Generator Noise

[Econ]

Had two complaints from tent campers this week about my Honda 2200 was too noisy. It was in eco mode. Has anyone come up with a way to make it quieter?

For the record it was 4 pm in a generator approved zone.

 

[generok]

Here are my thoughts on this:

I hope my opinion on the subject does not offend.

 

[Sjm9911]

Some dont like any noise camping. There are ways to build an insolated box to dampen said noise. Some one that did it will chime in soon.

 

[rsdata]

I have had some success squelching noise making a small house out of construction foam insulation board an inch thick. I cut the panels tall, wide and long enough to make a cube minus the bottom side. The cube should be larger than the genny and have enough size to be not too close to the hot areas of the genny. I use large nails, merely pushed into the foam to hold the shape together, oh and forget the rear panel where the exhaust exits. Place the foam box on top of the genny. the un-constructed cube is easy and light to transport. I mark the panels to be able to get it back together quickly another time.

I also run maybe 50 feet of cord #10 extension cord and try to place the genny on the downwind side of a tree or a mound of dirt to help dissipate noise. Perhaps the tenters were trying to take a nap and your genny was too close to their tents... hence I try to move it away from any neighbors. Personally I don't believe I have run across any loud Honda's.

 

[rsdata]

Here are my thoughts on this:

I hope my opinion on the subject does not offend.

It appears that all of the important parts have been redacted...

 

[tfischer]

You're not going to quiet a Honda down much. The real question is do you really need a generator running, and what's the absolute minimum you can meet your needs and run it? I posted a rant after our last camping about a site that had a generator running from 7AM until 10pm... technically legal, but why go to a primitive campground during fall (when temps never even got into the 70s so definitely no need for A/C) if you *require* power 100% of the time? It's annoying.

If you were simply topping off your batteries for a few hours at 4pm then nobody really should have a complaint. Honestly though, look into solar... it's silent, and as long as you have sun, can meet most any popup need other than 120V appliances.

 

[BikeNFish]

When possible, direct the noise in the direction that would least offend.

Sometimes I use my Harbor Freight floor mats to do this. I am guessing that this alone reduces the noise to the front of the genny by 50%.

You could also use some boards or any solid object that can deflect noise.

 

[tombiasi]

Had two complaints from tent campers this week about my Honda 2200 was too noisy. It was in eco mode. Has anyone come up with a way to make it quieter?

You could leave it home.

 

[Ductape]

If it didn't have much of a load on it, and it was during generator hours, I'd tell the complainers too bad. I have an EU2000i we bring when we are dry camping. I run it during generator hours as needed to keep my batteries up.... usually every couple days for a couple hours. It's quiet. Very quiet. I can't see any reasonable person complaining about it. Some people you can't make happy no matter what.

 

[PopUpSteve]

What were you using the Gen for?

 

[Toedtoes]

If you were using it during generator hours in a generator allowed section, then I wouldn't worry about it.

I really don't like generators, but at 4 pm I wouldn't see any reason to complain - there will be other annoying noises at that time of day: kids, dogs, radios, vehicles, boats, atvs, and on and on.

Did you use the generator during the night or early morning? If so, is it possible they were complaining about that rather than your 4 pm use? A tenter trying to sleep will hear a generator as much louder than a camper in the afternoon. Or they may have just connected you to the nightime/early morning generator use because they saw you using it at 4 pm. The actual offending generator may have been someone else's.

 

[CajunMan]

I wouldn't worry about it. Legal gennie at a legal time

 

[xxxapache]

I wouldn't worry about it, either.

Reminds me of the camper that came over and told me how great the fresh air and night sounds were for sleeping. She then suggested that I might try leaving my AC off at night and opening my windows.

 

[Econ]

What were you using the Gen for?

To charge a 130 AH battery that operates a medical device.

 

[Econ]

I posted a rant after our last camping about a site that had a generator running from 7AM until 10pm... technically legal, but why go to a primitive campground during fall

1) The SMNP does not have electrical, showers, etc. They have communal water.
2) You try to be considerate of others hence run the generator in the early afternoon when hopefully the greatest number of people are out doing something.
3) people who run generators at daybreak or at 9 pm should be shot.<GG>
4) If you have been to the SMNP, solar is not practical except at Balsam Mountain CG
5) hopefully this turns out so my spot is in the center of this
https://www.google.com/maps/@35.6045453,-83.7731626,659m/data=!3m1!1e3

Based on the color of the grass this is probably an early spring photo.

 

[Econ]

use my Harbor Freight floor mats to do this.

Do you have a close up? Do the mats interlock to hold it together?

Is this them?
https://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-anti-fatigue-foam-mat-set-94635.html

I would love to use solar but anyone who suggests so has never been in the South.

The tenter next to me gave me a concert of country music for an hour and kept staring at me.

 

[Toedtoes]

If you only used it for that hour or so, then ignore them. They are just being jerks. As I said above, there are a lot of other noises happening at that time of day that are just as annoying. You were following the campground rules.

 

[GreyFox]

You're not going to quiet a Honda down much.

Not true at all as my own Honda EU2000i noise control box proves.

Pics and videos start here. Click on "i" at the top right of any pic (or video) for a text description.

How quiet depends on how many $$$ one is willing to put into the project and whether one has the means to double enclose the generator as I did with my Chevy Avalanche. Simply sticking a genset inside a box won't do it and in fact will only have it running much hotter than it should. Instead, the genset needs to sit inside a chambered enclosure that allows the genset to easily draw in cool air and route hot (exhaust & engine) air out through chambered cavities which are then vented to the outside world. In my case I chose to construct my genset noise reduction box using materials I already had on hand but had I been willing spend spend considerably more $$$ I'd have used this noise control barrier from West Marine instead of Reflectix I already had in my workshop and achieve even better results. As it was I could easily run my EU2000i full tilt sitting in the back of my Avalanche yet hardly be noticeable to anyone walking past our campsite, as illustrated in the videos provided in the link above.

 

[xxxapache]

I used a generator in a wooden box with the front completely open. The box had vents on the side and ventilation at the roof. I turned the exhaust toward the open side. (I was protecting from rain). The next time I used the generator, it quit making power. It might be a coincidence or not...I believe it overheated in that box.

 

[tombiasi]

I used a generator in a wooden box with the front completely open. The box had vents on the side and ventilation at the roof. I turned the exhaust toward the open side. (I was protecting from rain). The next time I used the generator, it quit making power. It might be a coincidence or not...I believe it overheated in that box.

The generator manual should have specs on the nearest wall clearance and ventilation specs.