Well, I got this project completed pretty much. Just have to bore the hole for the exhaust vent and get that tuned and our new generator project is done. It's raining and wet outside today so I'll wait until the rain quits to finishing the exhaust.
I decided I have no need for two permanently installed generators once I have one that will actually start. So I removed the enclosure for the Champion generator and wheeled it into the shop. It can stay nice and warm in there in the winter and be used for backup in the event the Honda would have a problem - just wheel it out and plug it in to the service panels that are mounted on two wood posts by the generator.
This is how I constructed the enclosure - some folks may find it interesting to see how I built it to use a portable generator as a permanently installed standby generator. Our township ordinance requires a permanently installed residential generator be enclosed in a metal housing. I read the ordinance before I placed the new gen house and it requires it be at least six feet from the house and at least 10 feet from any windows. So I built the frame from green treat 2 x 4's and the covering is all steel. The electrical service and control wires are buried in underground conduit to the outside service panels that stand by the generator. The generator plugs into the service panels with Type SEOW cord.
I wasn't happy with the air flow from the 14" fan I bought. That fan works fine in the smaller enclosure for the Champion generator, but this enclosure is twice the size and a much bigger generator. So I put in a 20" window box fan for ventilation instead. The 20" window fan moves 3x the air that the 1/3hp 14" fan did.
The enclosure is sound-proofed with fire retardant 1" thick foam with aluminum facing. I installed a Suncourt DuctStat to regulate the temperature at 70 degrees in extreme cold weather to insure the air-cooled iGX engine runs at the proper operating temperature. In cold weather a -30° F blast of cold air from the ventilation fan would provide way too much cooling air and cause high fuel consumption due to the engine running too cold. Rather than try to use louvers or restrict airflow for cold weather, a thermostat is simple. The DuctStat plugs into one of the 120 volt outlets on the generator and the fan plugs into the DuctStat so it can turn the fan on and off. The DuctStat will handle up to 8 amps - the fan only draws about one amp.
The air is pulled in thru screens on the side that will help keep animals, birds and rodents out of the enclosure. Rodents can still dig in underneath it and get inside. But I think once the generator starts they will decide that was not such a good idea. The main thing is to keep them out of the fan. Never had any problems with rodents in either of the other two generators - the cats are hard on the rodent population around here. But birds will try to build a nest in there without the screens.
The enclosure is properly placarded as required by our ordinance for an auto-start standby generator.
The top is in two pieces - the air intake cover and a smaller service cover that I can take off to fuel the generator. The side of the enclosure where you check the oil on the engine simply lifts out. Take the covers off the top, unscrew 8 screws and it slides out the top. That way I can change oil in the generator without moving it. I am going to add a small access door in that side cover to check and add engine oil in between changes.
The end panel of the enclosure by the fan also slides out the top by removing 8 screws so the generator can be wheeled in and out of the enclosure.
I was going to add an external fuel tank, however, this opens up a new can of worms with the ordinance. A generator set, either diesel or gasoline, with an integral fuel tank is no problem. But if an external fuel tank is used it has to be located at least 25 feet from any building. The generator has a 6.2 gallon tank on it and will run for 10 hours at full load and 16 hours @ 50% load. So this introduces a new chore - fueling the generator once a week in the winter. But I suspect that it will be a lot less work than a generator that continually refuses to start.
There is 120 volt power to the service panels with an outdoor outlet there. I am going to buy one of those KAT's 25 watt silicon pad heaters for the engine and plug it in when the temp drops below zero F. Keeping the crankcase/block and oil warm will make it crank and start easier in extremely cold weather. It will not work to try to heat the enclosure because the heat will simply rise and be lost out the air intake, which is directly above the engine. But one of those pad heaters should work great. They're only 20 bucks so if the 25 watt one turns out to be too small I'll get a 50 watt one instead.
One of the final things to do is fabricate a nice aluminum bracket to hold my little VW solar battery maintainer that I got from TomW some time back. I had that installed on the old generator and it worked great to keep the battery up. This new generator does not have any draw on the starting battery like the old one had to keep electronics alive in it. But the solar battery maintainer can't hurt, especially if the generator sets for long periods without running.
It amazes me that Generac, building a so-called "off-grid generator", didn't think of that and instead requires 120 volt power from your inverters be used to run a battery maintainer in the genset. I think Generac needs to get a serious grip on reality before they're going to be able to build an off-grid generator that actually works. Just because it's two-wire start and burns LP gas does not make it an "off-grid" generator.
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Chris