Where to put gas generator when in use

[bradm85]

I have a Honda 2K as well and I only run it during the day. I really hope you don't run it all night in a crowded anchorage. Listening to someone's generator all night long is about as rude as one could possibly be

[Montanan]

Reference articles:

Older models of generators with carburetors had comparatively high CO emissions. Newer models with closed loop fuel injection and catalysts derive lower CO emissions. Lower CO emissions are inherently safer but still derive risk.

Proper ventilation and keeping distance from the engine is key to safety. Same rules apply to homes as to any other location, boat, camping, etc..

That means running the generator at least 15 feet from the house, preferably 25 feet, in an unenclosed space, far from doors and windows. Never run a generator in a garage or shed even with the doors open. Don’t let it run in the rain unless it’s covered by a model-specific tent, designed to shield the unit from the elements while still allowing it to vent properly.

Make sure it’s safely connected to a transfer switch on your circuit breaker panel and test that your indoor CO alarms are working. A well-functioning alarm can serve as an early warning system.

https://www.nist.gov/news-events/new...tor-some-space

[Scout 30]

For any new Honda 2K owners keeping the carburetor clean can be problematic. Luckily they are really easy to clean. Here's a step by step video showing what to do.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njNMxlNseRg

[tomtriad]

I think it's very inconsiderate to crank up your gas generator then leave it running while you're off the boat; if you don't like the noise, how do you think others in the anchorage feel?

As for overnight, while you're asleep - sounds risky even if you have CO detectors. And very not nice for your neighbors.

Even running it while on the boat in daytime you need to be careful. Exhaust is easily sucked into open ports when the wind shifts by the Venturi effect as noted in other replies. Behind the transoms is a big dead air space and not a good place to run. On the aft deck, with all ports behind it closed I think the best bet.

[carlwk3c]

I like quiet anchorages as much as anyone, but the Honda is extremely quiet. As the other poster said, you can hardly hear it 20-50’ away. With the generator running at the stern, so the exhaust drifts away aft on the wind, it’s barely audible in the vberth of our Crealock 34 ... mosty via conduction through the hull ... certainly not an annoyance. Again, less than 50’ or so away at a neighboring boat, it’s hard to tell it’s running. That said, we normally don’t run it at night, especially since our solar is keeping the batteries charged nicely.
Again

[Bentwings]

I’ve had numerous gens from 2000w to 12kw. All gas all emit CO in various amounts. Generally RV installs vent up high over the roof of the vehicle. Most owners get upset when you run one all night in the RV park or horse trailer areas.

My boat has a built in Westerbeke 6.5kw. It runs at 1800 rpm and you really can’t hear much of it beyond a low hum and a little bubbling of the underwater exhaust. Since the exhaust is water cooled the volume is pretty small compared to air cooled two stroke gens. Since mine is in a boat, it’s placed in the engine room and provided with bilge vents that run while it’s running. I don’t get anything in the boat but I have 8 CO detectors mounted high and low as well as 3 flammable fume detectors. I didn’t install all of them only added to them. All have been safety checked. I also have a room fan running when the gen runs with at least two open vents.

I live in an apt and it gets -20f and colder in the winter. There are no outside plug ins so I had a 2000w gen for my diesel truck. It drove the block heater and battery charger on the coldest nights. It would get stolen if I stored in in my underground garage so I had to bring it in to the apt itself. To prevent the place from smelling of gas I got a large shallow cooking pan and poured several boxes of baking soda on it then I would set the gen on this and cover it with the original box it came in. This worked for several years but I brought it home from the shop one night and left it in the back of my semi classic car wagon for about four hours and someone smashed a window and stole it. Lesson relearned.

Storing it over the baking soda handled the Oder nicely. I just replaced it every couple months.

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Reference articles:

Older models of generators with carburetors had comparatively high CO emissions. Newer models with closed loop fuel injection and catalysts derive lower CO emissions. Lower CO emissions are inherently safer but still derive risk.

Proper ventilation and keeping distance from the engine is key to safety. Same rules apply to homes as to any other location, boat, camping, etc..

That means running the generator at least 15 feet from the house, preferably 25 feet, in an unenclosed space, far from doors and windows. Never run a generator in a garage or shed even with the doors open. Don’t let it run in the rain unless it’s covered by a model-specific tent, designed to shield the unit from the elements while still allowing it to vent properly.

Make sure it’s safely connected to a transfer switch on your circuit breaker panel and test that your indoor CO alarms are working. A well-functioning alarm can serve as an early warning system.

https://www.nist.gov/news-events/new...tor-some-space

None of these small generators have FI that I have seen or read about. You typically have to get above 3000 watts and pay top dollar for one that does.

Originally Posted by Scout 30

For any new Honda 2K owners keeping the carburetor clean can be problematic. Luckily they are really easy to clean. Here's a step by step video showing what to do.

The new Honda EU2200i has fuel cutoff so you can easily let the generator run the fuel out of the carb without having to run the tank empty.

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by FlyingScot

None of these small generators have FI that I have seen or read about. You typically have to get above 3000 watts and pay top dollar for one that does.



The new Honda EU2200i has fuel cutoff so you can easily let the generator run the fuel out of the carb without having to run the tank empty.

That's a big help. However, it's no guarantee. I recommend using non-ethanol gas & Stabil or Sea Foam in the fuel. Also, open the drain screw after each use. Even then you'll probably still need to clean the carb at some point.

[flandria]

With regard to the comment "leave it at home" I should like to point out that I would not appreciate hearing a generator run during the night on a transom or dinghy anchored in front of me. It does raise issues of protocol or acceptable behaviour within a given community. Thus, if AC is a must, I would hope you'd anchor to the lee of other boats to make sure that you're not the only one spared the noise.
Now, I also understand that motorboats run generators as and when needed, so I think you may need a permanent solution along those lines. Possibly a generator can be safely installed and vented inside your hull, as is the case of motoryachts?

