How To Quiet Your Noisy Generator Without a Professional

If you face frequent power outages in your area, generators are a simplified solution to that issue. You can run almost all of your electric appliances on generators. Despite that generators have a lot of benefits; they have a lot of drawbacks too. One of the major drawbacks of those is that they are noisy! 

You do not want to have sleepless nights even though you have electricity at your house. The noise is so disturbing that it can bother your neighbours too. But you are here only to get a solution to that problem, then why worry? If you already know how to start a portable generator, why not make it quieter? This article is going to help you from how generators work to how to quiet your generator.

How does a generator work?

Generators convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. They obtain mechanical energy from external sources. It is the base to understand that generators do not create electricity themselves, but they use the mechanical energy to force the electrical charges through an electric circuit. The flow of electric charges forms the output electric current that reaches the generator. 

Almost all types of generators operate on a similar process, but a few factors may differ based on the models and brand. The key steps involved in their working process include the following:

• Fossil fuels, commonly petrol or diesel, however sometimes natural gases for larger versions, are fed into the fuel tank usually through a protection spout. It’s possible to fill them with a funnel on some smaller models, but it is quite inconvenient.
• After using the starter (commonly a pull wire, however frequently a switch, in particular on digital models) to start the generator, the liquid or gaseous gasoline in the tank delivers combustion electricity to the engine, allowing it to run for as long as the gas supply remains topped up.
• The internal combustion engine turns the integrated alternator or generator head, which converts mechanical power into electricity. This alternator is built of a force shaft related to the engine, which in turn spins an electromagnet inside a coil to generate and harness an electrical field.
• This energy is then transformed into usable voltage/wattage via a regulator and fed to the electrical outlets at the frame of the generator. From there, it could be sent through standard plugs and cables to electric appliances connected to the portable generator.

Based on the make, model, and size of the portable generator you are using, you should be aware of the key factors including its cooling and exhaust systems, lubrication pipelines, and body of the device. 

Why should you silent your generator?

You should note that sounds at 85db and above for a long, will start causing hearing damage to you and your family. When you use silent generators, they do not interfere with your daily work. You get many other benefits of silencing your generator that include the following. There are diesel generator exhaust silencers that you can seek help from. Let us tell you why generator noise cancellation is necessary.

Fuel Efficiency

When you silent your generator, they start using the fuel more efficiently. The engine performs in such a way that fuel efficiency reduces exponentially. 

No more noise

The prior advantage of silencing your generator is that you get rid of the annoying noise. Nobody wants to hear a heavy-duty noise continuously for hours. 

Parallel use

You can join the two silent generators to increase the power capacity. You can join two of them to make them work as a large generator. 

So, silencing your generator is the right consideration for you to make preferring you and your family. 

Tools to silence your generator

There are not any specific tools designed for silencing the generator. The most you can do is try some tricks or tips to get rid of the noise of your generator. The tools you will use will depend on the trick you are applying. 

For instance, suppose if you choose to install a muffler in your exhaust, the only thing you will need is the right sized muffler. So, the only thing that matters is the trick you are using. Further, we are going to discuss the tips to quiet your generator, you can pick one amongst them to know the exact tool needed. 

How To Quiet Your Noisy Generator Without a Professional

Now comes the real question of how do you quiet your generator. 

1. Upgrade a generator silencer/muffler  

Similarly, as you can muffle a car’s exhaust to make it more tolerable, you can do so with a generator too. The super quiet generator muffler works by installing it at the end of the exhaust pipe on the generator. It results in the reduction of overall noise by 10-15dB. Mufflers are comparatively easy and affordable to install and it is suitable for almost every model. 

Look for a silencer that is specifically made for a generator. Many people use car mufflers for their generators but it is a bit inconvenient. Quiet mufflers for Briggs and Stratton generators are also very effective. The generator silencer price is not too expensive and you can easily adopt it. 

2. Add padding underneath your generator

Huge part if the noise made by the generators generates through the vibration that transfers through the ground. Because of the hard surfaces, the generator feels noisier. An easy and convenient solution is placing a pad underneath your generator. The padding should be soft like a rubber carpet etc. 

3. Direct the exhaust pipes vertically

Generally, the generators have the pipes directed horizontally. Moving it vertically will lessen the noise as the sound waves will move up in the air instead of towards you. 

It will reduce the noise to some extent. 

4. Position a sound deflector

While placing a sound deflector would not lessen the noise of the generator, but it will divert the soundwaves away from your direction. 

This may not be as effective as your expectations, but easy and quick and will reduce up to 10dB instantly. 

5. The plywood board method

Plywood boards can help you effectively to reduce the sound of the generators too if the previous methods didn’t work for you.

Place the plywood boards that are longer than your generator around it and cover the generator from all the sides. This way, the sound will be deflected towards the ground and it will be much more tolerable.

6. Try using water trick

An unusual trick to baffle noise coming out from your generator is using a pipe and water.

You can fix a flexible pipe to the exhaust and feed another end into a large bucket of water. This is quite effective in reducing the noise to some extent.

