How to quiet my generator
 

I have a coleman cheapo generator. 5000watts I think. I want to be able to run it at a crowded campground on Labor Day to have A/C. At least I hope I need A/C! I don't want to hear it, and I know my neighbors aren't gonna wanna hear it either. I though about making a pipe and muffler to go up real high and have a support on the back of the camper. Any thoughts? What has anyone else done?

I think your idea of a muffler will help with the exhaust noise. I have read of people that put on small car mufflers and they are supposed to help. You will still have mechanical noise from what I understand but I am deaf enough that I am not sure what noise is what.

Try building a box that is open on the top and lining the walls with some type of sound absorbant material. You would still need to have it off the ground enough to allow for air ventilation as they do need air flow to keep from overheating.

Hopefully someone who has done this will chime in. Myself, I went the expensive way and bought an Onan 5500. It is already soundproofed and then has a box over it to help protect it from the weather and it helps to soundproof it even more.

I have seen race teams in the pits build a large insulated box with a high volume bilge fan to keep it cool and have plenty of fresh air around it and then run the exhaust up past the top of their race trailer and it works fairly well and simple to build....
I have a Honda air compressor in my service trailer and I run the exhaust under my trailer and through an automotive muffler and then a turndown pointed at a tire.... It sounds like a lawn mower about a block away... only problem I have had with that is condensation build up in the muffler... hole punch fixed that.

Good luck and have a Happy Independence Day!

I hope it's not a COLEMAN POWERMATE MAXA-ER PLUS with a 10hp TECUMSEH.
Bought one after hurricane RITA. LOUD AS H---. Tryed the muffler thing, didn't help any the engine is loud and would not use a full tank of fuel before oil level switch shut off engine due to low oil level. If I recall some one made an enclousure around it to dampen noise. I made one out of a large cardboard box it may have helped a little.
The good: Plenty of power and once the oil level is filled a little over the top mark it will run from dusk till dawn.
Hope I didn't ruin your day. Just my .02$
TOMMY

Thanks all. Kinda what I've been invisioning in my head, just figured why build a better mousetrap right? I was sure someone has been there and done taht before.

The other option is to leave the truck running to power a big inverter... Most of our trucks are pretty quiet at idle....

Don't say that!!! The 'your truck is going to blow up from "cylinder washdown" crowd' will jump all over you for that one![laugh]


I have a Honda EB 5000 watt generator that I would love to quiet down too. It would be right at home at a construction site. I don't really have any ideas other than to build an insulated box but I just don't think that is going to do the job.

To really do a good job you'll need a sound meter. radio shack has one sometimes. I don't remember $$.
First the muffler is ok but don't expect miracles. Bigger the better but it's not where all the noise comes from. The motor itself makes a racket. You need to start at the bottom to get rid of reflected noise. So a good absorption mat with sound foam for the base is required. You'll need a full enclosure with vents for the air in and out. These vents need to be lined with sound absorption material and must not be straight in or out. In other words the sound must have to turn a corner to get out and while doing this it gets trapped in sound material on the walls.

The trick is to make it so it doesn't take up too much space and still can be moved.

You can get most of this stuff at McMaster-Carr. It isn't cheap. I guess that's why an Onan Gold is so costly for its size.

I have a Wen 3500 that is supposed to be 65 at 10 meters. If it is in the back of the truck facing away and covered by the tonneau it's livable. It still is pretty noisy up close. On grass on the other side of the truck however you can hardly hear it.

[coffee]

I have some time until labor day to try different baffles in the box I will build. Gonna try to make the box a muffler, and have the extended pipe/muffler assy. We'll see if that will be tolerable. I don't think many will complain as long as I only run it in the heat of the day. We will have power at the area, but not enough that anyone can use a/c. It should cool down enough at night to just use fans. I'm thinking baffles in the box, and a cheap box fan to cool the unit.

If you make the air inlet so that it feeds the air indirectly to the interior of the box it will help a lot...Also...
Here is a BIG secret that I have found that cut the sound on mine in half!! Stainless Steel pad... like what you use to wash dishes... Stick a piece in the end of the exhaust so that it won't blow out.... HUGE difference!!
But that only quiets the exhaust noise... you still have to quiet the mechanical engine noise....
I bet you that if you built everything on a small pallet like base with a dolly like setup to move it around.... It would catch on.... Infact you could have the exhaust stack break down like a fishing pole and mount on the side of the box for storage and build in places for extension cords and powerstrips.... If you have the dead space available >> You might as well make it useful at the same time creating more sound deadening angles and spaces.....

Use egg crate material to insulate and Look at boat bilge blowers... they push lots of CFM's for very little money and they are very small... I think the one I got last year was less than $20....
If it works... post pictures... I am sure everyone reading this thread would be interested to see what you have come up with and how it works.

Oilguy

A few guys I camp with have LOUD gennys, and they tryed boxs and all the other BS. Best way to make it quiet..........."Sell it" and get a Honda eu2000.

