Building a Functional Generator Shed
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- čas přidán 17. 05. 2023
- Need to keep your generator dry during the rain and snow? Us too! If you watched our last video, “Winter Broke Our Camp!” you saw that last winter showed us a bunch of areas we needed to improve on. The first much-needed step was to not only make our generator accessible (no more towing from storage to camp), but also to keep it safe from the elements. Check out the latest addition to our land on Off-Grid on Friday!
#generatorshed
#offgrid
#offgridpower
#offgridonfriday
Here is a list of materials used:
Silicone coupling amzn.to/3L8mHyx
Waterproof Seal Tape amzn.to/3L8nmjv
Bluetooth Thermometer amzn.to/449XwUX
Exhaust pipe amzn.to/3AD9RmZ
Wall exhaust fitting amzn.to/3Hjjb3j
Suncast shed amzn.to/3Lx1vnf
Heat Shield Mat amzn.to/3Hd0r5G
Exhaust Fan amzn.to/40FxExu
Exhaust heat wrap amzn.to/3V9NuiE
Blast gate amzn.to/3LtXcJr
Westinghouse 12500 watt generator amzn.to/3Nk4aSD
RMAX Rigid foam board insulation www.homedepot.com/p/RMAX-Pro-S...
Intake Vents www.homedepot.com/p/Gibraltar...
Rubber mat www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pro...
Amazes me how many people actually don’t read the instruction on how to operate.
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What is the exhaust piece on the outside of enclosure that the exhaust pipe attaches to and where did you get it...
It’s a wall exhaust fitting typically used for marine applications. It’s been working out great. Link:
amzn.to/3Hjjb3j
Hello, thank you for this video.. I have the same generator and I was wondering if the muffler extension is permanently attached to the generator or easily removed if you require to use the generator off its enclosure.
I like what you built. What would the total cost 💲 be for everything, shed, insulation, sound proof boards, heat wrap, rubber floor mat, (all of it) be ? Approximately? Thank you.
Good question! Depending on the shed size, in between $250-$500. The other materials roughly add $250. That includes the rubber mats, foam board, heat shield, fans and vents, etc. I hope this helps!
that straight piped exhaust doh
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that straight choke.
How is the glue holding up on the the lid? Wondering if high temps loosens it.
So far this summer it’s been holding up, but I’ll have to see over time. The heat shield is meant for the firewall of a vehicle so it’s supposed to be rated for high heat.
I used screws there for that reason
Did you use Rockwool comfortboard or an alternative? Rockwool only ships in 20 packs so it is fairly expensive.
We used an alternative for the same reasons. Heat resistant styrofoam boards, and auto heat shield designed to keep engine heat out of the passenger compartment.
I spent a lot of time and money doing what you have done. Clearly you live in a warm climate so you have to watch compartment temperatures. Generator mfrs. don't like to talk about safe operating temperatures but from all the research I found I would shoot for a 10-15 F rise above ambient certainly no more than 20 deg. I have a 5 kw Honda and to accomplish this I ended up with a 16" AC infinity fan that pumps 3,000 cfm and I live in a sub tropical climate (68-82 deg year round). It took me three iterations of fan to get the compartment heat in check.
Suggest as well to consider adding thermostatic bimetallic shuoff switches and connect into your oil level sensor. This is in the event your fan for example fails. Do a search on youtube and you will find an excellent two part video on doing this. As I recall mine switches off at 130 deg. Recently I added a floor fan to my intake vents with a thermostat switch to come on if tt gets above 85 deg.
You show 119F on your thermometer but don't say what the outside temp is.
I can't see but if your 110v outlets are GFI as they were on my Honda; think about switching them out as mine tripped while the gen was running unattended.
My compartment is built from cinder blocks and I got real anal about sound even tho my gen is protection from grid failures. I installed exterior curved inlet and outlet covers over the air intake and exhaust fan outlets and the sound insulation material I used was professional grade. The price was a killer.
It is a nice looking job!
Thank you for the advice! I’m taking notes!
Quick question.... why the white tape? thanks for sharing the vid
Good question! It is weather seal tape. It asks like caulking.
@@off-gridonfriday562 thanks
So in the End, What is the Sound Level in decibel at 15 ft.❓❓❓
Hi, I didn’t measure the decibels. I’m sure I could have made it quieter, but the overall goal was a mix of weatherproof shelter and noise reducer for our generator. Thanks for the comment!
I thought People WHO love to be isolated Love to Build everything with our Two -hand. So WHy not build your own Generator Shed ❓❓
Hi! We aren’t necessarily trying to isolate ourselves, just enjoy nature and the outdoors, but with most of our projects we are just trying out ideas. Thanks!
I am writing as someone who built a shed similar looking to the plastic shed here, lined it with professional sound proofing material with metal front doors and metal roof with hydraulic shocks (200# roof) and 16 in fan and all kinds of bits and pieces and add ons. I did this, thinking I would save money over say buying an enclosed Generac for example. When it was all said and done I felt that I had accomplished something. Feeling a sense of accomplishment does not offset financial pain. I ended up spending close to $10k on the build plus $2500 for a Honda genset along with a lot of brain damage. The sound proofing material I used was professional grade and cost about $3k alone. Your headaches will include:
- setting up a custom exhaust system
- floor pad for isolating the gen set
- cooling the compartment adequately
- Interior wiring and plumbing propane or natural gas
- If the lid is heavy then you need shocks to help you lift it and a prop to hold the lid in place
- sound insulation headaches
- etc etc.
If I were to do it all over again I would just buy the Generac; much cheaper and the engineering is already done for you. Just build a pad and drop it on top and enjoy life.
If you are obsessed with doing it yourself, do what "off grid on Friday" did and buy a plastic shed and go from there. @@off-gridonfriday562