Finally finished my home backup generator project. It took longer than I estimated and I was getting a bit nervous. I sold my PTO generator a few weeks ago and power outage "season" is approaching.
It's a Kubota GL11000, 11 KW unit which I put in an unused space in the rear of the barn. It's up on blocks but I ordered the wheel kit in case it needs to be moved.
It's controlled from the house and monitored with cameras that I added to my security system. Rather than use an auto transfer switch, I elected to control it manually so I can set my own warm up and cool down times.
The trickiest part was the exhaust system. I needed something that would vent outside without melting the vinyl siding or burning the place down.
I found this product that works perfectly:
It's double wall, stainless steel design minimizes it's outer temperature. I used stainless bolts to offset the mounting flange from the siding and filled the space around the outer shell with muffler wrap.
I'm still thinking about a block heater or some other prewarm method. I'll probably wait and see how it starts on cold days. The barn isn't heated but it does buffer the outside temps considerably. My tractors always start in the building, even on the coldest mornings, so I'm hoping the genny will too.
The only thing left to do is come up with a way to fuel it. It only has a 7.4 gal tank, which will provide 13 hours of run time at 1/4 load, or 7 hours at full load. I fuel my tractors from my fuel oil storage tanks in the house. The generator is stationary, so I'm looking at a caddy to transport fuel to the barn. More to follow.
