How Can I Quiet Down The Portable Generator I Use When Camping?
How Can I Quiet Down The Portable Generator I Use When Camping?
by Anonymous
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How to Quiet Down a Portable Generator When Camping
I have a portable generator. I would like to build a cover to help get rid of this problem. I am sure someone in your group has experienced this.
ANSWER: Let me start off with a Disclaimer all the suggestions below are what other RVers and Campers have claimed to do to quiet down their generators. I have not personally tested any of these solutions to see if they actually work. Some of these solutions could damage your generator as well as void the warranty on a new generator.
Now that we are clear on the fact that if you ruin your generator, it is not my fault, let’s begin. Some of the solutions I have run across are listed below.
1. Some folks have retrofitted motorcycle mufflers to their generator with some success.
2. Some people attach a hose to the exhaust of the generator and put the other end of the hose in a 5-gallon bucket of water to dampen the exhaust sound. They suggest that you put a small hole at the high point of hose so that your generator does not suck any water into it.
3. You mentioned building an enclosure for the generator. I ran across this video on how to build a doghouse for your generator on the cheap. Again, I cannot confirm how well this works.
The easiest way to eliminate Portable Generator noise is to use generators that make no noise at all. You might want to use a Solar Generator to power your RV. A solar generator is powered by the sun, so it does not make any noise at all. Your first question is can I run my RV's Air Conditioner using a Solar Generator. The answer is yes. The video below demonstrates how a Solar Generator runs an RV AC System.
As you saw his BLUETTI Solar Generator was able to power his RV's AC without any generator noise at all.
Hope this helps.
Comments for How Can I Quiet Down The Portable Generator I Use When Camping?
One thing you have to know about dba comparisons is that a 10bda increase means 100 times the noise. Going from a 60 to 70dba generator does not create the same increase in noise as going from a 50-60dba. Calling a 59 and 64dba as close in noise production is false. Also, the distance from the generator makes a big difference too.
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Great for those with medical needs! by: Anonymous
I have sleep apnea, and am on CPAP therapy. My sleep apnea has kept me out of too many great camping opportunities for years. The activity we do while camping helps with our physical fitness, and actually will go a long way to help with the apnea.
Where we live, or within a 6 hour drive of us, every single campground that has electric that I know of has a 6 month waiting list. But free primitive camping is on a first come first serve basis.
To get back out to the field, without provided electricity I grabbed a Harbor Freight 2 stroke 900w generator, and a 1200amp jump starter box. I use the jump box to run my CPAP silently all night, and when the charge gets too low, usually after 2 or 3 nights, I run the generator and charge the jump box off of it for about an hour. I use a foam board box design similar to yours, except I have baffles, and natural aspiration. Air flows in, air flows out. Duct tape works wonders.
I hate hearing the mega loud generators, especially at night, most people are okay about it, but there have been a few RVers that run their gensets all stinking night long. With no sort of quiet box. REALLY takes away from the experience you know?
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Really? by: Anonymous
If you’re going to bring a big screen and sound system to go camping, why bother? Stay at home and crank it up as much as you like!!! No, not everyone is OK with it!! Some prefer to enjoy the peace and quiet of nature while having the security and amenities that campgrounds provide. Respect for others seems to be a vanishing trait....
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To each his own by: Anonymous
You may want to look into a power bank and hook it up to your running vehicle when battery on power bank runs too low.
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Sound deadening by: Anonymous
Eastwood has sound deadening mats and Dynamat. Run the generator on the mat of acoustic foam and put the Dynamat on the inside of the covers of my inverter generator and the sound level has dropped dramatically.
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Generators in NFC by: Anonymous
Campground in the national forests have no generators after 10 and not before 6 or 7. It I'd important NOT to run them. It is very rude to other campers. If you need to have electricity throughout the night, a campground with electricity or a campsite with no rules would better serve you. Running a generator by day isn't usually an issue
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Noisy gens by: Anonymous
When you are talking 2 or even 1 decibel it makes a huge difference. I run my Gen in the back of my truck ,a Honda 3000, and it's fairly quiet. We usually camp with the same friends and they have a Gen like ours but his is on wheels and he moves his away a bit. During the winter I had the box of my truck sprayed with that black coating to protect the box. The following year we went camping ,or should I say Glamping, and my friend commented on how quiet my generator was and what did I do. I told my friend all I did was coat the inside of the box. So if you are going to buy a generator remember every decibel counts even if it is one less !
