Generator storage building

Rob Keeble

Member
Messages
12,633
Location
GTA Ontario Canada
Background

I need power in my shop. Did not want to put in panel since i am renting this house and garage temporarily while we search for a piece of land in the country. Also practicality of adding panel just not possible or viable.

So having always wanted a decent size generator for electrical backup anyhow (furnace runs on nat gas no use if no power to run fan etc) so i decided just to bite the bullet and kill two birds with one stone.

Got a great deal on the generator now to build the enclosure. Was supposed to be done before the cold set in but Xmas and birds nests etc got in the way.

Well with the temps down at -6 (~21 F) celcius today i decided got to get er done. Had to improvise on heating used the burner from my deep fryer without the pot on. :D

Worked as a redneck heater enough to get some chill off the garage to work. Had previously cut all the lumber so i could get a bit done without the need for loads of space.

In this thread i had asked for some design help and now i would like to show you how i implemented it.

So here are the pics

First i started with a base using a heavy plastic skid i fell in love with for this purpose and got for free. Trimmed it out in 2x8 pressure treated lumber.
PLastic Skid base top.JPG


Then i supported the bottom of the skid to the sides with 2x8
Plastic skid base bottom.JPG


Now you can see where generator outline is by the cardboard cut out
Generator outline on base.JPG

Then based on advice from our generous members in this thread i used some weld mesh and Navy logic to make sides with vents at the bottom.

side with vent for air intake.JPGvent construction showing welded mesh behind sofit material.JPGclose up of vent.JPGRear view of vent area showing j config of acrylic.JPG

So in the last pic if you can make it out i cut strips of 1/4 acrylic i have loads of it and used it in a groove i routed in the PT lumber and caulked it in to form a barrier for any rain that may get sucked in when its raining and fan is on. There is a top and bottom piece staggered apart so as to prevent any rain getting through but keeping air flow.

Thanks for the advice guys.

So this is the first finished wall with insulation in place

Side wall with insulation and vapor barrier installed.JPG

I plan on making all the walls as stand alone components then fitting together in a manner which will allow disassembly if neccessary.


Oh one thing not shown is the legs that will be attached to this structure to keep it above ground out of snows reach.

This is the progress to date
structure to date.JPG

Gotta cut some more lumber to make cavities for the insulation then osb to match frame and insulate and cover with vapor barrier which is going on the outside more to act as a protection to the insulation from rain. :D

more to follow
 
Last edited:
more pics

THis is the fan i bought for $50 brand new with thermostat and here is a pic of generator

Also pic of material to be used for the sides when done.
 

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Oh oh navy logic. I'm not sure that that will hold water.... :rofl:

Looks like it should be plenty sturdy anyway :thumb:

I assume a sloped overhung roof as well? That should go a long ways towards shedding the rain.
 
more pics

THis is the fan i bought for $50 brand new with thermostat and here is a pic of generator

Also pic of material to be used for the sides when done.

Hey Rob that looks like the same material I used on the one shed in my back yard that Norma now uses. It's been up since 2005 and still looks good as new. I haven't even gotten around to painting it yet.
 
Hey Rob that looks like the same material I used on the one shed in my back yard that Norma now uses. It's been up since 2005 and still looks good as new. I haven't even gotten around to painting it yet.

Hah! Good to know, it's the same stuff on my shed, and I haven't gotten around to painting it yet.

Don't recommend putting it on a dog house, as the dogs have eaten it mostly off their dog house.
 
I hope your using the fan to draw air through the enclosure to cool the gen set as well as draw any moisture out because putting the vapor barrier on the outside is backwards of what it should be. The movement of air through the box will help off set trapping moisture inside.

On the other hand....

If your T-111 is tight to your frame work with a breathable barrier tyveck or felt then your insulation & vapor barrier on the inside you should be OK.
 
I hope your using the fan to draw air through the enclosure to cool the gen set as well as draw any moisture out because putting the vapor barrier on the outside is backwards of what it should be. The movement of air through the box will help off set trapping moisture inside.

On the other hand....

If your T-111 is tight to your frame work with a breathable barrier tyveck or felt then your insulation & vapor barrier on the inside you should be OK.

@ Bart I am really only using the plastic to do two things, keep the insulation in place until i put all the panels together and cover, and protect the insulation from any rain moisture that gets through my outer material on its corners. The fan is going to look after cooling the generator hence the vents all around the side to draw air up through the enclosure. Just hope they dont propagate the sound too much thats the primary purpose for the enclosure to quieten down the noise.

BTW all i have a Suzuki motorcycle exhaust i plan on attacting to the generator as well. Gonna have to do some creative fabrication there and get the flange welded to some steel gas pipe to mount it all. More pics to come as build proceeds.

