Converting a hybrid portable generator to a whole home generator with shed 

Who’s watching in July 2024, after Hurricane Beryl. Four days without power in 90+ degree heat. But the worst part was sleeps without my CPAP. Great video.

I built the same setup 4 years ago. Work great without any issues. I then installed a soft start on my home AC 3 weeks ago. After hurricane Beryl My generator ran great for a day and a half. After that it overheated because the extra load was generating so much heat that the fan I had could not exhaust the heat fast enough. Lesson learned I have to buy a new generator and set it up outside the storage unit when in use to have proper ventilation. Also only use generator to run the whole house AC for a short period of time. Portable generators are not designed to kick on and off a whole house AC with a soft start every 20 minutes when it reaches temp inside the house. Going with an inverter generator and using a midsize window unit for the next storm.

I bought 157kw standby for my 1000 sf house. Keeps all the fans running smooth. 😊😊😊

Best video I've seen on the Duromax and you're in Houston! Just because of your video, I just jumped in and bought the 13000, and all the items you have. Getting it installed on Saturday. Thank you for taking the time to put this series together it was so helpful.

Excellent tutorial Calvin. Thank you very much for the time you took to share this with us. By the way, you’re an excellent communicator and very easy to follow. Edit: i’d like to add that I’m never ever going to attempt this awesome set up and I’m totally bummed out about it. I have multiple sclerosis and can barely walk no use of my left side. I just bought my generator, still looking at it in the backyard trying to work up the energy to break it in. To all you guys who love this stuff, I was one of you a lifetime ago. I could watch a video like Calvins, go to bed that night and see it in my mind’s eye, build it in my mind while I’m laying down, wake up with tunnel vision and have at it. Enjoy the challenge of things like this, I can’t tell you how difficult it is to be the type personality who would’ve loved the challenge like this but can’t now. Just go for it and feel blessed that you can!

Lol wow I watched your set up yesterday out the blue and wake and see your story on fox 26 this morning. Good job bro. Very informative

Just finished mine up last weekend with this video as my inspiration. Thank you for sharing.

Great idea, I liked it so much I built one similar before the city shot me down. I needed a larger NG meter but Center point wouldn’t install one until I got a permit with the city inspecting my build first. Mine looked every bit as good as this one in the video. To shorten my story the city said I had a bomb and had to put the generator back to the portable state. So if you live in the city make sure your gas meter is large enough to run your generator on NG. I was told by the regulator company you have to have at least a 6 oz flow. Good luck and happy build.

Saw this on the news from Facebook. Pretty neat setup.

Besides the start up cost of a Generack the annual cost of maintenance on the Generack is substantial. Best video yet on using a “portable generator”. The exhaust was my biggest challenge thanks for the links.

Cal, agreed, great talent here . This is exactly what most suburban users need !!! To be able to run it outside in inclement weather -That's when the power goes out here in Westchester County, NY .

I have the exact same generator, I deal with rolling it out of my garage when needed, but it would be nice to have a semi permanent installation like you've done, I could connect it to my natural gas line instead of propane bottles, nice work you've inspired some ideas for a future project here!

Clean, functional, modular and practical. Excellent Commentary also. Thank you.

Having just gone through 2 hurricanes I really appreciate this video. Really good stuff

Thanks for the idea ! Not only does it look good, it cuts down on sound, fire hazzards, AND theft !

Awesome Setup, you took what I did, but to the next level. Kudos.

Great video! I really like that you try to be as little invasive as possible. Something I always like to do. It was great to see your ideas...nicely done!

WOW!!! You have some serious talent. Thank you for sharing !

Exactly my circumstances. I bought a Westinghouse dual fuel since I have propane power. Everything except the natural gas part is the same. Good video.

Great video !!! I'm a week away from setting mine up and this has given me some excellent ideas. Thanks

Gives me some great ideas with the one I bought! Thanks for sharing.