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Backwoods by: Anonymous
I love camping, but I bring my big screen with Bose surround sound for movies at night. Running a generator is just part of camping and everyone is fine with it. There are a lot of places to camp and if someone wants silence they can head out into the backwoods.
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You're camping... by: Anonymous
To each his/her own. Some disabled people have difficulty walking to the tap, using an outhouse. Not everybody who wants to enjoy nature has the physical ability to rough it. Live and let live, just a bit quieter however you chose to use or not use a generator
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Quiet generator. by: Anonymous
I like to do the boon docking thing much better than a campground. I just do not like putting out the cash for a place to park the camp trailer. With that said it does get hot in Oregon in the summer. We like to have the A/C. My wife has illnesses that the hot weather just drains her.
We have a 3500 watt generator that is too loud for me to listen to, so we bought a Honda 2000 watt. The Honda will not run the A/C at over 4700 feet, it will run the A/C in our driveway @ 4200 feet. I am going to try to see if I can run the two generators at the same time. Once the A/C is started I hope that I can turn off the loud one and just run the Honda.
The largest amp draw is at start up after that the amp draw is lower. I bought the Honda because the ad I saw said it would run the new 13000 BTU A/C's but that must be an the lower altitudes where the air is thicker. Same at your car runs better at sea level.
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Temporary fix by: GmaBernie
If you are camping for the weekend or just need a temporary quiet down solution, We camp frequently with family on private property so other campers or rules are not an issue. My husband also uses a CPAP machine at night and needs the generator. I prefer to have the night time be a little quieter and I like not hearing a loud generator while I'm trying to sleep or hear the creek running out my window.
We took a large cardboard box and cut one end out of it. We placed it over the generator with the open end facing away from the rv. We made sure we had plenty of space around the generator for ventilation. We usually place a rock on top of the box to make sure a dog doesn't knock the box around. The sound it funneled away from our rv and I don't really even hear. The box is free to find and you can smash it up and throw it away after your trip.
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Avid Camper by: Mitch1204
I've studied the topic thoroughly. Unless you have tons of money a generator is a good stepping stone to a solar system and to have as a backup. I always use my with respect for others and rules. One guy mentioned boondocking in state and national forest. You might not see rules posted but if you read their website you will find rules pertaining to dispersed camping. Most say no loud noise as to annoy or disturb other campers. That pretty much includes stereos and generators.
Now everybody's brother is making generators today. They range from the 56db Honda to a 120 dB construction generator. There are many brands that are low cost in the 63-68db range. That's not much louder than a Honda. I have a 64db Champion from Tractor Supply for $199. Lifan and Pulsar are some other cheap, quieter brands.
The muffler issue, I've watched several videos. You won't drop but 2db. Hardly worth it. Plus you don't want to increase the engine's back pressure which makes it work harder and less fuel efficient. You can box it but then you have a heat issue. Manufacturers even state to run it under 110°. You could box it and add a fan similar to an aftermarket electric car fan. The box idea will drop it maybe 10db. The size and weight of the box wouldn't be feasible. If it was me cork has excellent sound absorbing characteristics but is expensive. Second thought would be them drop ceiling acoustic panels. Very cheap but not very weather resistant.
Noise is not just the muffler but the whole generator. Hondas have a thicker engine block cast and have a special air intake reducing valve noise. Look at today's quiet cars. They have thick blocks, a long air intake, an engine cover and a huge muffler. It's a mix of all for reduced noise.
My noise deflector? The piece of thick cardboard surrounding the generator in the box, lol. It works good enough to deflect 10db.
Check out the generators I listed above. You'll be surprised. Home Depot, Tractor Supply and ebay I've found for the best choices.
Work your way to solar. It's affordable and pays for itself. That's another thing buying a generator. Figure out your watt usage and buy only the size generator you need. From 1500 to 3500 watts you'll burn 3 times the fuel. Another tip there are a few 5000 btu window AC units that run on 450 watts. That lug on the roof is a hog.
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Sometimes it's necessary by: Anonymous
Sometimes people who love to camp have a medical condition that requires electricity. My husband has sleep apnea. He uses an inverter with a battery to run his CPAP machine at night and charges the battery with a quiet Honda generator during the day. Not everyone's who uses a generator does it just because they can't do without microwaves and TV.
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Go solar by: Anonymous
I installed solar on my 26 ft trailer and have stayed out for weeks at a time and never had to plug in.
