Suggestion: Put the propane tank on some blocks so that the hot generator exhaust blows against the tank. As you pull propane from the tank the pressure drop will cause the tank to get cold which will reduce pressure and eventually your generator will experience fuel starvation.
I have two generators both mounted on those little steel garden trailers. I put no flat tires and wheels on them. I built a square tube and angle iron top that bolts down on the trailers. It has a metal roof on it. Sleet ice rain or snow will not bother the generators. I use older but good garden tractors without mower decks to pull them with. In the summer I use the tractors a lot with other trailers. Works out real good. I hook the trailers up and keep them under a shed during the winter so they are ready to use .
I like these kind of real world experiences. My dogs name is Apollo too. I have the same setup, luckily I have natural gas and use propane and gasoline as a backup.
I live in Michigan as well but was fortunate enough to have power during the ice storm. I have a similar canopy that I use that has a 'half-staff' setting so that I can just get under it. Doesn't work well in high winds but it works in other situations and it is economical. I have an interlock setup instead of a transfer switch which was less complex to install and gives me more flexibility on what circuits to power. I can run most of the house but not the AC or other large loads. No electric start for me. One day when I get tired of the manual setup, I'll get a whole house generator.
Wow, setting up that popup in the weather took me back to scouting days (both sons are eagles). At D-Bar-A, Cole CB and Rotary. But just moved from SE Mich to the Gulf Coast (Mississippi) back in the summer. One of the 1st things we did was have a 26kw wholehouse genset installed and a 500gal propane tank buried in the yard (no natural gas in the my area). We used to run 550 cord under the popup cover to add support during snow campouts.
Living in the north, a generator shed is a MUST! Duct the exhaust out the wall and insulate the shed for noise abatement. Install a vent to bring in air. Put a plug on the outside wired to the generator. Put another on your house. Power goes out, you connect the cable and hit the remote!
open garage door and set generator just under the door, problem solved. what i do is just periodically check the generator, you can hear it from anywhere in the house anyways.
It's me I'm back again. I just wanted to let you know that I actually installed a hookup so I can hook my generator propane directly from my house. It hooks up much like an airline from a compressor tank. So you can take it all out of the way when you don't need it. Even better though I can run my barbecue grill off of it. And the I remembered your video and you mentioned the gas boiler and I thought well maybe that's something you could do too.
That's a great idea! My house is on city natural gas so I can't hook up directly with my current setup but with a big house LP tank that would be perfect!
Cool! Are those twist-lock plugs? Don't forget to twist em so the vibration doesn't work them loose. Oh yeah I've heard criminals will start up your gas lawnmower then steal your generator. Because people still hear the engine they don't rush out right away when power shuts off. A lock would be a good addition, you could use lag bolts to put a ring on the side of your house and use a thick bike cable. You can also get those 100 lb propane tanks with a built-in wheel dolly, so you can move them easily. Cool setup, it didn't take long at all.
@@TheOriginalBarberI believe you are mistaken. They are indeed twist lock plugs on BOTH ends- generator side and also at the box on the house side. Yes you do just plug them straight in, but then you twist clockwise to lock it in place. To remove twist counterclockwise and then pull.
I'm in the country on propane anyway so I asked them about another tank just for the generator. For what they wanted per year, I just ended up buying a 250 gal tank. I figure I can go almost 2 weeks and they come to me to fill it.
I am the same way. I fill up in July when they run their summer special. I have a 500 gal tank and they put 400 gal in it. I can heat my house two years normally with that. I can run my generators off it and also have two 100# bottles and a few 20# bottles. In 2013 we didn't have electricity for 11 days. Roads were icy and gas and propane was hard to get. I was all right.
Actually good job. Room to improve but not bad. Invest in some solar battery backup like Bluetti or Ecoflow. Goes a long way and you can run them indoors.
As per instruction manual / and Safety, everyone forgets about GROUNDING the generator - PLEASE!!!! (Water vs electricity) All generators have a separate ground connector on the unit
If he's using a 4 wire setup hot hot neutral ground which he should be most generators are bonded neutral so running 4 wire cable the generator is grounded through the main electrical panel. Only time you need separate ground is when genset is on job site and you are using it as portable generator. Or if your generator is a floating neutral.
Did it survive the ice storm? Who made it? It looked like a pretty good one.
10 месяцев назад
Mine lives in the Garage, in case of a prolonged outage I just have to open the garage door high enough for the fumes to get out and start it up. If you doe not hve that option definitely build a small shed for it - or get a ready-made one.
Yeah, I think my cord is just a little too short to leave it in the garage. I'll be getting a shelter built soon!
10 месяцев назад
@@TheOriginalBarber you can get prebuilt shelters for trashcans and the like, some have just the right size. only thing you need to change is drill a hole for the exhaust and insulate it and drill a larger hole for ventilation. there is a bunch of videos here on youtube. It also helps with the noise. Personally I would add a few of those gastanks to the shed as well, preconnected with T-adapters so they do not freeze from the gas expanding. that way you only need to open the valves and start the generator. A tricklecharger for the battery probably would not hurt either.
Michigan really sucks for weather. I spent 3 grand on electrical updates last week and he tacked on setting me up for the lock out system. Runs everything. Come and get me now weather!! Nice to have safe decent backup power as needed.
Yeah it's great. I love this generator too, 12kw starting 9k running. Also runs on both gas and propane, about a 10% power reduction on propane but I've never had a drop of gas in it so don't worry about the carburetor getting gummed up. Runs basically the whole house including A/C.
I wonder about building a faux doghouse. More discreet visually and audibly than a popup tent. Door and a window can be screened for airflow, but roof with eaves will keep it dry. Greetings from Wyoming, where it was -37 the day after Christmas last year!
I have thought about using a pair of screw anchors with a bar locked between them that goes through the frame of the generator or secures a chain or cable around the generator. It seems like it would be fairly easy to set up and would slow down thieves enough to use other countermeasures. Also you could use two pairs of low voltage wire to create two closed loop alarm circuits. Put one in the house and the other on the generator. Then if anyone unplugs the generator or cuts the wires, the alarms would go off both inside and on the generator. I suspect this would do the trick. If someone tries anything, after you reset the alarm, use a bullhorn to announce to your neighbors to be on the lookout because someone just attempted to steal your generator. That will probably result in the thieves leaving the area for the duration.
After hurricane Andrew, everyone bought generators. They would normally run out of fuel around 4 am or so. Most would not go out and refuel until after daylight. Going to work one morning at 5 I saw a pickup and a deputy on the side of the road just out of my neighborhood that had 10 generators stacked up in the back. They just wait for the generators to quit and rode around and loaded them up! Mine was safe, in a fenced backyard with a 90 lb German Shepard guarding it!
I made alarm. 110v relay and a 9v battery driving a loud piezo siren. Plug into wall and relay energizes. That opens the positive wire going to siren. Unplug ax power or loose ax power the siren goes off! Only use it when running generator. I also use a lock and cable on generator and house pillar.
I think I had the box put in before I bought the generator and the electrician didn't mention it as an option but good call. Probably should have done that.
love the content u make brother question the tent u are using to keep the generator dry where did u buy it looks quite big i am looking tent those kind let me know what they are called if u can please tell me thanks
A full 100 lb tank is something like 150 lbs. Thats heavier than I can lift by myself, let alone fitting it inside my car. there is also the DoT laws on transporting propane on the roads. the 100 lb tanks exceed the threshold and triggers a bunch of Hazmat laws.
Good video, but stupid thumbnail. "I'm never going to financially recover from this". Dumb. Makes no sense. I was waiting for your generator to explode and burn down your whole house. I was disappointed.