This is how I am going to quiet my generator. http://www.partsamerica.com/productd...goryCode=3483C

Just got done ordering it. I read a post on hear about this unit and went looking for as much info as I could. And the only thing that I found that came up often on the negative side was ( it's a little louder than the Honda EU's ).

I do love the EU 3000 that my buddy has but if this unit is a little louder that really isnt that bad of a negative. He turned everything in his camper on and I had a chat with the wife on the phone leaning over the generator.

I can buy six of these for the price of the EU3000

I have a camping trip planned in two weeks at a state park. I'll try to give a review after.

Rich

totally agree... if you have tecumseh engine? it's bad news. putting a larger muffler will not help much. problems is entire motor makes noise.

had the same model with same noise issues. even spoke with tecumseh engineers on noise issue. muffler will not fix.

folks swear by dual Honda 2,000 gensets. quiet, but extremely pricey.

I'm running Honda 5,500watt and Honda 2,500 watt gensets.

Last year when I browsed through the large weekend gathering of RV's and trailers at the tailgate area of a large ham radio swapmeet(Belton Tx.), I was astounded at the difference in noise from various gensets. There were the usual grand motor coaches with integral diesel gensets, motor homes with Onan, Kohler etc gas RV gensets and the various brands of portable gensets powering trailers etc. Some noisier, some quiet... Some mounted on the trailer tongue, some sitting on the ground.
The brand of genset that most impressed me was one of the Honda gensets that, as I strolled by, I truly could not tell it was even running. This was because of one of those Chinese tecumseh clone 3600rpm Screemin' Meemie's down the way was much louder than the Honda up-close.
I doubled back to take a closer look at the Honda sitting on the ground. I marveled at how stunningly quiet it was as I stood right over it, even while it was powering the A/C unit in the travel trailer.
Keeping my eyes out for them, I found about 2 more Honda portable units in-use there and every one of them was soooo quiet... (~3Kw)
I am a believer in 1800rpm gensets for longevity and quietness(Onan&Kubota), but if I ever have to buy a portable gasoline generator again it'll be a Honda without a doubt!

K.

I have a honda 3K that screams... I hate it... It is a 6.5hp honda and I love the motors... I keep it around the house for when the power goes out and I just hate listening to it run when I have to use it.... Maybe I just got a bad one...

Great generator and very quiet especially for the price. I paid 300 for mine.

Have one don't waste your $$$ if your trying to use it in a campground. Although better then construction grade gens this one is not CG friendly. Search RV.net for a 400+ page on the Champion generator. We use ours only while hunting trying to scare the elk and deer at night so we don't have to get up as early[dummy]

Oh ya, it's no where near a Honda for sound, think of your neighbors Briggs mower with your windows closed. You need to get the db readings and there is no industry standard yet. I believe this gen is 72-74 db at 4-6 meters and a Honda is 67-68 at 2 meters?? A typical adult conversation is 68-72db at arms length. again numbers are from my head and research but you get the idea.

I've got a 5kw gen with a 10 hp Tecumseh. Yep, it is a noisy bugger as are most flat head engine designs. The OEM muffler glows red when I run the gen with a good load. Local muffler shop owner is a good friend and he told me every attempt to put a muffler on a flat head resulted in burned valves.
I only use the gen at tractor pulls when noise isn't a concern. For camping, wife prefers a current bush so the gen stays at home.

If you think the Honda is quite check out this unit,

http://www.a-chainsaw.com/yamaha-inv...seb-p-242.html

it is what I run and you could just about sleep on top of this thing it's so quite. I bielieve they claim 51.0 - 57.0 dBA at 7 meters depending on rpm.

It is another inverter type genset with variable engine RPM to get a quiet genset under partial loads.
I've not been a real big fan of inverter models because of all that extra microprocessor controlled, electronic power switching hardware which may give/receive RFI in a high RF environment. (Ham Radio operator)
But, what caught my eye about this Yamahammer is the BCU feature!.:o
THAT in my book helps compensate for the extra complexity by turning it into a portable genset version of a Hybrid-drive Car! Smaller engine to carry steady-state load and battery boost for momentary heavy loads...
Cool!
:cool:

I have that same generator. I've tried everything from insulated boxes, to mufflers, to PILES of sandbags. Whoever said to sell it and get a honda was right on the money.

One reason for elevated pipe is to vent exhaust above the RV so as not to create a noxious (dangerous) problem for your neighbor when parked. It does help some w/noise. The gen set mounting (in fixed installation) needs good dampening of vibration (which uses the bin like an acousitc guitar and amplifies the sound...

Disipation of heat, as well as air intake on an air-cooled genset is important, especially with higher ambient (outside) temp.

I have the Honda 3000, which I believe has a DB rating of 59.

