Generator Placement??????????????

R

richard3rd

New Member
May 31, 2009
22
louisiana
Boat Info
1995 Wellcraft 2600 Coastal
Engines
Yamaha 250
I was just wondering if anyone else out there has ever themselves or seen someone else place an air cooled generator in the engine compartment? Would this be advisable or not? I guess with the blowers going it should intake and exhaust it properly maybe?
 
Do a search for portable generator or honda generator.....kinda a hot button topic around here.

To answer your question, this is not something that is safe or smart. Its a very bad idea for many reasons, if you are curious try the search I suggested above.

Funny thing is, this is the second picture of a setup like this today....must be a new trend.
 
way too dangerous,how about duct tape or bungee to the bow rail next to the open hatch :smt021
 
Many years ago I put a Honda 2k generator on the pulpit with bungee cords holding it in place. Worked perfectly. Never heard the generator and was able to power entire boat. Not the sharpest tool in the shed putting it in the engine compartment.....
 
Again, I do not want to be at the fuel dock next to the boat in the original post.
 
I am going to put a 1500 watt on my swim deck. It wont be for swimming but just for the gen and a cooler for soft drinks(NO beer allowed on my boat). I will have a 6" wall around the deck. I wouldn't even think of it where your is. Way too risky for a fire or co2 leaking into living quarters. Be smart about placement.
 
................where's the shaking head smiley?
 
1stSeaRay said:
Do a search for portable generator or honda generator.....kinda a hot button topic around here.

To answer your question, this is not something that is safe or smart. Its a very bad idea for many reasons, if you are curious try the search I suggested above.

Funny thing is, this is the second picture of a setup like this today....must be a new trend.
Click to expand...

"New trend" but same old hazard. You just cannot fix stupid!! Unfortunately, some new boaters just have to learn the hard way. The sad thing is that, because of their poor decision making, innocent people will continue to die. What goes on in an engine room is serious business and there are boating standards already in place to protect us against such potential dangers. Why don't these people know about them? Are there not enough warning decals plastered around the boat, do they not read their boating manuals or do they not research their projects thoroughly enough before putting themselves & their passengers in harm's way? I guess that this age old problem will never go away and we will continue to hear about such disasters every boating season.

On the positive side, our CSR site and other boating sites will continue to educate the uninformed newbie boaters about such dangers. What they do with this information is out of our hands. While staying away from them at the fuel dock is wise & prudent, a friendly chat with them about the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning could possibly save lives as well.

When you see the generator setup like pictured in the first post, one has to wonder just how many boats there are out there waiting to blow up and/or put their occupants into "the deep sleep"? We boaters who have factory installed generators are not immune to carbon monoxide issues and also have to be aware of potential operating dangers.

Stay safe out there & have a great summer.

~Ken
 
The great thing about a setup like that is you can vent the exhaust directly in the cabin and it'll double as a heater. Just make sure you crack open the windows.

And some people say there are "No stupid questions"....

Take the generator out of the engine room and put it at home where it belongs.
 
I believe you are understanding the general thought from the members here at CSR. A portable genny is made for open air applications and is meant to be temporary power for powering tool, camping (outdoors), etc. Blowers are not designed to exhaust a portable engine in a bilge. It's a matter of time before this setup kills someone. CO can travel into the cabin so if you have someone below for an hour or two long nap, they may never wake up.
 
I guess Richard is sufficently embarassed now...so I won't add to it.

But just in case he's still reading this...
It's important that you understand that, aside from the carbon monoxide issues, anything- and everything- electrical in the bilge of a gas boat needs to be "ignition protected"- meaning no possibility of producing sparks which can make your boat go "BOOM". This is why your carburetor has that funny looking thing on top called a spark arrestor, and your car engine doesn't.

It's also why you run your bilge blower for five minutes before starting the engine, and better yet shove your head down in the bilge and take a sniff as well.

Since you didn't know before...you do now.

Be safe.
 
No no no...

Here... this is a dryer heat diverter that you can install on your dryer hose at home:

http://www.amazon.com/Dundas-Jafine-CHK100ZW-Dryer-Valve/dp/B001KPPOZU

It has a valve on it so you can vent the dryer inside saving heat in the winter and divert it outside in the summer. I would think you could put this on the generator exhaust and dump the heat in the cabin in the winter and when the CO alarm goes off, turn the valve so the exhaust goes outside until the alarm goes off... then put the valve back to recapture the heat in the cabin...

I'm sure that's what people do when they have gas dryers at home...
 
No I'm still here. Doesn't bother me any. I didn't say I was going to do this, just was asking if it was safe. It is interesting to me though that there are people who can't seem to get there point across without being rude or just a plan ass about it. It's funny how relative everything is. Before I bought my 268DA I had a 30' Catalina Sailboat, there some true sailors out there that thinks we are all stupid for owning a boat with enclosed compartment with a combustible engine in it! So I guess it all depends on who you're askin'
 
Welcome to CSR. It is a good group here. There has been good conversaiton about the CO problems and ignition protection issues of running a gen in the bilge. In addition, the generator should not even be stored in a bilge. The fuel in the fuel tank of the gen poses an enormous risk in the bilge as well.
 
My insurance is void if I have a fire from a temporary heater I assume a generator would fall into this area also.
 
The bilge blowers in your boat are not intended to exhaust CO from a portable generator, and even if they were the portable generator would probably overheat in the confines of an engine room. This is a tremendous hazard that has been discussed extensively on this forum. If there was a cost effective wat to do this, a manufacturer would have done it by now, anyway.

There are several that write here that maintain that it is possible to operate portable generators on a boat. Every year you read about the tragic deaths of a few in the news. The ones that propose that it can be done safely describe their methodology full of "ifs, buts, and whens".

Resist the temptation. The risk of fire, CO poisioning, and explosion is not worth it to you, your boat, your passengers, and nearby boaters.
 
sfergson727 said:
These portable generator owners are not only pushing the envelope of stupidity, they are licking it and cutting themselves on it.
Click to expand...


That is a phenomenal answer, and a line I will remember and use. :lol:

Don't even think about placing a portable generator in the bilge.
 
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