[Scout 30]

Originally Posted by flandria

With regard to the comment "leave it at home" I should like to point out that I would not appreciate hearing a generator run during the night on a transom or dinghy anchored in front of me. It does raise issues of protocol or acceptable behaviour within a given community. Thus, if AC is a must, I would hope you'd anchor to the lee of other boats to make sure that you're not the only one spared the noise.
Now, I also understand that motorboats run generators as and when needed, so I think you may need a permanent solution along those lines. Possibly a generator can be safely installed and vented inside your hull, as is the case of motoryachts?

This is not a safe idea for a gas powered generator. Gas should never be stored below decks in any way & whatever kind of exhaust extension used will be too hot to be enclosed.

[Jimmyhenry]

Just finished a sail Fiji to NZ on a Cat. I had one of the rear berths which was above the main engine which was itself vented from a grill in the transom.
The volume of air coming into my berth from this vent was staggering. So anything CO near the back of the boat would definitely be sucked in to my berth.
My partner and I sailed Bora Bora to Niue. Our berth was an aft cabin. She spend some time reading on the bed with the rear Porthole open for ventilation. We Motored for a few hours whenand she became very ill and a very bad headache. We realised that she had CO poisoning, the CO being sucked in the porthole.
The idea of putting an exhaust hose in the water is not good. CO will still bubble up and unless the hose is long it will still enter the boat.
I occasionally see Hubble bubble compressor units which use a small petrol motor for divers. They use a very tall snorkel for the exhaust but of course they are not attached to a boat with the incumbent auction area at the back of the boat.
The CO detector is a must. The risks are too great.

[Training Wheels]

I wish the boat anchored next to us would tie a line to his generator and drop it to the bottom when using it!

[Dave9111]

I find this discussion amusing.
Lets do a reality check! So you are worried about running the generator at night, and suffering CO poisoning?

How many of you have gas furnaces in your house but no CO detector/s?
When was the last time you tested them? You do have more than one, right?

When you are driving the family in the car, end up in a traffic jam, and your kids fall asleep in the back seat, do you panic and tell everyone to wake up due to possible CO poisoning?

When you get drowsy while driving, do you immediately suspect CO poisoning from the engine which is just a few feet in front of you? Or do you think you just need a cup of coffee? How do you know?

When was the last time the CO alarm went off in your car? You have one in there... right?

Do you have a bilge water level alarm so you don't drown in your boat while sleeping?

What is more likely?

Dave

[Ike]

A lot has been said here both pro and con but I thought I'd throw in my two cents. But first let me tell you where am coming from. I am a retired Coast Guard officer and spent most of my career (34 years) working in boating safety. I did boating accident investigations, worked with boat builders to help them meet regulations and standards and advised boat owners on all kinds of boat related subjects. Part of that dealt with CO hazards and prevention. My first experience with CO poisonings on boats was in the early 90's. 12 people died because of leaky exhaust systems on a specific brand of Genset. I will never forget that case even though there have been many since.

But first let me say this about running your generator at night. As some have mention RVs, there is a reason almost all RV park have "quiet hours" usually from 10 pm to 7 am. I have stayed in hundreds of RV parks and never found one that didn't limit when you could run the genset. I live in my Motorhome and if I ran my genset at night my neighbors would not be happy. Yes, it's quiet. I can't hear it running inside the MH and 20 feet away it just makes a low putting sound. But at night you might as well be banging on a drum. And sound carries far better over water. I have always marveled that at my folks place on Hood Canal we could hear dogs barking and people talking on the other side of the water three miles away.

As for the safety aspect, I have never and will never recommend use of these portable gensets on boats. They simply do not meet any of the Federal or ABYC standards for Gensets. However, I am a realist and I know that people do. They are convenient and far cheaper that permanently installed sets. So the question becomes how to get you, the user, to use them safely.

There are 3 hazards, CO, Shock and Fire.:

The CO hazard has been discussed to death here and elsewhere. Use them only in the open air, install CO detectors, and never ever run them when you are sleeping. Most CO deaths on boats occur when people are sleeping, and I emphasize this, because they want to run their Air Conditioning!

The irony is that most CO deaths ashore are in winter to people trying to keep warm. On boats it's in the summer to people trying to keep cool.

Fire Hazard: These things can start fires. The exhaust can get hot, but the main problem is electrical fires. Overloaded circuits and bad corroded connections are the main causes. Portables do need maintenance and checking the fuel and electrical system, and connections is vital.

Shock hazard. Mainly this involves hooking up the genset to your boats system. As was mentioned before, a transfer switch is absolutely necessary. Whenever you switch a power source to feed your electrical system you need to do it so you maintain polarity, maintain a good ground, and don't backfeed into the system. Too many people think they can simply connect the genset to their system. Not so. You need to set it up so that any other source of AC power does not conflict (such as using an inverter)

Maintaining ground is vital. If you don't you may become the path to ground. I can tell you from personal experience it is not pleasant.

So I hope this gives you some food for thought. Stay safe. Years ago the Navy and USCG had a training film about electrical hazards called "Your Deadly Shipmate". Your genset, if not used properly can be a deadly shipmate.

[Peeew]

I am a big believer in CO monitors. I saw too many problems as a health care provider one issue is that home CO units are designed to alarm after a level is reached for a period of time. Probably to avoid too many unneeded emergency calls. But Aviation oriented detectors will display any amount of CO and can really help prevent problems and help you decide if what you are doing is Ok. One supplier is https://www.aeromedix.com/co-experts...oxide-detector Not the cheapest but really good to know what is going on.