generator storage question

[mikester]

Ive been trying to figure out what to do with my portable generator. Its only been used once when the whole town lost power for a couple of hours. I shut the main off and ran it through the 220 outlet in my garage. I know. BAD IDEA. I want to get a transfer switch installed before the really cold weather sets in but Im still not sure what to do with the generator. I dont think its a good idea to leave it running outside my garage even though its detached and at least 20' away from my house. I also cant see letting it run out in the snow or rain for hours. What do you guys do that use portables ? I thought about building a little "doghouse" for it and setting it up next to my firewood rack about 20' off the back corner of my house. Maybe build it out of 2x4s and T-111 with a shed roof and vents on all 4 sides but then what do I do as far as the line to the house ? Im sure there someone out there thats come up with a good solution for this. This is a 7500KW Generac, electric start with a 13500 surge. I bought it at HD about 5 years ago on the day we were supposed to get a really bad ice storm. I know the best thing is to have a standby setup but this is what I already own.

 

[m.james]

I would enclose you dog house idea however but I think that would be a good option.

 

[usmc_noma]

I suppose the generator you have is a fairly big size but I think leaving it outside in a small dog house might leave it vulnerable to thieves. Do you have a shed? If so why not put it in there with it's own vented area boxed in? This way you'd have it outside away from the home and still not able to be lifted by some nosey drone. If you have no shed just build a secured lean to against the garage. This way you have outside storage for lawn items plus the generator.

 

[nehog]

Gee, my generator weighs 7,700 lb, and is wider than a UPS truck! It lives in its own bay in the garage in the winter, and summers beside the garage with a tarp. I've toyed with the idea of a generator building, but I think that would be over the top for even me.

A small 'dog house' (yea, I typed that 'god house' the first time) would work, I'd floor it (cement perhaps) to keep moisture down, and make sure you have good ventilation for heat build up. Of course extend the exhaust out of the building too...

At least temporarily you could run a portable cord to hook it up. Some day, you can call that your 'storage building' when the generator is no longer needed.

 

[jam0o0]

we have ours in the garage. there is a transfer switch/plug on the wall just outside of the garage. when the power goes out flip the main and the transfer thingy and fire up the geny. after wheeling it outside.

don't see why this is a big deal unless your doesn't have wheels. or you're running out of space. but i wouldn't leave it outside.

 

[mikester]

I live in a small town and the neighborhood is pretty quiet. I have a shed but its in the back corner of my property and my yard has a pretty good slope to it. The bottom of my yard is almost 18' lower than where my house and garage is. Im thinking about putting something just off to the side in the back of the house. Like I said, next to the rack that holds my firewood. I know a cement slab would be the way to go but the other thing I thought of doing is putting 4 4x6s into the ground, framing out a box with 2x8s and using 2x8s for a floor. Then frame it out with 2x4s, use fir T-111 for walls and have one wall hinged so I could roll the generator in and out. Use some large aluminum vents on all the sides. Have a hasp and lock on it so it will be somewhat secure. And put a shed roof on it. I cant see leaving it outside running during a snow storm and theres no way I could run it in the garage. I was hoping that some of the members here have gone through this already and have come up with a good solution. Keep the posts coming guys !!

 

[ishiboo]

I live in a small town and the neighborhood is pretty quiet. I have a shed but its in the back corner of my property and my yard has a pretty good slope to it. The bottom of my yard is almost 18' lower than where my house and garage is. Im thinking about putting something just off to the side in the back of the house. Like I said, next to the rack that holds my firewood. I know a cement slab would be the way to go but the other thing I thought of doing is putting 4 4x6s into the ground, framing out a box with 2x8s and using 2x8s for a floor. Then frame it out with 2x4s, use fir T-111 for walls and have one wall hinged so I could roll the generator in and out. Use some large aluminum vents on all the sides. Have a hasp and lock on it so it will be somewhat secure. And put a shed roof on it. I cant see leaving it outside running during a snow storm and theres no way I could run it in the garage. I was hoping that some of the members here have gone through this already and have come up with a good solution. Keep the posts coming guys !!

Yes, NEVER EVER run it through an outlet again. But you already know that

Air-cooled generators are not designed to run in enclosures, vents or not. If you do so, I would plan on having a fan wired to the generator to exchange the air in the enclosure every minute or so. (Not hard to do. Size the enclosure not much larger than the generator.)

Realize if the fan fails, an air-cooled generator is a fire hazard and most do not have temperature shutdowns.

 

[mikester]

So if I made the enclosure basically double the size of the generator and used large gable vents on all sides there would still be a problem ? I was assuming that having that many vents would solve the problem. The standby generators have an aircooled motor in a much smaller enclosure.

 

[larry_g]

So if I made the enclosure basically double the size of the generator and used large gable vents on all sides there would still be a problem ? I was assuming that having that many vents would solve the problem. The standby generators have an aircooled motor in a much smaller enclosure.

I would put some doors on each side of the enclouser so that when running the doors are open and basically the genie is under a roof with no walls. shut it down and lock the doors and its sealed up.

lg
no neat sig line

 

[Keith_MN]

Generator enclosures are built to move air through without recirculation. The problem with an enclosure with just vents on the sides is that a large amount of air will just circulate inside the enclosure and it will get too warm. This will reduce the life expectancy of the unit.

