Incorporate generator into shed build

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I live on a corner lot and have been planing on building a decent sized shed on the side of the house (size has yet to be determined, and not attached to the house). One feature I want to add however is some type of storage or "generator room" in the shed so when we loose power I have somewhere safe and out of the elements to run the generator.

I plan on running electricity to the shed so when I do that in the build phase I will also run a line from where ever I am going to store the generator to a transfer switch back at the main panel in the house.

Has anyone done this before? I couldn't really find any pictures on google of this particular setup I'm looking for.

 

[theoldwizard1]

2 issues.

1. Your generator room will require a lot of air primarily for cooling. Most people who have built enclosure have had to add fans to keep the temp down to something reasonable.
   
2. There is a long thread somewhere about using the same wire to send power to a shed/garage and then receive it back on the same wires during a power outage. The short answer is, it is impossible to SAFELY use the same wire in both direction

.

 

[kd3pc]

Gas or diesel or NG/Propane....each will have it's own requirements for air, safety and fuel storage. Water cooled?

As to few images of this, there is a reason: Most stationary generators are already built for out door installations, putting them in a shed reduces the operational parameters as well as increases the build requirements for the shed to not be vibrated to death. Fuel will likely need to be stored/tanked somewhere else. Water cooled (radiator) will require substantial air flow at a cooler temp than the generator runs at. A lot to doing this.

There is no way to refuel a hot generator in the same room with gas, safely. Fumes, static and such will have to be dealt with as well as clean air in, CO out with the exhaust and away from the house, porches, HVAC, etc. Diesel not the same issues, but still a lot of tankage to be concerned with. Gasoline, especially ethanol, is a pain to store and still be able to use it, reliably, when needed.

Monthly self test.

 

[ctgoodman]

I've been looking at a whole house generator. I came across this and for a DIY job it looks like he's figured out cooling, air intake, exhaust, fuel delivery.

This is more project that I care to bite off and too permanent for me as I don't think we will have more than a time or two we may need it in a 5 year span. I'm thinking more along the lines of a PTO generator, backfeeding a 50 or 60 AMP breaker with a breaker interlock to prevent backfeeding the grid.

 

[theoldwizard1]

This is more project that I care to bite off and too permanent for me as I don't think we will have more than a time or two we may need it in a 5 year span. I'm thinking more along the lines of a PTO generator, backfeeding a 50 or 60 AMP breaker with a breaker interlock to prevent backfeeding the grid.

Please don't use the term "backfeed" if you are running though an interlock ! Backfeeding is a very bad practice because it does NOT include an interlock.


A mechanical interlock PREVENTS backfeeding !

 

[ctgoodman]

Please don't use the term "backfeed" if you are running though an interlock ! Backfeeding is a very bad practice because it does NOT include an interlock.


A mechanical interlock PREVENTS backfeeding !

Ok, I will adapt my terminology here. I've got to check into some code stuff and make sure the interlock is allowed in NC. My odd issue is I have two 200AMP panels each being fed off of the meter. I can feed one with a generator but I'm not sure how to get power into the other. The first panel is full but the 2nd panel will have circuits I want to power, including a fridge, freezer and the breaker that will ultimately connect my shop, I'd at least like to turn the lights on in there in a power outage.

Can a second mechanical interlock be installed in the second panel being fed from the first by say a couple of 30 AMP breakers? That just doesn't sound right and probably completely wrong way to do it. I also do not want to cripple myself with a transfer switch. I want the ability to turn off and on what breakers I want.

 

[f150skidoo]

I went through this back in the fall, i built a shed for our generator and our biggest issue was heat from the geny. The one wall of our shed has a bunch of gable vents and the other wall has a 24" shuddered barn fan. For the exhaust i used the all metal range hood exhaust vents, and with all this done the generator runs 5 F above ambient air temp.

This a thread i started last fall
http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=218489

 

[MFolks]

You might consider getting sound deadening foam for the interior walls. It will greatly reduce the engine sounds. Most are cut to fit, and either self stick. or adhesive caulk type.

When I did sound deadening installations for noisey electronic units, I found the electric carving knife to be the best way to cut the foam.

 

[theoldwizard1]

My odd issue is I have two 200AMP panels each being fed off of the meter. I can feed one with a generator but I'm not sure how to get power into the other.

Split the feed from the generator. 2 interlocks, 1 per panel.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Been running my portable genny in the shed for years. My genny cable reaches the inlet box from the shed, so no permanent wiring on my setup. Besides, my town considers any shed to be taxable living space if you add lights and/or power. I have a 5' ridge vent and a 16" shuttered gable exhaust fan. I just plug the fan into the genny. Runs plenty cool.

Tommy

 

[Sureshot]

You may want to check into an RV generator. It is built to be run in enclosed spaces.

 

[Mustang51js]

If you plan on barely using it why don't you just get a portable generator and install a small sub panel with the circuits you need. You gan buy kits to convert a gas gen to lp-ng. How far is shed away from house. You could just put the gen outlet on outside of house and run a cord if it's not to far. I would tell you how I have mine but I don't want to here a bunch of people cry that I kill a line worker every minute it is on, and mine is in my shed. I have used it once in 6 years so that's why I never did anything permanent

 

[DaveKamp]

I have three generators in my generator shed... a 7.5kw four-cylinder, a 12.5kw four-cylinder, and a 35kw six-cylinder. I have a contactor panel on one wall that selects whichever generator, then a feeder goes from that point, to a transfer switch next to my main distribution panel. That main panel has a dedicated breaker for each building.

My generator shed has one door that exits to outside, the other enters into the back of the shop. Exhaust pipes out on the southeast side (prevailing winds are northwesterly here), each has two mufflers, one close to the engine, one about halfway down the pipe.

The engines, all being liquid cooled, are piped to a heat-exchanger that will heat my shop floors, AND send waste heat into the house to heat some of the floors (basement and south porch are concrete), and also a heat exchanger in the furnace, right below the A-coil. There's a temp sensor on the system, connected to the furnace such that if there's hot water available, the furnace will not run it's propane burner.

My generators are all dual-fuel- the can burn gasoline, or gaseous propane.

It is generally NOT code-compliant to bring liquid propane service into a building, so if you have something large enough that it requires evaporation, put the evaporator OUTSIDE the building, along with the fuel lockoff.

My generator shed has a louvered ventilator with electric exhaust fan... it draws cooling air through the shop door when run during the summer. IF it's warm in the winter, excess heat is drawn off with an additional heat exchanger (truck radiator) located inside the shop, with automatic 12v electric cooling fans.

That being the case, there's no mechanical cooling fans on the engines, so when you're standing in the room, even with ALL THREE running (big'n is 1200rpm, medium and small are 1800rpm), you can have a normal-voice conversation. Additional acoustic insulation is NOT required.