Portable Generator

Started by flyingvan, September 15, 2013, 11:45:29 AM

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flyingvan




    The cottage was built in such a way to easily incorporate a backup generator.  All the big draw items---water heater, range, furnace---are propane.  I can easily get by with 5 kw.
    I wanted to plumb said generator to the 288 gallon propane tank.  I bought a good Siemens power transfer switch--- it's rated for the max shore power, not the generator (100 amps in this case).  It's an outdoor model, basically a big manual pull switch that will completely isolate the power, switching from grid to generator.
    It took quite awhile to find the generator I wanted.  A friend of mine is in charge of all the power generation at San Clemente Island and was a wealth of info---he said to get the very smallest generator I could get away with.  10 kw generators take a lot more fuel to produce 1 kw than a 3 kw generator will, plus they don't like producing power on the low end of their capabilities.  I wanted dual fuel----propane will never go bad, can be stored safely in large quantities, and is already there----if we get yet another extended disaster here, having alternatie fuel supplies might come in handy. 
   I also wanted electric start.  The power tends to fail while I'm at work and no wife of mine will have to be out in the snow wrestling with a pull cord.
   It had to be CARB compliant.  Thanks, California, for making every aspect of our lives just a little more difficult.
   It had to be 240v.  I wanted to power both legs and get the inherent efficiency of a two leg system.
   I'm trying not to let the fact it was made in China influence me.  I will keep you posted as to how that decision pans out.
   It wasn't easy to figure out the inlet pressure.  I was praying it was 11" water column like the rest of the house appliances.  No data in the manual, but I searched the serial number on the regulator that came with it and it's 11".  Great!  Now to build an enclosure.
   The enclosure will be weathertight, sound proofed, and still provide adequate ventilation and cooling.  The roof will hinge in case the pull starter is needed or if it needs to be fueled with gasoline.  It will be dug into the hillside just past the pole---I figure the propane won't lose any energy through long piping like longer electric wires will, so I'll put it very near the power pole where the transfer switch will be cut in to the 1 1/2" PVC pipe.  That way, starting the gen and switching the power will be all in one place.

    Other things I had to check----will my regulator handle the extra load?  A serial number search told me it's rated at 750,000 btu's.  If I'm running my range, furnace, and water heater at max I'm only at 400,000 btu's.  The specs say at max load the gen uses 1 gallon propane/hour, so that's less than 92,000 btu's.  I should be fine there.
     Next concern is the piping.  According to the charts I can run 11" w.c. 30' for up to 315,000 btu's through 3/4" piping so that's what I'll go with---my run is 24' with two bends, then a shutoff valve and the standard yellow corrugated tubing. 
     The piping, wires, and copper ground will all come up through a concrete base.

In short, here is a list of everything I had to consider

1) What size generator?
2) What fuel(s)?
3) 120 or 240?
4) Do I have the right propane tank?
5) Do I have the right regulator?
6) Is my piping correct?
7) Will it be situated close enough to operate but far enough so carbon monoxide and noise aren't a problem?
8 ) Will it be installed in such a way there is no chance of energizing the whole neighborhood?
9) How reliable is the generator?

       What have I missed?

  Side note---each leg of the gen will produce 2600 watts continuous.  I was careful to balance my loads in the cottage so each leg has about the same draw.  If the fridge, microwave, hair dryer, and vacuum were all running on the same leg, it would trip the breaker even though it's well below the rated capacity.
Find what you love and let it kill you.

Native_NM

Great thread and information.

Thank you for posting.
New Mexico.  Better than regular Mexico.


flyingvan

Thanks, Native....

    I had a two day furlough from work before I had to start this 144 hour marathon shift....I'd rther complain about too much work than not enough, I suppose.
    I saw this 'Alpha Flex' product at Home Depot.  Flexible gas line.  There was a tag on it claiming you have to get the online course and certificate before they'll sell it to you.  I pulled it up and it gave me the cert before I even looked at anything, and I had to dig to find the training.  Clicked through to find 'Not suitable for burial' (unless you encase it in something else)  So, back to wrapped iron pipe.  And a straighter trench.
    With this tank and pipe sizing I'm good to run all my appliances down to 0 degrees F---it's never been less than 14 F in the 18 years I've lived here, so should be OK.  I could always put a strip heater in or something if needed.
    I'm putting lots of faith into tables and charts for this project.  The 10AWG wires coming from the generator seem awful wimpy compared to the 6AWG wires from the grid----but for 30 amps running 7 feet, it should be just fine.  This is the power transfer switch that makes it impossible to backfeed the grid from the generator.
        The toughest part was cutting the 1.5" pipe with the wires already in it----cutting the pipe without hurting the wires.  Then pulling the wires out and through the new switch box.  Also the knockouts on the bottom didn't line up with the hole on top so I had to flex the pipe around a bit so it looked neat and tidy.
      I got the form built but had to get to my son's soccer game.  Hopefully the 1800 pounds of concrete mix in the back of truck doesn't get rained on before I get back home.  The challenge for the housing is making it weather proof, inconspicuous, sound proof, well ventilated, and easy access for starting.  It's electric start but if it needs to be started with the pull cord I want that to be easy too.  There shouldn't be any way to trap propane in the event of a propane leak.