7. Use a sound baffle box

Similar to using plywood and sound deflectors, you can also use a sound baffle box to reduce the noise of your generator. Covering your generator with a baffle box will deflect the noise and it will drastically lower the noise coming from the generator. 

You can also make a baffle box by yourself. You will only need a few things to make one.

Precautions 

Install a transfer switch

If you’re using your generator for backup power at home, having a transfer switch established with the aid of an electrician will let you connect your generator to the transfer switch, and power the electric circuits in your home.

The switch transfer is installed subsequent to your electrical panel. This switch permits you to power the plugs already in your home, and it may power a furnace or nicely pump that’s already connected to your home’s circuits. It may additionally assist with power control.

Avoid flammable substances

On no account use gasoline-powered engine equipment which includes mills, gasoline lawn mowers, or chainsaws interior, in garages, or in basements. The combustion method in the engine produces flammable and poisonous vapors which includes carbon monoxide (additionally referred to as CO). This leads to an accelerated danger of hearth, explosion, and poisoning in closed or poorly ventilated rooms!

Don’t plug a generator directly into your wall outlet

A transfer switch is the only safe way to isolate your home’s circuits from the power lines. Plugging a generator into a wall outlet can send power back down the utility lines.

This is called a back-feed. Back-feed can harm your generator, start a fire, and it could even electrocute technicians who are working to bring power back on the lines.

Protect your generator from being wet

Never use your portable generator under wet or very humid situations. Mills can generate very excessive electrical voltages which, in mixture with moisture, may be life-threatening for the person. Protect your generator from rain, snow, and different moisture. 

You could keep away from this, as an instance, by using an appropriate cowl for your generator. In locations that are sandy or very dusty, it’s miles higher not to use your generator. The generator can be broken by way of sand or dirt penetrating these air intakes and become a disregarded source of hazard.

• Keep away from permanent overload operation. A quiet and smooth walking generator has a much longer lifetime than a generator that has to work permanently at its restriction. You have to, consequently, plan a buffer of approx. 20 percent to your required continuous output. In this manner, you keep away from overloading your generator and negatively linked devices as well as the generator itself.
• Gas and diesel in addition to their vapors are effortlessly flammable and need to consequently no longer be crammed while the engine is still hot. You need to therefore usually permit the engine to quiet down earlier than filling the tank so as to avoid viable burns in the course of refueling.
• Do now not use antique fuels 

 While refueling your generator, continually make certain that the gasoline you use is stable and saved properly. Fuels that have no longer been saved in an airtight area can lose their ignition energy and harm the engine of the generator set.

If you recognize the fundamentals, the usage of a generator may be simple. There are numerous special styles of mills available. You’ll want to apprehend the specifics of your particular generator.

Use your manual carefully

Many modern-day generators run on fuel with no extra than 10% ethanol. You’ll want to be acquainted with the sort of fuel your generator calls for, the amount of energy it produces, and some other unique commands that practice for your situation.

For example, despite a transfer switch, there’s a particular order of operations that need to be accompanied. You begin by means of connecting the generator wired to the transfer switch, turn off all the circuit breakers, start the generator and allow it heat up, turn the main breaker to the generator position, and switch on circuits one by one.

5 best quiet generators for you

1. Champion 4000-Watt RV Ready DH Series Open Frame Inverter with Quiet Technology

2. Rainier R2200i Super Quiet Portable Power Station Outdoor Inverter Generator – 1800 Running & 2200 Peak – Gas Powered – CARB Compliant

3. Briggs & Stratton P3000 Power Smart Series Inverter Generator with LCD Display and Quiet Power Technology, 3000 Starting Watts 2600 Running Watts, RV Ready

4. Predator 3500-Watt Super Quiet Inverter Generator

5. Honda EU1000i Inverter Generator, Super Quiet, Eco-Throttle, 1000 Watts/8.3 Amps @ 120v (Red)

FAQs

Q. Can you make a generator quieter?
A. You can not totally get rid of the noise from your generator, but you sure can lower it down to make it more tolerable. There are a lot of tips in this article to help you out.  

Q. What is considered a quiet generator?
A. A quiet generates creates lesser noise than those of the diesel or standard generators. These generators are also more efficient to use. 

Q. Why are generators so loud?
A. The generators create electrical energy through the engine which results in high noise. The cheaper the generator, the more noise it will create. 

Q. How many dB is a quiet generator?
A. It depends on your generator. When a generator is about 51 to 55 dB, it is considered as quieter than the others. If you are able to reduce the noise from 19-15dB, it will help a lot. 

Q. Are all generators noisy?
A. No generator is completely quiet, it depends on the decibel level of the generator as well as the person. It may be noisy for one person and tolerable for some other. 

Conclusion

Summing up, you cannot get completely rid of the noise of a generator. But combining all the above tips can help you lower the noise to quite an extent. Silencing a generator will make it comfortable to use as the best whole house generator, or outside during camping, etc. You will not regret making these efforts. Also, if you know how to start a portable generator, you must know how they work and what makes them noisy. Knowing all these factors can make it easier for you to reduce the unwanted noise.