any ideas on quieting a really noisy generator? i have a 4kw powered by a screamin' briggs&stratton engine. it seems like all of these are just basically lawnmower engines that run at 3,000+ rpm and you can hear them for a mile away.

i don't want to build an enclosure, that would take away the portability and possibly cause overheating. i would like to figure out how to attach a different, larger, quieter muffler. i am being stumped because of the vibration the engine makes, i just can't figure out how to properly, safely, and permanently attach a different muffler that would be quiet. seems like i read an article a few years ago on this topic, but i can't remember where.

any good ideas?

thanks gene

-- gene ward (gward34847@aol.com), January 11, 2001

Answers

Check with some local dealers .We have a 5,000 watt with a b&s motor and a quiet muffler .

-- Patty (fodfarms@hotmail.com), January 11, 2001.

Hi Gene Might I suggest digging a pit so that the generator and motor is below ground level? Dig the hole first, if it seems effective then put in four posts and build a roof over it. I am sorry but the pit won't be portable!

-- john hill (john@cnd.co.nz), January 12, 2001.

You may find a muffler isnt going to quite a B&S motor much. Lots of the nose is machanical. What you can do is isolate the engine. Put it on springs or on rubber mats(stall mats work great). You can add a larger muffler for some of the noise. The exhaust on many B&S engines are threaded for standard "black wall" pipe so finding a way to add a muffler is not that easy. I saw an article where someone took a "cheap" auto muffler and attached it via pipe. Did help but again isolation is better way to minimize the noise.

I have an enclosure for mine, a 4x8 shed and its a few hundred feet from the house so its not an issue for me.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), January 12, 2001.

Do what the Army does when they go out in the bush-they dig a shallow hole, and stick the exhaust pipe a few inches under the dirt...really quiets them down...of course, they were just a little bigger than a briggs...

-- Joe (Threearrs@AOL.com), January 12, 2001.

I had a noisy gen set and was able to get a low tone muffler from a chain saw place. Then I bought an even louder generator and put an auto muffler on it withoutmuch to-do.

-- Hendo (redgate@echoweb.net), January 13, 2001.

check the mounts, where the engine mounts to the frame, make sure they are fine, or you can go bigger on those,, I did that on mine,, made a ton of differance. Also,, whats it sitting on? concrete?, try a large rubber mat, truck mud flap , for it to sit on

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), January 13, 2001.

Gene- I have anouther suggestion.I live off the grid and use a gennerator to suppliment our four 90 watt solar pannels. I have turned down the rpm,s as alot of the energy gennerated is wasted If the thing is going full bore all the time.It depends upon what you are useing it for. Ihave a Honda 5000 em,and don,t need all that juice to charge my batterys. Less rpm=Less noise Be carefull to up the rpm when you need more power. good Luck,

karl Frost Frostym@ swns.net

-- Karl Frost (Frostym @swns.net), January 16, 2001.