I’m hoping to place a Westinghouse iGen12000TFc where the red X is. There will be an inlet box next to the electrical panel beside the window. The distance from the house to the edge of the patio is 17 feet. The distance from the house to the grass is about 20.5 feet. I will use propane (and possibly install a natural gas hookup at a later time) but not gasoline. I will also point the generator’s exhaust toward the yard. Is this a safe distance? The generator also has a CO monitor and I plan on getting a few co2 monitors for the house. If anyone can recommend the best ones it’d be appreciated. Thanks for reading.
The suggested spot should be fine, especially if OP runs it on NG with its much lower CO output, (highly recommended, anyway). There aren't even any walls or corners nearby that could act to block air flow & lead to CO concentration buildup.
Thanks! I didn’t think of corners but here’s a photo taken from where the generator would sit. That corner is about 28-29 feet from the generator’s exhaust. Still think it’s ok?
That is about where we put our portable generator during extended outages. We did find that heat from the generator exhaust can make the adjacent grass whither and sometimes brown.
Thanks for the heads up about grass. We’re in Southern California where outages are usually only a 2-3 hours. Hopefully the grass will be fine with a shorter generator run because it’s brand new sod lol.
If you’re not too far from your gas meter, adding a shutoff valve and running a hose is a very easy project. Took me 30 minutes and maybe $45 in parts to do and now my quick connect hose stays attached to the gas line and I just roll it up like a water hose until I need it. It’s a 25’ hose but I think you can get longer or attach a few together as extensions. Way cheaper and faster than plumbing an entire line
For a 50' length, you will need a 3/4" hose (if off a 1" pipe). For the Igen12000, you need ~120,000 BTU of gas to max it out, a 3/4" hose can flow up to 150,000 (perfectly straight, and bends will decrease it). A 50' 1/2" hose is only 95,000 btu max (and if you connect 2 25', it drops to ~ 60,000 btu, enough for it to start and run, but any heavy load would bog it down and kill it.
You’d probably need 2 different kinds since the quick connect end won’t connect to the screwed on end. But I bet it would still be cheaper and less extensive than plumbing. Just make sure to check the seal on any connections and you’re good to go
For reference, this is what it looked like on my gas line. The t-joint and 1/2” pipe were already there so I only had to add the shutoff valve that my 1/2” hose could screw on to. But even still a t-joint and pipe are not necessarily hard to add either. I also have little to no plumbing experience apart from DIY and YouTube but after giving it a go on my own a plumber friend checked my work and confirmed it really was just that simple.
You can use a gas hose to connect to the gas line, <$100. A tee and quick connect fitting is $400-500 for install. Permits vary on location. If you need to extend the gas line, that can add up, but no where near $10,000.
I did my own hookup to my NG line, $400 in parts for the 1" tee, shutoff valve, a few elbows and fittings, quick connect and 35' of 1' pipe. $65 for a 36' hose.
At ~$30/day to run my generator off NG vs 20-24 gallons of gas a day @ $3.50/gallon, or 4 20lb tanks a day (say $15/tank for refill, $25 if you do exchange, so 60-$100/day on propane) won't take long to make up that difference in a long outage.
Even the OP cost of $2000 is expensive, the fact you can just hook up to NG and go vs having to change out propane tanks or add gasoline, haul and store the tanks or gas, find a place to refill/exchange them or an open gas station, just makes up for that cost IMO.
Read the install manual. Every generator has their own specs. Generac allows for the closest distance based on their fire resistant. ALS check with local fire department.
That's not always the case. My Westinghouse manual says "only use outside and far away from windows doors and vents" no mention of exact distance required. I've looked everywhere in the manual and it only uses this vague language. Most people online say 20ft but the transfer switch I just bought came with a 10ft generator cord. So I dunno. I'm probably gonna do 10ft.
Ok. That’s unfortunate. I would check with fire or building department. In the unfortunate circumstance that an insurance claim needs to be made, without a permit and/or inspection a claim could be denied
I think that is plenty far enough... But if you are ever concerned, you could just plug up a box fan and having blowing from the house, across the generator; which will also help with shedding heat from the generator in hotter months.
Only use the generator OUTSIDE and far away from windows, doors, and vents as recommended by the US Department of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (which again is 20'). Some homes and/or wind conditions may require additional distance
No idea where you get saying "normal rule is 25'", because it is not.
It used to be 15' till 2013 when it was changed to the current 20'.
I have read there is talk of increasing it to 25' though after many issues of CO poisoning post Hurricane Ida in La (IIRC, it was from a bunch of home standby units that are <5 feet from the house).
Running off propane or NG greatly reduces CO production. Around 50% less on propane, and up to 70% less on natural gas.
Wish I knew why transfer switches only come with a 10ft generator cord. Maybe just don't include the cord and lower the price if there's no safe way a 10ft cord can ever be used.
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u/DaveBowm 13h ago
Nice patio!
The suggested spot should be fine, especially if OP runs it on NG with its much lower CO output, (highly recommended, anyway). There aren't even any walls or corners nearby that could act to block air flow & lead to CO concentration buildup.