[xrated]

Another update...and thumbs up. So yesterday, I decided it was time to put the genny through the CO monitor test and make sure that it was working correctly. With the built in monitor on the generator, if it detects high levels of CO, it is supposed to shut the generator down. So, in my DETACHED back garage, I had both OH doors and the entry door closed and fired up the generator. I had also placed a Kidde Nighthawk portable CO monitor in that garage to basically verify what the generator was or was not doing. So after starting the generator and quickly leaving the garage, I started timing how long it would run before....hopefully shutting itself down. Almost exactly 10 minutes later, I hear the generator shut down and as I'm walking up to the garage to open the door and turn on a fan to air things out, I hear the Nighthawk start alarming. Just as a reference, the garage that the genny was in is a 24' x 30 size garage, so I guess it took a bit of time for everything to happen, and I'm totally satisfied with the results.

In actual use, the generator now has a piece of metal flexible hose attached to the exhaust and will be fed out through the garage door metal exhaust port. I also bought a piece of high temperature wrap that will go around the outside of the flexible hose and will be secured with metal tie wraps. The flexible pipe will extend outside of the garage door by a minimum of three feet and the wrap will be pushed up tight against the inside of the garage door, effectively sealing the exhaust port hole so that zero fumes/CO can make it's way back into the garage. The nighthawk will also be in service in the garage itself, monitoring the CO levels.....if any.

And I'm not sure if I mentioned this or not, but I also have a "PowerBack" hooked up at my main breaker panel to alert me to when Utility power is restored. I will come on when it senses Utility power and provide a 100+ db sounder to let you know. In addition to that, I've installed a Red LED in the garage (visible by just opening the door going into the garage from the house) and it is operated from a relay that will come on when Utility power is restored.....just as a visual aid in case I don't hear the PowerBack alarm. And, in addition to that, I've also connected a 5800 series wireless module that ties into the house Burglar Alarm. That module gets a signal from another set of contacts on the previously mentioned relay, and it sends a signal to my Burglar Alarm panel that pops up a window on the display that states...."Utility Power Restored".....and of course it beeps a couple of times every 20 seconds or so, as another audible/visual alert that the power from the Utility is back on. Hopefully, I've got all the bases covered.