Calvin. I have essentially the same generator as you. One thing I wanted to mention to you and you may want to be careful with this. The idle toggle switch is intended to reduce the rpm on the generator while there is no load on it. As soon as it senses load (even a small load) it revs itself up to to roughly 3600RPM to produce 60Hz and the desired 120/240V. The idle feature is meant to reduce noise and fuel consumption while there is no load. (Key words here "no load"). Now, while the button is turned off, this feature is disabled. The problem I see with you turning that on, and then modifying the rev limiter to compensate for the low RPM while there is no load to me is insane. It's like pulling the emergency brake on a vehicle but then upgrading to a bigger turbo because the car is too slow. That's a perfect analogy. That switch is controlling a small circuit inside the generator that electronically limits the output voltage and frequency but controlling the RPM. You can't get both low RPM on the engine and a solid 60Hz, 120V coming out of th output. It does not work that way. The generator has to run at roughly 3600RPM to maintain 60Hz. If that is not right your lights will flicker, and you risk frying all the electronics in your home. I am willing to bet that with your mod as soon as it detects a load your output is going to be crazy high, nowhere near 120v. You may be frying your whole house by over voltage. You may be lucky that the NG regulator is limiting the gas input thus limiting your RPM to something less than catastrophic. Just a wild guess... I don't mean to bash but having build a similar setup myself, and with my engineering background I can see a major problem here. I would suggest you run your generator with idle on and off and measure the output just to be safe. Check your output voltage and frequency. I run mine with the idle switch off at all times. It's not worth the risk. Either way the enclosure will suppress some of the noise. Also, even if the idle switch is enabled you won't benefit from noise reduction unless the generator is completely disconnected from any load. I plan on posting a video on what I did with my setup soon. Regards!

The only thing I would add is a supply line T, if your house runs of tanked propane and your large tank is low you could use like a temporary BBQ size tank. Great video tho awesome job

Great job on your setup for the generator.

Good overall step by step explanation of what it takes to be prepared and conservative when thinking through the installation. I will buy the exhaust prebuilt as you did. Eliminates a lot of rubgoldberg creation. It’s a trade off cost to conveniences.

I built mine about 2 years ago...and ours are VERY similar! I have a Pulsar 12k generator from Wallyworld for $800. I have the same cabinet from Wayfair, and same exhaust fan... our intake grills are similar, and i used a flex pipe exhaust to 1" EMT conduit and ran out of cabinet, 90° up to about 6' high and wrapped it in high temp cloth, also put a muffler on it. I also used a battery trickle charger that plugs into an outlet to keep battery charged. I didnt convert to natural gas, and am gonna see how you did it and do the same. Thank you for your write-up!

Super duper! Thanks for sharing. One idea I had is that placing the fan higher in the enclosure might work better since heat rises. Of course, having it closer to the heat source as it is may be more effective in this situation.

Damn son. Cutting no corners. Looks great. I've got the same building so I may look into this. Was just concerned about running it inside the building.

That's amazing! Great job!

didn’t know about that kit to run a propane gen off natural gas. Glad i watched this video!

Very good job on the generator, and how you explained everything Thank you.

You're extremely handy! VERY nice job!!!

I wound up buying the Duromax 13000EH. Then a few months later I decided to get the generac whole house generator. And you were right about the price. I got a generac 24KW installed for $10,000. One of the reasons I changed my mind is the last time ny power went out it was too dangerous to go outside to manually hook everything up. It was 2am so I just laid there and suffered until morning. But I'm happy I went with a whole house hookup. I decided to keep my 13KW for the reasons you stated. You never know when you will have a need for power elsewhere.

One of the better set ups I've seen

Very nice setup!! Well thought out. One thing I noticed is oil changes. Usually 100 to max 200hrs will require everything to be disconnected. Possible to raise genny so you could just use a tray underneath? Assuming oil fill/drain openings are accessible. Then you wouldn't have disassemble everything. I have run my generators for over a week straight and did oil changes at 100hr (4 day) increments.

I would never know how to do all this myself even after watching your excellent tutorial

I have the same generator and looking for to build the outdoor shed like your. Thanks for the video.

Great setup.

Well thought-out. Well done.

Informative and thorough. Well thought out. Great video.

Thanks Calvin, great video. I am going through this process now up in Kingwood. Great to see people from Houston doing these videos because a lot of issues we run into here is the humidity & heat during the summer so I was not sure, until I saw your video, if I could actually enclose a generator safely. Waiting on Centerpoint to run a natural gas line for me. I will be using some of your ideas for my storage box.