      I need to wrap the gas pipe and conduit better before I pour too.  The three 4" abs pipes will be set in the concrete.  They angle away from the house because I know they'll pipe some noise from the generator.   The upper part of the housing will have a screen mesh on the back side---air will draft up the pipes and out the back.  I might use R-Max foam board in the walls to deaden the sound.  (it puts out 72 db which isn't much but I want it quiet as possible.  I like my neighbors and hope to keep that mutual)
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

Meanwhile, some great generator safety tips. 
Also this article claims it's about $1,000 to hire an electrician to install a power transfer switch, which is about my budget for the entire project.  Unless you are 100% capable of shutting down the power and doing this correctly, $1,000 is a bargain.  The cost of getting electrocuted is probably higher.
http://www.familyhandyman.com/smart-homeowner/generator-maintenance-tips/view-all
Find what you love and let it kill you.

Rob_O

Quote from: flyingvan on September 20, 2013, 06:56:36 PM

Also this article claims it's about $1,000 to hire an electrician to install a power transfer switch, which is about my budget for the entire project.  Unless you are 100% capable of shutting down the power and doing this correctly, $1,000 is a bargain. 


$1000 sounds about right for a 6 or 8 circuit transfer switch (the ones they sell at the box stores) right by the panel with a 30 amp 120V generator connection on the outside of the house more or less directly behind the transfer switch installed by an electrician.

I'm going to pick on your wiring here for a second...

1) Neutrals are not marked with white

2) No real slack in those wires going down, as the dirt settles it will take those wires with it

3) No insulating bushings on the big wires... or maybe it should be a ground bushing because it kinda looks like metal conduit in the pics

4) Looks like you have the generator ground and neutral tied at the panel. How is everything grounded/bonded?

Just a few points to consider. Keep up the good work
"Hey Y'all, watch this..."


flyingvan

Rob_O----Thanks for doublechecking my work.  I was wondering when someone would point out your point #4....

1)  I will mark my neutrals, that's a good suggestion.  I temporarily marked it with blue chalk before I cut into the three wires----figuring out which was the neutral coming down from the panel would be easy, but the three coming from the house would have been a nightmare.   I wasn't sure where I'd cut them until the box was in place.  Now I gotta find my roll of white electrical tape...

2)  The wires are in pvc conduit all the way through the foundation, then 14" of slack in the wall before they enter the sub panel in the house

3)  Not sure what you mean...It's plastic conduit but I used the metal Myers hub with the soft plastic liner.  Do you recommend something more? 

4)  I'd already planned on changing this...I'm going to find the ground screw that came with the transfer switch (it's in the Dodge somewhere) and move that ground wire to the box itself.  Since you asked---there are two 8' copper grounding rods (Here's one.  The other's 6' away)
    I ran a 8AWG from the other grounding rod that'll go to the ground on the generator.  That green wire going through the panel goes to the copper water main, bonded with the foundation rebar, gas piping, and subpanel and joins the grounding rod wire in the neutral bar at the main panel.
    So you understand my setup---the main panel at the meter, which served as temp power during construction, only has the double 100a breaker feeding the sub in the house.  (actually there's a second 20s double there too that feed the GFCI outlets at the pole you can see in the first picture.  They won't have any power when the generator's running.  I can plug a troublelight in to them to alert me when grid power's back up)
    Here's the sub in the house

Find what you love and let it kill you.

