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Best way to seal soffit vents to block generator exhaust?
Posted on 9/3/21 at 4:29 pm
Posted on 9/3/21 at 4:29 pm
This morning my generator set off my CO detectors pretty quickly and set off an alarm. Fire dept showed up and did a meter test. Highest was upstairs at 54 ppm. Fire captain (nice dude) told me they had responded to a dozen of these things in the last 2 days, and in almost all of them, the installer had put them too close to the house.
My question: Is there a way to re-engineer the soffit to make it act more as a vapor barrier? Should I have it redone with some foam insulation shot up in there? I had already started taping over the vents in the vinyl soffit, and finished all the vents on that wall after the firemen left. The captain thinks it will help. Moving the generator is an option, but the fire captain thought it wouldn’t help much — and nobody wants an generator sitting out in the middle of their yard.
ETA: My house is pretty big with a lot of 90 degree angles on the ground floor, and this is just one wall — about 20 feet, where the vents are in play. I have sealed all of those with tape (temporarily) but I have plenty of ventilation such that I don’t think this small area will cause much impact. Generator can be moved a few feet further from wall, but property line prevents much more than that.
My question: Is there a way to re-engineer the soffit to make it act more as a vapor barrier? Should I have it redone with some foam insulation shot up in there? I had already started taping over the vents in the vinyl soffit, and finished all the vents on that wall after the firemen left. The captain thinks it will help. Moving the generator is an option, but the fire captain thought it wouldn’t help much — and nobody wants an generator sitting out in the middle of their yard.
ETA: My house is pretty big with a lot of 90 degree angles on the ground floor, and this is just one wall — about 20 feet, where the vents are in play. I have sealed all of those with tape (temporarily) but I have plenty of ventilation such that I don’t think this small area will cause much impact. Generator can be moved a few feet further from wall, but property line prevents much more than that.
This post was edited on 9/3/21 at 4:55 pm
9
Posted on 9/3/21 at 4:38 pm to Slippy
You can replace the vented vinyl soffit with closed, but you’ll never get a really tight seal. You could try to get some expanding foam and seal it up best you can.
Best easy option would be to just pipe the exhaust up and over the soffit. That way all exhaust is discharged well above the house inlets.
Best easy option would be to just pipe the exhaust up and over the soffit. That way all exhaust is discharged well above the house inlets.
Posted on 9/3/21 at 4:39 pm to Slippy
Closing soffits is an extreme measure with other negative consequences to attic ventilation, moving the generator farther away from the house seems to be the practical solution - sitting in the middle of the yard is only temporary - these are extreme times. What was the fire captain’s reason for thinking that moving the generator further away from the house would not work?
Posted on 9/3/21 at 4:49 pm to Slippy
I'm sure with very little expense and effort, you could extend the exhaust either out or up, with removeable pipe. You'd only need it in extreme weather events and can remove once power is restored. I'd bet you can find some yewtube videos with some ideas.
That's what I'd do...
ETA: I'm assuming you have a standby generator
That's what I'd do...
ETA: I'm assuming you have a standby generator
This post was edited on 9/3/21 at 4:51 pm
Posted on 9/3/21 at 5:26 pm to eatpie
quote:
My house is pretty big with a lot of 90 degree angles on the ground floor, and this is just one wall — about 20 feet, where the vents are in play. I have sealed all of those with tape (temporarily) but I have plenty of ventilation such that I don’t think this small area will cause much impact.
Well then you very well may go with a sealing soffit vent option or other tips provided by the board that read your post. And certainly if you have a standby whole house generator and not a portable unit then it’s clear that moving it is a poor option.
Posted on 9/3/21 at 6:22 pm to Slippy
Mine did the same thing. I put a fan on it blowing out and cut some tarp and stapled it to my soffit all the way down that one wall.
So far so good. Been 2 days without any issue.
eta : It took 36 hours before it set my alarm off. But it’s on the north side of my house and the wind was blowing the exhaust straight into my attic the whole time.
So far so good. Been 2 days without any issue.
eta : It took 36 hours before it set my alarm off. But it’s on the north side of my house and the wind was blowing the exhaust straight into my attic the whole time.
This post was edited on 9/3/21 at 6:26 pm
Posted on 9/3/21 at 6:50 pm to Slippy
Honestly, you’re playing with fire here. In my opinion the only option is to move it as far away from your house as possible before you wake up dead. Who cares if it’s in the middle of your yard.
Posted on 9/3/21 at 7:00 pm to LeeKeyrear
quote:
Honestly, you’re playing with fire here
If you paid someone to install it you need to get their dumbasses back out to fix this as that’s dangerous as hell snd no way I’d mess with this. Be very very careful here OP.
Posted on 9/4/21 at 4:47 am to Slippy
Is this a standby generator or a portable generator?
Posted on 9/4/21 at 7:19 am to KillTheGophers
Standby. Generac 24kw.
I have a little room (not much) to pull it away from the house by about 4 feet.
Now, from what I’m hearing, that might not even help. The air is stagnant and humid right now, and CO vapors are finding all kinds of ways into people’s houses, and even into their neighbors’ houses.
Right now there are 3 fire trucks and an ambulance up the street. I can only assume it’s a CO issue.
I have a little room (not much) to pull it away from the house by about 4 feet.
Now, from what I’m hearing, that might not even help. The air is stagnant and humid right now, and CO vapors are finding all kinds of ways into people’s houses, and even into their neighbors’ houses.
Right now there are 3 fire trucks and an ambulance up the street. I can only assume it’s a CO issue.
Posted on 9/4/21 at 5:32 pm to Slippy
Fan blowing away from house an option?
Posted on 9/4/21 at 10:35 pm to Slippy
I guess silly question but did they show up because y’all call ornis your alarm tied to say a security system?
This post was edited on 9/4/21 at 10:36 pm
Posted on 9/5/21 at 5:52 am to Slippy
Rig up a temp extended exhaust and get that shite away
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