Thanks for doing this video. I am also in the Houston area (east side). Ike tore us up pretty good back in 2008. I also use a CPAP, and we lost power in this last storm (Nicholas) for ten hours. I couldn't sleep. Same goes for the snowmageddon last year! I am not waiting any longer. I am looking for an inverter generator so it won't kill my appliances, computers, etc. BTW, it would sit just like you have it. Dang crowded with the fence and neighbors right next door.

Great job, I’m in Pearland wanting to do this next week

i bet you were glad you had this a week ago.

I have the same generator. It’s a Duramax, and it comes with a floating neutral. (The ground and neutral are NOT connected within the generator) You “DO NOT” use a ground rod when connected to your house panel. You only use a ground rod if you are only using extension cords. Once you connect the generators ground and neutral wires to your house panel (through your 240volt cable) , then the main panel provides the ground to earth. You do not want TWO separate ground rods. BTW, very nice set up you have !

Awesome video! I have a 12K duel fuel and going to do this!

My only beef with this type of generator is the servicing needed after running for just a few hours. My Rv required servicing every 50 hours of operation, basically after a single three day weekend at the lake. I always pushed to a 100 hours of operation, and it would start missing and running a little ruff near the 100 hour mark. The $2K price tag is very attractive and the since this usage would only 2 to 3 hours per event the servicing wouldn’t be as big a deal.

Great video Calvin.

I have that same generator. They're amazing quality.

awesome video. the reason you had to mess with the adjustment screw was the regulator is mounted upside down. there is an arrow on the back of the regulator that shows direction

Very nice job! Congrats.

Great video! You are a “handyman” 👍🏻 thanks for all the good info.

Most generators have a gasoline output Kw rating which yours would be 12,000 while natural gas Kw output is reduced to 10Kw or maybe lower. That NG regulator is purchased got the size engine your running. It's possible they gave you a rated lower regulator for a smaller engine. Looks decent. That attic exhaust fan itself draws a good amount of energy. If your just using it as ventilation, maybe a vent hood would work better. He's does riser faster than it moves horizontally. Nice video.

Only thing I would add is you can order some muffler exhaust shield tape that can be ordered in large stick on pieces to place on the back and side wall near the exhaust. You can find this tape on dirt bike parts sites. Its used to stick on the back side of your side number plates where the exhaust pipe is and you can also order and wrap the exhaust with exhaust tape or rope

Wow!! This is a very nice job and very well explained. I need to look at your propane/natural gas conversion kit. There was another video that said to run nat gas Duromax dual need a different spark plug. Looks like you did not have to change spark plugs. Kudos

You should add a temperature sensor to Arduino and an actuator so that at a certain temperature it opens the whole top up and allows all the heat to escape. Then once cooled down, it will automatically shut. You could also use a smart device that you can check the temps. Nice work and nicely executed. 👏👏

As for controlling the heat, you could use header/exhaust wrap to keep the heat from radiating out of the exhaust piping, should add to your fire safety. The wrap is pretty cheap, too.

Ditto, nice job!!!

Yep...good stuff...thanks....

Great Video fellow Texan!!

I think CPAP machines have become a driver of this market. :)

3d printed interlock. super nice

Great set up, might I recommend adding a sediment trap to your gas line? You've got a lot of $$ invested, wouldn't be but $5-20 of fittings to make the modification to add life to your investment.

Hello Calvin, great video. Love your shed. Excellent design and construction. I took quite a few pointers in designing mine from you. If you would like some advice on your remote control issue, I absolutely love my WGEN9500 Dule Fuel generator. Their generators have the remote control key fob that would work from 260' away. They are a more compact generator with very good quality at about the same price if not lower than your Duramax with way cooler features like the remote control starter and the ST Start System. Just a suggestion if your planning Upgrading. They even have another size up which would kick butt on anything. But that would be along the same lines as the XH 1500 Duramax in technology. I even use the same exhaust port as you so the only change you would have to make is a shorter exhaust pipe as the exhaust points back towards that wall. Saw your updates as well. Glad you made it through the Texas siege. Take care Brother.