To make an enclosure work you either need to use a fan like ishoboo suggested or duct the air from the outside directly into the end of the alternator. However, both of these options seem a bit more complicated than the problem deserves. If it were me, I would simply leave it in the garage and wheel it outside when you need to use it. Just have a roof you can put over it to protect it from rain or snow. Also, you may want to invest in a good chain to lock it down.

I do not know where you are located, but the moisture outside will also be very bad for the generator. In any event, you should plan on exercising it periodically with load to dry out the alternator windings.

-Keith

 

[green.bubbly]

On a side/related note, what do you do about the gas that sits in the tank for months at a time? I always add Sta-bil fuel stabilizer to the tank. Before putting away for long term, I drain the fuel from the tank and run the engine until it kills.

Is this over kill or would just adding the Sta-bil work? I probably use mine twice a year.

 

[mikester]

Theres only a small amount of gas in the generator now thats from the end of July. I usually run it once a month and I plug in a couple halogen lights to put it under a load. It sure looks like there no shed going up with all this info.

 

[willymakeit]

Im going to leave mine in the garage [detached] and put a dedicated hookup to the outside for exhaust.

 

[tdkkart]

On a side/related note, what do you do about the gas that sits in the tank for months at a time? I always add Sta-bil fuel stabilizer to the tank. Before putting away for long term, I drain the fuel from the tank and run the engine until it kills.
Is this over kill or would just adding the Sta-bil work? I probably use mine twice a year.

I just drug my generator out of the shed the other day for it's annual trip to the house garage. In the tank was a 1/2 gallon or so of gas that has been there since last fall. 1/2 dozen pulls on the rope and it was running just fine.
Every fall I fill the tank with fresh gas, and every spring I siphon out whatever is left and run it through the summer equipment. I do not run the tank dry, I do not add sta-bil or anything else.
I do this with all my equipment and I RARELY have an issue.

As to the OP's question, our generator is stored in the attached garage during the winter. When needed it is rolled out the back door and hooked up to the tranfer switch via an outdoor mounted receptacle. I have no issue with running it outdoors in the snow and rain if needed.

 

[HDNewf]

Ive been trying to figure out what to do with my portable generator. Its only been used once when the whole town lost power for a couple of hours. I shut the main off and ran it through the 220 outlet in my garage. I know. BAD IDEA. I want to get a transfer switch installed before the really cold weather sets in but Im still not sure what to do with the generator. I dont think its a good idea to leave it running outside my garage even though its detached and at least 20' away from my house. I also cant see letting it run out in the snow or rain for hours. What do you guys do that use portables ? I thought about building a little "doghouse" for it and setting it up next to my firewood rack about 20' off the back corner of my house. Maybe build it out of 2x4s and T-111 with a shed roof and vents on all 4 sides but then what do I do as far as the line to the house ? Im sure there someone out there thats come up with a good solution for this. This is a 7500KW Generac, electric start with a 13500 surge. I bought it at HD about 5 years ago on the day we were supposed to get a really bad ice storm. I know the best thing is to have a standby setup but this is what I already own.

Hello mikester, I’m HDNewf from the Home Depot out of Chicago. I’m familiar with the generator you have, and it’s a good one. As with all but the smallest portable generators, yours should have come with a wheel kit. This is so you can take it out of storage when needed to be used outdoors in all sorts of bad weather conditions, including rain and snow. Power cords are run from the unit to the pumps, refrigerators, freezers, etc. inside the house. Granted, this is not nearly as convenient as a permanently installed standby generator. However, you can have an electrician install a transfer switch which utilizes exterior outlets on the house for your generator input. This will also allow you to add the furnace circuit to the mix for when power goes out when it’s cold. You will still want to run the unit outdoors, and away from both your house and garage. Building a make-shift exhaust system does nothing to reduce fire hazards. Running the unit in a small shed does not seem worthwhile either, as the above posters have noted.

Storing you generator in the garage makes sense though. Since it is hard to predict how long it will be until you next need your generator, I would set it up to maximize the chance it will start right up when the time comes. Gas stabilizer works well for months, and is the easiest way to keep an occasional use machine reliable. Combine Sta-bil with a monthly start and run routine and chances are that your generator will work when you need it. I prefer to completely drain all the fuel out, including the carburetor float bowl. This way I don’t have to do monthly checks and there’s no gasoline slowly building up varnish clogs over the years. I do the same thing with my snow blower because when I need it I’m just not in the mood to troubleshoot fueling problems. I’m less concerned with lawn mowers though, and for those Sta-bil works fine for winter storage. When a mower needs carburetor help, the weather is nicer and the grass can always wait another day or two.

I hope this helps,
HDNewf

 

[BillGalbraith]

I bought a used generator in 2004 when Florida got hit by 4 hurricanes. Haven't needed it since. I used to start it every couple of months, then run the carb dry and drain all the gas. I'm down to once a year, and never have trouble starting it.

When I used it, I let it sit next to the house under the eaves. It didn't get too wet. It was also locked to a pipe with a chain so that it wouldn't leave.

Skip the doghouse if you rarely need the thing. You said you only needed it for a couple hours a while ago. When you do, drag it out of the garage or storage shed, plug it in, and leave it run outside. A little snow or rain isn't going to kill it.

 

[dmeray1]

Not to hijack....but can anyone point me to a transfer swich? The double male plug scares me...