Yet more nuance with the generator house. When you enclose a generator, you have to make some provision for getting the exhaust gasses out. Zombie Box is in the business of making generator enclosures, so they know how it’s done. I tried to buy one of their enclosures, but they said it was going to cost over $250 to ship it, and it wasn’t really what I wanted. They do, however, sell their exhaust adapter kits and they’re shippable via USPS, so I got one of those.
Basically, the kit consists of several different adapters that attach to portable generator exhaust pipes. In my case, the adapter would replace the factory spark arrestor. But it didn’t quite fit right: the holes on the generator’s exhaust manifold were about a sixteenth of an in inch (about 1½ mm) too far apart. So I tried only bolting down one side, but no matter how much I torqued the screw, it leaked exhaust and eventually came undone.
After several tries, I realized that the adapter flange simply had to have both screws. I thought maybe I could re-drill the hole, but there was just no way. Perhaps if I had a drill press, but even then the tendency of the drill bit to just walk into the existing hole would be great. After some fiddling and searching through the box of derelict tools, I discovered that I had a small cylindrical burr tool for a high-speed drill. I was able to elongate the hole in the adapter flange until it would be possible to get the screw in. I also had to modify the gasket a little bit.
Except.
The flange was designed for a flat exhaust manifold, and the Generac’s manifold has a slight curve to it. There’s no way the screws would reach. So then I bent the ears back (surprisingly easy) and got it all to where I could get the gasket and adapter on and the screws tight.
Except.
Though I could bend the ears of the flange, the tube part remained stubbornly flat. Even tightly secured, too much exhaust gas leaked around the flange, triggering the generator’s CO sensor and causing it to shut down.
I suspect that I’m going to have to use some high-temperature silicone cement, disassemble the thing yet again, and glue the gasket and adapter in place.
—2p