# Portable generator location during outages and storms



## Vincent_Diesel (Mar 10, 2018)

Just bought a new portable generator (Yamaha EF5500DE) and deciding on it's location during a New England outage storm, rain, sleet or snow. Love your opinion on which one will work better, for overall protection and safety of generator as well as myself. Electricity scares me.

Two scenarios are:

1. Buy a GenTent and locate the generator (10-15 feet from nearby houses), including mine.

2. Place inside my 8x10 toolshed (10-15 ft from nearby houses) close to the door, door wide open and exhaust extended 10 ft. from shed.

The storms lately have been either huge downfalls of rain, ice and snow. Last power outage was very wet and windy. I was leaning more towards the GenTent but rain and snow would eventually penetrate from the ground up. My tool shed seems like a good place but want to avoid burning it down.


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## motormonkey (Jul 10, 2016)

"2. Place inside my 8x10 toolshed (10-15 ft from nearby houses) close to the door, door wide open..."

^This^ The tool shed sounds ideal. The exhaust extension is unnecessary, and you won't burn down the shed, if you follow some basic common sense safety rules. I guess the most important are to make sure there is nothing flammable in close proximity to the generator, and make sure the wiring to your electrical loads is proper. The instructions included with the generator should make these things clear.


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## Vincent_Diesel (Mar 10, 2018)

Thanks for the reply Motormonkey. Besides the fact I could save a bit of dough going this route, I like the idea of this setup being quieter on the neighbors and the generator will stay dry.


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## jkingrph (Sep 18, 2017)

Consider this. Figure where you will want to place the generator in the toolshed, Put some kind of vent in the wall so the exhaust can go out through the vent. You will probably have to get a piece of pipe or some kind of high temp flexible metal hose. Make it long enough to extend a few feet beyond the wall, and have vent hole large enough so air can enter the shed. That could keep noise down quite a bit. I don't know about heat rise with an engine running in a small shed, so you might need to consider some other type of ventilation to keep heat down in the shed. My brother in law who once ran a propane service had a big portable set up like this in his shop, but it was a rather large metal building with air leaks everywhere so heat was no problem.


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## Vincent_Diesel (Mar 10, 2018)

Thanks for the help. I managed to find a corner of my 8x10 shed that is within view from a house window. I managed to find a tractor muffler and extended the generator exhaust outside of the shed. Love to hear your thoughts on this. I feel like I figured out half of the equation, which is to vent the exhaust, but the other part of the equation is to keep the generator from overheating. Heat rise is a concern, so I have decided to buy an 8" exhaust fan but not really sure where to place it. 

Should I place the exhaust fan close to the generator and pull away heat? or place the exhaust fan closer to the roof of the shed where heat will hopefully rise?

<a href="https://imgur.com/rBPX0vl"><img src="https://i.imgur.com/rBPX0vl.jpg" title="source: imgur.com" /></a>


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## Vincent_Diesel (Mar 10, 2018)

Picture attached:


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## jkingrph (Sep 18, 2017)

I would put the exhaust fan above the generator, or better start the generator and see how the air flow comes out of the engine and place fan so it will be most effective. It will probably be good to place a couple of inlet vents down low to allow for air flow into and out of the shed. Another idea, is you might use one of the turbine type vents on the roof, and some lower inlet vents and go passive ventilation and save the electric production for your house. I don't know where you live, but if you install lower vents make sure they are above a snowline. If you have a window that opens it probably would be ok but an inlet near the generator would give a more natural air flow, just be sure to place so it is not where the hot air flow from the engine blows toward your vent.

Looking at your picture, that's similar to what my brother in law had, but his was through metal siding. With that pressboard I would probably get some kind of gas stove vent and install in the wall to reduce the chance of that hot exhaust burning the wall


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## motormonkey (Jul 10, 2016)

I agree with jkingrph. That hot exhaust is closer to the wood of that wall than I would feel safe with.


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