Rob_O

I see one tiny little strip of white on your neutral at the house panel. Tape is cheap, don't be afraid to use it

Take some slack out of the wall and put it in the transfer switch, the wall is not going to move but the box and/or the conduit might

It's called an insulating bushing, costs about a buck. What you have looks fine to me but I'm not your inspector and he may see things differently so just spend the buck

Grounding/bonding is a funny thing, and when generators are involved it gets even more confusing. IMHO 3 pole transfer switches should be mandatory so you can *completely* isolate the line and generator but the NEC doesn't read that way... My recommendation for your setup would be to ground/bond everything at your main/meter panel and ground the generator through the romex, do it your way and worst case scenario that piece of #10 going to the generator becomes the ground for every house attached to the transformer feeding your line. I have seen it happen, and it got that piece of #6 copper hot enough to char the wood it was attached to

Hope that helps, carry on
"Hey Y'all, watch this..."

flyingvan

  I can see how that would happen----I'll move that ground from the generator out of the neutral bar.  I agree about the three pole disconnect.  While choosing my circuits I was meticulous about balancing the two legs, but some of course will dump into the neutral.  Probably explains why the county goes so overboard with grounding (that and the frequent electrical storms we get)  Come to think of it I don't think that wire would ground all the houses, just because that neutral bar in the transfer switch is connected to the neutral bar in the main panel (12" away) which has a 8AWG bare copper wire going to the two grounding rods, water, gas and foundation rebar---but I'm still goiong to move it to the box.  Right now, since it's plastic conduit, nothing's really grounding the box itself.
  I'm a little annoyed by this generator and I haven't even run it yet.  Sold as a 6500 watts, but that's peak.  Running watts are 5200.  OK, fine, that's still plenty.  The manual says you can wire through the L14-30P twistlock outlet, and get 120V at 60Hz--with each hot protected by a 20 amp breaker for a net output of 5200 watts.  Either their math is bad or mine is----I get 4800 watts (120V X 20A X 2) and that's assuming I don't exceed 2400 watts on one leg or the other. 
Find what you love and let it kill you.

Rob_O

Quote from: flyingvan on September 21, 2013, 05:05:06 PM

Come to think of it I don't think that wire would ground all the houses, just because that neutral bar in the transfer switch is connected to the neutral bar in the main panel (12" away) which has a 8AWG bare copper wire going to the two grounding rods, water, gas and foundation rebar---but I'm still going to move it to the box. 


I said worst case scenario, that would mean every other ground on that line failed which is highly unlikely... but I did see that one waterline ground that got hot enough to char the wood behind it so there ya go. I never got the full story on that one, by the time I got there the lines had been cut and there were about 50 bucket trucks in the neighborhood but the drivers weren't talking
"Hey Y'all, watch this..."


flyingvan

First, I very much appreciate your input--thanks.  Also I've been hoping for an opportunity to point out how important it is to bond your water lines past any break---what I've seen twice now is people put in an in line filter then all of a sudden start getting pinhole leaks in their copper.  If you don't put a bond wire across, you have energized pipes on one side of the filter, and non energized on the other.  Unless your water has no dissolved solids (in which case you didn't need the filter in the first place) you've created a potential between the two sides and you start stripping ions out of the copper.  PEX, of course, avoids the whole problem but I wonder about the metal fixtures at the ends
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

Page vii of the owner's manual, Smart Tools ST-GP6500DEB

"5. 120/240V 20A twist-lock (L14-30R)- Protected by a 20A circuit breaker on each 120 Volt leg of the receptacle.  THis receptacle powers 240 Volt AC, 60 Hz, single phase loads requiring up to 20A or 5200 Watts of power" 

   If you look at Home Depot's Description of the exact same model number, it's a little different---"This generator offers.... a 120/240-Volt 30A Twist Lock outlet, a 120-Volt 30A outlet...."

   Since amps X volts gives watts, my 6500 watt generator can only produce 4800 watts.

   The Home Depot 'help' line---"Well, sir, if you purchased the wrong item you can return it and purchase the correct one" I didn't purchase the wrong item.  The item is supposed to have 30 amp breakers which are in fact too big, but came with 20 amp breakers which are too small.  Should be 25's.  "Well, sir, you can call the factory representative"
    "Sir, it's the outlet that's 30A not the breaker.  To get the full 6500 surge watts you have to use all the outlets".  That's what 'Smarter' Tools told me.  Umm, no, all the breakers are in series.  I'm looking at the wiring diagram right now, and every bit of power ends up going through a 20 amp breaker on each of the two legs.  I paid for a 6500 watt generator.  You sent me a 4800 watt generator  "Sir, let me transfer you to someone else"
     Someone else actually knew what I was trying to say.  "Yeah I knew I'd get this call eventually.  We've sold thousands of these units, you're the first to call us on it.  The manufacturer changed the breakers last year and didn't tell anyone; I argued with them they should be 25 amp (this is true) but they went from 30's to 20's."

