Running a generator in an enclosed space
Discussion
My mother and stepfather often get power cuts in their village. They’ve bought a 6kw semi-portable generator and they are having it professionally connected to their mains.
https://www.parkerbrand.co.uk/6-87-kva-portable-pe...
However, they’ve put the generator in a small (6’ x 4’) storeroom. It has a single door facing the garden and no other ventilation. They expect it to run with a small vent cut into the UPVC door. I reckon it will quickly choke on its own exhaust fumes, as a single vent cannot possibly get rid of the exhaust fumes AND pull in enough fresh air to run properly.
Am I right to be concerned?
https://www.parkerbrand.co.uk/6-87-kva-portable-pe...
However, they’ve put the generator in a small (6’ x 4’) storeroom. It has a single door facing the garden and no other ventilation. They expect it to run with a small vent cut into the UPVC door. I reckon it will quickly choke on its own exhaust fumes, as a single vent cannot possibly get rid of the exhaust fumes AND pull in enough fresh air to run properly.
Am I right to be concerned?
It's a petrol generator?
Sorry but running that in anything more enclosed than a garage with the big door open is @*&& bonkers.
Not only issues with carbon monoxide and all that, but the heat build up from a 6kW engine will be dangerous.
Also note the warning about running LED lights and digital things. To some extent that will be arse covering but it's not completely baseless.
Sorry but running that in anything more enclosed than a garage with the big door open is @*&& bonkers.
Not only issues with carbon monoxide and all that, but the heat build up from a 6kW engine will be dangerous.
Also note the warning about running LED lights and digital things. To some extent that will be arse covering but it's not completely baseless.
That's just arse-covering as it's not a stabilised supply; anything running from a decent switch-mode supply will be fine, but a non-zero risk of christmas-cracker quality appliances frying themselves. I didn't register the size of it though, it will need a fairly chunky ventilator, a bathroom sized one would not suffice.
Not an inverter genny so can't run sensitive equipment like PC, laptop, possibly router (not sure).
I have an inverter genny but it's fecking noisy and only to be used when we've lost power for more than 6 hours on a cold, dark, snow filled day.
So soon then.
Otherwise I just look at it now and again.
If WWIII starts then I fully expect the neighbours to be at my door with shotguns as they have them, but not a genny.
How many tins of beanz is a genny worth?
Do you like gherkins?
I have an inverter genny but it's fecking noisy and only to be used when we've lost power for more than 6 hours on a cold, dark, snow filled day.
So soon then.
Otherwise I just look at it now and again.
If WWIII starts then I fully expect the neighbours to be at my door with shotguns as they have them, but not a genny.
How many tins of beanz is a genny worth?
Do you like gherkins?
hidetheelephants said:
That's just arse-covering as it's not a stabilised supply; anything running from a decent switch-mode supply will be fine, but a non-zero risk of christmas-cracker quality appliances frying themselves. I didn't register the size of it though, it will need a fairly chunky ventilator, a bathroom sized one would not suffice.
I'd say it's 90-something % arse-covering and the rest, I could understand why things might be damaged.The air cooling requirements would not be trivial.
Is this storeroom attached to the house at all, or a standalone outbuilding. Away from the house?
As said, unless you pipe exhaust out, even the whole door might be borderline.
Generally attaching exhaust extensions to these sorts of things is at best a grey area and ir frowned upon. But as long as the only side effect of it failing is a sooty store room and choking generator (rather than, say, death by carbon monoxide) the risks are obviously lower.
As said, unless you pipe exhaust out, even the whole door might be borderline.
Generally attaching exhaust extensions to these sorts of things is at best a grey area and ir frowned upon. But as long as the only side effect of it failing is a sooty store room and choking generator (rather than, say, death by carbon monoxide) the risks are obviously lower.
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff