Generators -- Relative loudness

 

Ten years ago I bought a Coleman Powermate with a 10HP Tecumseh
engine.  Alleged output is 5000 watts, but I'm pretty skeptical there.

The problem I have is almost universal with these units:  Noise.  We
just had a 2-day outage south of Chicago, and I was unwilling to run
the thing more than an hour or two at a time.  I just couldn't put up
with the racket, and that's with the exhaust fed to an automotive
muffler and then up & out a chimney.  The near-deafening racket I hear
is almost entirely mechanical in origin.  It's almost unbelievably
loud, and I really feel guilty about inflicting this on my neighbors.
I'm also not thrilled with the output grunt, but that's much less
important to me.

My question is:  How much quieter would a Honda-powered 13HP generator
be versus this machine?  The 389cc OHV Honda engine seems pretty
common, and the output ratings vary a bit, but are roughly 7000 watts.
I don't have a make / model of generator defined yet, but it's the
engine I'm looking at.

I want to purchase a replacement, probably something used, but I'm
concerned I'd just be spending money on something that's just
incrementally quieter.  Opinions?

 



All 3600 RPM generators will be louder than you like.  That said, some are
louder than others.  The sound level, expressed in decibels, is often in the
specifications.  Less noise will almost always = more money.

The best route to less noise is an "inverter" generator.  This relatively new
technology throttles the engine down to match the load.  You can actually have a
comfortable conversation standing right over one of these units.  The best known
of these is made by Honda.  (Google "EU-2000")  (Look in recent threads of this
group for some cheaper alternatives to Honda).  Another advantage of inverter
technology is greatly superior fuel efficiency.  For long power outages, this
can be important enough to actually pay for the unit!

Another possibility is to buy an 1800 RPM generator.  These tend to be much less
portable than 3600 RPM units, but last a lot longer.  You can sometimes buy them
cheap out of junked campers if you are mechanically savvy.

Vaughn

 

4ax.com:


Like Vauhn was saying even a nice honda engine running at the constant
high rpm 3600 will be louder than you'd like.  The honda might be a
little more quiet but you really need to look for an inverter type gen,
where it can throttle down to meet the load.  They're not cheap though
(as a rule)

They are amazingly quiet, use less gas and give (usually) very high
quality electricity  

How many watts do you need?

Here is a general search result:
http://www.nextag.com/inverter-generator/stores-html

Those larger subaru robin ones look pretty tasty -- like the RG4300iS .  
Maybe scour craigslist or something for one

 



I have a 6500W Yamaha that's substantially quieter than the usual
generators that size. It has a large muffler, and a "smoother" sound
that one would expect. Doesn't have the mechanical clatter of some
others, and I can imagine it being run in a suburban backyard without
much complaint from the neighbors. When it idles it's even quieter,
but definitely has some clatter in that mode, probably because it's
old and the balancer shaft or drive is loose. It was pricey
originally, not the kind of thing I'd normally buy considering how
little I use it, but I got it on trade. Pic of it on a custom easy
one-man loading cart. http://www.citlink.net/~wmbjk/generatorcarts.htm
I would caution readers though, noise can be a subjective thing. Find
a way to try before you buy if you can.


Yup. I've used a friend's EU2000 a fair bit. What a slick rig. Worth
reminding readers that at full load, any quietness advantage of an
inverter generator will be because of good design rather than the
inverter feature.

Wayne

 



Yes.  Not only is that true, but the fuel economy advantage of an inverter
generator also gradually goes away as you increase load.  That said, few of us
operate our generators at a constant full load.


Vaughn