     I know why-----30 amp breakers on a 6500 watt generator are useless as tits on a boar.  It would take 7200 watts continuous to have them trip.

     "The generator is exactly the same as last year except for those breakers.  I can send you the 30's if you want and you can install them.  It won't void the warranty and the wiring size is correct"

    So here's my plan.  I'm going to install the 30's then mount a small subpanel in the housing and run the two legs through a 25 amp doublegang breaker.  That will get me to 6000 watts---the max starting watts from LPG are 5850 anyway.
    I picked Someone Else's brain about the unit some more.  He told me the battery that came with the unit two years ago was crap.  They would have lost vendors unless they did something, now they are the best available anywhere.  He said if I run it exclusively off propane it'll last forever...He added, though, you really can't run anything like a full load on a cold night from a 20# barbeque tank (I'm not. 288 gallon tank) and the automatic purge system can lock up if you open the tank too fast (good tip.  I'll open the valve slowly)
Find what you love and let it kill you.

Rob_O

Will you need more than 4800 watts?
"Hey Y'all, watch this..."

flyingvan

No.  But I might need more than 2400 on one leg.
Also I paid for a 6.5KW generator, not a 4.8KW generator
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

  From the 'Trying to teach a pig to sing' department---

  (Me, writing to big box store)

      I recently purchased, online, a Smarter Tools dual fuel generator. I carefully selected this model due to my power needs, and the description for the ST-GP6500DEB clearly states it is protected by 30a breakers---this is ample to provide the power I need, 5200 continuous and 6500 surge as advertised. My unit arrived and has 20a breakers which will limit my available power to 4800 watts, 2400 per leg. This is not acceptable. This was a very large expense for us and I expect to receive a unit that can perform as stated.
   

  (Them)

    Hello Steve,

Thank you for contacting The Home Depot Online Customer Support. I understand you recently purchased the Smart Tools Dual Fuel Generator, order #W226655444, and that you have received a model that has 20a breakers rather than 30a breakers, and you would like to ensure you will receive the correct product.

I have reviewed the generator online and the applicable specifications and I see that this model states, 'This generator offers four 120-Volt 20-Amp outlets, a 120/240-Volt 30A Twist Lock outlet, a 120-Volt 30A Twist-lock outlet and one 12-Volt 8A DC outlet for convenient connectivity'. I hope this information clears up any confusion, Steve. If you would like to review this information online, please click here.

If we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to respond to this e-mail. Thank you for being a valued Home Depot customer. We look forward to your continued business.

Sincerely,

  (Me)

  There's no confusion---the write up, including what you've sent below, is inaccurate.  The 120/240-Volt Twist Lock outlet is NOT 30A.  It is only 20A.  A look at the wiring diagram shows all power output, regardless of what outlets are used, ultimately pass through two 20A breakers.  My unit has these 20A breakers.
Anyone that reads the paragraphs below will be led to believe the unit can produce 5200 watts, and even surge to 6500 watts.  This is not the case.  The most power you can get through two 20A breakers is 4800 watts.

Here are the options you have.

1) Require the manufacturer to install 25A breakers.  This would allow the unit to produce the advertised wattage, but the paragraph below should still read '25A outlet' instead of '30A outlet' (30 A breakers are too big for this unit, as the amps needed to trip them far exceed the output rating of the generator)

2) Re-label this unit as a 4800 watt generator.

    Please don't take my word for it as I am not a professional electrician.  I encourage you to ask an electrical engineer how many watts you can get at 240V fed through 20A breakers, and show him or her the wiring diagram, or just forward this email.  If you still don't understand why the write up of the product does not match the capabilities of the product he or she might be able to explain, or at least confirm what I'm trying to say.

   The manual that came with the product states on page vii bullet point #5--

120/240V 20A Twist-Lock (l14-30R)-
Protected by a 20A circuit breaker on each 120
Volt leg of the receptacle.  This receptacle
powers 240 Volt AC, 60 Hz, single phase loads
requiring up to 20A or 5200 Wattsof power.

     Please note it states 20A, not the 30A in the description you just sent.  Further it is inaccurate since the 20A will not provide 5200 watts, let alone the 6500 peak I'm counting on.

