How do You mount/cover your Portable Generator?

[ArcticFox_Cats]

(If there is a link you could send me to for replies....feel free.)

Could you help by showing me WHERE you mount your portable generator, and maybe what you use to cover it when you need to use it in bad weather. Any help, recommendations, would be welcomed.

[nayther]

If I have my dirt bike on the rear trailer rack then the generator goes up in the front of the truck bed, hard to lift up and over the hitch though, too tall to fit in the back of the bed. If no bike then it goes on the fold down rack on the back. Either way it runs where it rides, works great in the truck, vibrates on the rack, need to find a solution to that. Also our refrigerator is on the back wall of the 5er and with the generator pointing exhaust to the center of the trailer it was getting inside, could smell it; I think it was coming in through the refer vent/panel so turned it 90 and it stopped but still a work in progress.

[TMBLSN]

bpounds wrote:
I think most people would avoid handling power cords in the rain, whether it is shore power or a generator. But there is always that one guy...

Someone above mentioned that the Honda will run okay in the rain, and as far as I know that is correct. Mine got caught uncovered when the rain came up, and although we were in camp, for whatever reason I did not go out and rescue it. It ran fine, but it made a big mess, including sand up in the feet and base plate area. I'm still hauling that sand around in the basement, and it just keeps rattling more out.

So safe or not, I don't want to leave my Honda out in the rain.

You obviously don't live in the Pacific Northwet. If we didn't do anything in the rain, we'd be indoors 200 days a year. Yeah, I handle power cords in the rain. I use power cords that are insulated; the only exposed copper is on the prongs.

I'd be much more concerned about the questionable soils that you have than the rain. I use mine mostly for tailgating. The generator sits on asphalt. I have it attached to external fuel tanks.

I'm fortunate enough that I can stay in my RV all weekend for Washington State football games. I turn my generator on Thursday evening and turn it off Sunday morning. Sun, rain, snow, it doesn't matter. It runs for about 60 hours, straight, for every football game.

My EU2000 has been running like a champ under this usage for scenario for 15 years. I change the oil once a year.

Other than sand in your generator (maybe you should put it on some kind of block?), what other "mess" did it make? You stated: 'including sand...', that implies that something else got messy. What?

[bpounds]

I think most people would avoid handling power cords in the rain, whether it is shore power or a generator. But there is always that one guy...

Someone above mentioned that the Honda will run okay in the rain, and as far as I know that is correct. Mine got caught uncovered when the rain came up, and although we were in camp, for whatever reason I did not go out and rescue it. It ran fine, but it made a big mess, including sand up in the feet and base plate area. I'm still hauling that sand around in the basement, and it just keeps rattling more out.

So safe or not, I don't want to leave my Honda out in the rain.

[jjrbus]

Typhoid Mary syndrome.

Electric Shock Hazards

The generator produces enough electric power to cause a serious shock or electrocution if misused.
Using a generator or electrical appliance in wet conditions, such as rain or snow, or near a pool or sprinkler system, or when your hands are wet, could result in electrocution. Keep the generator dry.
If the generator is stored outdoors, unprotected from the weather, check the Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI) receptacle and all other electrical components on the control panel before each use. Moisture or ice can cause a malfunction or short circuit in electrical components that could result in electrocution.

[TMBLSN]

I've had a Honda EU2000 for 15 years. I run it out in the rain, hard rain. Still running like a champ.

What are you expecting to be damaged by rain? The outlet?

[gtnsmlr]

I built a theft proof frame to secure the gennny, then ducted the air supplies and exhaust and weatherproofed it. run it rain or shine and, it would take some serious effort to steal.

[jjrbus]

Inside of box is Honda 2000, well ventilated and can be run when underway.

[BarneyS]

I would certainly not want to run a generator that is mounted on the trailer tongue. The vibration noise would most likely be quite annoying. That location would be a good one for carrying the unit but not for running it - in my opinion.
Barney

[bpounds]

The Honda and similar generators run very clean, but they still emit untreated carbon monoxide. I'm not so worried as Soundguy, and I would have no problem sitting the generator on a trailer tongue, but everyone has to find their own comfort zone when it comes to safety. As I said above, I don't like to run mine with the exhaust outlet under the slide. Slides are far from air tight. We all have CO detectors, mine has never gone off from generator use.

Portable propane heaters are a different animal, and the catalytic grid burns CO so completely that they are okay to use indoors, with ventilation to provide oxygen. I have one which I have used quite a bit in a tent, and felt safe enough. I don't like them in the tighter trailer box, but there again, that is just me finding my own safety comfort zone. I also don't like the water vapor they create. Regardless, they are considered safe as far as CO is concerned, as witnessed by the fact that everyone's CO detectors don't shriek.

Try running your generator inside the trailer, just for a test, and see what your CO detector does. 😉

[Ski_Pro_3]

How is it that a genny exhaust and CO is an issue but the exhaust from a propane heater isn't? Seems to me the heater's exhaust is about as close to the RV as one could get.

[SoundGuy]

ArcticFox&Cats wrote:
I have a Stromberg Trailer Tray on the front of my tongue, and have been wondering about mounting it there. Have been cautioned about CO2.

It's not CO2 that can kill you but CO. 😉 Some do mount a genset on the tongue or at the rear of their trailer but personally I wouldn't locate a running genset that close to any camper. A running genset also stinks of exhaust smell so the further from where people are the better. 😄

[mobeewan]

I've used a 6x8 tarp using a rope as a ridge line about 4 ft off the ground stretched between saplings and short ropes on the corners with tent stakes. It's low enough and wide enough to protect it in a down pour and high enough to crouch under for me to gas up and start. I use a chain to fasten to a tree or substantial enough item so it doesn't walk away. When not in use it is chained in the truck bed or set inside the trailer door.

[ArcticFox_Cats]

Thanks, Everyone, for your comments. It is appreciated.
I have the Honda 2200i, along with the LowPro LockDown generator security system. ( https://www.powerequipmentdirect.com/Orbital-Machine-Works-SMS-H2000/p12822.html )
I have a Stromberg Trailer Tray on the front of my tongue, and have been wondering about mounting it there. Have been cautioned about CO2.
Hence, my questions.
Thank you.

[gbopp]

GordonThree wrote:
The $30 ratcheting cable cutter went through four loops of thick cable like it was cutting plastic.

Yep, with the powerful cordless tools available and the cable cutter there isn't much that can't be stolen easily and quickly.