on top will slide off instead of building if you use metal (corrugated or standing seam). It doesn't have to be permanent, just held against the house with some heavy duty hooks and eyes

Teikas Dad · Jan 9, 2018

Thanks all for the advice. RNuemann, I need to have the genset operational while we're gone as the house has hardwood floors. If they get too cold they will buckle and that gets expensive to fix. Every see a bowling alley that has been exposed to freezing temps? It's not pretty! We just spent the last two weeks at below freezing...actually for the most part below 0, so I need to have the heat set to a minimum to protect the house while we're gone and the genset makes sure it will run.

RNeumann · Jan 9, 2018

Ever thought of putting your generator on a thermostat? Most gens start with what’s known as “dry contacts” which is the same as a thermostat. Set the temp to say 50° and the gen starts when the temp hits 50° and turns off when the temp hits 51°. With a programmable thermostat you can command to say 90° once a week for 1/2 hour or so so cycle the generator. I have a winco gen that I setup this way. If your WiFi is on a battery backup and your thermostat is WiFi too (Honeywell makes a nice one) you can sort of remotely monitor and control your gen as well.

To be clear the gen would run when power is out AND the house temp drops below a preset level. The gen would stop when the temp is reached or power comes back on.

cdaigle430 · Jan 9, 2018

I was thinking the same thing about a roof over my Generac 16KW-just to keep the snow off or away from the front and back.

fried1765 · Jan 9, 2018

Teikas Dad said:
Thanks all for the advice. RNuemann, I need to have the genset operational while we're gone as the house has hardwood floors. If they get too cold they will buckle and that gets expensive to fix. Every see a bowling alley that has been exposed to freezing temps? It's not pretty! We just spent the last two weeks at below freezing...actually for the most part below 0, so I need to have the heat set to a minimum to protect the house while we're gone and the genset makes sure it will run.

12 Years ago, I built a summer residence in Nova Scotia, and it is unheated every winter.
I used 3/4" x 3-1/2" quartersawn red oak flooring.
Have never had a buckling issue.

grsthegreat · Jan 9, 2018

about the only way would be a lean too over the top. keep the sides open to allow for air flow. pay the neighbors kid to look after it. have him text you a daily picture to make sure hes checking it. you know those lazy kids