   In a nutshell---I expect a unit that can produce 5200 watts continuous, 6500 watts surge.  The unit I was sent matches the model number from your write up below but does not have 30A capability, only 20A capability---basic electrical energy physics is volts X amps = watts.  240 X 20 can only result in 4800 watts.   I really need to end up with a generator that performs exactly as described below.  That is what I paid for.
   I look forward to your solution to correcting this.  I have CC'd an engineer acquaintance to assure the information is accurate

                                      Thanks,

                                      Steve

    (Them)

    Hello Steve,

Thank you for contacting The Home Depot Online Customer Support. I understand you need a generator that produces 5200 watts continuous and 6500 surge.

The 120/240-Volt Twist Lock outlet is rated for 30A, but is protected for a 20A circuit breaker, because of the generators size. A 5200 watts continuous can be reached by using a combination of the outlets, but not by a single one. If you have additional questions and concerns, please contact the vendor, Smarter Tools, at 704-798-8588. Please bear in mind that this item does have a 30-day return policy with us, so if you choose to return it to reorder a different generator, please call us to initiate the return within that time frame.

If we can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to respond to this e-mail. Thank you for being a valued Home Depot customer. We look forward to your continued business.

Sincerely,
   

  (Me)

   No.  Your statement is inaccurate.   "A 5200 watts continuous can be reached by using a combination of the outlets, but not by a single one".  Look at the wiring diagram----the circuit breakers going to the duplex outlets are run in series with the circuit breakers going to the two twist lock outlets.  Regardless of the combination of outlets used, all the power ultimately goes through two 20A circuit breakers, rendering this generator 4800 watt output.
 
   
    So here's what I'm going to do.  I found 25A pushbutton circuit breakers on Ebay for $6 that will fit perfectly.  I'll put those in----I'll get 6000 watts Actually 3000 per leg) before they pop instead of the 2400 I can get now, but if overloaded the first thing to go will be the circuit breakers.  The 30's the manufacturer is sending won't protect the generator.   
 
   
Find what you love and let it kill you.


firefox

Thanks for the head's up. It will make me think twice before getting anything from this
outfit.
Bruce
Bruce & Robbie
MVPA 23824

Frank W

I'm generator poor. I have 5. Two of witch I bought to repair and resale. I have for personal use a cheap A Sportsman 2000w and don't recommend. It's made in China
A Genrac 5800 watt. It's a decent genny but very loud.
And my favorite, Honda EU2000i with a 12v battery charger. You can buy a linking cable to link two of these together for a TRUE 4000 watts. It's very quite and sips fuel. Easy to carry with one hand. I can't say enough about the Honda units. Yamaha also makes some awesome gennies. You get what you pay for.
Some of the other generators don't have the wattage as advertised and it's not clean power.
I looked at Northern tools at their diesel generator but after reading the reviews I realized it was not for me.
Also Northern has the best price on generators in my area.

flyingvan

#16


     Here's the base pre-pour.  I got the pour done before I had to leave for a week and had to resist the temptation to strip it while the concrete was still 'green'.   I wrapped the form in bubblewrap----my thought is it will make a lot more surface area to absorb sound.  You can see the sewer pipes that will pull cool air in under the generator.  Also I wrapped the gas line in bubblewrap; there will be a space and no concrete will touch it.  That ground in the transfer switch---I moved it from the neutral bar to the case itself.  The rebar is bonded to the grounding rod too.  I'll get pics when I strip the form

   Oh and another thing----I got a box from 'Smarter Tools' today with a manifest saying there were two 30A breakers enclosed.  There was only one.  At least I could use my lonesome breaker to compare and get exactly what I want----Ebay has the exact same manufacturer identical breaker in a 25A for $1.80 for a set of 2.  At 90 cents each you'd think 'Smarter Tools' could put 25A breakers in themselves.  Now my generator will be protected at 6000 watts, still handle some surge, and breakers will pop before stators will fry. 
Find what you love and let it kill you.

hpinson

FYI. There is an EU2000i clone at Costco right now (10/13). I believe the brand is Smarter Tools.  My memory on the price is a little fuzzy but I remember $599. It looked well put together, and might be a good alternative if the Honda is too much $$$.

kenhill

It claims to have a Yamaha Engine too.  I think continuous rated is 1600w

flyingvan

#19
Really good article on sizing a generator.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CEQQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.homepower.com%2Fsites%2Fdefault%2Ffiles%2Fuploads%2Fwebextras%2FHP138_pg88_Goodnight.pdf&ei=shNTUrbLEOegiQKn7IGwCQ&usg=AFQjCNF4WOWSIrQXyL9F8qARVGMdrlQXjg&bvm=bv.53537100,d.cGE

  Takes temperature, altitude, surge factor, and power factor into account.