Excellent job

Very nice job CALVIN

I have never commented on one of these before and seem to be having a hard time getting it done hope it will not be duplicative. Many thanks for taking the time to share your details, tips, and parts. It is nice to hear everything worked well for you in that crazy weather event. We have a hybrid unit like yours but a little smaller that runs on propane. Several times in the past few years I have spent time looking at videos trying to find something and finally feel like I have found something that resonates. We have a power main panel outside on a pole that feeds three separate breaker panels in three separate sections in the house so transfer switches are out of our price range. The way you have the interlock setup finally gives me direction we can run with. I have seen a couple things our neighbors have done that I am not comfortable with at all. Your setup looks safe for us and the folks working on the lines when the power is out. Best of all my wife will understand it and be able to do it without me. Using something in the power panel to monitor power usage sounds like a great idea as well. Can you share what part you used from where to accomplish that? I saw the wire size you used - how long was the run from the breaker to where you tied into the cord? Can you share how to go about obtaining an interlock kit? Is it from the manufacturer of the panel?

Super job!

I noticed your plumber didn't install a drip leg to your NG line. Your gonna want to install one because NG carriers alot of trash and goop in the lines. Trash that will eventually get into your gas reg.

Amazing.

Great video. You managed to answer a ton of questions I had and couldn’t get from other videos great job. I don’t know if you’ve done any follow up videos if you have I’ll definitely check it out. Not in Houston 🤘🏻🤘🏻but in Katy so I do know this is a must if you’re a homeowner in Texas. I been tempted to actually do generac but the lowest I’ve gotten quotes for is 12 to 15 k. Definitely be doing this soon. Thanks again

Three thoughts. 1- nice job. 2- you need a sediment trap at the end of your gas line before it goes into the generator. 3- you say you purchased an extended warrantee on the generator, FYI by converting to natural gas you voided your warrantee. Again, beautiful job.

Good video. Did you run 4 wire to your panel?. Just wondering if the generator has a bonded neutral or not regarding using a ground rod.

Good video, thank you.

Great video! I did a similar set up at my house and like you, I feel comfortable enough to do the work but I’ve been unable to find an interlocking kit for my panel which is a big concern.

Calvin, can you give more information on the Sturgis cable you used to go from the regulator to your hard pipe that was run? What connection size goes to the regulator?

Very nice job on your generator enclosure & the way you set things up! My son has the same generator & we are in the process of setting it up with almost the same type of set up that you have. However, we are going to run the generator on Liquid Propane. What most people don't realize is that these portable generators are not weather proof. Meaning that they can't be run outdoors if it's raining, snowing, etc... That's why a generator enclosure is a necessity. Kudos to you on a job well done! 👍👍😉😉

Great build Calvin. I’m attempting to mimic your build because it’s by far the best I’ve seen on here. I’ve ordered and received the exhaust tubing and was wondering how did you attach it to the muffler? I removed the screen cover and the tubing is the same diameter as the muffler exhaust. Did you have to cut slots in the tubing to get it to go over the muffler?

I like your set up but may I caution you about a heat generation issue . Even the smallest of generators produce lot of heat . The attic fan is a good idea bu attic fans are equipped with a thermal overload in case there is fire in the attic it will shut down the fan . I think that you may run into a problem where your fan will shut down in thermal overload . Usually in generator installation you want 3 times the input size of fresh air intake as the exhaust air out . I would recommend adding a fresh air input fan also. I used to service emergency generators so I know a little bit about generators.....

GOOD JOB!!!!

Not sure if I would be comfortable with that exhaust close to the gas line. Awesome set-up though. Nice build.

I’m in the Houston area as well and we had talked about getting a generator after Harvey hit but still didn’t and after this winter storm it was a no brainer. Well I brought this same unit with CO2 detection on it and was considering putting in a transfer switch so it could run whole home and looking to convert to natural gas. Who did you use to put in the gas line? By the way your video was super informative! Thx