This system will run everything in the trailer ,the cost of the system was what you would pay for a good generator
I installed my system and I am amazed on how well it works
I have less than $2,000 in it I would truly recommend looking into going solar
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wow by: Anonymous
to the person that was upset that the camper started his generator in the morning you're upset that he started his first and unless posted no generators then what's the problem and if the campground has a time limit on when you can and can't use it then im asking what's the problem
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Quieting Generators by: Anonymous
We use a gas generator as required, when camping in the boonies. Our solution was to have the gen in the back of our Dodge Ram pickup, sitting on a dense rubber pad and running the gen with the back of the truck facing AWAY from the trailer. We found that a substantial amount of noise is from vibration and not the exhaust.
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Silent Running in the Field by: L.A.West
YOU WANT TO HEAR = LOUD AS HELL = Survival Generators? Then look no farther than what our Military uses in the Field. Those things you could hear from five miles away. Plus, they're enormous pieces of equipment. The bigger the set up is, such as a TENT CITY - the more and bigger the units they use to power it. SOUND POLLUTION is of NO CONCERN to the US Forces in the Field. Therefore, if power generator manufacturer's aren't developing ultra quiet, gasoline engine powered field generators for the Military - then you can pretty much count on, they aren't making them for civilian uses either. The answer would be: Portable solar generators... Wind turbines... or equipment that doesn't need to be powered by electricity such as vintage Coleman Camping Equipment ( powered by white-gas/paraffin oil ) The biggest issue that faces civilians when peace time camping, hunting, or exploring - is that they think they need to live like Bedouin Royalty with all of the modern conveniences they have at home, while in the national parks, back country, or state park camp sites. When and if SHTF - living it up and NOT going without is out the window. That you can count on!
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Quieting generator by: Anonymous
Be very careful, and certainly contact the generator manufacturer, before putting things that restrict the exhaust flow on any engine. Most especially the water bucket and hose technique. These engines are built to operate within a precisely designed intake and exhaust flow and, while most of us understand the consequences of restricting intake airflow, we overlook the negative effects of restricting the exhaust airflow. Do your homework diligently before implementing any modifications to the exhaust system.
Also, understand that much of the noise of a generator is coming from the parts and pieces banging around inside and outside of the internal combustion engine itself, and not exclusively from the exhaust pipe. The higher quality of design, craftsmanship and materials to reduce noise from both of these sources is what makes generators from Honda, Yamaha, Ryobi and other "quiet" device manufacturers quieter and more expensive.
I have nothing to do with any of these companies and this is just my 2 cents.
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Enjoy nature without ruining it for everyone else by: Anonymous
Your camping!!!!!!! Everyone else is likely there to enjoy nature I can't think of anything worse than having to listen to somebody else's noisy generator , stay home if you can't live without modern conveniences . Cook over a fire. Use the outhouse. Walk to a tap to get your water. No tv or radio. GO CAMPING!
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caution in suppressing loud noise from generator by: Anonymous
a number of generators are air cooled and constructed of aluminum without proper air space surrounding them they can melt down. best to check with manufacture prior to enclosing them
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Quiet generator by: Anonymous
i saw a pin on Pintrest where a car muffler was attached to a generator. They claim it is very quiet and cheap to do. Worth looking into.
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When you're NOT in a campground. by: Anonymous
The writer of the previous comment observes that he/she has never seen anyone use a generator in a campground in over 20 years of camping.
Not everyone goes to campgrounds where there are hookups. Many state and national parks have campgrounds which will accommodate fairly large RVs -- but there are no hookups at all.
If your rig is self-contained, you don't need to pay $25-$75 a night for a campground at all. There are millions of acres of open public land where you can boondock, free or at minimal expense, usually for up to 14 days at a stretch. And for one-night stopovers, there are thousands of places that will allow you to park and sleep overnight in your RV. I believe that the best listing of these is at a paid website, www.OvernightRVParking.com. Costs $25/year to subscribe, but you can save more than that in one or two nights.
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Generators by: Anonymous
Most campgrounds do not allow generators. We have been campers for 20+ years, and have yet to see anyone using one.
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Buy the right generator by: Jim O'Briant
For those who are reading this with an eye toward purchasing a generator -- PLEASE just buy a quiet one, such as the Hondas. A couple of years back we had the misfortune of camping next to an RVer who had purchased a large but inexpensive generator designed for construction sites -- where noise is not an issue. He started this thing up at 6 AM to cook his breakfast, and ran it until 11:30 PM to watch the news on TV. A normally quiet camping spot became noisier than a truck stop, thanks to this inconsiderate RVer.
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to their generator with some success.
,