In a nutshell---If you add up the wattage required for everything you might want to run for continuous use (as opposed to surge) and start from there... Here's what I calculated for Cuyamaca Cottage

Continuous watts needed-------------2,380
   / power factor adjustment                 .85    (explained in the article)
   / altitude derating                            .825     (3.5% per 1000' above sea level)
   / temperature derating                      .97     (1% per 10 degrees above 60F--worst case scenario here)
   X surge rating                                   1.2      (120%.  She'd have to run the disposal just when the fridge kicks on)

   means I need a generator with a peak power of just under 4,200 watts.  Using LPG mine's rated at 5850 so there's a bit of padding there.
    The article talks about charging batteries simultaneously.  Not an issue for me just yet, but I like the idea of a discretionary load that is used while demand is low.  Also talks about autotransformers to balance uneven loads so you don't demand too much from one leg of the generator.
     Aside from initial investment costs, there is an efficiency advantage to using the smallest generator you can get by with.  It takes a 4,000 watt generator less fuel to generate 3,000 watts than for a 20,000 watt generator to produce 3,000 watts
Find what you love and let it kill you.


flyingvan

The texture from the bubblewrap turned out pretty cool.  Some of the cells filled with concrete, but overall the interior wall has the high surface area I was after.


   The soil around the concrete will get shaped a bit to hide most of it.  The framing is finished.  The generator started well, needed some choke which surprised me.  I turned everything on inside.  There's a slight flicker in the lights for half a second if you run the garbage disposal or vent fan, and without any walls up the unit is fairly loud insiade the cottage, but overall I'm happy with the results.
   

      Now to finish the housing, probably next week.  Then AnnaMarie gets some generator lessons---it's most likely going to be needed when I'm not home.  The unit weighs 187 pounds and carrying it down the slope from above was very difficult--even fell and scraped my legs a bit.  No one around to help and I was racing the weather
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

   The challenge here is to keep the sound in but let the heat out.  I'm hoping to do it all passively, but if it gets too hot I'll put a 110v blower in with a thermostat switch.  That way it'll come on some time after start-up and won't load the generator.
   On the walls facing the cottage the studs are turned sideways so the foamboard will fit in.  That eliminates solid lumber to transfer sound. 
   I'm piping the exhaust out, and with it lots of the heat.  I don't want the generator re-breathing exhaust either...The adapter is a 3" water heater duct elbow wrapped with liberal amuonts of high temp aluminum tape.  I should get a better picture---I took off the heat shield, cut the hole bigger, and stuck a 3" to 4" reducer through the hole.  The 4" side got trimmed to fit up against the muffler, with a gap to prevent backpressure. 
   Mesh vents will go over those holes, then the wall away from the house will have two attic vents and the exhaust port.

    Then outside the foam board is a layer of fiberglass insulation.  Even with just two sides done and no roof on, the sound level inside is cut in half---from 'too loud' to 'I can still hear it'.
Find what you love and let it kill you.

flyingvan

OK..Everything but paint.  AnnaMarie got a lesson on starting it up, the power seems to fail when I'm at work.  It's electric start so she doesn't have to lift the roof unless the battery's dead and it needs pull starting...Maybe on a hot day propping the roof open a bit won't be a bad idea either.


   The exhaust is made from water heater flue pipe wrapped first in glass wool insulation then aluminum high temp tape. 


    I re-did the exhaust.  Now there's double walled pipe going through the wall and sticking out 12".  I didn't like the exhaust heat so close to the fascia.  It's cool now. 
    Not sure if it'll get painted to match the house, or to blend in and disappear some

Find what you love and let it kill you.

Cougr67

looks Good!  How loud is the generator all closed up?

flyingvan

  I'm going to borrow a friend's decibel meter to get an actual number.  You can have a normal conversation standing next to it.  From inside the house it's quiter than the fridge.  From the bedroom you can barely tells it's running.
   I still need to screen over the 4" ABS vent pipes---if I were a squirrel those would look like prime habitat. 
   A CO meter shows no detectable CO at the house.  I opened the upstairs window and still couldn't read any.  Inside the box it read 323 PPM (If I remember right the IDLH for CO is 1,200 ppm) so I guess the exhaust system is doing what it should.  Any squirrel squatters will be unharmed by CO poisoning, though acute onset of lead poisoning might still be a hazard for them.
Find what you love and let it kill you.