We're in Austin. Twice in recent years we have had weather in the 20's for over a week. This is a first ever thanks to climate change. Unfortunately the power grid in our state and our city have not been quite ready for this, since Texas decided to pull out of the national power grid and to privatize electric energy production some years ago, we were without power for days both times. [It did warm my heart knowing that, even as I froze, at least power company shareholders were enjoying record revenue windfalls.] Anyway, due to health conditions in my household, being without power is very bad. Our electric panel won't support even installing a cutoff to run just part of the household circuits with a portable generator. So I put an outlet and electrical plug to power our home central heat system, and we bought some beefy extension cords. I am going to install some electrical sockets in the wall that will ultimately connect only to plugs I can plug into my generator. I will keep those outlets covered with blank plates. That way I won't have to run an extension cord through the door, which would leak cold air into the house. This way we can run our heater, fridge, water heater thermostat, stove ignjters, TV and router with a 2500 watt generator for a few hours a couple of times a day. (We have gas heater, water heater, and stove.) In our small household we could do without electric lights. It may not be ideal, but it won't be like camping out inside our own home, at least. The inverter generator only cost us $500

Hello Calvin, Thank you for a very helpful video. I plan to learn from it as I plan my generator setup. I wanted to ask you if you wouldn't mind sharing what it cost to have your plumber install the natural gas pipe extension to your shed from your house or meter? I am planning on putting the same generator and a similar shed. The estimates I've been given for adding a gas line extension from my existing house natural gas lines of approx 25'-30' to my generator have been almost as much as the generator. I wanted to know if you encountered a similar expense. ($1000+). The plumber also wanted to do a pressure test on my gas lines for $300-$400. Did you conduct a presssure test? These engines on the DuroMax 12kw are pretty small at 20cc and I expect would not take a large amount of NG Flow to sustain them when running for multiple days. Thanks again for your kind input.

Man that looks great only problem is i hope you ac unit doesn't go out you will have to move the generator to get to it

Nice setup... Rube Goldberg would approve

Love it. I just got the DuroMax 10000EH for up north. Being in northern Ontario, the snow gets pretty deep so I'd like a shed and love your design. Only question I have, is regarding what use used for the wall linings? Again, great vid and ideas. Thanks!

Nice setup for sure. I just wish that generator was in inverter as well to be used in sensitive electronics.

Awesome video!!! Thanks so much. Where did you get the 50 amp flat cord?

You can connect the heat sensor to the kill switch, where the magnetic coil wire is connected.

Where did you get that 3D printed interlock on your breaker panel from? I have the same breaker panel setup with the same Challenger panel, this is a great idea!

Calvin, nice videos. Can you tell me what temps you recorded with this setup during the summer months? I live in Cypress, TX and I am concerned about high temps damaging my new generator. Have you found any source which gives a recommended maximum temp. for a enclosed generator? Thanks

You fixed it like a professional. Great job but if I didn’t have enough room to get around my house without getting on the neighbors I would just plug a line into there house and pay them for the electric. Does living right against neighbors in swanky areas make it worth it?

Calvin I have same exact generator and regulator setup. You say in video you run with choke in halfway position? When I use propane I use choke in halfway position to crank but go back to normal.On my natural gas mine will only run smooth if I move choke about 1/4 inch from open

Thank you for posting this video. I am looking to build a similar set up. Curious how much did you pay for installing the natural gas line to the generator and roughly how long is it from your meter? I had a plumber come today and quoted me $15K to bury a 150 feet line from my meter to the area near my electric panel, which is where I want to place the generator. Thank you.

Calvin, great videos. I have watched them all. Thank you. I purchased the 13000EH generator to convert to tri-fuel. I am in the Houston area. How did your shed hold up during Hurricane Nicholas?

What level of overall performance does the idle control effect? I have the same generator and the manual provided no info on that switch. It only states that it should be turned off to start. :/

Thanks for the video is is very helpful ! What is the name of the natural gas you used on your Duromax XP 12000 And do know if I have to be directly hooked on to the gas meter? For example can I can I branch off my dryer gas line.

Hi Calvin, great video. Again as I wrap up my build to mirror yours. Last piece I need is the shed. Which shed is it? Is it the Suncast BMS 2500 or BMS4700 ? Thank you

I bet you used it again during that freak storm near Cypress & Katy! Just a few questions, do you have a soft start or hard start on your AC? And what ton is your ac for your home? I have a 4 ton & a 3 ton and not sure if Incan run both. Plus I had a 30amp plug, not a 50 “which I wish I had done instead”. I did not do the 50 amp bc I didn’t think it was possible to run AC. Thank you for your Vid! I’m planning to prepping more bc Houston is so unpredictable now.