generator gasses

[dieselsmoke]

I plan to run my generator in the bed of my truck on the way to Disney next week. Just need to run the a/c in a truck stop for 5 hours or so. I put a 90 and small stack on the muffler to move the exhaust gasses up and away from the front of the 5th wheel. I have new batteries in my c/o alarm just in case but I don't really foresee a problem. I know there's lots of experience around here so I was looking for some feedback. Were going to sleep in the bunkhouse so the generator noise wont be an issue especially with the a/c on. Thanks

[dirt33]

I run our generator in the bed of the truck as well. I tried doing something similar to your setup. I had a straight pipe coming off of the gen muffler, into a small car muffler, and then a 90 after that shooting the exhaust upwards just behind the rear glass of the truck cab. The muffler made only 4-5 db difference, but even 4-5 db "helped". I was enjoying it, but then I noticed that the weight of the setup was putting too much strain on the two mounting holes on the generator muffler, to the point where it had bent the flanges somewhat, which meant that the flange on the "extender pipe" was no longer able to seat flush, in turn allowing the exhaust to leak out slightly. Even with some jackstands supporting the car muffler and pipe, I still could not get the set up to work without bending/straining the thin alum mounting flanges on the gen muffler. So, now I just run it "as stock", with the exhaust pointing towards the cab of the truck.

As far as the exhaust gas being in the bed of the truck, I personally think it is fine to do this way, as long as the bed of the truck is open on top and nothing is restricting the exhaust from being able to rise up out of the truck bed. I sleep in the bed in the front of the trailer, of course with all of the windows closed. I have used a few different carbon monoxide detectors/alarms inside the trailer to get a reading when the gen is running, and I never get any readings that vary at all from "normal conditions" without the generator running (highest reading I have ever seen inside the trailer is 15 ppm, and that was without the generator in the truck at all). Edit, to say that I always make sure we are not parked close at all to anyone else, if I am going to need to run the generator. Certainly I take all of the steps necessary within our own trailer to ensure that we are in no danger (windows and doors closed, monitors working, etc). But, I definitely would worry if I were going to be parked in a truck stop with other vehicles directly on both sides of me. Yeah, I know semis sit there all night with their engines idling... Even so, I just would not want to park near anyone else at all if I were running the generator. I have only run our generator at race tracks where space is abundant, or in Walmart (or other) parking lots where I am parked way out against the farthest reaches of the lot, with no other vehicles close to me at all).

Only one man's opinion though...

(I made the mistake of telling my wife about some guys at a NASCAR race that died due to a window on their TT being wide open, and the neighbor's gen exhaust pointing right at the window. So, now she never wants the gen to be used at all, especially with our 3 dogs in the trailer. I have made quite a battle for myself in now having to re-assure her that it is not a major concern using it as I have it set up. And to think, I only brought up that story as an example of "what NOT to do"....)