As heat rises, I would construct a box with insulation (like the baffling waffle stuff used for sound rooms), allowing for the heat to escape. Put in several grills for intake - a lot of RV generators sit in closed bins. Camping World (and the like) sell something called a "Geni" (sorry about spelling) which is made to elevate the exhaust, and has hooks that attach to the side of your RV to secure the pipe. A larger (or in some gensets, even adequate) exhaust might help as well. The other option would be to try and get your RV in a site which is remote, or perhaps does not have a camper right next door on the genset side, or a way to set the generator away from the campsite(s) as well as have it insulated (and now, isolated...). Some parks even have a section for people who plan to run generators.

But all of this is avoided by the more expensive units, designed with noise abatement in mind. I forked over the $$$ for the Honda because I plan on using the generator in National Parks, which have strict rules.

It's called the "Gen-turi Generator Exhaust System" on the Camping World website. I'll be installing mine this weekend, and will report on how well it works.

^ Please do! That is my thoughts as to the biggest drop in noise.

I've got a little dB meter that will help me get before/after numbers.

After I calibrated my home theater setup, I've been waiting for a good place to put it to use. :)

If you are running this thing on or beside a camper or truck, do yourself a big favor, spend about 40 bucks on a carbon monoxide sensor from Lowes or where ever. I have one in the truck and once a month or so when the wind is just right, I get rudely awakened by the alarm going off. Watch the direction of the wind and try to be upwind of the generator. That stuff will kill you and if not that bad, will make you feel really lousy.

well i am a small engine mechanic and work on these things all day.

there isn't much you can do with this one. its either a briggs or a tecuseh. i know briggs offers a "queit" muffle for their engines. but i'll be honest. it dosen't make a difference at all. try a muffle for one but the way those things are built they just vibrate wayyyy too much and cause wayy tooo much noise.

your best bet is to sell it and go for a honda EU series generator. i would recommend minimum is a 3000 watt unit. very very very quiet unit. they are insulated with sound absorbing material and have a quiet and rather large muffler design.

the only thing i can think of for you is build some type of sound insulating box. try to use insulation that wont hold too much heat. allow it to vent so it wont over heat. maybe try setting the idle down a bit. but its a hard call for this. there isn't much you can do with that generator.

Get a really long extension cord and put it as far away as possible. Let your neighbors deal with it

Friend has a Kipor 3000 watt gen set its extremly quiet . It sits in the bed of his truck and he runs his 5th wheel a/c with it no problem. I plan on buying one for camping and for my house- getting rid of my generac with the Robin engine(subaru)

There is not much you are going to be able to do to quiet any of the small gensets down, they have to run at 3600 RPM and most of the noise is mechanical, add the fact they are air cooled and the heads are thinner in construction.

Don't want to sound harsh but,
The only way you are going to quiet them down is to get rid of it and buy an Onan 1800 RPM unit. Pay the money and get a real RV style genset and you can barely hear them run.

I have 2 older generators I use for backup, I have a 4.0 CCK and a 4.0BF3CR both are 1800-RPM units.

I also just sold my big genset because there was no way I could quiet it down, it had stickers stating Hearing Protection Required on the side.

https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/..._gen10kwqp.jpg

I am on the look out for a used APU off from a semi tractor.

Jim

Jim Lane,what is the story in a semi's apu?Noise level,diesel,output?In my r/v I really want to replace my Kohler klanker and was looking at a Honda 6010.BUT there is that noise issue and,I'm not sure I like a propane fueled generator like the Kohler.

There are some different companies that make the APU systems for the big rigs, the idea is so not have to idle the engine to save fuel and cut emissions.
The units mount to the frame rail and run off diesel.
They output AC power for the berth, DC power for the lighting and accessories, hot water for the heater and drive an AC compressor for your cab and sleeper AC everything is self-contained.
I want to find an older unit to use as a backup unit.
Jim




http://powerpacapu.com/product_info....84142339e4a147

Really?That's kind of interesting,since I am not a diesel tractor,the weight and size could very possibly be an issue for be.But I really want to rid myself of the propane fueled 4.5 Kholer Klanker.Thanks for the info.

A couple of months back I saw an APU on Craig's List in Kingman, AZ. Might be a good place for you to look. Craig's List that is, Kingman's kind of hot right now.

A good friend of mine that I camp with often has that Yamaha generator. He loves it and I would love to have one. It is very quiet and can run about 20-30 feet away from us as we sit and visit. Most of the time we just leave my little Kawasaki (1800 watt) off and run both trailers off of his because even though mine is small, it is kind of noisy. I think he found his on a steal of a deal for around $1600.

Well, the Genturi didn't really quiet the generator down at all. And I had to put a zip-tie around it to quell a vibration nopise that it had.

But it does a a great job at relocating the exhaust fumes about 4 feet over the roof of my toy hauler.

Thanks, thats good to know!

Andy

Whats the general thoughts on the Kipor IG3000? I would like to get one. Are they as quiet as the hondas or close? Would like to have something I can use in campgrounds and not make people mad.

I don't know if that Kipor model number is correct or not but they do sell a 3000 watt inverter genset. From what i have read on RV.net it is also very quite. Hope this helps. You can go to RV.net and search for a thread about the Kipor. It's long.....

Its the same as what used to be the KGE3500TI