# venting generator exhaust



## WarriorMonk (Dec 23, 2007)

Hey folks, I was working at my homestead the other day, and ran the generator to charge up the batteries in my travel trailer. Since the only storage I have now is my pump house, that's where it lives. I didn't want to run the genny in there unvented, thinking fumes would build up, and maybe even go down into the well. So I brought it out, and of course it started raining. Why won't mother nature cooperate?

So I'm thinking I need to build some kind of exhaust hose. A couple of questions for ya:

1. Can the fumes from the generator/gas go down into the well?

2. Best way to build it? I'm concerned about it getting really hot, so I was thinking perhaps something from a muffler shop might work. I'm also concerned about a hose creating back pressure and messing up the engine. Anyone have experience with this?

thanks,

WM


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## pancho (Oct 23, 2006)

Last saturday a couple was found in the house they were renovating. They were found in separate rooms. Autopsies confirmed they died from carbon monoxide poisoning. It was caused by carbon monoxide from a space heater or a generator inside of the house.
Be very careful.


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## whistler (Apr 20, 2005)

At my cabin all of our electricity currently comes from a generator. I put it in a small shed about 4X6X6 and insulated the heck out of it. On the roof I installed a whole house attic fan similar to the following (although I paid 40 bucks for mine).  http://www.farreys.com/ventilation/vent_fans_attic/nutone_roof_fan_valueplus.html

I wired up a standard plug and set the fan thermostat to 50 degrees so that within a couple of minutes of starting the generator the fan will come on no matter the outside temp. I have sucessfully run the generator through entire tanks of gas with this setup and have no problems with overheating, consuming all the oxygen in the building (there is an air intake vent near the floor), or exhaust smells at all. 

I think if you did this you shouldn't have to worry about anything.

Whistler


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## wy_white_wolf (Oct 14, 2004)

I have my genny in a storsge shed. I put 2 vents in one wall, one high and one low (no fans) but I still leave the door open when running the genny.

I don't know about going down the well. Here we are required to have a cap on our wells that would prevent that from happening.


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## raymilosh (Jan 12, 2005)

To answer your question about the fumes going down the well...
every well has a vent to allow air to go into it, so that if the water level is drawn down inside the well, air can move in or out as necessary.
Automotive shops use long flexible hoses to conduct exhaust outside when running an engine indoors. It is about 1.5" in diameter and resistant to heat.

All that being said...storing poisonous chemicals, like gas and oil inside a wellhouse is generally a bad idea. Please don't contaminate your own well. Not even by accident. People's and animal's and the environment's lives and health will deal with the consequences of what happens to your well.


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## Gary in ohio (May 11, 2002)

most generators (assuming they havent rusted shut) will allow a pipe to be screw into where the exhaust is. Run a pipe outside the area and put the muffler on at the end of the pipe. Can you also just put some fans in the shed and have them come on when the generator is running.


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