Did some work on the actual panel and wiring in house so as to be ready when i get the enclosure done. Pics to follow.
 
Hey Rob, some questions and some concerns.

As you might know, I've had to deal with sound problems a lot in my workshop, and I've learned a few things along the way.

Basically, sound is energy, if you make that energy change in someway, you can knock the sound down, a lot.

For example, if you build a box around a noise maker to reduce the noise, what happens depends on what the material the box is made from.

If you use lightweight thin plywood, the noise will not be reduced much, and sometimes the sound can be amplified.

If you go thicker plywood, that helps, if you go MDF that helps even more, but if you go two layers of MDF with a flexible membrane between the two layers, (think silicone caulk to stick the two layers together) that is really going to kill the noise.

My concern is that your hard plastic base may act like a drum and actually make the noise worse. I would suggest that you put some thick heavy rubber like mat on top of the plastic base to stop the generators vibrations from acting like a drumstick on the base.

To make sound die in an air flow situation, you must make it change direction, change by 90 degrees several times and the sound will drop off a lot.

One other concern about your exhaust system modification, the motors generally need a certain amount of back pressure to work right, this is very important in a 2-stroke engine, less so in a 4-stroke, but still important. This may be more work than you want to do, or even have to do, but I want to mention it, just in case you have not thought about it.
If I may suggest that once you have the exhaust mounted on the generator, that you add a length of exhaust pipe to the end of the muffler, that you can then trim down or make longer. If you have say two pieces that fit or slide over each other very closely, one attached to the muffer, the other able to move up or down, making the pipe longer or shorter, with the generator running, you can slide the pipe up or down, you can listen to the speed of the generator running and move the pipe, there will be a sweet spot, and once you find that, you can lock the pipe in place. This also could be a complete waste of time and effort, so it's worth exactly what you paid for it :D

Cheers!
 
Thanks for your input and thoughts Stu. As to the base being plastic i only really used it to have a non rot base. But its gonna get covered in ply. From noise point of view i am aware of the whole issue of amplifying things. Remember i used the green glue stuff between my drywall in my old shop to sound proof the place. I still got some and if what i am doing does not produce adequate results it will get the treatment. :D Its quiet amazing how that stuff works when sandwhiched between two layers.

I am glad you commented on the exhaust part thats the part i am quiet worried about. Being aware of backpressure needs but not wanting to mess with it. I will get my motor mechanic buddy to help at that stage. Right now i got a gas flange to use to mate to the bike exhaust end and then an elbow and two pieces of pipe with a union to tie them together so i can undo the pipe from the generator for when i slide it out for oil changes etc.

Still have a few things to resolve before i go any further. After seeing Larrys plywood helper thread i hope to find the same rollers somewhere here that would solve a big issue for me.

Appreciate the input. I am hoping my j traps in the vents also help to prevent the noise departing the enclosure but time will tell.
 
Al as far as making the unit portable it will only be portable in the sense of being able to be moved in knock down form from one property to another. So its not quiet intended to be "mobile" but movable with a bit of dis assembly hence the modular way i am building it.


Ok so some progress was made in this unit this weekend. Really not as much as i had hoped. :( Sat had to leave the shop and do other things since when i walked in there to get started i had a run in with my own lack of organization and the tight space i am having to work in and well :eek: i decided surrender was the better thing to do before i ended up hurting myself.
Sunday was great and proved if you get flustered like i did better to walk away to fight another day.

So i resolved my rolling base for the generator. No pic yet but its 3/4 BB and on it i have mounted some cheap plastic appliance casters from home depot . Tested it and 4 of them seem to run well in line on runners made of 2x4. Added some side guides and back stop and a lock pin to keep it in place. So now i have a means to roll the generator out of its enclosure when it comes to servicing it.

Then added some cheap vibration mounts which i picked up at the surplus store a while back for $2 each. They not heavy duty so i doubled up on them and cut a piece of steel to go across the two to share the load. Then a steel conduit saddle (thats what i call the u shaped brackets :)) goes across the generator frame tubing but first a piece of rubber hose split down the middle to make a nice snug dampened fit.

We shall see how this all works out. :rofl: Quiet honestly i think it could either work or be in for a total haul it out and KISS solution. (muscle). But at 170lbs this aint a joke and i am thinking it will be even less of a joke to lift in 10 years time. So this aint just a short term thought.

Began to fit the walls together and then had to call it quits to go visiting some friends. Certainly a more enjoyable day especially with our weather this past weekend. But not nearly as productive a weekend as i had hoped for. :bang: but here i only have myself to blame. :D

Pics to follow.
 
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