Ventilation question.....MEP-003A

[BigB]

Hi all,
After some time looking around I finally ran into a decent deal on an MEP-003A this past week.
I plan on hard wiring it to my manual disconnect switch. I want to put it in the back of my unattached
garage and vent the exhaust through the back wall. The garage is 30 by 40 with 16 foot ceilings.
Will there be any issues with enough air flow around the generator if I have the garage all closed up?
I have a couple of windows I can open if need be as well as a ceiling vent that I could open.
Thank you for your help,
Andy

 

[gimpyrobb]

Depending on length of run time, I think that should be fine.

 

[BigB]

The garage is insulated but not real air tight. I was thinking that with the engine running it will be drawing air from the garage so it should be pulling air in around my overhead door.
Now to get it all wired in. Then and oil change and fresh filters and a day tank an I will be ready!
Thank you for your reply gimpyrobb

 

[gimpyrobb]

No prob. Post up some pics of what you do. Its nice to see others projects and might help others in the future.

 

[Isaac-1]

There are a number of factors here, amount of insulation in the walls, ambient temperature (summer operation could be very different from winter) and so forth. I personally would look at installing a high volume exhaust fan and open the windows during operation, for reference I found a spec on the Onan DJC showing that the engine cooling fan moves 800 CFM of air, and the generator fan moves 160 CFM, I suspect the MEP-003a is similar (generator end may be slightly different, but both use the same blower wheel, etc)

 

[BigB]

The garage is insulated with R-21 in the walls and ceiling. In the summer it stays cool in there as the garage is half in the shade with the exception of the morning hours.
I may just put a fan or something that blows outside air toward the blower housing when the generator is running. That would be simple enough I would think. I will get pictures posted when I get everything finished. Might take a little while though. One other question.
Does anyone have any real world knowledge of a Atkinson Electronics Generator Start Control Module? I read a thread about it but I didn't see how it worked out.
I like the built in safety features of the under/over voltage shut down.
Thank for the replies,
Andy

 

[Triple Jim]

Another way to look at it is a Diesel engine is probably around 45% efficient, and with luck, the generator might be 90% efficient. .45 x .9 = 40.5% overall efficiency. So when the generator is putting out 10 kW, there will be 10,000 / .405 = 24,691 Watts of power put into the engine by diesel fuel. 10,000 Watts is taken out in the form of electricity, leaving 14,691 Watts of heat. If you assume about 1/2 of that goes out in the exhaust, that leaves about 7 kW of heat in the engine and generator cooling air, which goes into your garage. As Isaac-1 said, in the winter this might make the garage very comfortable, and in the summer, it might make it way too hot. The intake of the engine drawing air into the garage won't help much, because it's only about 80 CFM. Planning for an exhaust fan, or leaving the garage door(s) open in warm weather sounds like a good idea.

 

[BigB]

The summer months will be easy to take care of. The large exhaust fan I have in the ceiling will take care of that. I believe it will move 1800 CFM. It is a whole house attic fan.
Thanks for all the help. I want to make sure I get this installed right the first time around.
Andy

 

[BigB]

The summer months will be easy to take care of. The large exhaust fan I have in the ceiling will take care of that. I believe it will more 1800 CFM. It is a whole house attic fan.
Thanks for all the help. I want to make sure I get this installed right the first time around.
Andy

 

[johnray13]

You should take a look at Sewerzuk's video of his PLC controlled 003. You could also have this turn on your exhaust fan at start up and even integrate it with a CO detector (fault) to shut it down since will be enclosed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52dkk7QrmUA

 

[BigB]

I checked out the video and that looks like another good option. I do like how clean the installation is.
Thanks for the help,
Andy